This is a very nice dimly lit restaurant, it's a good spot for date night. I'm not from Charlotte so I kinda had a hard time finding the location of the restaurant once my Uber dropped me off. But on to the food, I had tagliatelle with bolognese and it was good, the pasta tasted very much freshly made. I completely forgot the name of the drink I ordered but it did not disappoint. They serve bread and beans while you wait for your food and let me tell you those beans alone were good enough to be a whole meal for me! The only reason why I didn't give this 5 stars is because we sat at our table for a while before they brought out the bread for us while others received theirs right away, we actually had to end up asking for some and I didn't like that at all but other than that it was a good experience. read more

Luce - a plate of pasta with meat and cheese - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Luce is a hidden gem. The ambience was fitting for my birthday, the meal was even better. I think we are going to frequent here very often. The stuff lamb was amazing, I wish I had orderer that but the seafood pasta I had was JUST as good too. Paired with a entire bottle of wine (no cheapskate huh?!) YOU can't go wrong here! read more

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Carpaccio excellent. Service first class. Would recommend to others. Ambiance relaxing. Convenient to Blumenthal.

This restaurant has been in Charlotte for the longest and I can't believe it took me this long to pay it a visit. Everything was fantastic! We got greeted at the door by Manuel and he had great wine recommendations and very friendly and welcoming. We had a reservation and got sat right when we got to the restaurant. The restaurant is beautiful. It is more on the fancy scale so I would recommend dressing appropriately if you are gonna pay them a visit. The food was fantastic. I felt I was in Italy for a minute since the food was so fresh and delicious! I would recommend you get the tagliolini. Simple yet very flavorful. I forgot to take pictures of the creme brûlée but don't forget to get it since it was out of this world. read more

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What an incredible experience. Absolutely delicious food . We had a salmon dish with spinach that the chef cooked to a perfect temperature, a seafood pasta dish that was to die for and dare i forget the awesome fresh baked bread served with a bean/olive oil/ basil sauce. Wow, you will like you are in Italy and the Italian wine only has every level of wine from good value to high end !!! read more

I have been wanting to try this place in uptown Charlotte for quite some time. I finally got the chance a few weeks back when I happened to go to meet with a friend from our of town. They were gracious enough to move our reservation out since we were running late. We were immediately seated when we arrived. All of the employees were super attentive and nice. They hung my coat and checked my bag which was a nice touch. We got an awesome corner booth facing the restaurant so we were able to chat in peace. So why the 3 rating? I really wanted to love my food. I ordered penne alla vodka with shrimp and it was very bland. Not a hint of garlic, no seasonings, the pasta and sauce were both dry. But my French martini and the sorbet were amazing. I may try it again at some point but maybe after I've tried other restaurants. I left with leftovers but didn't bother eating them the next day. Very disappointing. read more

Great service and good food. Pricey, but we will come back because the overall experience is worth it.

A great Italian spot in uptown! It has an intimate setting which is really great for a date night or dinner before a show. We had a resvervation an hour and a half before a show at belk theater. 2 minute walk which was so convenient. The food was delicious! I had the lasagna and Caesar salad. Very filling! read more

WOW! We had clients coming in from New York City and knew they wanted Italian food so I got on Yelp and found Luce. I had never been to Luce so was a little nervous to make a reservation for 10 people without any prior experience, but thought you really couldn't go wrong with Italian right? Oh Luce knows how to do it! A couple of us arrived and went to the bar before the rest of our guests arrived. The bartender was extremely attentive and gave us complimentary house chips to snack on. They have a nice wine list and are very happy to help you select an option that matches your palette. Once we were seated we were greeted with still/sparkling water, along with a bread basket. For starters we ordered a cheese/charcuterie board, the calamari and bruschetta. The calamari was tasty, but I really enjoyed the bruschetta. The tomatoes were very fresh. Mostly everyone started with a salad and I opted for the arugula salad. I must say if you do NOT like lemon do NOT order this salad. The lemon vinaigrette was killer on the lemon. It made it very acidic, but I think that's what also makes it authentic? Anyways, sticking with a Caesar next time :-) Plus- if this was the worst of the night I'll take it! For our meals we all got a variety. I opted for the mare seafood pasta. OH MY! It was loaded with seafood: lobster (huge), mussels, clams, scallops (delicious!) and calamari. It was over a linguine alfredo and it was so amazing! One of the best pastas I've ever had. Another person got the Veal Chop and the Agnolotti (veal pasta), and they equally looked amazing. I would highly recommend a pasta dish here over anything - another coworker got the salmon and it didn't stand a chance next to the other meals. To finish we got an array of desserts. The top contenders were the ricotta cheesecake and tiramisu. Unfortunately they were out of the creme brûlée, but I will come back for that! And to top the night off we all had two rounds of lemonchello. Let's say the meal was so amazing, but the lemonchello really gave this review a 5 star. And I can't forget about the staff. Our server was awesome. He was very attentive and everything was served in a timely matter. All in all I will return to Luce and it will be on my list for Restaurant week as well! read more

Luce - Seafood Mare. Excellent. - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I had a lovely experience here! It's a little hidden spot in center of all the hots pots. The vibe is very classy here and it was a breath of fresh air to be surrounded by educated people. The service was absolutely the best. Many people served us and treated us like VIP and did the same with everyone else. The food was mouthwatering delicious. I had the Branson's and was worried it would have too much salt and it was perfection. read more

I think . . . one of the best restaurants in Charlotte. For almost a decade we lived literally across the street and have ventured here many times. Always superb service and food quality. Tonight we celebrated Lori's birthday. They greeted us with a complimentary flute of Prosecco. Nice. Great start. Lori ordered Polipo (grilled octopus and potato--their riff on Spanish Octopus Galatia): the olives and pine nuts brought the dish back home to Italy. Sublime. For my appetizer beef carpaccio with arugula and parmesan reggiano shavings. Elegant. The star entree was the Mare although Lori's grilled halibut was expertly prepared. Really no losers. The chef prepared the dish in such a manner that all the seafood was perfect. No small task when cooking lobster, mussels, clams, shrimp, and squid served on a bed of linguine. And the sauce: silky, buttery, with some back heat. I got the evil eye when my wife thought I was about to lick the plate. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm. What else can I say? Looking to lay down some change and get it back with style, class, service, and flavor? Luce's. Uptown. I say Give 'em a Whirl! read more

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Had great meals here and felt the service was very good. Menu had good selection and all food was well prepared and brought out at good time intervals. Only issue was that my carbonara was more similar to Alfredo than the smaller amount of a thicker egg and prosciutto based sauce I'm accustomed to. Pass that off to personal preference. The flavor was great, just a little richer than I was expecting. read more

I visited Charlotte for the first time last week and my hosts reserved a table at Luce. When we entered we were greeted by their excellent maitre'd who informed us that they were short staffed and he couldn't offer us anything to drink at the bar. He invited us to sit there and he provided cold glasses of water. We waited a very short time and were shown to our table. It was my birthday and a card was prominently displayed for me. Remember, we were told they were short staffed. Our waiter (wish I could remember his name) and his assistant, Sebastian, came to our table to welcome us. From that moment on we were treated like royalty. This was our first time at Luce and it will not be our last. The service was impeccable, wine was delicious and the food was outstanding. I had the Osso Bucco and it was prepared perfectly. Both our waiter and Sebastian were engaging and helpful. We were never rushed even as the restaurant filled with patrons and though they were short staffed we never experienced anything other than excellent food and service. There was even a candle in my Crème Brûlée. I can't recommend this restaurant enough and it's already on my list for my next visit to Charlotte. A huge thank you to Luce's excellent staff!! read more

The pasta Dishes here are hands down amazing. Everything that was ordered was delicious and everything I would look for in a great pasta dish. I had the Gnocchi and my husband the Butterra Your meal was also served with a selection of tasty breads and a bean salsa dip. We also ordered some different appetizers which were also very tasty. One dish, the calamari was great calamari. However I was very very disappointed in the quantity of calamari given. We ordered the large dish, which was about $19 and we got about 7 calamari pieces topped with fried zucchini. The majority of the plate was fried zucchini. I would think for that price, we would be given a bit more. I also felt the waiter was not friendly. He was annoyed with us for taking our time to order, when we were catching up with old friends. I did not appreciate this. Lastly I realize this is an upscale restaurant, but I did feel some of the prices were a bit high for the quantity. Especially for the appetizers. Therefore if I went back, I would only order a pasta entree. read more

Luce - Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I travel to Charlotte weekly for work and dine out in the city four nights a week. I don't leave reviews often, but I feel like this place needs and deserves the love. Tucked into the base of an office building and nearly empty both nights I visited (Tue/Wed--yes I went back two nights in a row), it almost looks and feels like an old show horse past it's prime. But make no mistake, she's a winner. Sincere and attentive service, and food that hits all the marks. Fresh seafood, perfectly al dente pasta, and everything perfectly seasoned (a rarity these days). I had the same entrée on both my visits (Pasta Mare) because it was AWESOME, but I'm looking forward to exploring the rest of the menu in the near future! Definitely adding this to place to my regular rotation! read more

Luce - Pasta Mare - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Wonderful food, service and ambiance. A very diverse selection of authentic italian favorites!!!!

This place was the highlight of our trip to North Carolina. Great food and great service. I had the rack of lamb and my wife had the salmon. Super great!!! Wine by the glass was very reasonable. I will definitely go back off I make it back to Charlotte. read more

Luce - Rack of lamb - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I went for a nice corporate dinner; with my co-workers and myself include to this Italian restaurant. We started the night with a few appetizers with the taste was not that good. Bruschetta: a grilled baguette with sweet tomatoes, some garlic, oregano, and evoo. I will say that this was the best appetizer on the table; the taste was just executed perfectly. Calamari: a flash and fried with some spicy marinara and caper aioli sauce, as a seafood lover I will say, I was a bit disappoint of the taste, I had better-fried calamari in other restaurants this one was no that good. Asparagi: grilled asparagus a no a fan so cannot say too much about it. For my main course, I had a dilemma between the Filetto and the Mare, I ask the server for a recommendation and he right away point me on to the Mare, he told that I was not going to regret choosing this disk. So I order it. Mare is a mix of seafood with contents lobster, scallops, calamari, mussels, clams, shrimp and peperoncino with is over on linguini. I will say that this plate save this review and like the server told me did not regret ordering this plate. Everything was cooked perfectly and there was plenty of seafood very fresh and with a great taste, the tomato sauce was light, tangy and perfect. Overall this was great disk. The service was very good. The food did not take that long to show up. It wasn't a horrible experience, but it was not perfection. But like I say the Mare saved the day. read more

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I travel to Charlotte and was fortunate enough to enjoy this resturant twice. Service is very good, not sure I could suggest anything to improve it. All meals served on time with beautiful presentation. Wine list is excellent with waiter suggestions that paired perfectly with the food. Calamari, bruschetta and eggplant appetizers hit the spot. I had the halibut special which was amazing. This was the common opinion for a large party. Will definitely be back. I heard a really positive comment about their steaks also read more

We visited Luce this past Saturday evening for dinner. I thought that Luce had taken over the old Coco Osteria space along Tryon St so when we arrived and it said Malabar, we were confused. I quickly pulled out my phone to check the address. The addresses matched. Knowing that there is a courtyard right there, we decided to explore a bit further back. That's when we noticed Luce tucked way back in the left corner right next to the Hearst Tower. It's certainly not the most visible location for a restaurant. We booked a reservation on OpenTable.com and when we looked inside the windows and saw the crystal chandeliers and other decor, we had our doubts. We thought maybe it was skewed to a much older crowd than us and we didn't want a "stuffy" experience, only a great meal. After debating, we finally decided to go ahead with the reservation. I'm so glad we did. Our table wasn't quite ready yet when we checked in, but we were led to the bar area to sit and wait. We were promptly greeted by the bartender at our high-top table and he offered us drinks. I tried a red wine from Sicily I had never heard of before. It was an excellent choice. It wasn't too dry or bitter. It was just right and I really enjoyed the BIG glassful that the bartender poured. We sat and enjoyed our wines until our table was ready. We were seated and promptly greeted by our server, Fabio. Everyone with whom we came into contact was very friendly and seemed authentically Italian, as if English wasn't their first language at all. All of the appetizer options sounded delicious, but we ventured with the imported italian FORMAGGI (cheeses) with marinated olives. We ordered the larger version of the appetizer (they have small and large versions for about half of the items -- appetizers and entrees -- on their menu). We received a cupful of green olives and four triangle slices each of five different cheeses, along with some crisp bread slices. It was definitely more than enough for two to share. The harder cheeses had more flavor than the softer ones. We were also brought fresh slices of bread and a bowl of a whole cannellini beans mixed with olive oil and other flavorful ingredients complimentary for each table. It was so simple, yet so delicious. Next came the entrees. I didn't want anything with red sauce, so I opted for something new: AGNOLOTTI. Agnolotti apparently is "ravioli." In each ravioli was roasted veal and swiss chard, and then covered in a brown "butter, sage, and jus de veau sauce." It was freakin' AMAZING. And that wasn't just the effect of the delicious red wine. My partner tried the Spaghetti Carbonara, which was very rich and creamy, covered in a white sauce. Unfortunately, after all that bread, beans, cheese, and pasta, we did not have room for dessert. The cannolis were very tempting, though. For a final good, lasting impression, our server brought us complimentary shots of deliciously sweet limoncello. Upon leaving, we were thanked and told goodbye by several of the waitstaff, as if we were family. It was a fantastic, authentically Italian experience, and I look forward to returning soon! p.s. When our reservation was confirmed on OpenTable, it said that if you park in the Hearst Tower parking garage, you get two free hours of parking with a validated ticket from Luce during lunchtime hours, or "free" with validated ticket on evenings and weekends. We took this to mean that you could park for more than two hours for free, but when we got our validated ticket, it was marked as "two hours." Unsure with the conflicting information, we left and found free parking elsewhere to walk around Uptown. So...I really don't know what the correct parking situation is there. But at least two hours is free! read more

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Stayed at a hotel across the street so of course had to try this place. Did a pickup order. Unfortunately, I forgot to post all of the pictures I had. But I can't recall anything really good or really bad about the food. So that's usually good sign on my end. The to-go presentation was definitely lacking but tasted good. Understandable because most people would dine in. Price was what is expected of fine Italian. Location, as others have pointed out is tucked into the base of the Hearst. Easy enough to access. read more

Luce - Ossobuco to go - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

The Mare was amazingly flavorful. The broth was so good that I could have drank it (but that would have been embarrassing in such a nice restaurant). Service was very good and we enjoyed the appetizers (charcuterie) and all three desserts. Finished dinner with a Lemon Drop...delicious. The bread basket is also amazing. read more

Luce - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We had a party of 4 at dinner. The appetizers were okay. 2 of the entrees were okay, 2 were terrible. Our food came late and was cold. I think the staff forgot us. I ordered a shrimp pasta special - it was cold, bland, tasteless, and the shrimp were rubbery and overcooked. We had a reservation an hour and a half before a show at the Blumenthal. We only had ten minutes left by the time the entrees came out. I didn't have time to get something else or even complaint. We will never go back. read more

The uptown, sophisticated sister restaurant to Toscana. Old world Frescos adorn the ceiling so don't forget to look up while you are enjoying uptown Charlotte's best Italian fare. Manager Manuel has ensured consistently great food and service are delivered to new comers and regulars alike for years. Try the frito misto app, best Caesar salad around, Buttera pasta, and the fish special of the day. You can enjoy a quick business lunch or leisurely meal alike with servers who always seem to adapt the pace to your needs. read more

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Three words: flavorful, fancy & amazing! I came here for dinner with out of town guests on a week night. We did not have reservations but they were able to accommodate us immediately. Wonderful service during our visit. We ordered the calamari for our appetizer and it had the right amount of crisp. Flavor in every bite. As my entree, I had the ravioli. They were DELICIOUS! My only complaint was that there were about 7-8 ravioli on my plate. I definitely could've eaten a lot more raviolis! My three friends ordered the lasagna. One friend let me try his lasagna and it was beyond my expectations and his! WOW- cant wait to fo back soon! read more

If I were you... I'd get ready for solid food and be prepared to open your wallet. Luce was exactly what I had hoped for. Set up a double date here with a friend for Restaurant Week. I always like to try really fancy places where I normally wouldn't come for just a meal. But I guess it didn't matter because we ended up spending as much as I felt a normal meal here might be. Service was impeccable. Water was promptly filled and plates were promptly removed. When we asked for a specific bottle of wine, the server already knew it might be out of stock so she asked for a back-up to prevent a back and forth interaction. Bread was plentiful for the table of 4 and the warm bean salad was perfect. Not boring, very comforting. Grilled octopus was EXCELLENT. One of the best I've had. Flavorful and tender with little bits of char. The fish of the day was cooked exceptionally well and paired very well with a well-oiled type of rice pilaf. I don't know what type of fish it was - it reminded me between grouper and a more delicate trout. No bones, light on the skin, and soft and flakey. Very tasty with a tomato/olive type of sauce. The panna cotta was everything I wanted and more. Usually I go for a more heavy type of desert like cake or brownie, but I felt like a light panna cotta. It surprised me with a light citrus flavor which felt very refreshing (in my head I think I switched flan and panna cotta so I was expecting more caramel flavors) but nevertheless creamy texture on the tongue. My partner tried a salad, veal parmesan, and the tiramisu. I thought the salad and tiramisu was ok, but nothing outstanding. The veal parmesan surprised me in terms of size - there were 2 nicely sized cutlets as opposed to me pessimistically thinking there would be only one. They were breaded and fried well. But other than that, I don't think it was exceptional. As I reflect on the meal in totality between my partner's meal and mine, I don't feel like I would return based on a possible ok dinner. However, we had a really lovely time with our dinnermates, the wine was good, we didn't leave hungry, and the food was solid. I think the service was superb. read more

For whatever reason we hadn't tried Luce, our mistake. We enjoy Italian restaurants with non-traditional menus (e.g. Flour Shop, Osteria Luca), but sometimes classic Italian is what we crave. Luce is definitely the best upscale classic Italian food and service we've had in Charlotte. Appetizer, entrees, dessert and wines by the glass all very good. My wife was gaga over her risotto w scallops (like butter). Not sure what their service MO is as we had at least 5 different people come to our table, we never saw the person who initially took our order again, but it worked seamlessly so no complaints. If you're uptown, Luce is an excellent option - we'll be back! read more

Luce is a awesome place to take your family. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The food was stellar. Everything is homemade. I recommend there pasta. Overall it's a great restaurant. read more

My wife and I decided on Luce for the Queen's Feast (Charlotte restaurant week) because it is a great opportunity to try out a new venue. We were very pleased with our overall experience from start to finish. While it is always difficult to create an "old world vibe" with newer construction, the decor and ambiance at Luce was very nice and definitely has a classy Italian feel to it. When we first walked in, we were quickly greeted by the host and given a choice between two open tables. The menu offerings for restaurant week were spot on with something for everyone. My wife had a crab cake appetizer and seafood risotto for her entree and she raved non-stop about both! I had the fried ravioli appetizer and fusilli with a meat ragu sauce for my entree - both were excellent without being too heavy. We both finished off dinner with a square of tiramisu - an Italian staple. Wine by the bottle was a little pricey but excellent quality - my wife loved the Tuscan red blend the waiter helped us pick out. Portions are slightly on the smaller side - typical for upscale dining - but the quality and flavor were amazing and the portions wound up being just right for us to finish without feeling overly full. Service was excellent - the wait staff was attentive without being intrusive. Our wine and water glasses never got too depleted before someone came by and topped us off Our only suggestion for improvement is that the owner needs to play some better music in this establishment - all the other components for great ambiance are there but the music choices were a bit bizarre at times. Even the waiter said the rest of the staff is working on the owner to get him to change We both agreed Luce was the best restaurant experience we have ever had for restaurant week and we like Luce so much we have to go back again soon! read more

Luce - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Best date night spot! The service was amazing and the food was incredible. Highly recommend

Excellent service and food was tasty. Parking was plentiful and well lite spaces. A most go. read more

Okay I complimented the osso bucco before but this time OMG outstanding. Caesar our waiter was fabulous. Can't wait to come back to Charlotte read more

Luce - Osso bucco fabulous - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Best Italian food in Charlotte - Incredible service - GF imported pasta options - Romantic, comfortable, welcoming read more

We were in town for a birthday weekend and looking for an intimate, warm, delicious dinner location. And we found that in Luce. We arrived early for our reservation and paused for a drink at the bar while we waited on the table. We ordered off-menu and the bartender was able to accommodate well. Just a personal preference note - the Old Fashioned that I ordered came pretty heavy on the bitters. Again, it's a personal preference thing so no points deducted for that. Our table was presented and there was a little confusion on who our wait staff might be, it continued throughout the evening, but the FOH manager took us on and service was excellent. The bread brought to the table was accompanied with a ramekin of cannelloni beans that were absolutely fantastic - oil, vinegar, marinated onions and peppers, and a good blend of herbs went well with the various hearty breads provided. The wine selection was a good one, not terribly deep, but the selections available seemed well thought out. We went with a half bottle of the Chianti, unfortunately I didn't remember the name, but it paired quite well with the entrees we selected. We both selected the Caesar salad. It came very lightly dressed - I personally could have used just a touch more, but then I'm an anchovy nut and so my opinion's a bit skewed. For dinner, my wife selected the Linguine and loved it thoroughly. I, being in the mood for a heart-warming, hearty dish selected the Lasagna Emiliana. It was the perfect dish for me, in that time, in that place. It was everything I wanted - deep rich flavors, hot crispy cheese melted on top, and a good quantity of meat in the sauce. We closed with a shared creme brulle that was the perfect ending for the evening. A great all around experience and I would come back for another special occasion. read more

Luce - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Two words. Not Impressed. The service was SLOW. And the kicker, we were the only people in the place before it became busy. Food was subpar.. on a scale of 1-5 it gets a 2.5. Will I dine here again, probably not. read more

Luce - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

An overall poor experience and not a restaurant to recommend or return to. The server was inattentive and unkind, we were not checked on. We ordered the bisque, feathered salad, risotto and pesce ( scallop, salmon, halibut), all were disappointing other than the bisque. Dining at Luce is like eating at a private Cheesecake Factory and having a bad experience while paying double what you'd normally would. read more

Went here today for Valentine's Day and it was the best decision for Italian food. Unfortunately, I was not that hungry so I ordered the beet salad and a side of brussel sprouts. My boyfriend ordered the veal chop and it tasted amazing. It was tender and cooked to perfection. I also thought the Brussels sprouts had a great sear and it wasn't too oily like most brussel sprouts at any other restaurant. The beet salad was light and delicious. I definitely will be back. Oh, I almost forgot the complimentary bread. Instead of the typical olive oil, they serve it with beans that was of course, delectable. In the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger..."I'll be back." read more

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Had a great evening at Luce. Our waiter, possibly the owner or GM did a great job hosting us. We even got a little language lesson to pronounce our orders correctly. Haha The food was also very good. We split a bunch of small appetizers. My Linguine Mare was fantastic read more

Very nice ambience and menu. Good varieties of entrees to choose from. The ambience makes it special to go for special occasions. All the dishes we ordered were good but not anything special. If they can infuse little more flavor in all sauces it might go to next level. read more

4 stars due to poor service. Would give it 3.5 if I could but didn't think 3 was fair. It took over 10 minutes for our waiter to arrive at our table and take our drink orders and then another 10 minutes to bring them to us. It did look like he was serving tables and bar tending which I will say is a lot for one person to do. Food was amazing! Cooked correctly and brought out hot and quickly. We each made some substitutions/adjustments to our dishes which were all made without error. Pasta does seem fresh and made in house which is also a plus! Calamari was crispy, not greasy nor fishy. This restaurant also validated parking which is very convenient especially for uptown where parking is hard to find. I did express my concerns to the owner(?) regarding my concerns about the service and he said he would handle it accordingly and was apologetic which is all a customer can really ask for! I would definitely return back here and give it another chance! read more

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