trattoria lucca

super crazy good food. went to lucca last night with my wife. the noise issue -- valid. they really need to deal with it -- sound baffling is cheap and ez to install. neighborhood issue is valid. it's very sketchy, but turning around. there were lot's of folks biking and walking even at 10 pm -- nice and alive.

so on to the food:

appetizer: crudo -- seriously one of the best things i have ever tasted in my life -- seriously. made with swordfish and was truly out of this world.

appetizer: golden beets -- very earthy, topped with walnuts and some sort of dressing from heaven.

appetizer: cauliflower cake -- holy cow that was delightful. tasted a little bit like a creme brulee without the sweetness. the little topping of (i think) bacon should be viewed as garnish as it overpowered the delicate flavors in the cake.

entree: gnudi -- wow and i thought gnocchi was the bomb -- gnudi is basically gnocchi without the potatoes. this was served in a red sauce with tiny, spicy and delicious meatballs.

overall -- get rid of the noise please but i'd go back for the food even if it was being served amongst a pack of wild dogs (which is sorta what it sounds like ;)

nice atmosphere and good food but poor service. noisy, but that comes with the territory of a small spaced upper mid-town restaurant.

amazing food and service. it is noisy, but the food is entirely worth it. try the triggerfish! one of the best meals i have had in a long time.

excellent food. one of my favorite spots in town. i will agree with other posts that it can get a bit loud on a fri or sat night (somewhat small, but beautifully furnished, interior). but the food is tremendous, this is one of the best chefs in town. great for a date night. wine list is excellent.

good food. poor service.. food was good. very tasty. wine was good. skimpy on bread... they start you with 2 small pieces and we had to keep asking for more. they did not have record of our reservation but after describing our conversation with the bartender who made the reservation... he suddenly remembered and sat us willingly. very small and very loud! parking difficult. not a good place for a quiet date night or special occasion. service was poor.

lucca is a very homey and romantic restaurant with a fabulous menu. (too bad i was alone) settled in an hstoric neighborhood, this beautiful restaurant has wonderful northern italian dishes prepared perfectly. the cheese selections were pared perfectly with various chutneys and sauces and the entrees were varied and reasonably priced. this is a winner!

awful!. i would give this zero stars if that were an option. we went to this restaurant to celebrate my 40th birthday on friday, january 15th. it was horrible. the server was rude and borderline obnoxious. we were seated at a "family style" table which means nothing but that you are seated with a bunch of people you don't know. the place is tiny. the servers were bumping into tables and people. you can't move without being on top of other diners. and it is horribly loud. the neighborhood is dangerous and i'd be hesitant for anyone to walk alone. the food was fine but just fine. when i asked the server for recommendations he basically refused to answer. i've literally never been actually offended by a server. he was offensive, very snobby and abrupt. the menu is limited and very upscale. our tab for 3 people was 300 bucks. after just under an hour and a half we were asked to move tables because they wanted to seat someone at our table. this was actually after we complained to the owner that our server was obviously trying to get us out of there. my friend walked over to the owner to complain and to reiterate that we were celebrating my birthday, but he (the owner) didn't even bother to walk the four feet to our table to so much as say sorry. don't go. huge waste of money. oh and no liquor license.

best christmas eve "feast of seven fishes" ever!! i brought our family including members fro san diego and washington,dc and you should have heard the compliments. from the cod, lobster, calamari and the black bass, white shrimp, and crab filled conchigliona, to the swordfish torchino, no better meal is possible. this was indeed a 5 star affair!!! bravissimo to ken and his attentive staff!


-----15 dec, 2009-----

one of our favorites...best pork chop you will ever eat; starters are out of this world especially the warm cauliflower. we take our out of town and in town friends here and have never been disappointed. wait staff are terrific!!! you gotta go.

i was vert impressed by the juxtaposition of local produce and products with high quality italian imported products. the treatment of the pastas and entrees was in keeping with the best of traditional italian regional cuisines, i.e. quality ingredients treated simply and with respect

it's way too noisey to the point that you can't enjoy the evening. there are way too many great resturants on charleston to put up up with this. we were put at a table with 6 other people and we were a table of 4. inexecusable and miserable. also they don't have a liquid liscense. pick somewhere else for a more enjoyable time.