Amazing family owned restaurant Love the books in the entrance Super different Great food!!! Service is super good read more

First time visiting this restaurant. Made a reservation for 9pm on Valentine's Day. Opted to go for the Prix fixe 4 course menu for $63 per person. First course: Started with shrimp with Lemon cream for appetizer. Good flavor, however the temperature of the dish was lukewarm. Second course: soup or salad. Went for the Caesar salad. Nothing out of this world - just a Caesar salad. Third course: I went with the sirloin steak and shrimp, my friend chose the lobster ravioli. My meal comes and my steak was overcooked. I tried a bite and kept chewing and chewing and chewing. I asked our waitress if they would prepare another one for me at medium temp. She happily took my plate back and had it remade. While waiting, my friend ate her lobster ravioli. It had a great flavor to it, but the pasta needed to be cooked a little longer. I finally get my second steak, cooked medium well, but I accepted it. However, at this point it was late, my friend had already completed her meal so I asked for the meal to be boxed up to go. Fourth course: dessert. Got the apple pie with vanilla gelato. The apple pie was cold (not sure if it's meant to be or not but it was unexpected to me) but the gelato was very nice. The location and vibe is nice. Seemed like a chill spot to grab a nice glass of wine. Our waitress Jimena was fantastic. The meal, however, was not. I just expected a better experience for $63 pp plus tip. I know it was Valentine's Day but the restaurant was not terribly busy as it was a late reservation. The temperature of food is mainly what made my experience not so great but I'd probably give it another shot ordering the regular menu if I return read more

Luce Ristorante e Enoteca - Mare e Monte - Italian Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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I started with the Misto salad, very delicious and tasty and light. For my main course I had the Rigatoni con Polpette e Salsiccia, very delicious and filling. The meatballs and sausage complimented each other greatly. For my drink I ordered the Paradiso. The Spumoni for dessert was a perfect ending for dinner read more

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First time for my family and I on Mother's Day (there was 14 of us so unfortunately did not get everyone's thoughts) The fresh bread was delicious and warm!!!! I had the lasagna 9/10 it was very filling and great flavor. Interesting with the veggies on the side; I did not eat them as much but did enjoy the thought. My brother got the Salmon his thoughts "it was cooked well and had a rich flavor." 10/10 My sister: Rigatoni Pasta vodka was good but needed more flavor the prosciutto... I didn't enjoy 7/10. The Apple pie dessert was good My other sister: 8/10 good food and great bread 10/10! read more

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Shout out to the restaurant for opening early to host our Book Club such great staff beautiful inside lots of space. The service was great and the food was very tasty. My favorite was the crème brûlée must try. Thank you. read more

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Great place - we were here a while back and this place was hopping. Slower night this trip but still good. We ate off of the Happy Hour menu and it was good. A tad pricey but top notch quality. Good drinks. read more

Finally made it to Luce! I live so close by. We were here on a Friday night. The restaurant was mostly empty. We were seated promptly. I got a virgin strawberry mojito for drinks and my friend ordered a virgin mojito. My friend didn't like her drink as she said it just tasted like carbonated lime water. We got calamari for appetizer. The calamari looked unusual, like potato wedges. I didn't like them very much. For entree, I got the eggplant Parmesan which was pretty good. It came with a side of pasta. I wish the portion of the eggplant was larger instead. We got vanilla bean creme brulee for dessert. It was excellent with the right amount of sweetness! Overall, I was satisfied with the visit. read more

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Love love love the Happy Hour & the menu! The service at the bar is Always Fabulous they are always happy to please.Had but returned in a bit due to a disappointing take home order. But again, service in restaurant during Happy Hour is great! We partook in the meatballs & pizza Cosmo's and a Great champagne & pineapple cocktail. I was happy to be back & I brought family who's never been and they loved it as well! Great prices as well. read more

Excited to come...left disappointed. Big place; completely empty on a Friday night during prime hours. Food was average, drinks were okay, Meatball appetizer was good. Nothing exciting or good enough to have me back. read more

SERVICE: table side, attentive, good pace AMBIANCE: clean, warm, romantic, and open FLAVORS: cozze fradiavolo (4/5) - CAN BE a little too salty, BUT if you squeeze a lemon it's great again. ALSO, pair the remaining sauce with some buttered bread; butter is crucial to bring out the tang in the tomato and also the tomato brings out the creamy notes of the butter. Great for a light dinner that doesn't leave your dinner companions pushing you to eat more because they ordered a whole ass entree. Insalata di Mare (4/5) - also a great light dinner, very clean flavors Costolette Brasate (5/5) - perfectly prepared, very filling, you won't regret it! PORTIONS: filling and hearty PRICE: appropriate BONUS TIP: you can ask to try wines before committing and they will bring you small samples read more

Restaurant week was special at Luce. $55 dollars, but menu options were many and servings adequate. It came with a free glass of wine. I chose the shrimp, fondue, the vegetable raviolis, and a delicious lemon cake. Service for our table of 16 was spectacular and on top of it. I've always enjoyed their quiet and welcoming atmosphere. They really do have a pretty good happy hour as well. Very worth it for this visit. read more

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I was interested to see if there any more Restaurant Week places we could check out and the menu for @luceristorante piqued my interest. Hubby agreed when he took a look as well. I made reservations through Open Table for dinner tonight. We found out that the prix fixe menu is part of their regular offering. Included is a glass of sparkling wine, pinot noir or chardonnay. Hubby and I both chose pinot noir and it's really smooth. Dad and I shared the Ravioli al Quattro Formaggi/Cheese Ravioli, and Pan-Seared Sea Bass, Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto. Hubby had the Gamberi al Limone/Sauteed Shrimp, and Linguine Mare Chiaro/Pasta with seafood. We all shared the Creme Brulee and Tiramisu. The portions are pretty generous that hubby wasn't able to finish his pasta dish.  It was a pleasure meeting owner and chef Joe Buonincontri. He's been blessed with running @luceristorante for 18 years! I'm looking forward to warmer weather and sitting in their outdoor patio. We were noticing that several tables ordered their pizza so we might try that the next time. If you haven't tried @luceristorante, add it to your list to check out! read more

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Everything was pretty good. Wine choices were good. The lobster ravioli was really really good. Large noodles and stuffed with lobster. I got a piece of shell but it wasn't a big deal. The Cesar salad dressing was so good. The calamari app was pretty good too. Service was good but our food took a long time to come. About 30 min after our app and we only had 2 ravioli orders. But overall, our waiter was nice. The hostess sat us quickly. Good spot. I'd come again. read more

food was sooo fresh and came out hot! the service was honestly one og the best ive had anywhere. attentive but not overbearing. we went earlier in the evening so there was not a wait and maybe only two other tables taken. over all it was super good. i took off a star bc the bread wasnt that good/fresh and the food did need salt. i will for sure be back. read more

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My fiancé and I ate here for the first time yesterday, and we were really impressed! ATMOSPHERE: It is an absolutely beautiful restaurant with a nice outdoor seating area. Wine bottles cover the shelves and walls around the inside, and it was one of the greatest wine displays I've seen. (picture below) Candles, wood, wine, the perfect date spot. FOOD: We started with bread, which seemed to be a pretty bland French loaf. We would have preferred a sourdough or focaccia, BUT what was unique was they served 3 different types of butter: a normal salted, a sun dried tomato butter, and a basil butter. A very cool touch, even if I still prefer the regular salted. Our entrees were great as well. VERY heavily sauced which can be good or bad depending on the individual, but we thought it was great. The Ravioli di Verdure (pictured at bottom), which was a spinach/ricotta filled pasta with different vegetables in a tomato basil sauce, was awesome, though I may add meat next time. Although the sauce was heavy, the veggies were definitely not drowned out which happens often. My fiancé liked the Pappardelle alla Salvatore and had a lot left over, which was enough for my lunch the next day. Portions are great! DRINKS: They have a great wine selection (not surprisingly) and, after tasting, I ended up choosing a very sweet red called the Calatroni, Sangue Di Giuda. Not for everyone, but I like them sweet sometimes. My fiancé chose a more full-bodied Cab called the 921. Overall, an excellent experience, and we'll definitely be back hoping to sit at another area to experience the rest of the great atmosphere. read more

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I'd never actually heard of Luce before until a friend suggested we give it a try one evening and now I'm mad at myself for sleeping on this delicious gem located off of Huebner Rd. The property is spacious with a bar area, large dining room, and outdoor patio. Long story short, the space was very cute, service was AMAZING, and the food was soooooo good. For my starter I went with the cheese ravioli which was super tasty. My entree was the Costolette Brasate and YALL this thing was soooo good and came in a large enough portion I had plenty left for lunch the next day. The short rib was so tender and flavorful. I'm getting hungry for it just writing this review. To close out the meal I went with the Chocolate Lava Torta W/ Vanilla Gelato and a glass of Prosecco and it was another home run. My friend also loved everything he ordered and I have to agree that his dishes were delicious as well because I of course had to sample them! The caprese app, and lobster ravioli, and pistachio cannoli were also very, very good (although I may be biased but I do think my dishes were better). All in all, I don't think it's possible to go wrong with anything you find Luce serving up. Get here and get here fast yall! read more

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The food is always top notch and it's a great date night place. Never had bad service here will definitely miss coming here since they closed their doors this month. read more

Tried it for Restaurant week, and this is definitely a place I will return to regularly. Quaint, intimate space surrounded by wine. The menu had great choices, and there were 3 of us, so we were able to select a variety of appetizers and meals to sample. 1st course was Bubbles, house white or Red wine. 4 course meal. We had the Polpette alla Napoletana, Gamberi al Limon, Linguine Mare Chiaro, Costolette Brasate, Chocolate Lava Torte, and Creme Brulé. I'm not a wine or champagne drinker, so I gave mine away. But in the 2nd course, Antipasti, I ordered the Floured and sautéed shrimp in a garlic lemon cream sauce that was superb. It came with 3 of them, my friend got 2 large Meatballs made with pork and meat in marinara sauce, definitely filling and oh so delicious. Then the Gran Piastre...my plate was very fresh, full of flavors that danced on your tongue best risotto with lemon caper cream and nice sized shrimp and asparagus that was tender and tasty. I tried the braised short ribs and wowza! Tender with pappardele pasta that was fresh and went so well with the tomato, red wine ragu. I would definitely try it next round. The linguine mare Chiara looked plentiful on the plate, but I didn't try due to not liking mussels, clam, or calamari. Forgot to mention that they bring a butter plate with veggie flavor, Pesto flavor, and regular butter for the spongy, fresh bread. Then dessert was a regular sized crime Brulé with some fresh fruit while my friend had the Chocolate Lava Torte that looked rich and chocolaty. We were definitely taking here's where I became disappointed. The waiter offered to pack my food up, and I asked for some bread. He packed me someone else's leftover bread! Not the one served at the table but possibly one used for a sandwich. I was surprised by this and tried contacting the restaurant just as FYI, but no success with reaching anyone. Hopefully, it was a mistake because that could have ruined our entire evening. I will definitely be back, but they close at 8 pm read more

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I liked the ambiance and food, although i went on valentine's day for dinner so it was busy! read more

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I booked this restaurant for a large party of 8 on very short notice. They were extra accommodating, the service was excellent and the food was delicious. My colleagues could not stop raving about their meals. I ordered the lasagna, which was just as delicious as I assumed it would be. Everyone at my table enjoyed their meals as well. This was an excellent spot for dinner! read more

Luce Ristorante e Enoteca - Lasagna alla Napoletana - Italian Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

The food on the happy hour menu is great. And the prices were very reasonable. It's always a great place to relax

One of my favorite Italian restaurants in town, it does not disappoint! I actually came here for prom in 2010 and decided to take my girlfriend here for dinner. We loved the calamari! It wasn't crispy like some places but the meat was soft and not heavily breaded. It was an interesting change. The flavored butters were good, but I wish the bread was more toasty. The entrees is what really won us over. Generous portions, as Italian food usually is. I ordered something off-menu and it was perfect! I was craving a vodka sauce rigatoni with italian sausage. It was very flavorful with beautifully creamy sauce. At the top of their menu, they state that they're willing to customize and make any Italian dish. (Using common ingredients, of course) So I was really pleased that they took my request. My gf loved her eggplant parmigiana as well. Service was great throughout and we were happy we went for an early dinner so it wasn't too busy. We'll definitely make the drive more often when we're craving good pasta! read more

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Love the food! We love to sit outside on the patio. Great place for a casual happy hour or a special dinner!

Service non existent, waited 50 minutes for BREAD after asking over and over , order a drink takes 30 minutes, steak was paper thin, shrimp had no flavor, chicken was UNDERCOOKED and pink. 150 dollars of awfulness. I'd rather spend 150 dollars at McDonald's. read more

My husband and I went to Luce for the first time the other night. It was absolutely fantastic. We were greeted and sat at a table by the beautiful Christmas tree. Chance was our waiter and he did a great job giving us superb service. The atmosphere was wonderful and romantic. The manager came over and spoke to us to make sure we were enjoying ourselves. We will definitely be back. The food was all delicious. I couldn't ask for a better experience. read more

Food did not feel fresh. Temperature was off, as an example we ordered the meatballs appetizer and it felt like they took some precooked meatballs put them in a plate and added some warm sauce to pretend! My wife and daughter ordered the ravioli dish, two different kinds, and those were delivered on a small plate with no nice presentation and just a heavy sauce. We ordered dessert and it was just as disappointing as the meal. The place is overpriced and does not deliver. Will not be going back. read more

I have never been to this wonderful place before and I am sad that I haven't. The food was absolutely amazing. If you want to take someone on a romantic date this is the place to do it. The service was impeccable. Angelina was an awesome server. Both of us having gone through culinary can tell you that Italian food doesn't get better than this in San Antonio. Everything from the bruschetta to the steak to the Alfredo was perfection. We got to meet the chefs and they were all extremely nice and very talented. I cannot rave enough about this place and its people! Please go and enjoy a wonderful ambience and phenomenal food and service! read more

Italian Happy Hour! This is more than a 4STAR place to eat. I knew right away this would be a good dinner when the owner shakes your hand at the door. It is a romantic dinner room that any couple would enjoy however it's just me tonight and happy hour (5-7) at the bar was the choice. The bar keep was so excited to share the house specials and get the wine pouring. Happy Hour has drink and App specials and the apps were so good that I just made them the entrée. Shrimps in a buttercream sauce and the locally famous meatballs both delicious and filling. So of Italian and happy hours are your thing please stop in meet the owner "John". Shake a hand drink a drink and enjoy some great food. read more

Luce Ristorante e Enoteca - Wine, Bread and house made butters - Italian Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

We finished our Culinaria Week at this quaint Italian Restaurant on Saturday night. Lovely ambiance, amazing service, and good food flavors. Dessert was a bit meh - the cannoli shell was not crispy...so maybe prefilled a while ago. Plus, our cappuccino was very light...we had to ask for an extra shot of espresso. But overall, a great spot for a romantic date night. And we were definitely intrigued enough to check out their regular menu! read more

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So first thing to know is parking is tight and hard to find. We spent 10 minutes trying to find something semi-close to the restaurant and ended up having to park on the other end of the shopping center. The restaurant itself is nice. Food was pretty good, but general consensus is for the price we'd rather go somewhere else. The service was great in the beginning, but another party was seated after us and they seemed to take precedent over us. We kept having to ask for things which we would have liked to reflect in the tip amount. HOWEVER, it's not noted anywhere that parties of 6 or more is an automatic minimum 20% tip. This was confusing because the receipt showed "suggested 15%,18% & 20%" totals with the 20% circled, added to the total and then in huge numbers on the bottom the "complete total" with the 20% tip added in. My husband tried to change it to 15%( which was generous) due to the above mentioned feeling forgotten after the first 10 or so minutes of being seated. The server came back and then informed us of the 20% minimum for 6 or more people. We paid the check but it left us definitely not wanting to come back. read more

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Things have changed here recently. I have been dining here for years and this was my first disappointing visit. Many key delighters have been altered: the focaccia bread was replaced, the previously soft, flavored butters were pre-made and straight from the fridge (cold and hard), the sauce for the Arancini used to have 2 or 3 kinds of meat and now is just tomato sauce and the gamberi appetizer now has petite shrimp that weren't even breaded and a generic white sauce (it no longer even tastes like lemon). Our server couldn't find a staple wine we usually order, and the prosciutto in my dish was nothing but pieces of fat. The dessert tasted like it came from a box. We were really shocked. It's sad to see a nice place like this start to comprise its quality. It would be better to cut the menu down and preserve quality to save money than to substitute ingredients and kill what made this place unique to begin with. To top things off, our visit was on Valentine's Day. This is a day to impress, give your best, and have new and old customers wanting more - not the day to cut corners and 'pack 'em in'. I hope this place can turn things around and bring back the magic. read more

I visited Luce with family and friends to celebrate a birthday. The atmosphere is cozy, and they have a fantastic outdoor patio I'll be returning to in the future. The service was on point, and I never had an empty water or cocktail glass. The lemon drop martini is perfectly tart and not overly sweet. We shared calamari, charcuterie, meatballs, and lemon sauced Italian shrimp for appetizers. They were all delicious, but the calamari were my favorite. Usually calamari are served sliced into rings. Luce serves calamari steaks that are sliced into thick strips like homestyle fries before being lightly battered and fried. Holy smokes were they good! I won't visit Luce without ordering the calamari with spicy tomato dip. Almost everyone at the table ordered the lobster ravioli because it sounded so good and came highly recommended by our waiter. I have never had better ravioli in my life. They had a nice bite to them and the sauce is to die for. Next time I'm craving Italian, I'm heading to Luce! read more

Luce Ristorante e Enoteca - Lobster ravioli. - Italian Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

The ambience, food, drinks and service all on point. My favorite is the Eggplant Parmesan.

What a tasty and nice establishment. Came for dinner with friends and we had a great time, we closed the restaurant down. I ordered the mushroom ravioli for entree and selected the drink side car. Bread comes to the table and they have 4 different spread options. The mushroom ravioli is a great vegetarian option. I ate every singe piece in my plate. The side car is made really well and each drink had sufficient alcohol. Thanks to this place my new drink of choice is a side car! They even have weekend HH specials. The staff was very attentive and helpful. We enjoyed the atmosphere, food and service. Will definitely be back! read more

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It had been months since my wife and I had dined at an Italian restaurant. We found this jewel in an upscale strip mall. The interior is beautiful. I was impressed by how open the dining g area was, and yet there are several distinct seating areas. Our wait person, George, was very personable and obviously had his heart invested in the restaurant. He had recently won a daiquiri contest and offered to make his winning drink for us. George called his concoction the "Wiseguy"; a daiquiri made with Basil, and Balsamic Vinaigrette! Sounds strange, but it is one of the best that I have ever had! The owner has promised to put it on the menu. Now to the food.. We were initially given a basket of bread with three flavors of butter (sun dried tomato, pesto, and regular). I liked that the butters were warm enough to spread across the bread. The bread itself was not very tasty, but made a good presentation along with the three butter offerings. The appetizer we settled on was the Costolette di Maile (three pork ribs). They were very tasty. The meat was tender, not chewy. As for the mains.. My wife ordered the Valdostana (chicken with risotto). The chicken was full of wonderful tastes, but the risotto stole the show. My wife couldn't stop mentioning how wonderful it was. I had the Veal Saltimbocca. It was so good! I love foods that provide multiple tastes in a single bite. To finish, we shared the tiramisu. All Italian restaurants offer tiramisu. This one surprised us with a bite of cinnamon. After we got used to the cinnamon, it turned out to be quite a positive detour from the norm. After the costs of the wine and cocktails (both very good), the bill was about 140.00 before tip. read more

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We tried this restaurant again after seeing that Express-News restaurant critic, Mike Sutter, placed it in his top 10 list of Italian restaurants. I'm not sure what Mike Sutter saw in this place, but the mediocre food quality and service was nowhere near the standard of a top 10 restaurant. We sat at the bar, as is our custom most places we go. The restaurant is nicely finished and has a great atmosphere. After initially ordering our drinks, we had to wait awhile to get our bartenders attention to order food. We started with salads, Dan chose the caprese and I had the Caesar. Dan's came on a plate with the mozzarella and tomato tossed on there haphazardly with olive oil drizzled on top. There was a small glob of balsamic glaze to the side and a wilted basil leaf with black and brown blotches thrown on top. The tomato slices had part of the stem still attached and there was zero effort given to presentation. My Caesar came on a plate again with no effort towards presentation and they forgot to toss in any dressing. Entrees consisted of Italian sausage and langostino risotto for Dan and chicken Marsala for me which was battered in a chicken fried steak batter. It was way too thick. Dan's risotto was reasonably portioned, and although there was plenty of sausage, all and, probably won't visit again given all the good Italian restaurants in San Antonio. read more

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Came here on a recommendation that this was an Italian restaurant with gluten free options. Stopped by for dinner after a day in SA and was happy to see the restaurant kind of romantic tucked in a corner of a shopping area; it kept quiet despite being in such a busy area. I was disappointed to find out that they had *an* gluten free option, which was just spaghetti. Turns out they had such success with dining month pre fixe dinner they were still doing that, so we went with that instead. I got the mussels starter, which had quite a lot of them and had a nice broth to it; some were still closed but those that were open were very good. Lamb shank for dinner with rice and veggies was delicious, bone-in; very rich and decadent with it was a lot of food but amazing to scoop some of the marrow onto it. The most disappointing part was the dessert, which I got the cheesecake; Can whipped cream isn't super uncommon but the cheesecase was clearly frozen because it was hard, crumbly, and tasted icy like it was freezer burned; very unpleasant. Our server was very nice and helped us best she could; overall it was a mixed bag and mostly just disappointed they didn't actually have more gluten free pasta options. read more

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My oldest just turned 18 and wanted Italian food. This was suggested by one of my ex-husband's friends so we tried it out. The appetizers were fantastic. The food was just OK, good but not outstanding. Desserts were also on point. The service was fantastic and the restaurant definitely has a date night vibe. Everyone loved it and we definitely be going back. I got veal parm and it just wasn't impressive. read more

Wow what an amazing atmosphere and amazing server. Food looks great. My first time here can't wait to come back. Like my son says, treat yourself don't teach yourself read more

Luce Ristorante e Enoteca - Pasta shrimp with a glass of Chardonnay - Italian Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Luce is such a hidden gem if you don't frequent this area. I was thankful for Restaurant Week for introducing me to this amazing Italian restaurant. I have been to this location three times already and each time the service was always great. Very knowledgeable staff members that make the best recommendations. I am pretty sure I ordered the lamb chops during both restaurant week visits and they were delicious. The gnocci is so filling that by the time the dessert came around I was stuffed. Very intimate ambiance - perfect for a date night! I highly recommend this spot if you haven't been yet! Top Notch! read more

Luce Ristorante e Enoteca - Vanilla Bean Crème Brule - Italian Near Me - San Antonio, Texas