Luce Restaurant & Bar

This visit began with a shared calamari. Calamari was as good as ever but the hair strips of zucchini were a bit oily. Then, I got the beet salad because I love beet salad. Sadly, this was the low point of the meal. I actually added salt from the shaker. Pasta e fagioli tasted reheated but still tasty. Before the veal chops, I ordered their Garganelli, but it never came so I can’t comment. The check did include the $ 22.95 for it, though. The chops were fine, but I was surprised not to be asked for a temperature. They came medium rare which is fine but it’s nice to be asked.

Excellent service and excellent food! Real Italian food– so good, It’s a class act.

Excellent! Went for a team dinner from work and everyone enjoyed their meals. I had the Mare and it was very good. Good wines as well.

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.

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 restaurant 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 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 cook 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.

I went to Luce last week with a friend of mine. Upon entering, the maître d’ asked if we would like our coats checked. I get cold quite easily and respectfully declined, he then went on to tell me that «It’s free» with a «you poor, stupid girl» look in his eye. I was taken aback by this. I’ve dined in some of the finest and upscale restaurants in America and in Europe, it was quite a shock to me when he added that. I was then told to follow a server to my table. That server was on the other side of the room with no plans to come and properly show us to our table. As far as the food in concerned, it’s ok. I really enjoyed the tartare I began my meal with. The lasagna? It looked like Stouffers. They have excellent drinks. I’d love to rate them higher but in the restaurant industry, service is just as important as the food, first impressions last. They way we were greeted was unacceptable.

Really, I have no reasons why it would be less.
If you like seafood and a tiny spice, then try the Mare

Took the in-​laws to Luce before a show at Blumenthal. First thing our server asked was if we were catching a show and what time it was. I was impressed that they asked and ensured we were done in time.
This is one of the more intimate restaurants uptown. Dim lighting, not many tables, everyone speaking on the softer side.
Everything on the menu sounded great, but I decided to go with the lobster risotto special. Delicious and rich — exactly what I wanted it to be. The rest of the table was pleased with their entrée — a couple lasagna dishes and the pollo de parma.
The bruschetta was one of the better ones I’ve had. What you would expect — just executed perfectly.

The service started out a little slow. Once we got our beverages the service picked up. The food was delicious. Their antipasto special was heavenly and the pasta I had was delicious too. We also ordered Bruschetta and it was good but not something I will order again. Yes we will go back!

My husband had a taste for Italian, which is very rare so we searched Unilocal & asked our hotel bartender for a help choosing a spot. We wanted something within walking distance, so Luce it was.
We called ahead for a reservation & were seated promptly when we arrived. Our server was professional and made recommendations when we asked about the wine. They had a long list & we were both very happy with our choosing.
We ordered the large cheese & olive plate as a starter & should have only chose the small. It was more than enough for us & very delicious. They also brought out warm soft bread with white beans in a garlic oil. I loved it, but my husband who hates onions wasn’t a fan. He kept getting that flavor.
Choosing our main course was difficult because it all sounded amazing. I went with the Mare pasta that was loaded with seafood, served over linguine and a red sauce. The seafood was overflowing on my plate. Lobster, shrimp, mussels, & calamari. So good. My dish would have been perfect had the sauce not been so incredibly salty. After I ate most of the seafood it was hard to eat the pasta. It almost burned my tongue it was so salty. My husband chose one of the specials of the evening which was super tender steak over a creamy red pasta sauce. His portion was rather small, but luckily he was pretty full by the time our entrees were served.
We enjoyed our evening, but I’m not sure if I would return if in the area.

I’ve been here 2 times, and both times I was blown away. The halibut was cooked to perfection. Crisp & flaky on the outside and soft on the inside. Seasoned to PERFECTION. The Risotto had the perfect consistency. Not overcooked, and not hard. The Salmon was also charred to perfection. I’m not a seafood fan by any means, but for the first time ordering a fish entrée in my life at a high end restaurant here and being so satisfied, I now order fish frequently at restaurants. Love this place to pieces.

Went here for restaurant week– I had the garganella pasta as my main meal which was delicious. My crudo and cannoli– so-​so. The thing that turned me off from this restaurant was the service. It’s not that they weren’t attentive, but when asked to tell me about the menu, they were almost condescending… «what do you want to know about it.» Most places I’ve been that have restaurant week go over their menu, tell you their favorites or recommendations, etc. Not this place. I won’t be back again, the food wasn’t good enough to entice me.

Luce is one of my favorite uptown Charlotte restaurants. The service and ambiance is old world and sophisticated and yet it has a fresh vibe. Service is always attentive and the food very good. This is a great spot before concerts at Blumenthal, park in the Hearst Tower garage and have a pre-​show dinner here then walk next door for the show.
Any pasta dish or the Branzino are my favorites.

Good Italian food but pricier than I anticipated.
The appetizers were good!
The pasta was very good but the veal was a bit overcooked.
We had a couple of mixups with the order (what type and when to bring out the salads), nothing major but it wasn’t a very complicated order…

Amazing service and food! I had the salmon, cooked perfectly and my husband had the filet, it had great flavor. We were with another couple and she had the shrimp risotto special, which had a great flavor, but the shrimp were really small. We were thinking they would be prawns. The branzino was also great, very light with wonderful flavor.

Ate here twice and was very impressed.
Ordered fish the first time, it was served with an excellent risotto. Also ordered fried calamari, salad, and a tasty tiramisu.
On the second visit, ordered bruschetta and the ‘mare’ pasta. The pasta was excellent, and is a must have at this restaurant. The sauce was well made, a light tomato base with silky texture and the seafood (clams, scallops, mussels, shrimp, ½ lobster) tasted very fresh and blended well with the sauce.
The ricotta cheesecake was a hit as well.
I’ll come back for the mare pasta alone.

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!

If authentic Italian is what you’re looking for in Charlotte, Luce is the place to go!
The décor 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.

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.

Luce it turns out, is owned by the same group as Trattoria Antica. I liked my agnolotti but I didn’t love it, a little on the bland side. My mom however loved her meal at Luce. She had the tagliolini with shrimp and raved about it for a week.
We both really enjoyed the fresh bread with white beans and olive oil, but none of us cared much for the crisp breadsticks. The service was quicker than I anticipated for a nicer restaurant but she was professional and friendly.
The atmosphere was nice, almost hotel-​like. I look forward to returning.

Restaurant italiano elegante y cálido a la vez. El servicio es excelente. La comida es de buena calidad, fresca, con platos tradicionales bien preparados. Yo fui varias veces a cenar y nunca me desilusiono. Lo recomiendo mucho, por la buena comida y el ambiente súper agradable.