Lucca - Pittsburgh

Before a show at CMU (if you're reading this while Godspell is still playing, GO SEE IT!!! , my mom and I came here for a quick lunch. We had a nice experience! It was very easy to make a reservation--there were very few people at the restaurant this particular Saturday. Dustin was impur server and he appeared to be the only person running the restaurant. He was great! Very funny, prompt, and attentive. The restaurant's interior is beautiful, and the chairs are super comfortable. Our food was good! I enjoyed the short rib risotto, although the risotto needed a little more creaminess. The meat was succulent but a tad dry. The salad and soup were also tasty! Overall, we had a good experience here. If you'd like a relatively elevated meal in Oakland, this is the place to go!

We had a reservation for table of 7. I have to admit our seating set up is wasn't ideal. They squeezed 4 adults into a couch seating area with 3 adults on chairs on the other side. We fit, but it was not comfortable. I have to imagine there had to be a better arrangement possible? Nonetheless, the drinks from the bar we're good and timely so that was a plus. Our server was great very attentive. When the food came out, it was kind of a mixed bag. One person asked for a medium rare steak that came out on the well Done side. Another person's pasta was more room temperature than hot. But the flavors were good. So take it for what it is I guess. I have to say that the prices for the overall value aren't there. It's not worth the cost of the meals. Check the menu and make your own decision.

My husband and I had an impromptu date night here on a recent Friday night at 5:15 pm. When we arrived, we were seated at a two-person table right in front of the bar. The restaurant is small, and everything is close together, so I'm unsure if someone using a wheelchair or other assisted mobility device could navigate it easily. Once seated, we felt like we were intruding on a group of people hanging out at the bar who were there for a private party, but they were ushered away after 20 minutes. The rest of the evening felt quite romantic and intimate. We were there for an hour and a half and enjoyed drinks, an appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert. To start the evening, I had a pomegranate margarita, which was strong and delightfully tart. We did the calamari for the appetizer, which came with a tomato basil sauce. I liked that the calamari didn't feel super heavy or fill me up too much before the entree. My main entree was the caprese chicken pasta, which was very acidic due to the San Marzano tomatoes. My husband had the beef tenderloin pappardelle which he finished. While I enjoyed the taste of the mushroom sauce on him, I don't think I could've eaten more than a few bites due to how rich it was! I ate about half of mine and took the rest home. We ended the night with a slice of tiramisu, which I can only describe as decadent. It wasn't too heavy on the espresso, and the cream was soft and silky. All in all, we would come back again. I was surprised to see some of the other negative reviews, but here is what I'd say: 1. Make a reservation. 2. Expect to be there for an hour or more, especially if you order drinks or multiple courses. 3. They seem to be consistently understaffed, so be sure to extend the servers/bartenders grace. 4. It sounds like they tend to have bigger parties on Friday/Saturday nights. Consider lunch or a weeknight dinner if you don't want to deal with that. 5. Pasta seems to be their specialty, so consider one of those dishes when ordering. We chose to take the night slowly and really enjoyed both our time and experience together!

So... Lucca. I gave it 3-stars for a few reasons. I 'll say our waiter was very kind, and with the business of Mothers Day afternoon, he did really well and I appreciate him for that. The three-stars is mainly because of the decor. Lucca feels very.... outdated. Especially the back room with the faux glass windows and godawful carpet. Seating needs to be reworked because there was a table in the far back, as far back as you can go, in the farthest corner out of every possible sight, if I had been asked to sit there I would leave, that 's basically nook for storage. Yeah.. the place definitely needs a facelift, Including the menu 's that were faded, hard to read and felt kind of gross to hold. The food was also.. just ok. Where is the basil? Where is the parm? Sure the pasta was well made, and I appreciate the San Marzano tomatoes sure.. but it was very bland. Again, where is the CHEESE?? Where is the PARM?? Like it just needs more ooomphf . The portion size was pretty good, and I 'll say the prices are pretty good.. but I 'm having my leftovers today and you better believe I added seasoning and more to it. Appetizers were also good sized which is rare. Lucac is in a great location, and unfortunately their balcony seating was closed off. This place has potential to be a very high-class go-to spot for out of town parents visiting their kids, or a dinner spot after a day at the museums. There 's so much potential for this place.. but for now.. there 's plenty of other Italian restaurants out there to try.

Absolutely what we were hungry for... homemade noodles, tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce, made with veal and pork. Noodles were delightful. Another entree was the gnocchi, covered, and I mean covered in marinara sauce with bites of tomatoes. Added was slivered Parmesan cheese that melted with the heat of the sauce. The gnocchi are soft and light, I love them.This is not our first time here, and the Italian bread was as good as I remembered, hard and crispy outside and soft and moist on inside. It is served with olive oil, and my only request would be butter. Ted was perfect and so was our wine, by the way! Very enjoyable evening. Can't wait till next time.