One night in Lucca ---dinner ideas?
 

We are taking 2 week trip to Italy with a church group and many students. My husband & I have one free night in Lucca (we have never visited Lucca) & we would like to go somewhere special for dinner. Any ideas? <BR>thanks jwg

Hi Jan, while I have been to Lucca, we never had dinner there, but are going back this August and have heard that the La Buca di Sant' Antonio is amazing. It has been around since 1782 and has a great reputation for fine dining and wonderful atmosphere. It is closed July 5-25 <BR>Hope this helps

liz - that help tremendously. That is the very restaurant I remember reading about last year, but knowing we weren't going to be in Lucca I didn't make a note of the name and I couldn't remember what it was or find it in any of my books. Thanks so much. jwg

Jan, I would suggest doing a search on this forum for suggestions. I ate at one place there, 2 days in a row..it was so good. It's a large family-style trattoria(?) with great home-style cooking. I doon't have the address buts it's in the city center and its called Guillo's. Good luck.

Jan:...and Sandi: <BR> The restaurant you are thinking about is DaGiulio, via della Conce 45/47 telephone 39-0583 55948. It's a large, comfortable restaurant with excellent service. The dinner was delicious and on a Saturday night, the place was filled with locals. They are closed Sunday and Monday. I would make the effort to go there, but be sure and have a reservation. Leone <BR> <BR> <BR>

There is another restaurant "Gogllo"-Plazza del Gigllo,The food was quite good too, ,I have tried Sant'Antonio also, the quality was about the same, but the former's price was better. <BR>While you are in Lucca, do try the chocolate from "Cioccolaterria caniparoli"- Via San Paolino 96. It is as good as any Belgium cholocate I have ever tasted, or even better.It is about 2 minutes walk from "Sant'Antonio".

Re: DaGiulio at Via della Conce. We were determined to eat there because many people said about its homestyle cooking plus how good it is. We got lost a lot trying to find it (Lucca is a walled town, so if you enter on the wrong entrance, it can be a long walk), but persevere we did. We were not disappointed. I even bought the olive oil they serve and just before we left the restaurant, I broke the bottle. And what did they do? They replace it at no charge!! I would recommend this restaurant. <BR> <BR>Regards.

Thanks for the great information. I'm making reservations tonight. Judy, I love the chocolate idea...just one of my many weaknesses. thanks jwg

<BR>Jan:The market in Lucca is an interesting place to visit also. It opens around 8 AM, many booths selling fresh produce.The cafe around the corner of market entrance has very good pastries for breakfast.

I just got back from my Tuscany honeymoon, and we had a really lovely, romantic evening at a Lucca restaurant our last night there. <BR>The "Antico Caffe della Mura" is a beautifully situated, elegant restaurant perched on top of the historic city walls. The view from the rooftop overlooks the Appenine Alps (sp?) and is gorgeous. The food is upscale and relatively pricey for Italy, but the service is very gracious, and tourists were not noticeable. (The coperto is a bit expensive at 6,000L a person, but that includes a champagne cocktail and delicious hors d'oevres.) Everything we had was lovely - from a squid linguine special to a truly memorable whole roasted sea bass, that was lovingly deboned and served at the table. They have a good selection of wines, and there are some very moderately priced Lucchenese brands that they recommended. A great "splurge" place with your husband!

Hi Jan, we had dinner the other day ( during May 2001)in the Bucca de San Antonio, and were very dissapointed. The place is recommended in many travel books but something much have changed because IT WAS NOT GOOD as it should have been. So ask the locals, .....

Jan: A nmore modest, even unassuming restaurant, but with great food is Da Leo. My family and I ate there last summer based on recommendations from locals and it was very, very good. Since the outdoor seating is limited, reservations are must. <BR> <BR>Another night we ate at Da Gigio and it was a disaster. Rude wait staff, poor timing, mediocre food. We usually try to find good restaurants the locals will recommend. We did this one on our own. Mistake!

Joe...do you recall the location of the restaurant Da Leo??? Open for lunch? Prices?

Joe..when you say you had a bad experience at Da Gigio...are you referring to the same restaraunt as Joy above called "Da Giulio"??

If you have a car (or you could hire a taxi to take and pick up) and it's not August (they close) make a reservation at La Mora which is about 6 miles from Lucca in Ponte a Moriano, actually just outside in Sesto. It's a fantastic michelin starred restaurant and is recommended by our cousins, who are locals! There's another good one in the same location called the Antica Locanda but that's not as much of a splurge place, just good Tuscan food. Two years ago we had a lovely lunch at Buca di Sant'Antonio and have eaten there several times previous to that. I hope it hasn't changed and that the above poster just hit an off day. A lovely caffe for pastries and coffee is Simi (I think) on Via Fillungo. Lucca is a wonderful place. Enjoy.

Da Leo is just off the square from the church. Pleasant, especially with outdoor tables. However, food was far superior at the Buca in Sept 99.

Right on the outskirts of Lucca is a great restaurant named Restaurant Stephani. My FIL takes us there everytime we're in Italy, ans we have a fabulous meal for about $30 each including wine. It's become a ritual.