Lucca Restaurant & Bar

Wild boar gnocchi was the highlight of the dinner, but that was as far as it got. The lobster sauce was overpowered by bacon and pumpkin, leaving us feeling like we received a different dish than what we wanted. The muscles with chorizo was both good and bad. The fat from the chorizo was tasty, but the chunks of sausage were tough. The waiter did help us pick out a nice wine that was also reasonably priced.
It was a cold winter night and we were first sat by the front window. There was a strong, cold draft and we asked to move, so they gave us a seat at he back.

Lovely dinner. White Table cloth service. Well versed servers. A clean and fancy atmosphere. Open windows and a long bar make this joint perfect for a date night.
Rich drinks — served cold and thick — arrive promptly from the bar.
Appetizers range from salads to salumi or oysters. The PEI mussels are sauteed with white wine and garlic. Very simple. Giant mussels soak bathed in a rich, buttery broth work very well.
In a red sauce joint, it is hard to order something other than a red sauce dish. In this case — rigatoni bolognese ($ 25). The pasta is al dente and house made. The gravy is rich with meat — veal, pork and beef. The consistency is so thick that the chunks of meat cling to the noodles.
The non red sauce dish? Salmon ($ 26) in a lemon butter sauce with vegetables. The flesh is tender and fatty — juicy and prepared perfectly so as to avoid being flaky.
Lucca is one of the fancier spots in the North End but it manages to serve tasty, well prepared food.

This location is located in the heart of Boston .4 miles off of Haymarket mbta stop.
My girlfriend and I both enjoyed dinner here on Wednesday night and to our surprise there were many people here. I had the chicken ravioli, I was quite happy with the portion size and its appearance. The wait time for the food to get to the table was kinda long to be honest but other than that service was on point, the staff were knowledgeable and friendly. The restaurant was very loud however, not a good place for a quiet date in my opinion.
Overall, I would recommend Lucca if you’re looking for a great Italian dining experience; pass if you’re looking for a quiet, romantic dinner, or if price is a issue as plates are $ 26 – 35.

Oh My God. When they said that this was the best Italian in the North End, they were not flipping kidding. Best meal I have ever had in Boston. Just… wow!
So to start, it’s not a typical red sauce Italian kitchen eatery, more earthy mediterranean flare, we had the duck tart, not a big fan of Duck but the wife is. I’D definitely get this again. The crust was flaky and the duck was tender and tasty. The second appetizer was the calamari, and the flavors didn’t disappoint We both followed with the pork, and again out of this world meal.
The wait staff is second to none! He suggested a great and very reasonable red wine to match and he was on target! A Russian red wine (yes I was surprised too) that was perfect with our meal.
Saturday night was busy and I’m glad we had a reservation. The meals being sent to the bar were just a good looking as our so I wouldn’t be opposed to sitting at the bar.
Can’t wait to return with friends!
I really wanted to share the experience with someone. So here we are, I’m sharing it with you on Unilocal

This was the first time I have been to Lucca in the North End and this will be the last and only time. I can not for one second believe any of the Unilocal reviews claiming this was an extraordinary restaraunt. This was one of the worst dinners I have ever had. I was so disappointed I needed to write this review, please note I have never written a review before on Unilocal, this is my first and I think I am doing a public service by informing the general public there are many other options in the North End.
Where to begin, there were five us for dinner and we all had something different. Everything was just bad and way overpriced. The food was definitely microwaved, warm in the middle cold on the outside is usually a telltale sign of a microwave and the food came out too quickly. My daughter was somewhat satisfied by her shrimp scampi, but let’s see 3 little shrimps and a few strands of pasta for $ 29, please this was just a rip. I had the rigatoni bolanaise which was flavorless, pasta definitely cooked 10 hours previously.
Not going to write about the other dinners, just suffice to say not good and the overall dinner a major disappointment. This is not a restaraunt, this is more a bar.

Great! Clean, comfy & delicious!!!

what can you say, north end Boston dining is great… especially when you love Italian. I had the meatball appetizer, followed by the cheese stuffed peppers, both were awesome. I had a caprese salad that was top notch. For my main course, i had the scallops over risotto which was fantastic.
smaller place, not that large.
surely need reservations

I went here for a business dinner Thursday and the rigatoni bolognese was great. The pasta was homemade añd the bolognese had a rich velvety texture. It had a touch of milk as I’ve read is the classic preparation. Service was very attentive. Bread was phenomenal with a whipped basil butter/​aoli that was excellent.

I stumbled upon this place by the referral of a local that I met on my trip to Boston. Wasn’t sure I wanted to check it out on the tight schedule that we had but so glad that we did.
Met the general manager Mehdi Elomari and was treated like royalty!!! To day the least, this place is amazing!!!
The atmosphere, the food, the service… everything was on point here. The bartender Katie was wonderful even at her busiest hour. Server Brahim and the other servers were so much fun and very entertaining.
Delicious food and excellent service… check out the pictures posted!!!
I will definitely visit Lucca’s every visit to Boston!!!
Thank you for the referral Mr. Local!!!

Dined at Lucca last evening. Table right by sidewalk. Service and atmosphere were perfect.
Started with hemingway daquiri which was very refreshing.
For appetizers, the wagyu carpaccio and calamari in red sauce.
For dinner, scallops with risotto and shrimp fra diavlo. Both were absolutely perfect. This was probably one of the best fra diavlos I have ever had.
The bread was perfect and they also had a nice dip with chickpeas, basil & olive oil.
Wine list was a little pricey but plenty of bottles under $ 50.00.
Tirimasu for dessert with an espresso was the perfect ending to a perfect night. This is now my go to spot in the north end. Everything was absolutely perfect.

This meal was amazing! My husband and I were in from out of town and headed to the North end for a great dinner. Luca originally did not come up when we Unilocaled the area, but while walking down the street it caught our eye. We were nervous because it seemed less busy than other spots on the street– I am baffled as to why. The meal was amazing.
We started with the carpaccio which was excellent– the sauce amazing and the mini mushrooms were a surprising but tasty addition. Then we shared the wild boar gnocchi and the rigatoni bolognese. Both plates were the perfect proportions and very tasty. The boar dish reminded me of the homemade pasta dishes I had while traveling around Florence.
The service wasn’t remarkable, but certainly better than average with our waiter being prompt, courteous, on nice (and very helpful with drink selections). But the food and cute romantic atmosphere more than exceeded our expectations.
If looking for cheap Italian food in marinara sauce in huge family portions– this isn’t the place… But for excellent northern Italian fare with great atmosphere for a reasonable price for fine dining, this place should not be missed.

I had such high hopes for this place because I would pass it every time went to my favorite coffee shop, but the food was not amazing. My friend and I went here for restaurant week and order off the restaurant week menu. My appetizer of calamari was pretty good and a little different than the usually fried calamari. For the main course I had the pork. It was tasty but not amazing. The bread pudding dessert was tiny. The service was very good and friendly. Not sure if I would go back.

I had a reservation for 4 at 6:45, walked in at 6:48 and was promptly taken to my table. For a Saturday night in the North End, the service was outstanding. From waters to the check, the whole dinner took less than 1.25 hours. We were out of Lucca by 8. Food was delicious as expected and the price was just right for 4 people. We will be back!

I have had the pleasure of enjoying numerous meals at Lucca, North End and all have left me with wonderful memories! Great pasta and seafood dishes along with an attentive staff and delicious dishes! Always a warm and enticing setting with consistently high quality foods to entice my palette

Our first attempt at Italian (actually, our second attempt… we went into the Peruvian place next door thinking it was Italian and then left after we saw the menu) in Boston’s north end.
After looking at the menu, I was disappointed as I was expecting (and craving) something more along the lines of typical Italian meals — pasta, lasagna, etc.
We ordered the calamari as a starter and sent it back as neither of us cared for it.
My wife ordered the Baked Orecchiette and I had the Sea Scallops. The orecchiette was very good, but needed more sauce as it was a little dry. The scallop dish was wonderful, but for the price, I expected more than four scallops and a cup of risotto.
Overall, it just wasn’t worth the money.

We were wandering Little Italy after following the Freedom Trail to Paul Reveres home, and decided to have dinner here. Started out at the bar for drinks and appetizers… everything was great! Meatballs were especially delicious, I must say. Our server was friendly, and very funny. We actually requested that he follow us to our table and continue to serve us for the rest of the evening. Yep, that good.
We were moved to our table when it was ready… right at the front of the place, where the windows were open to the sidewalk and we could interact with people outside if we wished to. They had the Womens World Cup game on, and I was thankful for that! (What a game, too!). GO USA!
Our dinners were well made, and had great flavor… the polenta mash was excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed everything about Lucca, to be honest. It is certainly somewhere I will visit again if I find myself back in Boston at any time in the future.

Came here with two girlfriends after walking the Black Heritage and Freedom Trails. We were not disappointed!!! Absolutely delicious drinks… the Pear & Cayenne margarita is a must do, and you can ask for additional cayenne!!! We each ordered and sampled appetizers. The polenta, the carpaccio, and the calamari. Excellent! For dinner, we each ate the wild boar gnocchi, bolognese with gluten free pasta, and the orecchiette… yummy, all of it. Did I say yummy?!
Great ambiance and we weren’t rushed to immediately leave when we were done. It was nice that we were seated promptly even without a reservation on a Saturday in the early evening.
Give it a try!!!

For all of the great things I’ve heard about Lucca this was probably one of the biggest disappointments I’ve had in… at least a week.
Came in with a group for dinner on a Saturday evening. Started at bar for a drink. Was rather busy, lots of tourists in their Boston t-​shirts and equal number of the typical folks you expect in a North End restaurant. After a minor mishap, a few of our drinks were knocked over. Manager came over, offered to replace two that spilled, third drink glass was chipped and no longer drinkable. When two drinks came over, was told manager said «two drinks on us only». Whatever, we spilled so I suppose we were lucky to get anything.
We were seated shortly after. We ordered a lot of food. Mussels were great, I could’ve drank the sauce with a straw if it were socially appropriate. Carpaccio was okay. The beet salad was pretty run of the mill, like the 10 000 other beet salads that are apparently all the rage right now.
Entrees were good portions. Two of us each ordered Baked Orecchiette, which was like mac and cheese on steroids. Another ordered lobster cavatelli — said it was okay. Highlight of the meal was the fish special that day.
Service started out okay, until server came to clear appetizer plates before we were all done eating. One of my friends is a bit of a stickler (and not always friendly) and asked server not to clear plates until we were all done. From that point on we did not see him again, only food runner until check came. I think she scared him off.
With an Italian restaurant every 15 feet on Hanover St there are plenty of choices to eat at, and as much as I wanted to like Lucca this will probably not be on my list. I’m sure they’ll get enough tourists to keep the lights on.

We arrived for an early dinner and I was a little nervous because the restaurant was almost empty at 5:30 on a Friday night. It filled up but still had several empty tables at 7 pm. I had a baked pasta dish that was good but I wasn’t impressed with the bean garlic spread they serve with bread or the bread actually. My dinner companion loved the wild mushroom gnocchi.

I had really high expectations for this place, as I was told that this was one of the best Italian restaurants in the North End. Granted, I came here for a corporate function so our menus were prix fixe, but I thought our food was either super bland or extremely salty with little in between. My overall experience was so «mehh», that I’m not sure I would return for a regular meal. There are plenty of other restaurants in the area that have such amazing food so I would check those out instead.