luce ristorante e enoteca

gorgeous place to sit and...... imagine eating gooditalianfare. 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.

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 trueitalianexperience.the mussels in spicy marinara sauce was different from the norm but very tasty.from the polenta.eggplant, meatballs and caprese

best authenticitalianoutside italy. are you looking for authenticitalianfood? look no further, luce’s in san antonio has the best and i mean the best authenticitaliancuisine 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 southernitaliandishes 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. everyitalianboy 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 realitalianfood is like, visit luce’s, meet joe buonincontri who is always there to greet and speak with his customers and enjoy a realitaliandinner. for a real treat, attend one of joe’s “wine dinners”. you will experience not only the bestitalianfood 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 bestitalianfood 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 youritalianrestaurant!. the food is fantastic and the service excellent. i have traveled all over italy enjoying greatitaliancuisine, 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.

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-----

wonderfulitalianfine 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 trueitaliansize 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.

the bestitalianfood 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 doitalianand not just anyitalianbut a locally owned authenticitalianrestaurant.  when we read the detail of luce ristorante e enoteca we knew it was the place to go to fulfull ouritaliangravings . 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

where to begin..... ....might as well start with the food. we split a ceasar which gave us both plenty while deciding whether to go with the off-menu specials or select from their fairly extensive menu. in the end, specials won out and we were both very pleased with the sea bass and boar ragout/pappardelle.
some readers might think i live to quibble over details, so here goes. wine list is 90%italianof which i know very little, so we would have appreciated it to be laid out in either a varietal, style, or price format instead of red/white/sparkling/non-italian as it is. our server seemed a bit green and wasn't near as much help as the gentleman waiting on the foursome next to us who provided a wealth of details to help them select.
there's a patio available with live music and dancing, it would be nice if the music were piped indoors as well.
overall, a delightful place and comfortably straddling the fine/casual dining divide. there seems to be a lively hh bar scene that could described as aarp-friendly as well.

awesome localitalianflare with a great welcome and thank you by jorge. scallops dish, veal piccata, and tiramisu was excellent. we will definitely be back soon !

we have a new favoriteitalianrestaurant in san antonio. this was a dining experience and we will be back!!!

i wanted to like this place so badly! the ambiance is very romantic and the location is convenient for me. but the service and the food were a let down. we were greeted by the very friendly manager but after he sat us we were ignored for quite a bit. when our server finally showed up he didn't apologize for the delay or even introduce himself. he obviously would rather be doing anything than working on a friday night. our rice balls appetizer was great once they made us a fresh batch (the first ones came out cold in the center). the cocktails were nothing to write home about. that's what i get for ordering a drink in a wine-centric place i guess. as for my main course, the perfectly portioned chicken was very tasty but both sides were cold... the veggies were well seasoned but the risotto was watery and bland. for a few dollars more, we could have gone to piatti's, paesano's, or tre... until this place steps up its game i'll stick to those tried and trueitaliankitchens.

the margherita pizza was the best i've had in town!! better than dough imho. i liked the crispy, slightly salty crust and the fresh ingredients. the lasagna alla napoletana was just okay but glad i got a chance to try more of their menu.


-----21 nov, 2011-----

excellent food and atmosphere. contemporary decor, nice patio area covered by a gazebo, cool wine dining room that can be used for parties and/or work gatherings (has projector and screen, if needed). owner is especially friendly and inviting! service was superb. the butternut squash and pumpkin soup was delicate and simple. the caprese was very good - i know it's hard to mess up but the ingredients were fresh. the butternut squash and cheese ravioli were awesome!! they are light and flavorful. not sure i've had sage in much before but it was a strong flavor in a good way. the fresh pastas really make all the difference in the world. it's obvious the pastas are homemade. the ribbon pasta with meat sauce was also made with fresh ingredients and pasta. there were people dressed fairly nicely and others pretty casual and they all fit in. don't expect huge portions here likeitalianchain restaurants. this is a great example of quality over quantity. i highly recommend this establishment and will be coming back for special (and ordinary) occasions!

great for date night. you enjoy authenticitalianfood in a very romantic environment. rice balls is the best and a very unique appetizer. its just a little bit expensive.

bravissimo!. outstanding experience. truly authenticitalianfood, on par with the best in the east coast. their spicy marinara was delicious, scallops were very fresh and cooked just right. don't miss the canoli or the tiramisu! the owner was very gracious and spent time to answer any questions... fabulous wine list

wife (authentic italian) says she's never had better in sa. "my new favoriteitalianplace". outstanding service, wonderful food and a tiramisu to die (or kill) for. an a! only weakness is that it could have been hotter- temp-wise.

amazing dining experience. i recently visited luce with a group of co-workers from out of town. our evening was so enjoyable! the ambiance beautiful- modern, yet warm and welcoming. the food was incredible- we started with the arancini rice ball appetizer, white pizza with house made mozzarella cheese, and seafood salad. the entrees were delightful, especially the sea bass, osso bucco, gnocchi and the pasta with seafood. the menu has a wide variety of traditionalitaliandishes from northern and southern italy. we shared a few desserts- and each was better than the last- creme brulee, warm chocolate cake with vanilla gelato and tangy lemon sorbet. joe, the owner, personally ensured that everyone in our party was well taken care of- and it was really nice to be in a family-owned establishment instead of a chain restaurant. the next day in our meetings, all i heard about was how fantastic the meal was- and how much my friends wished that they had a restaurant this special in their cities. thanks for making me look good- we'll be back!