Dined here recently with our family. The menu offerings are eclectic and different than other Italian establishments in the Lancaster area. The good: The food was very delicious. We enjoyed our wine, olive appetizer and entrees. I got the ravioli and my wife enjoyed the guinea hen dish. The portions here are not large, so it's good to get a few dishes. The ambience in the side dining room was nice and much easier to converse in than the louder, main room. Our server was very knowledgeable and excited about the menu. The not so good: The wait between our appetizers and entrees was nearly an hour. We had another event to get to and were somewhat pressed for time. read more

LUCA - Guinea Hen - Italian Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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Our party of six enjoyed sitting in the quieter dining room rather than the main room. Our server was terrific. Did a great job explaining a few complex specials. Drinks and starters came out very quickly. We had a little bit of a wait for our entrees which is why I've given 4 rather than 5 stars. My branzino was terrific and a very large portion. Some of the other entrees seemed a little small. Great place to try if you're in Lancaster. read more

LUCA - Bronzino prepared in a flatten manner. - Italian Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

There's a lot of hype around LUCA and after my first visit, I can say it's deserved. I had originally hoped to eat here with some friends, but a week ahead they were already booked solid. But I stopped by with a friend a couple hours ahead of time to just get a cocktail and a snack and was not disappointed. They squeezed us in at the bar (I promised to be gone before their reservations started arriving) and had great food and drink. It's a beautiful spot and the service is sterling. read more

Coming from an Italian food hotspot I'm always curious how Italian is other places. I stopped in for dinner on a business trip and was seated at the bar as it was a busy Sunday night. The bartender was attentive and helpful! I ordered the Sunday meatballs and they were very flavorful but I'd say a little over cooked. I also got a hot dessert cocktail which finished the meal perfectly! read more

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Vibes here were immaculate. I'm so sorry I can't quite remember the name of our server but he was one of the bartenders ! He was super sweet and kind and was very helpful in picking what we wanted to eat / was very excited about our selections for us. Upon sitting at the bar, you could tell that a lot of people came back as regulars because of him. This guy was super friendly (and had really awesome tattoos) and it showed in the way customers loved him too. Aside from the service and atmosphere, the food was delicious. Who knew cabbage and flatbread could taste the way it did?? The entrees we got were perfectly seasoned as well. We chose LUCA on a whim and honestly, great choice. If I'm ever back in Lancaster, I'd come back here FOR SURE read more

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Food, Service and Ambiance were 15/10!!! Very Enjoyable. I would recommend the chefs table for the view of the kitchen while they cook your meal. It was truly visually satisfying! read more

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Luca was a very good experience. It's one of Lancaster's top five restaurants and I could see why. If you don't have a reservation, get ready to wait a long time to be seated. There is a small parking lot, adjacent to the restaurant, but there is plenty of street parking, as well. The restaurant has very nice decor, is always fully committed, and has a limited menu. However, that menu has items that'll make your meal memorable and delicious. We started with the Stracciatella small plate (creamy mozzarella cheese, braised artichokes alla romana, herb sauce, foccacia bread). This dish was so good. The creaminess of the cheese enveloped every forkful of artichoke and this starter was an excellent choice. Our entrees were, as follows: Swordfish (wood-grilled and glazed, salsify butter sauce, young kale, green garlic, grilled and marinated mustard greens, smoked ramp agrodolce). I cannot commend this dish enough. You didn't need a knife, it contained the optimum amount of saltiness, I enjoyed every bite, and didn't want it to end. It was also my first time ordering swordfish. The Luca Chicken (brined and wood oven-roasted natural chicken, wood-grillef broccolini, rosso di milano onion, wilted dandelion greens, n'duja glaze). The chicken contained A LOT of meat, was perfectly seasoned , and was more enjoyable consumed by hand, in order to get every bit of meat off of the bones. The service was impeccable and we appreciated our Server, Angelina's, recommendations. If you're in Lancaster, please make plans to enjoy a meal at Luca. read more

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We went to LUCA last night for my wife's birthday. I had only heard great things so perhaps my expectations were set too high. For appetizers we ordered the Caraflex Cabbage (the best part of the night), and the Gnocco Fritto, which was basically a savory take on a beignet. For our main courses we picked the Bollito Misto, which was good but not great. My wife picked the hunters lasgnetta which was frankly disappointing. I will come back because the atmosphere, service, and drinks were great. Next time I will make different menu choices. read more

Do not miss this place on your delicious dining list! Luca is like coming home to Nonna's for authentic delicate and delicious flavors of Italy! We were seated at the chef's table and actually got a show with our dinner. It was a chilly night, & the multiple blazing fires in the pit and oven warmed us too. We had the focaccia bread and bufalo mozzarella with thin sliced prosciutto and it was magnificent! Then my wife had the fresh homemade pasta ravioli and I had the gnocchi with mushroom sauce and asked them to add a few slices of prosciutto for a protein. It also had roasted pumpkin seeds crushed on top. For dessert, we shared the Tiramisu and it certainly didn't disappoint! It was excellent and moist with a grated cocoa smothering the whole top surface. It was wonderful ambiance for an exquisite meal. If you love real Italian, you must try this, you'll love it! read more

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I love the ambiance in Luca. It's open and a cool vibe. The service is fun and my food tasted really delicious. I would like to try other dishes. Parking can be hard. Don't park in front of peoples houses in the neighborhood. read more

After hearing a few people rave about this place, my husband and I decided to come here for date night. We made reservations as we figured it would be busy on a Sunday night. We were greeted by the friendly hostess and that's where the night went downhill. We were sat in the room off to the left, which was not overly warm and welcoming. It was awkwardly quiet and the tables were too close together so having a conversation was like having one with everyone else. The server took quite some time to get to us and our drinks took a bit as well. We started off with the oysters which were fantastic. Those should def never leave the menu. I couldn't wait to order the lobster special but she said they sold out of it the day before. I was really bummed bc my options are super limited here. My husband said the meatballs were okay but the texture of his polenta was super gritty and lacked flavor. I got the chicken entree and it was dry and it just felt like an incomplete dish. read more

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Finally got back here last night for a wonderful anniversary dinner! Perfection. Good, ambience, service. We will return soon!

What a great vibrant place to go to for great food, friendly staff and a very hip, swank atmosphere. You'll see everything from formal wear to casual blue jeans. Prices are comparable to other high end restaurants so it's worth a visit if you're in the mood to have some fantastic food and fun times with friends. It's not a place for an intimate first date due to it being in probably an old warehouse so you get a lot of echoing from other patrons so it can get pretty loud. Drinks are plentiful & flavorful. They even make their own wine. The Apples to Apples is a seasonal drink & of course tastes like ummm apples. Very tasty & puts you in the holiday spirit. Small plates I went with the crispy potatoes which were phenomenal and the rosemary makes these potatoes sing. We also tried the smoked squash which was absolutely delicious. You can really taste the smoke which compliments the squash perfectly. For my main, I picked the gnocchi with mushrooms. The only thing I didn't enjoy about the dish was that it ended. I could have easily ate another plate of these perfectly prepared gnocchi and the brown sauce left me wanting to lick my plate clean (no I did not lick my plate, but I definitely wanted to). Staff are super friendly & helped us select just the right meal & drink. Would highly recommend Luca to anyone looking to have a great time with some friends & have some absolutely amazing and delicious food & drinks while doing it. read more

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Terrible wait times and ignored by server. Had to request her to check on our food and did not seem concerned that it had not come out of the kitchen after over an hour of waiting. Food was great however, when it did arrive. read more

Food and service was great! Pizza was perfectly done. Salad was delicious. Nice non alcoholic menu.

Fancier menu with more authentic Italian variety. If you're looking for pizza for your kids. This ain't it. We will report that our kids were very unimpressed, but they have terrible taste. Us adults truly enjoyed our meal, even though it was a little buzzing in here. They were very kind in squeezing us in without reservations, so if you are thinking of simply dropping in, be sure to try to reserve in advance. read more

LUCA - Main dining room viewed from loft above. - Italian Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

First of all it's not my first rodeo here. And whether you're coming in to spend $100 or just 50 this place knocked it out of the park every time. If you make a reservation, I recommend trying to get the chef table. You'll thank me later. Sundays is also the only day for the meatballs so I recommend trying those as well. You have to try their other spot for their Woodfire pizzas. And that's a whole other experience.. I can't express how much I love it here. read more

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We had a fabulous dinner in Luca last night.... Between the drinks, apps and dessert we rolled out of the restaurant feeling like we just had some sort of a religious experience. We were initially bummed because an appetizer we tried and loved last time we were in Luca was no longer on the menu, but we tried a delicious mozzarella and artichoke app and it was great. I had the veal lasagnetta - so delicious, my husband had swordfish- not amazing, but good... kids had bolognese pasta and loved it. Macchiato was out of this world and I highly recommend tiramisu. Hats off to the chef. Thanks Luca, we will be back! read more

LUCA - Italian Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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Luca has become a disappointment for many reasons. We have been here a handful of times over the last few years and it's clear that they are now just trying to gouge people. We dined here before going to see a musical last night. We had 6 in our party. Our server was really friendly and checked on us a good amount. My husband got a house sangria which was maybe a B+ and it was $15. The menu changes and I don't love that. There are more small plates than actual entrees. The pasta options are nothing to write home about except the tagliatelle. I got the gnocchi and my sister in law got the buttoni. Both were a huge let down. $29 for gnocchi?? Highway robbery. My husband's meat dish was the best at the table and my friend said the chicken was also very good. The portion sizes here are stupid small. For the amount of money (and time we had to wait for the food) we have officially dined enough here where we can just move on. read more

So many trips to Lancaster and I'd wait until the last minute to try to get a reservation here and nope. This time I learned my lesson and made one well in advance. I still dream of my mocktail I had here, so refreshing, so delicious. The food was also amazing, ambiance was amazing, service was amazing, I'd put this right up there with some top NY restaurants. It was amazing and just made me love Lancaster even more than I already do. read more

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The food at Luca never disappoints. Service is always top-notch and the food is amazing. Thoughtful, well executed actual Italian dishes. It's expensive, but a great meal. read more

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1. They do not have pizza! They haven't had it in over two years per the bartender. They opened a secondary pizza place four blocks away so all the reviews that talk about how good Pizza is can go suck it because they don't have it here. Looked questionable anyway. 2. One tiny tiny bowl of pasta - complete with nothing and a beer just sent me back 52 bucks. They don't even offer a small side salad. GTFO. This isn't NYC or Seattle or San Francisco! In fact, all of those places have better values than this crap. Godspeed fellas and good for you, but for anyone traveling here that's ever eaten outside po-dunk Lancaster, prepare to be disappointed beyond belief. Oh, in an unheard of flex, you need to make a reservation to sit at the bar. Strike 3! read more

Oh my! Fantastic pizzas, good service and deserts Limited menu but great food Worth a stop read more

Luca in Lancaster, PA is a modern Italian-New American restaurant with a welcoming vibe. The young team, both in the kitchen and service, is friendly, attentive, and passionate. I could feel they wanted to give me an excellent experience - and they did. I was invited to sit at the chef's table, where I watched the talented young chefs work their magic. "Your team works like a perfectly synchronized clockwork." The young chef smiled and said, "Yes, sometimes it feels like a dance between all of us chefs." ... and Anthony Bourdain spreads his wings out wide far above them ... The food was delicious --I had the Pasta Tajarin with a glass of Grenache -- so good! A great spot where passion, teamwork, and excellent dining come together. Highly recommend! read more

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This place was so good. Family run Italian restaurant that was quite refreshing after a horrible time at another place (see my The Exchange review for more details). We got there shortly after 8, they close the kitchen at 9, we tried to reserve when we were in our way, but that didn't work out (technical issues on our part), but we were pleasantly surprised to walk in & be greeted so warmly. They asked to wait a moment & they cleaned & set up a table for us right away. It's a very nice, laid back environment. The service was very good & the food & drinks were excellent! Highly recommended if you're ever in the area. read more

I loved this restaurant! It had a great vibe and the food was wonderful. My husband and I shared two small plates: crispy roasted potatoes and tuna. The potatoes were crispy but unlike any I had experienced. The combination of garlic, rosemary, schmaltz, and aged-vinegar aioli was perfect. The tuna was flaky and delicious set atop heirloom tomatoes with charred cucumber, olives and anchovy. On the recommendation of our outstanding server Olivia, we ordered the mais pizza. Cooked in a wood-burning oven, this pizza boasted corn cream, sweet corn, prosciutto, shishito peppers, and caputa mozzarella. Not only did Olivia provide good suggestions, she also delivered exemplary service. In addition to the menu items, the chef also sent out tempura poke beans with pesto - AMAZING! read more

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Great food and atmosphere. Ordered an assortment of small plates and everything was fantastic.

Super good pizza. Not crazy ambiance but fairly easy to be seated (bar usually available for two).

Way too overpriced for small portions. The quality of food was good, but service was slow. We came at 5PM on Friday and waited 45 mins for an outside table, so I would recommend making a reservation ahead of time. When we were finally seated and ordered, food took another 30-40 minutes to arrive. All the dishes came at once, which was unexpected. The burrata was the best dish we ordered, so I'd give it a 5/5. The jam and pistachios at the bottom complemented the burrata perfectly. The burrata and jam also enhanced the flavor of the beef entree we got. For $35, the beef skewer entree was overpriced and I have had similar quality beef dishes for under $10. The sweet corn was the best part of this dish. 3/5 The gem salad was good, and had croutons. However, I heard people raving about the gem salad on reddit so I was left disappointed. It's good, but not that good. Especially for the price of $15. 4/5 read more

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The atmosphere of the restaurant is extremely beautiful, the colors of the place is very light with touches of orange that made me feel that I was somewhere in Europe. My friend and I arrived around 5pm and were told there's no seats available in the restaurant unless I wanted to be seated at the bar but that would be at 6:15pm. So my friend decided to sit outside. The waiter was very friendly and knew what he was saying whenever we had questions about the menu. He recommended a pasta called "Buttoni" and the way he talked about it sounded like it's a really great dish, so we ordered it along with a Margherita pizza. Each roughly around $20. Normally for a pizza and pasta dish the wait time would probably take around 15-20min due to having other orders and such. However for this case we ordered and the food did not come until an hour. It was kinda ridiculous to wait for an hour for basic food items. The pizza was decent nothing special but the buttoni was basically tasteless. It was even more disappointing after waiting that long to eat pasta that was very plain and bland. After raising our concerns about the wait time to the manager she sounded sincere about the situation and included "that's why we usually recommend folks to get appetizers". I understand the concept of appetizers but waiting an hour shouldn't be an expectation for simple food in my opinion. Overall I would not come here again. read more

LUCA - Italian Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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The food was really good and the waitress was great. However, the seating was really close. The woman next to us was sitting at the end of the table instead of where the seating was originally so her back was less than a foot from our table. Also two people who came in after us got their food way before us and were almost done when we asked about the food and it finally came out. It took over an hour to get our dinners. Do not know why and got no explanation. read more

Wednesday night experience only, when the main chef has the night off. Apps were on point. The meat and fish dishes were great, as expected. However, the pasta entrees were crap: small portions, overly cheesy, no garnish, poor presentation. Those of us who ordered pasta were essentially served up kiddie meals. Service was good. And a final gripe, in what restaurant anywhere in Italy or France, would you have to request (and pay for) bread on your table. Luca, you can step up a bit. And Chef, ....... I wish we could have eaten when it wasn't your day off. read more

Caroline was awesome!! The food and the service was so amazing. It definitely made our anniversary special. I would recommend the tiramisu. It made me shed a tear. read more

LUCA - tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

From the moment we walked through the door, we were treated like we were expected family! The genuineness of the staffs initial greeting through to the introduction of our server Kayla (SP) was centered on us - our seating, ensuring we understood the recent menu changes (we have been here before), and giving us the time to select our drinks. She was well trained, made excellent suggestions and knew exactly when to drop by to assist us! Perfect on every level! Our selected appetizer was the braised & wood-grilled crispy ARTICHOKES with arugula, mint, and young tuscan pecorino. They were cooked to perfection - we believe they were steamed and poached until they were supremely tender and flavorful! The mint was great as it approximated the herb Romans used for this dish. We could only hope people of Rome enjoyed such a flavorful dish! We both selected Pasta dishes as our entree's. I selected the GNOCCHI with english peas, prosciutto cotto, pea tendrils, and parmigiano reggiano. I loved the different flavors and textures - the pillowy gnocchi (the best I have ever had - even that I have had in Italy), the salty and crisp prosciutto, the fresh peas and parmigiano reggiano made this dish amazingly fresh tasting and OMG delicious! This vibrant recipe transforms sweet seasonal produce into an elegant dish that will melt in your mouth! My wife selected the VEAL CRESPELLE with wild ramp crepe, slow-roasted veal, mustard greens, fontina cheese, and snap peas. Crespelle are Italian savoury crepes - and these are a gourmet, very Spring-like makeover - swapping traditional filling with slow roasted veal for tenderness, mustard greens for a slightly bitter and peppery bite, fresh snap peas for a crisp element, wild ramps for a unique oniony flavor in the crepe, and fontina cheese for richness and melty goodness! Fontina cheese = LOVE. This cheese sauce is to die for, Fontina is a perfect melting cheese and has a lovely strong flavor! This was a delicious and elegant creation, combining the delicate texture of crepes with a rich and savory filling.  As foodies and formally caters, LUCA exceeds every expectation we could have! Outstanding homestyle Italian food prepared with care to presentation (we eat with our eyes first), well seasoned, flavorful, and perfect temperature! Staff well trained and knowledgeable, very personable. And an ambiance of an Italian trattoria. What more could we ask for? read more

So underwhelming. Had high hopes for this place as it came highly recommend through Yelp, Reddit, and other social media platforms. I made the reservation a month in advance, and was so excited to try it since I was here for a girls weekend away. Ambiance was nice, but gave off cafeteria vibes in terms of seating. We were smushed in between two other tables. Our server was lovely and attentive- that's the nicest thing I have to say about this place. For apps we got the straciatella (melted mozz with focaccia) and a flatbread where we added honey truffle oil. Yikes. The straciatella was meh. Not enough salt, weird flavors, not warm. And the focaccia it came with was burnt. The flatbred was burning hot, soooo salty and just not what we expected. It was round like a pizza, greasy and just not good. We each ate a few bites and that was it. Main dishes were disappointing as well. I got the tagliatelle, and while the flavor was there, the noodles were so overcooked they were stuck together. Also, barely warm. My friend got the rigatoni and it was soaked in oil, overcooked, and also not warm. We sent everything back, and were out of there. They did comp the entrees and the flatbread. I think this place was just too busy, the cooks were obviously rushing, but if they re-did their menu and maybe simplified it I think it could be better. read more

Tagliatelle with Ragu was great nice size portion on the smaller side, but I appreciated that I asked for bread cause I was waiting so long for my entrée to come out and I was charged six dollars for what they called a focaccia , but it was Italian bread burnt over toasted with not enough olive oil on it I just had to say that because I don't feel like that "bread" was worth it. read more

Amazing food & drinks. Great service. Do not skip the appetizers or dessert (the tiramisu is for real).

Great , fresh food that you can't get otherwise. Comfortable dining experience. Local establishment with a niche menu.

I was blown away by our latest visit. Our sampling included the housemade focaccia, crispy potatoes, little gem lettuces, wood-grilled cauliflower, carbonara, and paccheri. The crispy potatoes and paccheri were my favorites. The spice on the potatoes was perfect and the aioli was the best I've had. The paccheri was very creative and beautifully presented. Reminded me of a pot roast baked ziti. Very hearty and filling. read more

Sat at the kitchen bar and got to witness the well oiled machine that is the back of house. Not your typical experience but offers an unadulterated view into the care LUCA takes in food prep. Loved the experience of watching my food being cooked and prepped . Highly recommend read more

LUCA - Kitchen - Italian Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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