Lucca
Most people only spend a few hours in Lucca, usually on a day trip from
Florence, often visiting Lucca and Pisa on the same day. In this case, the
best thing to do is just to wander along the narrow streets, enjoying the
atmosphere of the city. Go to Piazza San Michele, the heart of the town where
you will find street musicians, cafes, and plenty of ATM machines. Then stroll
down the busy via Filungo for some window shopping. The Filungo is where all
the chic stores like Gucci, Max Mara, Massimo Rebecchi and Luisa Spagnola can
be found. Just off the via Filungo you will find Piazza Anfiteatro,
built where the old Roman amphiteater once was, then head towards the walls,
for a quiet walk, admiring the roofs of Lucca on one side, and the hills
that surround the city on the other side.
See the map for detailed locations.
Our favourite places in Lucca
Restaurants inside the Walls of Lucca
Antica Locanda dell’Angelo
Via Pescheria 21
€25-40
Closed Sunday nights and Mondays
Nestled in a quiet courtyard just steps from Piazza San Michele, this family run restaurant with its warm service, creative dishes, and cozy atmosphere will keep you coming back time and again. There is even a raised outdoor terrace in the courtyard covered with little white umbrellas. A real pleasure to take in a leisurely lunch in fine weather. Try the seared tuna rolled in sesame seeds or the tender Sienese Wild Pig “Cinta Senese”. Don't forget to get desert. We had an orange infused chocolate delight that was fantastic. The menu is seasonal so there are always lots of new dishes to choose from.
Finding this restaurant can be a bit tricky. If you are coming from via Roma, the easiest way to go is to walk to San Michele, then make a left at the pharmacy on the corner and then make another immediate left onto via Pescheria. You can also reach the restaurant by way of their courtyard which is located off of via Roma, just opposite the UPIM department store. The entrance to the courtyard is marked by a sign that has a cherub shooting an arrow with the name of the restaurant on top of it. See the restaurant's website for the google map marker of its location: Antica Locanda dell’Angelo.
Ristorante del Teatro
Piazza Napoleone, 25
0583 493740
€13-35
This restaurant is a very pleasant surprise. and I think it is well worth a visit. Beyond the various a la carte options, it also offers a 13 euro set menu for lunch that is a real bargain. The owner, Rosolino, owns restaurants in Viareggio as well. His son, Salvatore now helps to run Del Teatro with the help of the ever gracious Luana. If you are craving some proper seafood inside the walls of Lucca, then this is the restaurant to go to. I've had grilled squid that was excellent. Other favorite dishes are the spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti in clam sauce) and the sliced smoked swordfish on a bed of rocket salad. The grilled mixed seafood, although expensive, was delicious.
Gli Orti di via Elisa
Via Elisa, 17
0583 491241
€15-35
Another solid restaurant, with a great price vs. quality ratio. The stewed goat is tender and aromatic, don't miss it. The menu is seasonal so the dishes always taste quite fresh. They make a real effort to make children happy here. Special children's menus, pizzas and super good desserts. The owners, Samuele and Silvia, a husband and wife team, are very present and involved in every aspect of the restaurant. The service is excellent and the ambiance is great. The restaurant is decorated with an Art Deco theme. Coming here, I often feel quite spoiled.
Bucca di San Antonio
Via della Cervia, 3
0583 558 81
Bucca di San Antonio is probably the most reknowned restaurant in Lucca. I must say I was a little disapointed when we went there though. Perhaps because of all the hype that surrounds it, I expected something very memorable.
The atmosphere is great, the rooms are nicely decorated in rustic Tuscan style, the wait staff is efficient and friendly, our waiter spoke English (and French). The appetizers were very good, I had Lardo di Colonata , which I always like. The grilled meats were excellent too. The leg of lamb, in particular, was perfectly done. The guinea hen wrapped in lard and cooked in vin santo sauce was also very special.
L'Olivo
1 Piazza San Quirico
0583 496264
€40-60
Good food, very traditional, but the prices can get a little out of hand. [more]
Trattorias
Trattorias are family-run, casual restaurants that usually serve home-style cooking. They are usually cheaper than restaurants. Here are our favourites:
Trattoria da Leo
Via Tegrini 1
Tel: 0583 492236
€10-35
An excellent family-style restaurant, a favorite of many Lucchesi. Service is quite chaotic but always very friendly, food is very good. On a lucky day, someone will come out of the kitchen singing an aria or a popular song. It is very noisy, so if you want quiet, go somewhere else. The price is usually quite reasonable if you stick with the specials. Don't miss their tiramisu. Highly recommended. [more]
Mirò
via del Fosso 213
TTel: 320 8134791
€10-35
Open for lunch and dinner, closed on Tuesdays
This is actually not a trattoria but a dinning club, which means you pay a small fee to be a member of the club and eat there. The prices are always well contained and the food is wholesome and well prepared. It is served by a young cheerful wait staff. In the summer there is a large outdoor courtyard with a pergola. Very pleasant experience eating here. The pasta is hand made and fresh each day. I really love their gnocchi, super light. Their tordelli al ragù is excellent as well.
Antiqua Drogheria
via Elisa
€10-25
Pizzas, calzones, and lots of big fresh salads. This is a good place to go when other restaurants have closed down after lunch time as they often do extended lunch hours here. The service can be a bit erratic though, sometimes we've had to wait a while, other times, we get served right away.
La Locanda di Bacco
via San Giorgio, 36
Tel: 0583 493136
€15-30
A good trattoria, in a quiet part of town. The quality of the food, and the prices, are slightly above most trattoria. I liked the risotto, the rice was cooked perfectly, and the grilled meat. Service was on the slow side, but maybe because we went there late.
Locanda Buatino
Via Borgo Giannotti, 508
Tel: 0583 343207
€10-25
An unassuming trattoria ouside of the walls (but still within walking distance). The place is always full at lunchtime. It offers the classic trattoria menu: mixed appetizers, soup, or zuppa di farro. The pasta is cheap and can make a (small) meal by itself, I like the spicy penne a l'arrabiata. The entrées include the classic Trippa alla lucchese. Overall one of our favourite places for a quick lunch outside of the center. The only problem can be the wait. If it is crowded and you are in a hurry, definitely move on to another restaurant.
Pizzeria
Oddly enough there aren't that many pizzerias in Lucca, although you can often get pizzeria in trattorias (Antiqua Drogheria for example has a wood oven and a large selection of pizzas and calzones).
Mara Meo
Piazza San Francesco
under €10
A very popular pizza place. Pizza are good, huge and cheap. A good place if you like really thin crust pizza. Atmosphere is casual (is not getting silverware for your pizza casual enough?). Often full, but the wait should not be too long.
See /mara_meo.it.
Pizzeria Il Doganiere Rousseau
Via Vittorio Emanuele, 28
Tel: 0583 584214
under €15
Nice pizza, but less selection than Mara Meo in terms of toppings. The pizza was no the typical super think crust that you find at most Lucca pizza places. It is smaller and a bit softer, more dough like. I liked it. Stick with the pizza, the other items on offer were not great.
Bella Mbriana
Via Della Cavallerizza
tel: 0583 495565
Under €10
If you like a good Neopolitan pizza, then this is the place to go. The crust is thick and soft and the toppings are properly balanced, not too much cheese, nor too much sauce. This place is a little hard to find. Go to Piazza San Frediano. Stand facing the front of San Frediano Church. There is a road the passes just in front of it. that is via della Cavallerizza. Turn right and walk down the street about 15 meters, the pizzeria is on your right.
Bars
Antico Caffè Di Simo
Via Fillungo, 58
0583 496 234
Located on via Filungo, Caffè di Simo is one of the most famous bars in Lucca. Puccini used to hang out here. Decorated in an Art Deco style with two long dark wood bars, a huge variety of sweets, confections and pastries, a great gelato section in the summer and really good cappucino, this bar is quite the local gathering spot. They also do an excellent lunch buffet that is a real value at €10 per person. They have outdoor seating on the back side of the restaurant for when the weather is fine. They also have special piano bar nights where you can come and sit with a nice prosecco and some nibbles and soak up the atmosphere.
Bar Dell'Opera
Via Santa Croce (just past P. Santa Maria Forisportam heading towards the canal)
This is a new bar opened by two friends from Massa. They make a wicked Mojito, serve brilliant snacks to accompany you at happy hour and are very friendly. They also have a couple of unusual beers for anyone tired of the same old Moretti.
Caffeteria San Colombano
Baluaudo San Colombano (on top of the walls on the side that overlooks the train station)
Tel: 0583 464641
Closed Mondays
One of the few bars that stay open past midnight here in Lucca. On Saturday nights they are open until 2am! Great happy hour that many locals attend with tons of snacks to choose from. I went here for lunch twice and the service was both times slow and my food not great, so I would stick to using this place as a good bar to go to when things slow down in Lucca.
Outdoors
A lot of bars in Lucca have tables outside, in Via Filungo, or on Piazza San Michele and they are all very pleasant when it's sunny.
When we want to eat out and we feel that our son has too much energy to stay inside a restaurant, we head towards our 2 favourite spots though:
Da Gherardo
This bar / restaurant on Piazza Amphiteatro is quite good. Contrary to most bars, who serve pre-prepared food, they have a kitchen and a cook. They pizzas are very decent, and the farro salad is one of our favourite. And of course the piazza provides plenty of space to run around, as well as pigeons to chase, for those of us who can't stay sit for long.
There are lots of other bars around the Piazza, but we like Da Gherardo so we have actually never tried the others.
Piazza Napoleone
Piazza Napoleone, also know in Lucca as Piazza Grande (the Big Square), is home to the Ristorante del Teatro, but also a reasonably priced bar next door, Paccini, that serves honest meals for lunch along with a nice selection of sandwiches.
Finally
Piccolo Mondo
Piccolo Mondo is located on via San Paolino, very close to Piazza San Michele, somewhat hidden behind a news stand. It is a small restaurant, with a terrace and a room upstairs, that's fairly cheap and rather good. We mostly go there to get take out though. Try their pizzas which are super thin, or try their roast beef or roasted chicken, add some piselli(green peas) or deep fried zucchini, don't forget some fresh pasta fritta (salted fried dough), and head towards the walls for a perfect picnic!