luce ristorante e enoteca

owner was so rude. kids missed their prom because their d salad took over 1 1/2 hours the got no dinner. a dinner got spilled on one girl's prom dress and it wasn't even her dinner!!! owner didn't even apologize!!!!

lobster,clams& muscles w clam sauce on linguini was fabulous. the seafood was. tender, juicy& perfectly cooked. the mojotos were the best i ever had. the ambience was perfect & service was top of the line in the business.

gorgeous place to sit and...... imagine eating good italian fare. luce ristorante is the most beautiful dining establishment that i have had the pleasure of walking into and sitting in san antonio. my expectations of the meal were equal to the atmosphere. we were sorely disappointed in, first the wine selection which was severely overpriced (although it didn't stop us from drinking...especially after we tasted the food). i ordered the pollo carciofi(?), the chicken breast was appealingly lightly breaded but the flesh was dry...tasteless, the mushrooms on top were canned, not fresh....thank goodness the artichokes had a good flavor. the risotto tasted fishy, as if one recipe was made as a side for all dishes but was meant for the bass special.
the dining entertainment had as pleasant voice and the level of his sound system was perfect to enjoy while having a conversation. i so wanted luce to be a new go to place for us. i doubt we will be back. in fact, i'll be surprised if it will still exists as an option if they don't soon change their approach to their menu.

nice place!. we've been here twice. the first time the food was excellent & we had great service. the second time was very good service, but the portions were on the skimpy side and one main dish wasn't as good as it was before. we'll try again and hope that it is good again - then we'll decide if we keep it on our "go to" list. it's too expensive for mediocre food.

great food, relaxed setting. one of the few places to get carpaccio in town (not a huge fan of the squirt of mayo? on the carpaccio plate). have been here several times and the food has always satisfied. lunch entrees are large enough to share.

i have loved gnocchi since i was about 5 years old but it's extremely rare to find good gnocchi in restaurants. while not quite as good as the gnocchi my family would make, luce is the best i've had in a restaurant anywhere. the bolognese sauce is pretty darn good, too.

disappointed ..... the bread was the only item we truly enjoyed. the beef on my plate was tough and the pasta on both my plate and my husbands was not al dente but instead difficult to chew and lacked flavor. the atmosphere was nice but not at the price we paid for less than average food. : (

the best. also,the veal scallopini, penne pasta and the fresh filet of halibut just was perfectly prepared ,a good choice of quality wine which we truly enjoyed and a tiramisu for everyone which was the best i ever had fro every corner of the globe. mr. buonincontry, you have our votes and patronage for ever. seating on the patio, light breeze and well chosen background music, so relaxing.thank you again for a perfect experience to my wife, kids and grand kids.


-----10 may, 2010-----

the best. on mother's day, had dinner at luce with my family.first impression,most important, greeted and seated by the owner himself, mr. joe buonincontri who kept an attentive eye on a flow less service. the food was perfectly prepared served fresh and at the wright temperature, simple but elegant presentation. a true italian experience.the mussels in spicy marinara sauce was different from the norm but very tasty.from the polenta.eggplant, meatballs and caprese

best authentic italian outside italy. are you looking for authentic italian food? look no further, luce’s in san antonio has the best and i mean the best authentic italian cuisine i have come across in the united states. i have traveled to italy at least once a year for the past three years, and enjoyed the beauty of italy its people, as well as their wonderful food. when i visit luce’s i feel like i am back in italy. while all of the food in luce’s is outstanding, joe buonincontri (owner and chef) specializes in the southern italian dishes which are my very favorite. the aroma and taste takes me back to my childhood growing up in brooklyn new york, having dinner on sunday after mass with my family. every italian boy and girl always looked forward to a pasta dinner on sunday with homemade gravy (that’s tomato sauce) sausage and meatballs. this was and is still heaven on earth. so please if you want to know what real italian food is like, visit luce’s, meet joe buonincontri who is always there to greet and speak with his customers and enjoy a real italian dinner. for a real treat, attend one of joe’s “wine dinners”. you will experience not only the best italian food but also the best wines italy has to offer along with an education on wine by a certified wine specialist. i attended one of these on may 5th and i will definitely be back for the next one. i won’t tell you the price he charges per person for this mouth watering extravaganza because i don’t think it is enough. i will tell you he could easily charge $20.00 more than his current price and you will still be getting your monies worth. i hope to see you at the next wine dinner, where you can thank me for recommending luce’s in san antonio for the best italian food outside italy (maybe even inside italy).
thanks joe! my family and i are never disappointed when we visit. see you again soon.


-----04 sep, 2011-----

this is your italian restaurant!. the food is fantastic and the service excellent. i have traveled all over italy enjoying great italian cuisine, but when i am back in the states luce's is the place for me! this place is suitable for either a family dinner, a gathering of friends for a good bottle of wine form the best wine list i have ever seen, or a night out with that special someone you are trying to impress. this place has it all, and i highly recommend it.

this is a small place with huge flavor.
i went here for appetizers which does not do this place credit. the food is absolutely amazing. i would try each and every item on the menu. i wish i could eat that much.
i particularly enjoyed the shrimp. the white sauce is creamy and beautifully balanced. the meatballs can keep this restaurant open forever. when you ask for bread, it is hot and flavorful. you are treated well here. it is a small place inside, but there is a covered patio. once the weather turns, you must sit there.
one last thing. the calamari is above good. it comes with an aioli sauce that is out of this world. you must try this restaurant.

still a wonderful dining experience. this was our 2nd trip to luce after about a year. we had early reservations, were seated at a great table and had wonderful service. the bread was so good! our meals were excellent. i had the linguine mare chiaro and it was filled with tons of seafood. my dining partner had the special that was a fish filet that was very good. the atmosphere is really nice and well worth the price.


-----08 dec, 2013-----

wonderful italian fine dining. we finally decided to try luce after 4 years of thinking about it. what a pleasant surprise. we were blown away by the extensive menu. for appetizers, we had the polpette alla napoletana (meatballs) and arancini di riso (italian rice balls). both were full of flavor and literally a meal on it's own. but we didn't stop there. we had the paccheri pomodoro (large shrimp & large tube pasta) and braciola alla napoletana (beef with pine nuts, etc). both were excellent. all the pasta is imported from italy. french press coffee to top off a wonderful meal. the portions are true italian size and can be shared. we waited 4 years too long for this. we will return, especially for happy hour or a dinner on the beautiful patio.

food was good. it was a little more gourmet than you usually find in san antonio. if you are looking for a standard pizza don't order here. the pizza was good but the cheese and pepperoni were different.

first visit. very nice, excellent service. happy hour prices worth dining early. pizza galore. rate 3.5 of 5.

the best italian food experience that i have ever had. the service was flawless and very quick. the food was amazing! i had the linguini dish with the mixed seafood and spicy marinara sauce and it was wonderful. the flavors were terrific and should not missed. my wife had a shrimp dish with white sauce and risotto. it was fantastic and also perfectly cooked. the owner, joe was extremely friendly and welcoming. we can't wait to return and try other menu items!

...we decided to do italian and not just any italian but a locally owned authentic italian restaurant.  when we read the detail of luce ristorante e enoteca we knew it was the place to go to fulfull our italian gravings . first of all luce ristorante e enoteca means luce restaurant library in italian.  when you enter the dining room the entire walls are covered with wine bottles like books in a library.  luce has over 125 choices on their wine list a