Good Food and drinks, great atmosphere felt like I was somewhere else not in Redding. Price was fair. Go check it out, great for a date night. I think our waiter was new, but that's ok. The waiter Wally next us is someone to request for next time. read more

TL;DR: Fancy presentation and lackluster food. I would not recommend it and I would not go back again. Go to Nello's for better Italian. Ambiance: beautiful space and decor; felt very pretty and luxurious. Mostly tables, so if you're hoping for booths there's basically one and you're out of luck. The acoustics were horrible--very first observation walking in was LOUD. The restaurant wasn't even full, maybe half the tables were filled, but it was nearly impossible to hear each other when seated. Service: It was okay. Food took a very long time to come out and while the waiter insisted we made great choices ordering and everything was his favorite, we didn't actually get checked on ever until it was time to pay/get boxes. Food: Nothing tasted BAD, but it was very expensive for small to middling portions of food that was just alright. Citrus butter prawns ($26): I think my dining companions enjoyed the flavor, but it was very VERY little shrimp and citrus compared to a bed of what looked like cabbage or lettuce. Beet and goat cheese salad ($24): Astonished at the distinct lack of salad-ness. There were about 4 small crumbles of the goat cheese and then just a smattering of beet slices. Pappardelle al limone e prosciutto ($26): A pleasant lemony flavor and the prosciutto was decently crispy. A little dry. Pappardelle al brasato ($31): I expected this to be a delicious red sauce with the braised shortribs cooked in with the sauce. It was instead pretty dry, clumps of tomato and clumps of beef. The dish tasted fine, but nothing spectacular or rich like I would have expected. Bucatini Carbonara ($26+$8): My brother added chicken to his dish. The taste was again fine, though the sauce seemed very translucent for a true carbonara. I don't know if they have a strange egg ratio or didn't use enough Parmesan or what. The chicken...well, it wasn't fabulous. For some inexplicable reason the carbonara comes with a slice of focaccia, but the other pasta dishes don't. Focaccia ($4): My grandmother requested bread after seeing it in the carbonara and we were brought and charged for a side of focaccia consisting of 3 small slices. It was VERY salty, and had pockets/clumps of dry unincorporated flour. They do not offer olive oil/vinegar for the bread, nor Parmesan for the pasta dishes. Olive oil cake ($12): While the cake has a pleasant flavor, that flavor is "sweet" and generally bland. The syrup is nowhere to be found. There are the saddest tiny smears of cream, but nowhere near enough to save this cake. It was horribly dry, which has never been my experience with olive oil cakes in the past. Think cornbread, but even dryer. It crumbled with every forkful and 3 self proclaimed sweet tooths left a single serving unfinished on the plate. read more

Lucente Cucina - Roasted beet and goat cheese salad (not much salad imo and even less goat cheese); citrus butter prawns (aka a plate of vegetable shreds) - Mediterranean Near Me - Redding, California

Gosh I wanted to like this place so bad! It was for my birthday dinner and we were excited for a new Italian restaurant in the area. Sadly the table we sat at was so small and cluttered with items there was hardly room for our plates. Our waiter was training someone and made it clear he did not want to service our table (left empty dishes adding to the clutter, forgot things we asked for, would walk past us and was busy talking with other staff). It felt like we were the "throw away" table, which did not feel great for a new restaurant experience. The highlight was the trainee, who was super kind. We asked him if he would get our tip but he said he couldn't, and it would go to the other waiter due to him being a trainee. And then the food. We love Italian and I will always enjoy a basic spaghetti and meatballs, but it was subpar especially for the price point (in Redding). But even that would have been "okay" if the experience was worthwhile. Both me and my husband were disappointed because we wanted to get more wine and dessert but by the end, just wanted to leave and go elsewhere. I hope things get smoother as they get more experience but overall, very underwhelming. read more

Hands down the best Italian food in town! Definitely come and give this place a try. Love the seascape wall and green tile. We had the Citrus Shrimp for an appetizer and it was delicious! For the main courses we had the Mediterranean Seabass and the Parappadelle Al Brasato (short rib). Both dishes were spectacular. The Seabass was cooked perfectly with a little bit of crispy edges which I like. My new favorite Italian spot in town. read more

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First off, the Espresso martini tasted like the real deal!! Wait staff appeared to be inexperienced and inattentive but friendly. For this type of restaurant we expected bread and olive oil at the table while we waited for our meal, but it missed that checkbox. Food was 50/50 as far as flavor and portions. All three of us agreed on giving them 3*. Picks of spareribs pasta, Carbonata and salad with added chicken. . read more

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This is my new favorite restaurant in town! The ambiance is relaxing and beautiful, our server Eli was fantastic, the drinks were delicious and our food was so good! My husband and I both ordered a cocktail, we split the pistachio gnocchi (yummm), he ordered the bolognese pasta and I ordered the steelhead. We split a slice of the chocolate torte cake and loved every bit of the experience. We already cannot wait to go back to try to rest of the menu. This is a must-try in Redding! read more

We had a great experience recently at Lucente! We were warmly welcomed and had really nice server, plus the manager came by twice to talk with us about the food and menu. We are vegetarian and there were multiple options for us to choose from on all the courses. Everything we ordered was flavorful and beautifully presented; we ordered the pistacio gnocci, beet salad, mushroom risotto, and flourless chocolate cake. I also found the atmosphere and decor warm, natural and relaxing. I was wishing they gave a free side of bread so we could soak up all the remaining sauce on the plate. :) Also appreciated they had mocktails on the menu. Will definitely go back for a special date night! read more