restaurants in Lucca and environs
 

We will be in the Lucca area for 2 weeks with our kids/grandkids (ages 10 - 10..not babies) Do any of you have suggestions re. good and reasonably priced places to eat? = Trattorias, Osterias, etc. Do not have to be in the center of town as if it's good we can get there! I was impressed with the chain of notes re. the Florence restaurants which will also be useful for our family as we will do day trips to Florence. We are about an hour away from Florence by car in the hills between Pisa and Lucca but closer to Lucca..about 10 minutes from Lucca.
Thanks,

Ages 10 to 19..not 10 to 10

I stayed in Lucca for a couple of weeks 2 years ago. The following are the restaurants I really like . They are all in the city of Lucca:

Osteria Baralla www.osteriabaralla.it

Trattoria Da Leo
www.trattoriadaleo.it

Ristorante Giglio
www.ristorantegiglio.com

Have a great time, I loved Lucca!

In Camaiore, NANNI www.trattoriananni.it
In Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, OSTERIA VECCHIO MULINO
www.ilvecchiomulino.com
In Lucca, DA LEO
www.trattoriadaleo.it

Common charateristic is low cost (30 € more or less) with a very good quality.

Vincenzo

We went to a restaurant about 5 km from Lucca - Villa Bongi. It was a very special restaurant that didn't seem too expensive for what we had. We were there at night but it also has a beautiful terrace over looking the countryside.

www.villabongi.it

The owner/chef spent a lot of time in Sydney, Australia working at 5 star hotels and restaurants, and his wife is Australian.

we had a fantastic dinner there:

http://traveldk.com/tuscany/western-...lino-saline-di

excellent ambiance and service. not fancy at all but gorgeous meal!

not to be mexed up with vincenzod's post as this one is in saline di volterra

Giannetta, We just returned from five days in Lucca. Following is a list of restaurants with comments. (Probably more than you wanted to know.) If you have any questions, let me know.

LUCCA RESTAURANTS
Good Local Wines: Red Colline Lucchesi / White Montecarlo


INSIDE “THE WALLS”:
Buca di S. Antonio, Via della Cervia 1/3,just off one corner of Piazza San Michele/Via San Paolino. Warm, inviting interior. USD $21—$30 (more $ than average). Closed Sun. evenings & Mon., also closed for vacation in July. BEST RESTAURANT IN TOWN. ..MAKE RESERVERSATONS ($$$). Can be crowded. Good wine cellar.

Menu:
• Ravioli di ricotta alle zucchini
• Tortellini Lucchesi al sugo (in broth)
• Papparadelle alla leper (wild hare)
• Petto di faraona all’uva moscato (breast of hen w/grapes & muscatel wine)
• Fegatelli di maiale allo spiedo con rapini (pork livers on a skewer )
• Bean farro soup (spelt-grain aka emmer)

Ristorante da Giulio, Via delle Conce, 45/Piazza San Donato, at the northwest corner of Lucca, right by Baluardo Santa Croce. Prices are less expensive than average. A family-run trattoria,,big crowds, warm atmosphere, friendly staff (don’t let the modern décor put you off). Old-style Lucchese cooking. Open Tues. thru Sat. 12-3 & 7-11:30. ($$)Popular with the locals.

Menu:
• Superb Soups: Farro and Farinata (a grain). This soup is creamy with a polenta-like grain of farinata with beans and vegetables. (Farinata is somewhat like a large chickpea crepe. Crisp and golden on the top, soft and moist on the inside, glistening with fragrant olive oil on the bottom, Farinata is a finger-lickin' food that nourishes the soul. Farinata, just like pizza, can be stuffed or garnished with any vegetable, cheese, or sauce, or it can be eaten plain, right out of the oven.)
• Maccheroni Tortellati is large pasta squares in ricotta, tomatoes and herbs.
• Pollo al Mattone is chicken breast roasted under a heated brick and is the 2nd most meal in demand; however, it may be dry.
• Spezzatino con Olive is stewed beef with olives and runs just behind the previous dish.
• Tiramisù is positively heavenly at this restaurant.

Puccini, the other top restaurant in the city center. Corte San Lorenzo, 1. One block from Piazza San Michele/Via San Paolino. Décor is modern, bright & colorful. Closed for lunch on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Also closed for vacation in Jan/Feb. www.ristorantepuccini.com ($$$)

Trattroria da Leo, Via Tegrimi 1, at the corner of Via Tegrimi and Via degli Asili by Piazza San Salvatore (also called Piazza della Misericordia). It is actually in Palazzo Minutoli-Tegrini. You can see the green market umbrellas & tables behind the fountain. Open seven days a week, all year long.
Traditional dishes such as: Tortellini al sugo (in brodo), Farro, Legumes & 5 Cereali (legumes & cereal), Farinata soups. Arista di Maiale (slices of roast pork loin), Mezze Maniche alla Boscaiola (home-made Bolognese pasta w/mushrooms), Spaghetti alle Melanzane, Risotto Zucchini e Zafferano (rice w/corgettes aka zucchini & saffron). Locals eat at this ristorante. Less expensive than average www.trattoriadaleo.it We ate here twice.

Famiglia Burrali. Desserts are not particularly good. If this restaurant was located elsewhere in Tuscany, it would be highly recommended; but in Lucca, it is an also-ran.

Gli Orti di Via Elisa, east-end of town, Via Elisa, 17. Excellent casual restaurant w/extensive menu, especially good pizza, pastas & meats—vegetarian dishes also. Very popular with Luccans. Reservations needed. ($$)

(Vecchia) Trattoria Burrali, Historic Center, Piazza San Agostino, 10, near the ruins of the Roman Theatre on Piazza S. Agostino (church #10 on the Lucca map). Specialize in wines from the Lucchesi hills. Closed Tuesdays. & Wednesdays. Prices €20€—€25. Food is delicious, wonderful service. ($) www.onenet.it/LU/buralli. Currently (2008) My favorite restaurant.

Ristorante Giglio, Piazza del Carmine, near the ampitheatre/clocktower—offers the best combination of authentic food, pleasant surroundings and professional service. Outside seating is preferred. Menu: Ultra yellow pasta with fresh porcini, a real treat, & the unusual farro-based pasta w/rabbit. Also, beef tenderloin, a cut that is frequently dull and flavorless, is exceptional, no less so for the big fat porcini mushroom served on top and the accompanying dish of roasted potatoes,

Ristorante da Francesco, Corte Portici, 13. Outstanding Tortellini Lucchese. Lots of locals eat here. Excellent Lucchese cuisine at reasonable prices & service is friendly. Food & service lately is erratic. We had a bad experience in May, 2008.

Antica Locanda dell’Angelo, Via Peschiere, 21—a block southeast of Piazza San Michele. A nice, quiet restaurant with outdoor seating in season.. Closed Sunday and Monday ($$$)

Pizzeria La Triestina, Via Anfiteatro, 107. Excellent pizza €5-6, serving size is one person and calzoni.. Service is informal and usually quick. Closed Thursdays.

Pizzeria Centro Storico, Via San Paolono by the Palazzo Mansi. Pizza by-the-slice, plus simple dishes.

Osteria da Baralla, close to Via Fillungo on the external ring of Piazza dell’Anfiteatro (behind ampitheater), Via Anfiteatreo, 5-7-0. Good Luccan home-style food since 1860. Closed on Sundays. Brick-vaulted ceilings. Typical pasta & meat dishes. Nothing “nouvelle” on the menu. ($)

Pizzeria Sbragia, Via Fillungo. 144. Excellent choice for lunch: service is very, very quick and cheap—less than USD 10. Try the pizza Margherita cecina castagnaccio con ricotta. Mostly take-out, but some seating. Very busy on Sunday evenings, but incredibly efficient. Closed Mondays.

Antica Drogheria, Via Elisa near Porta Elisa. An old drug store, good cheap pizza and more. Lots of “starters” plus cakes and chocolate. Less expensive than average.

Stella Polare, Via Vittorio Venuto off Piazza Napoleone. Good for lunch.

Osteria Il Bel Locale, Piazza San Francesco (only open in the evening). Closed Mondays.

La Venta (Gelateria), Piazzale Ricasoli Bettino, located just in front of the walls in the old town (not outside the walls), coming from Palazzo Ducale in Piazza Grande,1. Great ice cream shop: the most famous in Lucca.

Caffé Fellini, Via Fillungo, 123, Piazza San Carlo—tucked away in a new piazza between Via Santa Croce and Via d’Arancia. Lively bar with a limited menu, but the food is good. Pasta, drinks & caffè at lunchtime for 2 people = €15.

Girovitá,, Piazza Antelminelli located next to San Martino Cathedral. Nice place to be sitting outside. Music inside. Closed Mondays.

Giusti, Via Santa Luca, just behind Chiesa San Michele. Outstanding bakery with the best focaccia anywhere in town. Highly recommended.

Santini Gelateria, Piazza Citadella, 1. A world-class gelateria and bakery. They make ice-cream sundaes. Bakery products: “Torta con Becchi” (bird’s beaks, because of the peaked shape of the crust), “Buccellato, a raisiny, eggy sweet bread.

Canuleia, touristy, avoid like the plague. Fresh, but tasteless food. Go elsewhere.

I just pulled out my receipt and the correct spelling is Vecchia Trattoria Buralli (one r, two l's).