Lucca

went to this restaurant a year ago and thought the menu overpriced and the portions skimpy. after reading the other reviews, maybe we caught them on a bad night. i still maintain out of the restaurants we have tried, i have eaten better and cheaper than here.

If your look for a quick bite and a drink....this is def. the place to go in the north end. The bar menu is priced with a lot of items all under 9 dollars....

I go there and split 2 items with my girlfriend and get drinks and its always under 35

My wife and another couple thought it would be fun to try out different north end restaurants. So for three weeks in a row we went in on Saturday nights. I love the atmosphere in the North End however when its cold out you dont want to wait outside. One night we were told twenty minute wait at dolce vita. so we went to Lucca because they have a bar. The place is beautiful the downstairs room with the wine area is really cool with old granite walls and wine rooms.
We ate at Dolce Vita but booked Lucca for the following week. IWe have now eaten at five different places Lucca is all of our favorites. My wife was dissapointed they didn't have a basic red sauce pasta dish but really enjoyed the baked pasta with sausage. I had the pork shank, amazing the other couple had the fish special and wild boar, everything was outstanding. the service is many steps above the norm you can tell they have actually been trained to do their job. The waiter we had the previous week couldn't care less no enthusiasm. The people at the front door were really friendly and seemed to genuinely care if you enjoyed your meal.

I am a chef at a south shore restaurant. I keep going to Lucca because when I open my own place this is what I want it to be like.
Great food not stuffy
great service not stuffy
great atmosphere not stuffy.
The last reviewer summed it up you get what you pay for
Hats of to the people at Lucca

I have eaten at the majority of restaurants in the North End. Most of these places are little tiny restaurants that serve mediocre food to the tourists with bad attitude. I think that if Lucca wasn't in the North End it would be counted as one of the best restaurants in the city. do not window shop go to Lucca you may pay more but read between the lines people^*%$# half of the stuff at the other places are fresh out of the freezer.

Always great, always busy, hands down the best experience to be had in the North End

Don't pay your bill with cash unless you tell your waiter to count it in front of you! We were a party of 8 and paid with cash. 3 different people counted the money. When walking out, the waiter came back and told us were shorted him $100. There is NO WAY that happened. Beware if paying in cash!

Food, Service, ambiance this place has it all. I have dined here on numerous occasions and was blown away by consistently great meals. The staff is amazing. Their new restaurant Sasso in the back bay is fantastic as well.