SO good! Great service and absolutely amazing food! How do they make the lamb so tender and so perfectly browned and flavorful? The stuffed eggplant is unique and really tasty. The sachetti was cooked to perfection - tender pasta and yummy filling. And the stuffed banana pepper was really special. Love this place and wish I lived closer and could come visit more often! read more

Food here was really yummy. It is definitely the nicer restaurant in town and the food is up there in quality and creativity. I offered the sea special is it was delicious. The baked fish was buttery and the risotto was super creamy. All of the flavors blended really well together, and I found all of the menu items to sound delicious. Everything was fresh and the flavors were bright and rich. This is my favorite restaurant so far in Culver so far, and definitely recommend coming here with family! read more

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We are regular customers of Lucrezia Café in Chesterton and Lucrezia Italian Ristorante in Crown Point and have always enjoyed excellent meals at both locations. Since we were in the area, we decided to give Lucrezia's Trattoria in Culver a try. Unfortunately, our experience was disappointing. Food: We ordered a peach and mixed greens salad, a wedge salad, and an order of calamari. The peach salad was fine, although the peaches were quite hard (probably not the best choice when peaches are out of season). The wedge salad arrived with almost no bacon--just a few scattered bits on each side of the iceberg lettuce. Our server quickly brought additional bacon when we mentioned it. However, the lettuce itself was not fresh. Portions of the iceberg had begun developing the pink discoloration that occurs as lettuce ages, which made it much less appealing. The calamari was another disappointment. The breading had already become soggy rather than crisp, as if it had been sitting for a while before being served. The portion was also quite small, consisting only of rings and no tentacles. For two salads and one appetizer--with no drinks--the bill came to $53. We understand that Lucrezia restaurants are on the expensive side, but at the Chesterton and Crown Point locations the quality of the food justifies the price. That was not the case here. Service: Our server was attentive and pleasant. When we pointed out the lack of bacon on the wedge salad, she corrected the issue immediately. Unfortunately, she seemed to be working without much support. The teenage hostess and bussers appeared more interested in chatting with each other than helping with the flow of the restaurant, leaving our server to carry much of the workload herself. Atmosphere: The dining room itself needs some attention. We were seated at a table with one chair and an upholstered bench on the other side. The bench had been used so heavily that the cushion had a deep indentation, causing me to sink several inches when I sat down. Another issue was the restroom situation. There is only one men's and one women's restroom, which seemed inadequate even though the restaurant was only moderately busy and many tables remained empty. There were lines most of the time we were there. In addition, the hallway leading to the restrooms and the restroom doors themselves were noticeably dirty. We truly enjoy the Chesterton and Crown Point Lucrezia locations and will continue to patronize them. Unfortunately, we cannot recommend the Culver location based on this visit and plan to share our concerns with management in hopes that the quality will improve. read more

We stopped in right after they opened at 4. Just wanted to try the menu as we just moved to the area. Looks like a fantastic menu with fresh items. They fit us in, we had no reservation. I would not recommend this as they looked like they would get very busy. 15 minutes later 1/2 of the tables were full. Definitely recommend reservations. We split the calamari and the four cheese pizza. Calamari was crispy and had a great red sauce underneath. Both of us had lovely drinks- a dark and stormy and the coconut martini. Absolutely delicious. Crusty Italian bread comes with your meal and it was delicious too. Next time we will be ordering entrees and desserts. Lucrezia will be in our rotation from now on. read more

Lucrezia Trattoria - Calamari - Italian Near Me - Culver, Indiana

Food was good, service was okay for a Sat night. Could have done with another server for the room to improve service. Server seemed worn out. Experience did not live up to the hype or price. read more

The food and drinks here are excellent. It's a five star restaurant in a 5 star town that is small but charming. Angie at the bar, always makes sure every moment of your evening is perfect. read more

Went to Lucrezia for my birthday dinner. This is the 4th time we have gone and will not be going back. The main issue was my husband's meal. He ordered lasagna, took a couple bites and told me it was cold. I actually stuck my finger into the middle of it and it was ICE cold. It took about 10 minutes to get the attention of our server as she was busy on her phone. We told her his lasagna was cold. She took it and walked away - not one word spoken. Five minutes later she comes back with a BOWL with what looks like American chop suey. All they had done was taken out the two middle of layers of pasta, added new cheese on top and stuck it in the microwave. I worked in restaurant hospitality a long time and this is totally unacceptable. Every time we have eaten here the service has been poor, and staff acts like you are a nuisance instead of a valued customer. Don't hire people if they do not want to work and especially if they don't have people skills. We just paid $100 for a piss poor meal. We are locals. From now on we will drive to South Bend to get Italian. read more

I felt it was only appropriate to update my review because in the last two years, they've had a new chef and the food has been consistently very good. My husband and I always order off the chefs menu and the fish is just outstanding. read more

Lucrezia Trattoria - Ahi - Italian Near Me - Culver, Indiana

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Well.. interesting meal. The waiter had a serious case of ADD. He couldn't remember when to bring the drinks back or the bread. He was a seemingly nice kid , but unprepared to do his job. The food was was mediocre at best. The dessert was the best. Overpriced for the quality. Oh...when we left we saw our server out back smoking...I'm sure yet again forgetting what he was to be doing. read more

The food is well thought out! Wine pairings could be slightly better- It's about the food at this restaurant. The dining experience is more laid back and the seating hasn't been changed since 70's - booth is very uncomfortable. Chairs only read more

After a long day at the airport, I stopped by to grab a bite. Unfortunately, I was ignored by the bartender (who was also the manager I found out later) for 25 minutes while sitting at the bar. I ended up grabbing a waitresses attention, and she offered to take my order to-go or seat me at a table. Autumn turned my experience around, and I ended up enjoying the rest of my evening on the outside patio. Kudos to her for saving the night. read more

Enjoyed our first visit, even with a larger party of 10, to this new restaurant in Culver. Our server Nathan was very patient and attentive. Food portions and cocktail pours are generous. Everyone enjoyed their meal. Will be back again. read more

This has been one of our favorite places to dine. Tonight changed our minds and don't know if we will be back. Restaurant had 6 people at the bar, a larger table of 8, and 3 tables of 2-3 each (not even half capacity) when we walked in at 8:30pm. We were seated quickly, brought water and bread as we sat and then we waited. And waited. And waited. I watched 3 people stand over in the server station and talk, one biting her nails who then took a drink to a table without washing her hands first. We watched 2 smaller tables leave. Then the big table left. We waited another 10 minutes. Nothing. We sat for over 30 minutes and no one ever came back to our table. We got up and left with no acknowledgement from the hostess or any staff. read more

Great food great atmosphere and Autumn our server is always wonderful! I would highly recommend the nightly specials with perfect wine pairings or the best martinis in town. read more

The best restaurant in town! Food, drinks, atmosphere, everything great in little quaint Culver. Our favorite server Autumn is always on spot with excellent service and always cordial. The $9.00 Martini night is one not to miss! Cheers to more great food and fun! read more

I am a local but being honest. This place is great! some Italian foods I don't like but I get the meat or pasta special once a week and it's always top notch. The bread and oil always make me happy as well #MoCheesePlz read more

Lucrezia Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Culver, Indiana

This was our first time eating at lucrezia trattoria, it did not disappoint, we ordered the eggplant wich was out of this world, the calamari wich was fresh and perfect to taste, and the white pizza was delicious , and last but not least dessert we ordered peanut butter cup Gelato, that was so good. And I cannot forget our waitress Denise who had suggested all of this fabulous food and dessert, she was so professional and kind. We will definitely be back. read more

Excellent food and service in a charming atmosphere. We are very lucky to have such a fine restaurant in Culver IN!

Absolutely horrendous. Came here with a large group of 12 on a Saturday night (made reservations well in advance so the large party size was NOT unexpected). Let's start with the service: totally unorganized, sporadic, and unprofessional. I've seen gas station attendants with more enthusiasm for their job, and I've had better service at a Waffle House at 2am. Imagine going to a temp agency, asking for anybody who wants work for a night, handing them an apron and menu, and letting them immediately wait tables with no training. That's about the quality of the wait staff. If I'm paying $15-25 for an entree and ordering multiple appetizers: don't give me an attitude when my party asks for refills or extra napkins. If I'm gonna buy multiple garlic spreads as appetizers for my party, don't bring half a basket of bread crusts for 12 people and make me continually have to ask for more. Food: First off, there was a 25 minute delay between the first person in our party getting their entree and the last person getting theirs. This is incredibly annoying, because we have to sit and watch people in our party awkwardly eat. Multiple entrees came out cold. -Baked penne pasta was incredibly bland. -Lasagna had undercooked, tough noodles and rubbery cheese that tasted microwaved -veggie pasta was essentially frozen California mix veggies served with buttered noodles (gross) -my entree was the fettuccine alfredo - the portion size was equivalent to a kids meal at a regular restaurant (for $14 I felt scammed), I left feeling hungry As a way of saying sorry, the waitress offered us 3 desserts for the table to share. How much more tacky could it get? Sharing 3 tiny desserts amongst 12 people is unsanitary and just pathetic. Should've offered free dessert to anybody that wanted it (or just knocked $$$ off the bill)... I don't want to scrape forks with the guy next to me while reaching for a bite of lousy cake. Seems to me the owners of this place opened it up thinking it would be an easy cash cow to milk because of all the Academy parents and ritzy summer lake crowd. It's obvious they haven't put much effort into this business, and I will tell everybody I know to avoid the place at all costs. High prices and low quality - like paying steak dinner prices for frozen meatloaf. Bottom Line: Instead of making the same mistake as me and eating here, save yourself some serious coin and buy a microwaveable frozen pasta dinner from the CVS next door: there will be little variation between the two. What a disappointment in comparison to the Corndance. read more

The crab cakes were the best I ever ate! Caprese salad had a tasty dressing, but the tomatoes were rather tough & tasteless. Perhaps this is best ordered when garden ripe tomatoes may be obtained from local farmers. Requested shrimp with the salad, and was pleased with the large, plump shrimp with no trace of overcooking or rubberiness. The menu stated that crab cakes came with a grilled lemon. I got a quarter wedge which didn't have any indication of being grilled. Had hoped for a half lemon with grill marks. Servers were well selected and trained, extremely courteous, organized, and the best I've encountered in years! We were served with reasonable speed, considering so much is fresh made. Quite filling! Spouse had the lasagna, which is very meaty and well flavored. Grated cheese, fresh extra virgin olive oil and crusty Italian bread, as much of these as desired, helped make the experience extra special! Single seat restrooms make for some waiting. But clean, and inviting, with instant hot water (almost too hot). Expect parallel parking if you want to park close by. Ample parking within a block radius. Pleasant ambiance, well-stocked bar, and comfortable seating & temperature. Worth the trip if you like really good Italian cuisine! read more

I want to like this place. We have been several times in the past couple years and every time I tell myself that the experience is not worth the money. Mothers Day this week was no different. In fact it was awful. The wait staff all clearly do not like their jobs. We both ordered the mango salsa mahi mahi on the specials menu. Our meals were both raw. When I say raw I mean completely. So much so that the fish was cold and uncooked. It was so gross. I wish that I captured a picture. We told the waitress and she acted like it was no big deal. After waiting forever for our food-with only one other table in the restaurant having customers, the unhappy staff, and the raw fish it definitely ruined our meal. They still had us pay for our tea after we were served raw fish. I would think with the danger of giving your customers food poisoning as a manager you would at least go to the table and apologize and maybe say don't worry about the tea. No one came to our table. We paid and left then went to papas for dinner. I would recommend you do the same. read more

First, let me preface by saying that I was a huge Corndance fan and was terribly sad when they left Culver. However, I was VERY happy to see another restaurant finally come in and was excited to try out Lucrezia. The warm and cozy atmosphere of the Corndance is gone. Lucrezia has remodeled and everything is now very cold and noisy. So noisy. There is no wood or carpet or ceiling tiles to absorb the noise. We were sat next to a large table who were nice enough to let the rest of us eat in what they clearly thought was their restaurant. I couldn't hear the other people at my table because of the screaming and obnoxious laughter from the large party. Management never came by and asked them if they could settle down or keep it to a low roar. Even if the food were good, the evening was already ruined. The food is just "meh". I had a pizza, which was clearly a frozen pizza. Not fresh at all and not tasty either. Another person in our party had the Chicken Milanese which would have been amazing if it had not been charred to a crisp on the bottom. You could barely cut through the coating under there. The only good thing I can say about this place is that their cocktails are amazing. I will go back for that and that only. Disappointing. read more

We finally made it to the newest restaurant in Culver. We had heard mixed reviews and many of the negative things seem to be ironed out! My wife and I dined here on Monday at around 6 pm and were very happy with the service and the food. We had a bottle of Sileni Sauvignon Blanc (on special 1/2 price on Mondays) a great deal and a nice wine. Our waiter Joshua recommended the Penne Casserole, which we both ordered and it was really excellent. Antipasto salad (split between us ) ,each the Penne, and a bottle of wine for $58 is a value for such a great new restaurant in Culver. We will be back often. read more

Bring an avid lover of the Lucrezia locations in Chesterton & Crown Point, I knew I'd love their third home in beautiful Culver. The food does not disappoint, it's fresh, affordable & delicious, as always! The wine list is fantastic & martinis shaken cold, the way they should be!!! I would say anyone in Culver needing a restaurant for a quick/causal/business lunch or dinner, this is the place! I'm just sad there isn't one where I live! Culver, become a regular. You won't regret it. read more

We went to this restaurant seven ladies to celebrate the birthday of a friend. The atmosphere is nice and we were aware that they do not accept reservations. We were happy to wait at the bar for a table to open. When we arrived, a few members of our party were already there. We were short one seat. My friend went down to see if she could find a single chair to move. She was reprimanded by the bartender and returned to our end empty handed. Fortunately a nice couple sitting next to us offered to move down one. The bartender......from all appearances HATES her job. I sat there 20 minutes waiting for her to even acknowledge our existence. I get it, you are busy. At least stop by and say, "I'll be with you as soon as possible" She finally came down and asked us what we would like to drink. When we departed the bar, she was not too happy to provide us each with our own bill to pay. Wine list is adequate but I wouldn't say fantastic. Our waitress was friendly and I have no complaints in that department. The food was good. Since it was our friends birthday, one in our group brought a cake. NEVER from the time we walked in until the time we were done, did anybody say anything about that cake. Our total group dropped at least $500 in that place. They offered to cut it for us blah blah blah. At the end of the dinner, she gives us our checks and says "oh yea, there's a $3 per person cake fee that has been added to your bill" Not a fan and won't be back anytime soon. Oh by the way, it clearly says on their menu that you had better let them know if you want separate checks. They clearly do not like the practice. Thankfully, we were at least smart enough to do this. read more

Love this place! Everything on their menu is beautifully prepared and presented just so. The service is also exceptional. I've found the wine parings spot on for the selections they offer. There is always a temptation on their weekly special menu, check them out on Facebook. read more

Lucrezia Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Culver, Indiana

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Went for a casual lunch on a Friday and although we were one of the only tables there, the service was amazing. Very friendly staff and on point with their recommendations. Plus great options for someone who needs a gluten-free diet like myself. We will be back! read more

This place had a couple of menu items that were good, but overall the customer service was so bad we will not be going back. I ordered a wedge salad and it took an hour and a half to come out (we did have a large party). The bleu cheese dressing was literally straight mayonnaise so I asked the waitress about it. She said the chef was unwilling to correct it and the manager was unwilling to offer a refund. They charged me full price even though I didn't touch it. They offered a new salad to replace it so I said that'd be great, and we agreed upon a house salad with vinaigrette. I waited 25 minutes with two toddlers screaming in the car (because dinner took 2.5 hours in total) and this is what I received. I went back in and told them this is not what I ordered for the second time, and that I had kids in the car exhausted and they just said too bad this is one of our salads, so I told them they can keep it and left after they wasted my time and money. read more

Lucrezia Trattoria - a container of sliced vegetables - Italian Near Me - Culver, Indiana

Fantastic new eats in Culver! When Corndance closed my family was in a panic where to get a fine dining meal in Culver... Lucrezia fills that void. We had a large group of 10 and everything from the service to the food was fantastic. Great higher-end Italian in the town of Culver. Plus the wine selection was excellent! read more

Came with a party of nine tonight to celebrate my sons birthday, the restaurant was completely full when we arrived, the only waitress working cleared us a table and provided probably the most professional, prompt, and friendly service Ive experienced at any restaurant despite her being stretched very thin throughoutthe restaurant! The food was AMAZING!! Thank you to Lucrezia and to especially our server Autumn making our sons birthday a spectacular time. We will definitely be returning again!! read more

My husband and I have been to Lucrezia numerous times and have had good experiences on each occasion. The service has always been great. The food has been great quality with good size portions. Overall, we are happy Lucrezia has come to Culver and we are looking forward to our next visit there. read more

Very disappointed! The serving staff and the bartender (6 people)were eating cake behind the bar. The French onion soup was creamy , not baked, had no cheese and had a unrecognizable flavor which I have never tasted in my life. The crab cakes were very fishy and mushy, we did not eat them. The house salad was swimming in balsamic, I actually poured it on a plate.The pasta was good. We should have had a clue that something wasn't right when we walked in and there was only one other table taken in the restaurant. Won't be returning. read more

Updated Review: After my initial so-so experience at Lucrezia, I decided to give it another shot since I felt like I've "eaten my way through Culver". Being a vegan (going on 6 months), It's been quite tricky eating out around here. But surprisingly, the restaurant that I cringed at the most was surprisingly the most accommodating to my dietary preferences- had the most options for meat&dairy free items. The bruschetta with tomato and basic was solid, along with my cucumber salad. On top of that they serve killer martinis- best in the area. Angie, the bartender was super sweet and helped me navigate the menu with a vegan scope. I will be coming back here again, and have updated my review from 2 stars to 5. Well done Lucrezia! read more

What a gem in Culver Indiana! The food is top notch. ANYTHING: From pasta to proteins to dessert:. Love the cocktails, particularly martini night. Great atmosphere, bar is within the restaurant (not separate) - a good area to eat or hang out for a drink. read more

We were there on Friday at 7 for dinner. Angie was our server. One plate was completely wrong, she admitted to writing down the wrong thing. Two plates were barely warm. One was as expected in a restaurant. The place wasn't quite half full. As we were leaving town we saw that the other two main restaurants in town were full. Now we know why. The last time we were there was last year. It was at least passable then, not great but okay. read more

Went for dinner while visiting Culver Academies. Service was amazing. I don't eat meat, so the chef was very kind to accommodate to my needs by changing the ingredients of my main course. I had risotto with shrimps and it was delicious. My husband had lamb chops with a side of fettuccine Alfredo and cabbage. He loved it. We also had roasted garlic and it was yummy. Ingredients are very fresh, great quality of food. For dessert had the no flour chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. I strongly recommend it! read more

We ordered roasted garlic that took over a half hour to arrive to the table. For entree we had the lasagna and veal Marsala. The lasagna was burnt on top and very dry from being over cooked. The veal was actually pretty good but the mash potatoes had hard lumps of skin in them. But, the worst part of our dining experience was the service! Absolutely the worst I've had in years! Had to go across the street to Sally's to get ice cream to save the night from complete disaster...thanks Sally! read more

Came here with my Wife for Valentine's Day. It was out first time here and we really enjoyed the atmosphere and our dinner. The staff was excellent. We had the tomahawk Ribeye special for two. It was awesome! My wife had the wedge salad and the Blue Cheese dressing was great! I had the calamari appetizer and it was a little different that most that I have ordered and I really enjoyed it. Thanks for making our day special and we will be back soon as I want to try the lamb shank next. read more

My wife and I decided to try this place out on a Saturday night. We walked in and were not greeted by the hostess. I had to approach her and start talking. She then sighed and said "we are on a waiting." Other people walked in and were looked at like they were an annoyance and not greeted. With this experience we nearly left. She was very rude. We were seated after about 20 minutes while watching numerous tables sit open, and a hostess which clearly didn't want to be there. Our server was nice. Service was somewhat slow, which seemed to be because numerous other tables for our server were just seated at the same time. We had the olives for an appetizer which were fine. Waited for bread, and a drink for quiet awhile. The bartender had to bring the drink and apologized for the wait. I had an Old fashioned, which was actually made nicely. For dinner I had a the lamb shank which was decadent. The meat fell of the bone, and was full of flavor. My wife had a pasta dish with grilled chicken. It was pretty good. It was VERY loud in the dining area. Hard to talk to each other. We will probably try this place again in the winter when it's not so busy. The lamb saved the night. I need more lamb. read more

This food is amazing. I can always count on Lucrezia for the best Italian food. Not to mention their chocolate mouse cake is to die for. I also love the atmosphere, they keep it local and their team has been in place for years- not many restaurants can say that!! I go every time I am in Chicago (and I'm from NYC), so I cannot day enough amazing things about Lucrezia. I try to visit their other locations in Portage and Culver when I can!!! read more