trattoria lucca

poor service. recently my brother and i stopped in for an early dinner and were the first patrons to arrive at opening time. we were told by a brusque server that they had no available tables (we had no reservation) but we could sit at the bar if we'd like. we dined at the small and awkwardly-positioned bar and watched approximately 1/3 of the tables remain empty for the entire meal. additionally, i overheard a server as he came behind the bar (the same who initially greeted us) make what sounded like disparaging comments about a a table he was serving. to their credit, our entrees weregoodand our server was very friendly and helpful.

a few days later i called the restaurant (not during peak dining hours) and asked for help figuring out the name of a wine that i had enjoyed. the staff member told me that he would put on his "mind-reading headphones" to determine which which wine i had the previous evening.

in my opinion, charleston has too many excellent restaurants to tolerate this kind of service.

overpriced average food. overpriced for less than average food in charleston! i had the blue crab stuffed pasta, with each of the four small sized pastas fishy tasting. not worth a return visit. i'd recommend pan e vino instead! the food simply isn't asgoodas they think it is, or price it as.

can't say enoughgoodthings. my wife and i went here on a saturday night. our server was adam and he was great. very nice and helpful. he took the time to go over each menu item and make recommendations based on what we told him we like. the food was amazing, i don't think you could go wrong with anything on the menu. the noise issue others have mentioned is valid. it is a very cute and cozy little place but quiet it is not. the db reader on my iphone said between 85-90 dbs during dinner (the equievilant of a factory floor). the other issue is the cost. yes the food is amazing but it is pricey. we had a medium appetizer, each had an entree and split a dessert. we spent $100. we did not order alcohol. so...if $100+ on dinner is not a problem for you, or if you're looking for something special i would highly recommend lucca. we loved it and will be back.

food wasgoodbut the noise level was terrible. it ranged from 92db to 100db all evening.

super crazygoodfood. 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 andgoodfood but poor service. noisy, but that comes with the territory of a small spaced upper mid-town restaurant.

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 agoodplace for a quiet date night or special occasion. service was poor.