I wanted to like this spot! And I'll try again but I was not a fan of my scallops - they were oily/greasy. I also tried calamari and they were not good and the marinara was SO bad. Our service was great though and it's a beautiful space. The other guests enjoyed the veal. read more

Luce Ristorante - Menu - Italian Near Me - Medford, New Jersey

My best friend and I went to check out the annual Halloween parade and decided we wanted to go out to dinner. We hadn't made reservations anywhere and it was getting late so he started searching for local spots that would be open past 9 ( since we'd be arriving around 8 and didn't want to go somewhere that would be prepping to close. When we arrived there were a few people dining in the restaurant, a couple sitting at the bar, and a lot of empty tables closer to the front of the house. The hostess greeted us and told us it would be about 7 minutes before we could be seated. We sat and waited, thinking maybe they were expecting several tables with reservations but no one came in as we sat and waited. After about five minutes we were asked if we wanted a table or booth and were sat. This was the only time during the evening that things weren't close to perfection. Our server came to get our drink order and I mentioned a drink I love but that wasn't on the signature drink list. He knew the ingredients and said they'd make it for me. They brought over their bread basket which consisted of three different styles of breads including a pizza style bread, small pizza crust like bites with pesto, and regular Italian style bread. We started with the zucchini fritti which was thick cut zucchini fries with freshly shaved Parmesan on top and a marinara for dipping. The ONLY thing that could make this any better would be a lemon garlic aioli dip, but it was nearly perfect. For our entrees my best friend did chicken parmigiana and I did the chicken Bella Donna, which had mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes and asparagus in a brandy cream sauce with mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley. My entree was so good I took it home and had the other half for lunch the next day, and I'm not a leftovers girly. We skipped dessert since it was late but next time I would love to see their dessert options. I was so pleasantly surprised by how good everything was and I can't wait to come back! read more

See all

Great service atmosphere and food . A very enjoyable evening . So glad we decided to try Luce . We will be back soon !

Luce is a very nicely appointed, spacious restaurant with an excellent service staff -- friendly, attentive, and professional. Not once was a water glass empty. A wonderful bread basket arrived immediately, filled with slices of pizza bread and garlicky pita bits. The specials were recited right away, and our order was taken promptly once we were ready. Unfortunately, that's where the positive experience ended. The food was mediocre at best -- very subpar Italian cuisine. The appetizers arrived quickly: fried calamari, which wasn't bad but was a bit rubbery, and oddly surrounded by fried sweet potato fried that were hard, and soggy with oil and fried pickled hot peppers. Interesting perhaps, but if I order calamari, that's the dish -- not an experiment. The fried zucchini was similarly disappointing: soggy and lacking substance. The worst of the starters, however, were the clams -- baked on the half shell in a tomato purée. The clams were nearly impossible to find and tasted awful -- completely inedible. The Veal Milanese was another failure: the breading had the taste and texture of cardboard, the arugula salad was drowning in lemon dressing, and the so-called Parmesan on top was soft and flavorless. The tagliatelle Bolognese featured doughy, chewy pasta that overpowered an otherwise decent ragù, making the dish unpleasant to eat. The chicken Maximo was decent but confused. It was a thin chicken breast smothered in cheese, and an oily tomato sauce topped with sautéed vegetables you'd get from a microwaveable bag and mashed potatoes you make from a box. If I'm going to go out to eat I want food that's better than I make at home, not worse. Dessert selections were presented nicely by the ever-cheerful staff, and there were appealing options. The crème brûlée cake and the chocolate lava cake were the best options. Followed by the dulce de leche cheesecake which had a nice consistency and wasn't too overpowering. The pistachio cake was powdery and overly sweet, would not recommend. The presentation of all desserts was nice. Prices are on the moderate-to-high side, which would be fine if the food matched the service. In summary: exceptional service, warm atmosphere, but deeply disappointing food. I won't be returning. read more

A hidden gem and a must try. Sat at the bar and staff was attentive, good cocktails and food was delicious.

only one thing, you are an Italian restaurant,you should always have fresh Italian bread! Other then that food and drinks are awesome !

Excellent food and service and ambiance. I will return here in the future!! You won't be disappointed read more

Delicious food, atmosphere and service! Clams and spaghetti was perfect! Drinks were yummy too!

Very nice ambiance but pricy for the portions. To start the fresh baked breads were delicious. The chicken soup was like Grammy used to make. I had the seafood combo special in an Alfredo sauce. The sauce was excellent but skimpy on the seafood. It was difficult to see food from the pasta. My other half had the chicken Carolina. It was a version of chicken cacciatore. That also was very tasty. The kids had the grilled chicken with a side of mixed vegetables and they gave it two thumbs up. Desert was the lava cake for the kids and cream boule cheese cake for us with a side of vanilla ice cream. Wow on both desserts. Wait time is at least 20 mins even with reservations. read more

Our first time here. Service staff could use some training. Our appetizers came out 3 min after we ordered While eating our appetizer the waiter asked if he could bring our meal out. We declined. Main course was good, we always start with Grilled Salmon then explore the menu on the next visit. Dessert, we overheard someone say they do not make any of their desserts so we declined. Note: not sure why but they don't offer a house salad. read more

I would love to give Luce 5 stars. The Food is fantastic, the service is wonderful, everyone is so personable. So why knock a star off? It's extremely busy and you need reservations but they don't have any policy to assure you'll be seated near your reservation time. Most busy restaurants in the area specifically state you have a 2 hour window to dine. Luce has no such policy. So we ended up waiting almost an hour past our reservation time because diners camped out at their tables and wouldn't leave. We saw no sign of a manager the entire night. The hostess was extremely apologetic but no one else came out to apologize. We never saw a supervisor of any description. Although, I do really enjoy Luce once I've been seated, I'm hesitant to return. Hopefully they will follow other restaurants in the area and institute a time limit to dine. read more

Excellent service... seems they do so many dishes well that we keep exploring the menu! Pizza Meh! We prefer sitting at the bar. Worth a try .... read more

My girlfriend and my favorite local Italian spot in south jersey. Great for a nice date night! The chicken parm is top tier and the make fresh pasta! Get some fine wine and a FANTASTIC slice of cheesecake. The bread the give you to start is so good it's hard not to fill up on. Try this place out you will not be disappointed. Hospitality is A+ and usually don't have to wait. read more

Food is usually fairly consistent however $40 entree did not include salad or a veggie or a side ... waiter aggressive and condescending/ did not keep table clean - and never refilled water. Disappointed read more

First time here. Enjoyed the vibe while eating at the bar. The bartender was on point our drinks were never empty. Food was good. The pizza was very tasty. Meatballs were ok. read more

See all

Great margarita pizza. Marcos is such a great server! The place has great ambiance.

Date night favorite. A little on the pricey side but not bad. The food is good and service is hit or miss depending on whether you get a young person or a more experienced server, no bad experiences though. Great spot! read more

Cute little place to have a casual dinner with friends or family. Service was attentive and the food was Italian American but good

Was here about a month ago and everything was really good. Here today and was disappointed Mussels really had a nasty smell like old fish but tasted ok. Veal dish had no taste and sides that came with this dish was less than good. They tell you about daily specials but don ,t tell you the price. Got the check and saw the dover sole fish special was $40. Sorry to say this was my last visit here read more

Ok. So here it goes...we have been here a dozen times. We live close so for convenience it is perfect. We have given this many chances prior to my review. Well tonight was the straw that broke the camels back. First - like other reviews ridiculously overpriced. Second - Italian food which serves potatoes and veggies for sides. That is personally not what I like. Finally - and this is the dumbest policy I have ever seen in an incredibly overpriced restaurant - NO TIPs can be added to credit card. ONLY cash. Let's analyze this stupid policy - Who benefits? - Servers - of course not. Who brings cash???? - Customers - of course not. Not to mention I am in sales and could NEVER take my clients to this restaurant because using anything but a corporate credit card is a policy violation. - The Owner? Ahhh now we are on to something....there is an ATM machine in the rest??? Tax purposes???? So....for this reason we are finished with Luce. I doubt it will be here 9 months from now..... read more

Luce Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Medford, New Jersey

We usually sit at the bar. Never had a bad meal or bad service. The service at the bar for drinks always come out great!

Nice atmosphere. We sat at a table but the bar area looked like a nice place to have a drink or even dinner. Service was very good, as was the food. Reasonable prices as well. read more

Great find. Salads out of this world. Beautiful decor. Perfect outside dining area and bar inside. read more

Luce Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Medford, New Jersey

I've been here 3 times. My parents loved it. I think everything you order will get you good quality. That means nothing frozen or fishy. They have some cool specials, at least when I went. I think it's a nice atmosphere and the service was fine. I just took away stars because it was too expensive compared to other options. It's a nice place though. read more

Awesome place, really neat and clean, food is amazing as well as the service, my go to Italian cuisine!

Came here with my family on a Saturday night and were seated promptly. I found that all the servers were all friendly and attentive with clearing dishes and refilling waters. We ordered the seafood salad (an appetizer special) and grilled calamari to start, and I enjoyed both very much! I asked that the dressings come on the side and I did not have any issues with it. For my entree, I got the whole branzino and thought it was really good! Others got the lobster ravioli, the steak special, and Dover sole. I personally thought the steak and Dover sole was just mediocre and nothing to brag about. Overall, I really enjoyed my entree and liked the service here! read more

Date night for two, 75-year-old husband and wife. We made a reservation for 6 o'clock, but we certainly did not need it. There was basically no one else in the restaurant, except one or two couples that came in at different times. The ambience is excellent. The service was excellent. The bread that you got beforehand was very good, my cocktail which was a pineapple Cosmo was delicious with a nice big martini glass for $10 which is a deal nowadays. I had the clams casino for an appetizer they were OK. They were small but they were really clams casino not just clams, put in a shell. my husband had the special octopus/calamari which looked really good and was quite large but whenever you order a special you never know the price and that was a hefty $22 for an appetizer. My husband ordered the scallop risotto which he said was good, but again was not a large helping. I ordered the chicken cacciatore, and it wasn't what I would really expect from a chicken cacciatore, but it was good. We will return again try other items we like the nice quiet atmosphere. The other reviews that talked about busy and reservations, Thus was Tuesday, that definitely was not our experience. Our waiter was very charming and we had a nice, romantic dinner we will return. read more

Disappointed! Heard the food was good. Not impressed at all. Calamari had fillers like carrots and peppers very fishy taste. Portions was small and pasta dinner did not include a small salad. My soon had penne ala vodka and it was mostly tasteless red sauce. We won't be back read more

This is the best Italian food I've tasted. The seafood, pasta, and meats/sauces are out of this world; very fresh ingredients and friendly atmosphere with friendly and professional service. My husband and I live in the Monterey Bay area of California. My Dad lives in Medford, and is a regular patron. The staff treats him with the golden glove. Extra shout out to Marco. Thank you for your excellent service! Becky L. read more

Highly overpriced!!!! Expensive lunches with soup or salad EXTRA $$$$ This restaurant will go the way the others have at this location. read more

Tables in the dining room are too close together to be comfortable. Our server even commented on the difficulty of fitting between the tables. Lots of leaning over diners to serve food which I find tacky. Cocktail prices were steep, more comparable to Center City restaurants than a remote restaurant in Medford NJ. Food was good but only comparable to other Italian restaurants in the area with much lower price points. Be sure to ask about prices on nightly specials-way overpriced. Service was slow but friendly. Servers seemed to be very rushed. read more

I would like to say that there was good and bad, but unless I am reviewing the assistant that filled the water glasses, there was nothing good about this dinner. Once we received bread and water, it was a long wait for our waiter Marco. Once he did give us his attention, we ordered bar drinks. Although the wine was reasonable in price, the mixed drinks were not. $11 for a mixed drink is very high. By the time our waiter came back to take our dinner order, our drinks were almost done. He asked if we were ready to order. He started to take our order. After taking one of our entree orders, he excused himself and left. He went to bar to get a beer for the table next to us. After taking another of our orders, he left and went to the kitchen. When he came back, he told us that the chef wanted him. It wasn't until I asked if there were any specials, that he brought them up. We ordered 2 "Lobster Ravioli", "Chicken Cardinale" and "Chicken Cacciatore". The dinners were brought to us by a food runner, not our waiter. As a matter of fact, our waiter did not come back to our table until we were finished. Now for the dinners. All four dinners were served warm at best. The chicken was horrible. It was unseasoned and chewy. One would think that for a $23 price level, some care in preparation would be taken in seasoning and tenderizing. The only comment on the lobster ravioli was that it was cold and the sauce was too thick. Since our waiter never came back to ask how our dinners were, they were mostly left uneaten. The waiter did see this when he finally did come to our table at the end of the dinner. He apologized and made a partial concession on our bill. Even with a concession on the bill, this dinner was a horrible experience and very over priced for the quality of the food. read more

The BEST Quality food and restaurant in Medford! My family and I have lived in Medford for 10 years and have always been frustrated there were only a few, even decent places to eat in town. And now to have a restaurant of this caliber, 5 minutes from our house is awesome. It is also very classy, I recently invited one of my clients for a business dinner and they loved it too. The food is delicious, the staff are attentive and professional. We highly recommend! read more

Luce Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Medford, New Jersey

I have been here once before, last summer. They have since renovated and it looks amazing. Upgraded the decor and updated the menu. Once I heard homemade gnocchi, I knew I had to try it. I got them in a white wine, garlic, and prosciutto sauce. Absolutely amazing!! The gnocchi was so soft and perfect. I also got a delicious glass of Riesling and homemade tiramisu. Was a little disappointed in the tiramisu. I'll definitely be back for some more fresh gnocchi and maybe try the salted caramel gelato. Fairly expensive meal, but very enjoyable. read more

Best food, service, and drinks around. Most definitely recommend. The specials are incredible, drinks always balanced, and service is always excellent. read more

I had the biggest seafood special I ever had. The portions are awesome and the food is fantastic. I will back to this place every week. Simply the best. read more

Food was good but prices are outrageous. Ordered crab cakes and menu stated market price. They were decent, not great. What shocked me was the price - $50 for crab cakes! I eat in fine dining establishments in Cape May and Philadelphia, and never have I paid $50 for a crab cake dinner. Was a fan of Luce but will not be back. Emailed the establishment the next day and received a very curt "crabmeat went up in price" response. read more

The best veal parmigiana ever! The Shrimp and Scallop Mediterranean was delicious also:)

I have had stomach issues from this place twice. Once I even asked for my money back because it was the sushi and made me very ill which was last year. A second time I became ill was last night (Shrimp was undercooked and scallops tasted fishy. The pizza was good... my cocktail was good... I am positive the seafood was what made me ill. read more

I love the food here and I use to love the service but I came in to eat tonight as I have done often and was really upset to find that one of my favorite servers Carol may not work there anymore ?? I say may not because they were very vague in the answer I was given . Please bring my carol back ?! I'm not happy with the possibility of her not working there anymore . read more

Luce Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Medford, New Jersey