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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To be honest there was nothing you could complain about this restaurant, the staff and the fabulous meal. It was our anniversary dinner and they had a little extra (dessert) for us as well as the great meal. The wine list is very good, our server was on top of our every need and the rest of the staff was very friendly. The place was intimate and quiet even though it is somewhat open. We started with the calamari, an excellent recipe. We then had the Veal Piccata. A substantial serving of veal with a great sauce. The sides of Crispy Potatoes and Sautéed Spinach were excellent pairings. We left very satisfied! read more

Great place to celebrate a special occasion! Came here for NYE with a group and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We shared a couple of apps - calamari and bruschetta, plus there is a cannellini and oil based dip for bread to share as well. I wasn't responsible for selecting wine, but we had a couple bottles of a delicious red and they had a decent selection to choose from. I ordered the gnocchi. Love fresh pasta and gnocchi is one of the pastas I haven't quite mastered at home, so I enjoy having it when it's done well and freshly made in house. The sauce was flavorful without being overbearing, and of course a dash of freshly grated parmesan to top it off. Others at the table had the chicken, tagliatelle, lasagne and salmon. I tried a couple brussel sprouts. A bite with some bacon was perfect. We split the tiramisu which is one of my favorite Italian desserts and loved it. Overall had a great experience at Luce for a nicer dinner. The restaurant itself is on the small side and we did have to wait a bit for our table, but it was understandable given it was a busy holiday evening. We occupied ourselves at the bar with a round of cocktails, beer and prosecco. read more

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

From the moment we walked in the experience was amazing. We were greeted at the door and seated promptly. Our waiter was very attentive. The food and wine was mouth watering. We enjoyed our chicken Parmesan, tomato mozzarella salad, and our seafood pasta. To top to it off we had the most amazing chocolate moose dessert ever! Can't wait to come back and visit again. read more

The calamari is delicious and not chewy. The linguini mare was OUTSTANDING. A variety of clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp, scallops and lobster with a tomato type cause over linguini. Delicious! The mascato was also very good. Sweet and smooth. read more

Luce - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Went to Angelina's at Kimpton and was very disappointed. And went to Luce and amazing food. You will not be disappointed at Luce.

Luce was good, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations, mostly due to the food. The overall ambiance was quite lovely - very quiet and romantic. The service was pretty good as well, with seamless hosting, waiting, and serving. I really wanted the food to be amazing, but it was just fine. I ordered the squid ink linguine with shrimp, and it didn't taste drastically different from what I could make myself at home. Goose felt similarly with his pasta dish. I did really enjoy the bread, and the food was good - just not as wonderful as I was hoping for! read more

We had the most amazing evening and absolutely love this wonderful restaurant. We loved the decor; the people who worked there were so friendly and attentive; and the food was absolutely phenomenal. Highly recommend and will definitely be coming back many more times! read more

Best Italian food I had since Italy. We had a party of 8 and only had to wait ten minutes with our reservation. Food: brushetta was really good. Ordered the carbonara and it was so good. Their pasta is house made and super fresh. You can taste it in their dish. Husband got the Mar pasta. Not a seafood fan but the sauce was really good. Someone ordered this amazing shot but I don't even know what it was. It taste like a cookie. Table ordered a red wine which paired well with the dishes. If you're looking for authentic Italian food, this is the place to go. Wish there was one in Orlando. read more

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

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Ok, so I was in a pasta type of mood and decided to try Luce to see if all the hype was legit..........and I'll just say that Luce has been added to my Italiano list:-) I had the express lunch which includes bread, soup or salad, an entree and a drink for $13 guaranteed in 30 minutes or less. The soup of the day was lobster bisque, which was super yummy with the bread and my entree was the buttera(tubular pasta, italian sausage, sweet peas and tomato-cream sauce).....double yummy! Hand clap for Luce, I may just have to check out their sister restaurants too! read more

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

I found an opportune moment to try this place when Charlotte's Restaurant Week rolled around again last summer. I have, and always will be a fan of fine Italian cuisine, so one could argue that I was biased from the moment I stepped in here. Nevertheless, it would seem that this small restaurant tucked away by the Bank of America building, certainly lives up to expectations. The diner is spoiled for choice by the authentic menu items, though the choices are not overwhelming. Dishes are described in only three or four words which allude to traditional Italian ingredients and preparation. Then again "potato gnocchi, tomato porcini mushroom sauce and parmigiano" already sounds delicious. Though we waited awhile to be seated, we were handsomely rewarded with free champagne, which kicked things off nicely. The grilled octopus or "polipo" was outstanding. Lightly chewy and savory with a nice grilled flavor. The scallops must have been sourced from another planet because they were each the size of small dinner plates. Perfectly browned coat with soft white flesh in the center. Veal Milanese was also quite good, though possibly a little tough. Awesome arugula + parmesan + balsamic garnish. For dessert we had the Semi-Freddo with almond nougat caramel sauce. Great finish. I would definitely come back here again. My mind wasn't blown, but the food was pretty good and the restaurant's atmosphere felt a little more traditional than those of its contemporary Italian counterparts in the US. In uptown, this will be the closest you get to real gourmet Italian food that resembles anything like its motherland so let's make the most of it!! 4/5 read more

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Good food? Check. Good service? Check. Good atmosphere? Check. I loved Luce! I stopped by for dinner last night and was thoroughly impressed with everything. I was greeted immediately upon entering the restaurant and was seated right away. I dined alone but certainly did not feel that I was alone. The staff came by to check on me every once in a while to make sure that I was happy and enjoying my meal. They did not ignore me or give less than ideal service because I was by myself either. My server, was knowledgeable about the menu and gave great suggestions and told me about the specials. It was really hard to make a decision because everything on the menu sounded so delicious that I wanted a little of everything. I opted for only the spinach pappadelle pasta with oxtail ragu. I was not disappointed one bit. This was the first time I had pappadelle pasta and enjoyed it immensely. The restaurant makes their pasta in house and you can definitely tell. It was cooked perfectly and the oxtail ragu was nice and tender and they do not skimp on the dish. I ordered the smaller plate because I wanted to save room for dessert. I'm glad I did because I was getting quite full by the time I got to my third to last bite of the main entree. For dessert I chose the creme brulee infused with rosemary. The combination sounded really odd but I decided to go for it. I love trying new things. The manager stated that if I did not enjoy it that they would switch it out for me. I had no regrets whatsoever. I loved how the creme was soft and smooth and there was a touch of rosemary lightly caressing your tongue. My server said that they only put the rosemary in for a few seconds to infuse the creme and take it out. (I'm going to steal this idea the next time I make creme brulee.) The creme was not to sweet because it was balanced with the crunchy torched sugar on top. The strawberries, raspberry and blueberry topped off a perfect dessert. I ordered coffee to go with my dessert to cleanse my palate. This is a home run for Luce in my book. I plan to visit every time I am here in Charlotte for a business trip. read more

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Luce is a really nice restaurant where you can get an excellent meal for lunch or dinner. Since they started their quick lunch promotion, I have gone a bit more regularly than usual. And, it's such a great price! Luce is definitely an upscale restaurant with service to match. They have a lot of great pastas on their menu, and I especially love their gnocchi and salmon risotto. Every meal starts with fresh bread and a bowl of cannelini beans in olive oil. Yum! A sister to the nearby Coco Osteria, Luce has a larger dining room and is more elegant. Their prices are a bit higher than Coco's, but they offer a great value for the food quality and service. Highly recommended! read more

I can't think of anything due to my food coma but it was all five stars! The blackberry sorbet was a perfect finish.

Impeccable service, impeccable food, we had a spectacular dinner and visit here! We were greeted with professionalism the moment we entered the restaurant, no detail was missed, such a glorious evening for our celebration. read more

Great service, I made reservations for a special occasion, and everything was spectacular! Every dish was so flavorful, and I will definitely will be back! read more

Luce - The Mare in the background, and linguine with shrimp, spinach, and cream sauce! - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

This is a very expensive dinner, which for me means it is a special occasion only place. The food was delicious, and the service friendly and professional. The only complaint I have regarding service is that they gave us so much time between each visit to the table, the dinner lasted a full 3 hours. We were hungry and would loved to have gotten our meals sooner! But I also appreciate that we were given privacy to enjoy each course. The portions are adequate but on the small side compared to other restaurants, which is typical for a high end restaurant. The food itself was delicious. We tried the CAPRESE SALAD, which contained two slices of tomato and two slices of mozzarella with a bit of basil and balsamic. The tomatoes were of excellent quality. I was happy that there was bread on the table to bulk up the appetizer a bit. We also ordered the PROSCIUTTO and ASPARAGUS, which contained high quality ingredients and was well seasoned. One of the evening specials was a BRANZINO with SEA BASS. My coworker enjoyed this dish, but it looked a little messy as the fish was thin and flaking all over the plate. Another coworker ordered the GNOCCHI and said it was excellent. I had the RAVIOLI, which consisted of fresh house made pasta filled with mozzarella and ricotta in a delicate tomato sauce. It was just enough to satisfy my hunger, but this would not be enough for a hungry or heavy eater. The fresh pasta was unexpected but wonderful. We asked for wine suggestions, and ended up with a full bodied red from BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO that was still light and had no sharpness. I'm not a fan of red wine, but even I enjoyed this one. We had 3 entrees, 2 appetizers and a bottle of wine for $235 + tip. read more

Luce - Ravioli, with house made fresh pasta - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Totally amazing with a wonderful place to celebrate a birthday, relaxing environment with great service. Very high standard with home made tiramisu, veil dinner is out of this world. read more

For the prices here - the service is very sub par. It's possible that service was poor due to the Queen's feast week - however we not only ordered off the more expensive main menu, we also had reservations for 7 people & they should have known what to expect. Most of the food was delicious. I'll give them that! Although, our teenager didn't care for their chicken parm & none of us cared for their soup. The Bronzino was out of this world delicious, and their Tiramisu & Cheesecake were phenomenal. However we went 20 minutes at a time without ever seeing the waitress - drinks remained empty, and the food timing was incredibly off - for such a pricy restaurant, I expected much better. One of us was completely finished his desert at least 5 minutes before the other deserts even made it to the table. Anyways - good food. Not worth the price & the service was disgraceful considering how expensive our bill was. read more

This was the only spot I had an opportunity to try during this years Queens Feast here in Charlotte. Thankfully it was fantastic. I started out with the beef carpaccio appetizer and from there did the petite filet topped with a portabella mushroom. The filet was so well cooked it seriously ranks in the top 5 that I've ever had. Finished it all off with tiramisu that was fantastic as well. The service was great, all be it a little hard to understand through the thick italian accents but very nice and polite all the same. The decor is cozy and I would suggest eating at the bar as it's really nice in there and small enough to remain and feel intimate. Parking is vailidated through the restuarant if you park at Hearst Tower. read more

We went here for my birthday. My boyfriend surprised me and we had reservations. When we walked in and told him our reservations, the host told me happy birthday. Once we sat down, he immediately gave us each a glass of champagne to celebrate. I thought was really nice of them! We ordered the calamari appetizer and it was good. Light and fluffy. I got the lasagna and it was melt in your mouth good. My boyfriend got the seafood pasta and it was also good. It was so pretty, it was almost too good to eat. After dinner, they brought out a dessert for me with a candle on it. We didn't even ask for it. I thought it was so nice of them that they did those little gestures. Made my birthday extra special. I highly recommend this place! read more

We came here for restaurant week. Their 3 course meal menu had a wide variety for the occasion. Upon walking in, it wasn't what I thought it would be. It was smaller than what I imagined, but that was expected after looking at where it was located. Under the Hearst Tower. Now, I imagine this place to be a local place to go to for office workers after a day at work and want to go to drink at a bar. For me, I think the only reason why I'm here is because its during restaurant week (and I thought the menu looked tasty, and I felt like eating italian.) On another note, the seats weren't extremely comfortable, but it was doable. For appetizer, I ordered the fried calamari. It also had fried vegetables, except it was in a string form. My mother ordered the grilled octopus with capers sprinkled on top which I thought it was well cooked and tasty. My brother ordered a salad as an appetizer as well. For the entree, I ordered the stuffed pork chop. I felt that even though there was sauce, it still tasted a little dry in my mouth. So to counteract I had to vigorously add sauce to my pork chop. Half way in was when I noticed stuffing because I tasted mushrooms and I was wondering where the hell is this from?! I thought it was a nice surprise. My mother ordered the fish of the day which I thought was tasty. What made it was the lemon taste with the fish because of the olives as well as lemons themselves. My father ordered off the restaurant week menu and got the Red Snapper. I thought it was very tasty. My brother thought it was very tender, mixed with the tomatoes it went well at the same time it kept with the Italian flavor. I and also my family enjoyed the hint of garlic on the fish. My brother ordered the "Osso Bucco" which is veal. I thought it was delicious. The flavors of the veal as well as the sauce mixed really well. However, the risotto that came with it was mixed with cheese and we agreed that it wasn't cooked all the way through. Lastly for dessert, I had the tiramisu and my mother had the vanilla custard. I felt as mine was tasty, but if I had to choose the dessert I think I would have gone with the custard. Overall, Luce did a wonderful job and it's a wonderful placed to eat for those special occasions. The interior is a little small, but that could mean the experience could feel a little more intimate. read more

Food is amazing! 100% authentic Italian Service and ambience was 10/10. They also validate parking which was great read more

If authentic Italian is what you're looking for in Charlotte, Luce is the place to go! The decor is a bit cold, but it's warmed up with Murano style light fixtures that are beautiful. The service is superb - everyone from the hostess to the server to the manager want to make sure you have a great experience. The food was excellent and quite authentic. The octopus appetizer is very tasty as well as the carpaccio. I had the tagliolini and it was served HOT and had an abundance of succulent shrimp. I wanted to try their delicious sounding desserts, but was way too full. I'm excited to go back and try some other dishes. read more

Luce - Delicious polipo! - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Excellent restaurant. Beautiful atmosphere, professional service, delicious food. We shared the octopus appetizer. I had the amazing veal chop. My friends both loved their entrees-pasta with seafood and scallop risotto. We celebrated a birthday and they brought out a lovely creme brûlée for dessert. read more

Luce - Veal chop stuffed with spinach on a bed of potatoes - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We had a wonderful dinner at this little gem of a restaurant. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. We never felt rushed. Definitely worth a visit! read more

Luce is a cozy little Italian place next door to the Hearst Tower, which makes it a popular lunch option for people who work nearby. Today was my first lunch there with coworkers and I really didn't know what to expect going in. The service was very warm and authentically Italian, and the atmosphere was nice. The bread you're started off with is fresh and comes quickly. The entrees are really my only gripe with the establishment -- talk about charging high prices for food not quite up to par. I had the veal piccata, in which the veal was a tad over cooked, the entire dish drowning in olive oil and portion size that left something to be desired. We had a nice time but I would look elsewhere for a working lunch. read more

Quaint restaurant with the feels of Italy right in the heart of CHARLOTTE. Great and friendly staff and expert chefs that deliver the quality service of find dining. Escape to this little treasure...you will not be disappointed! read more

Luce - Seafood heaven!!! - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Incredibly tasting food. Went after work with team members and had a great time. Everyone enjoyed their meals and the service was awesome- employees were extremely pleasant and attentive. read more

I dined at Luce with friend on a Friday night. The restaurant is quaint and charming. Our server was lovely -friendly, attentive, and helpful. We started with the burrata appetizer and the asparagus appetizer and both were lovely. Next we had salads and bread - my Caesar salad was perfect!!! Then onto the entrees .... my fiancé had the Mare and thought it was great. I had the Tagliatelle and it was incredibly bland and lacked ANY flavor. Everyone else loved their entrees, so I think I just made a poor choice. For dessert we had the ricotta cheesecake and the chocolate torte. Both were divine. Overall, the food was great (with the exception of my entree which was not good at all). I would like to come back and try another entree. read more

Not good. The free bread honestly is the best tasting thing. Not a fan of their cocktail either. I got the pomegranate one which came with something that's either foam or pulp and it was off putting read more

This is the best Italian restaurant I have been in the entire USA. The owner, manager, staff are all Italians, so the dishes and the service makes you feel you are in Italy. It is a trip to Italy without leaving Charlotte! The big proof of authenticity is that is the lasagna: it has no ricotta cheese, the food is not overloaded with garlic. That's real Italian, not fake Italian places that you find everywhere. The espresso coffee is as good as you would get in Italy. read more

Absolutely amazing homemade gnocchi!!! So excited to return. The ambiance is phenomenal and the service is top notch! read more

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We walked in for lunch midweek without reservations. They seated us immediately. The menu was limited with clearly marked specials. This was important as one in the party had severe food allergies--not the normal ones, either. We could actually see all of the ingredients in each of the pastas available for order. We had some kind of appetizer with cooked tomatoes and toast. Not my favorite. I don't like toast and I don't like cooked tomatoes. So this may well be more of a reflection of me than of the dish. But it just didn't taste fresh to me. On the other hand, all of the entrees tasted fresh. This is important in a pasta dish. Once you've had good fresh pasta, you never go back to non-fresh (except when you're lazy and making it yourself). Bad fresh pasta is better than dried pasta. Sadly. I had this amazing ravioli. But there were only seven pillows. And not enough shredded basil. It was delicious. But I had to partition out the basil so that each half-pillow had two squiggles and I wouldn't run out before I was done. I prefer not to have to worry/think about that aspect of eating. Another in the party had the lasagna on special. It was a pretty serious tower. You could see the layers from the side, nicely delineated. One person had the salad. It had salami on it. They enjoyed it, but I definitely would not have. Again, I think this is a question of taste. So really consider that when thinking about whether or not to come here for lunch versus for dinner. Aside from the menu variety--where I do still have to say I liked my ravioli and there was at least one other option I would have enjoyed as well--my only other complaint was the speed. Given that it was a lunch and we were all in suits, I think having a little more rapidity of taking the order, refilling drinks, bringing the check would have been nice. But I can't tell if they just weren't anticipating or if this is how they show respect by trying not to rush us. Would I do it again? Yes, but for dinner and not lunch. read more

The food and service was excellent; very accommodating. We chose to sit outside but it started to rain lightly and the manager insisted on moving us inside. All of the staff went above and beyond. (The Osso buco and chocolate mouse were simply divine!) Thank you, Manuel and the rest of Luce's staff. A Charlotte gem! read more

My twin sister and I came here for our Birthday. Very good service and good food! The host and server were such a delight. read more

Luce - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We had an incredible evening, better than any other dining experience I've had in Charlotte. The decor and ambience makes you feel like you are in Italy to begin with. The staff was frantastic in every way the whole night. They were knowkledable and professional without being intrusive or obsequious. Then the owner drops by to visit and you start to understand why the place is the best Italian in Charlotte by miles. We stayed late to chat with somce espresso and sambucca and felt like old friends by the time we left. Then of course the food was incredible. The best rack of lamb I've ever had and osso bucco in the top 2. The best ever was in Italy and this one was so close. The meat was so tender but not overcooked or stringy, it still had a nice bite to it. Th wine list was impessive and pretty diverse without being over the top with overpriced options. The Amarone was wonderful and a good price at $80. The location is prime in downtown Charlotte right in the heart of things. We ate at Aria the night before and while it was good it seemed like a cafeteria compared to Luce. This is our place now for all special occasions for us. read more

***Long history short, great! Just go!!! :) Restaurant Week-Queen's Feast is finally here! It was so hard choosing a place to go because the list of options is great and the menus are tempting but since I LOVE Italian food my husband and I decided to go with Luce. It has been almost forever since I've been looking for some authentic risotto and when I saw risotto on their Restaurant Week menu I knew this was the place I was going for! We had reservations at 6:30, we got there 10 minutes later since the traffic was insane uptown. When we got there the host cAme straight to us, asked if we had a reservation and took us to our table. They brought us water and a rose champagne (no cost) which I thought was wonderful and a basket with delicious different kinds of bread and a vinaigrette. The waiter gave us some time to look at their menu, they definitely have some interesting options but we decided to go with the Queen's Feast menu since that was the main reason we were there. I had fried ravioli stuffed with beef and a balsamic reduction dressing that was delicious. My husband had arugula salad with oranges and crab cakes that was also delicious. Of course that I had to go with their risotto, lobster, calamari, shrimp, clams and mussels. That was the best and most authentic risotto that I've ever had in this country! I confess that I wasn't expecting much about the risotto but it was love at first bite. My husband had pasta with beef ragu, meat balls, veal and short ribs. Oh my, oh my! Soooo good! For dessert I decided to go with the Pana Cotta, even though I am not a big fan of that kind of dessert but decided to give it a try and again, the dessert was awesome as everything in that place. My husband ordered a gelato but forgot to ask the flavor when they brought it to him he realized it was coconut and he does not like coconut so I offered to switch with him since the gelato was good too. All that being said I can't wait to go back to try more of their delicious, authentic, Italian food! The service there is great! They are a little bit pricey but for the food, the service, the atmosphere and the whole experience they are more than worth it! read more

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The food selection was pretty basic, but the location is nice. My evening was nice until the waiter decided to loud about what he thought he was supposed to be tipped. You're mostly paying for location. I spoke to the manager once and was told he was going to call me twice. I doubt Ill ever go back to this place. If you want basic food and waiter that embarrasses you in a room with two other large groups, have at it. After living in NYC and ATL, restaurants make their customers' expectations know in the bill. If you don't leave anything to chance, you won't have any misunderstandings. For the record I went back and gave more money! Not a fan of embarrassing customers. We all work hard for our money! read more