Luciana’s Ristorante

Found our new go to place! Food, service and atmosphere– sat on the patio– all very good. Everything we ordered-​carpaccio, salad, 2 pasta dishes — contadina and luciana’s and Crème brûlée. What a nice evening; we will definitely be back!

Great food. Great atmosphere. Not loud inside so great for conversations.

Wonderful food, great staff! My husband and I have been here a bunch and we love this place. Prices are to bad. But the food is amazing and the staff is so friendly and nice. Every time we’ve been they are so nice and joke with us. They make our experience that much better!

We split Caesar salad, fresh and not too heavy with sauce, next came clams as app., with the soup base about right and warm. Linguini Luciana was a little aldante fit to my taste. I took a NY steak, a special tonite cooked at a little more than medium which I hoped little less dry. Still I enjoyed it. The best came at the last: attentive but low profile service by Mo, who added so much value to our dining. All came out at $ 101 for two including a tip. Simply a good food at good service. Will return for sure

We had a chance to come here last weekend during my husband’s birthday weekend. This cute little restaurant in Dana Point really had wonderful Italian food and great service.
We started with that delicious bread. Crunchy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside, this was a great start to our meal. We then had the fried calamari. This was great too. While my husband ordered the swordfish with vegetables, my son ordered the kids’ pasta with marinara. My husband said his meal was «awesome», and my son said his pasta was wonderful too. I ordered the chicken parmigiana and thought this was amazing as well. The chicken, baked perfectly with extra sauce and mozzarella, was delicious. I also liked that the portions were quite large here and that they didn’t skimp on ingredients. Everything was fresh and delicious.
Service was wonderful here too. The food came out within a reasonable amount of time, and our drinks refilled often. Our server was really friendly and helpful. My son and I enjoyed the chance of celebrating my husband’s birthday one more time, and our server thoughtfully brought out a yummy scoop of vanilla bean ice cream with a candle. We thought this was so nice!
With delicious food and great service, we thought this was a wonderful end to my husband’s birthday weekend!

Reservations for 3. Waiter was right on our table. Minestrone soup was xlnt. Lasagna bollinaise (sp) was extremely good. Chicken Parmesan was perfection. Will be back for sure. Bread, water and wine always refreshed.

I made a reservation for 24 people for my son’s high school Prom dinner and I worked with Cecilia who was fantastic in planning and organizing our dinner from start to finish. We originally were booked in the semi-​private library room, but because they had a last minute cancellation in their private Wine Room, Cecilia offered us that room for no other reason except to make our dinner experience as best as it could be! The food was amazing — you can tell each dish was handmade from scratch and the banquet menu they offered us had so many choices. Jeff and Jorge took extra good care of the group during dinner. I highly recommend this place for the atmosphere, amazing food and wonderful people that work there!

I wish reservations only is written somewhere. They treated my husband and I like we weren’t good enough. The people before us threw the owners name and were seated right away with no reservations. Horrible customer service.

We chose this restaurant from Unilocal based upon the recommendations we read. This was a 48^th Birthday dinner and we had nine relatives including one six year old. First I have to say the ambiance was very nice. There is a homey cozy feel to the restaurant. And the service was pleasant (not great but adequate).
Unfortunately the food was not good. Coffee was cold. Cesar salad was terrible. We asked for different salad dressings to attempt to make the salad better, and all three they brought were boring. Food was bland all around… from the «classic gnocchi» to the «spaghetti fresco». And a small bowl of pasta for a six year old at $ 11?! We ordered a $ 47 bottle of wine and it was out of stock so bartender/​sommelier? brought over two bottles as alternatives which were priced at $ 55 and $ 70 with no offer of making up the difference. We chose the $ 55 bottle based upon his recommendation and it was just average and nothing like the Duckhorn Decoy we ordered.
We have eaten Italian food all over the world and must say that this ranks in the bottom quartile.
Not sure how people can rate this restaurant so highly. Yes it has excellent ambiance and a nice location, and decent service, but at the end of the day when you are dining out you would expect a GREAT meal to give a restaurant a 4 or a 5 in our opinion.

Our group was pretty big. About 25. We chose the wine room to hold our event. All of the pre planning was very simple. Cecilia was prompt and responsive and handled all of our needs. I selected 4 entrees for our guests to chose from. Everyone loved their meals.
What stood out was the service. We did not wait on a single thing. My dish was the spaghetti with shrimp and asparagus. It was delicious. If I had one complaint, it would be that the crème brûlée could have been creamier. Thank you to the staff!

Overall experience was great! Food was delicious! We will definitely return again if we’re ever in the area. Note: Always make reservation. We made reservations at 7:15 and got there at 7pm and the restaurant was packed already. I had the Linguine Luciana (seafood) and I pretty much licked my plate clean. My husband really liked his Fettuccine Toscana, he said he could’ve eaten 2 plates since the portions were a bit small in his opinion. Bruschetta and Tiramisu is a must. They’re all a must!
Portions — are moderate. I’m petite so portion to me was perfect, I finished my entrée. My husband thought it was on the smaller side even after inhaling the appetizer already.
Food/​Taste — fantastic, I thought it was seasoned well and everything was very tasty.
Price — very reasonable. We thought dinner for two people: 2 glasses of wine total, appetizer, entrée, and dessert/​coffee, we’d look at north of $ 100, but turns out bill was only $ 75.
Location — very relaxing, Dana Point isn’t such a bustling city so it felt less chaotic near the beach.
Ambiance — It was a bit loud since the restaurant was kind of small/​cozy, it looked like a house converted into a restaurant. With so many people packed inside it can get loud so a first date wouldn’t be recommended since you can’t easily have a conversation.

Friendly staff throughout the night. Some of the best Italian food I have had (chefs handmade Ravioli was top notch). We also got the bruschetta and that worked perfectly for portion sizes. We left feeling perfectly full and healthy and satisfied. Money well spent, on a pleasant, romantic evening. We will be back!

We had a group of about 70 people for a wine dinner and we could not have asked for better food or service. We had five course served family style and there was more than enough food for everyone. We started with some of their bread and fried calamari. It was crunchy, hot and tasty. Next came the arugula salad with fresh grated parmesan and juicy tomatoes. Delicious!!!
We then had the mushroom risotto. The risotto was just a tad overcooked, as I prefer mine more al dente, but with the amount of people here, I can see where this might happen. No worry, still flavorful and savory, just like a mushroom risotto should be. Next up was the Polenta Salciccia. Excellent!!! Then came the salmon. Very moist, tender and cooked perfectly. Lastly was a flourless chocolate cake and I managed to get ahold of a cannoli as well. Both were excellent!!!
For this amount of people the restaurant staff did an amazing job. Well done guys!!!

Not fit for large groups at all. We had a group of 70 & they were not equipped for or familiar with how to accommodate us. The food was average at best & many guests were consistently waiting for their drinks (wine & water) to be refilled. No one seemed to care that we were even there let alone whether or not we were happy or comfortable.
I had a bad feeling from the get go & should have listened to my gut. Jorge, the manager, was basically unresponsive after getting our deposit. I had to follow-​up with him 5 or 6 times before getting a response. He is an inadequate restaurant manager & they will lose business because of him.
The waitstaff got the food out as best they could but it was sloooooooooooow! Tables were supposed to be served the same 3 appetizers but some only got 2 & some got duplicates while others missed out. Not very well organized at all. Not to mention that some of the waitstaff looked scrubby, grungy & unshaven (as if they just woke up out back in the alley & threw on an apron). **There was 1 waiter that was better than the rest, he actually cared about us having a good time & enjoying ourselves… I wish I could remember his name… Shawn maybe??**
I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

This place doesn’t want your business. I was planning to have a wedding dinner here and I contacted them using their website, no reply. I went there last Sunday (5 days ago), left all my info, no reply. I called two days ago and got and apology and I was told they will contact me the same day or next day, two days later nothing!!!
I can’t imagine how they will handle an event.

Great atmosphere, food was just ok!
Atmosphere ⁵⁄₅: the restaurant is a former house divided into very unique sections. There is a fireplace by the hostess with couches where you can sit to wait for your table, a communal table, a bar, a living room with some tables, a library and the wine room which is where our birthday party of 21 people were in. I immediately loved the cave feeling and vaulted ceiling. Yet, it was cozy and elegant.
Service ⁵⁄₅: the servers were nice and patient with our party. They didn’t add automatic gratuity which we expected nor did they charge a cake cutting fee for bringing our own cake.
Food ³⁄₅: we shared 2 appetizers:
–Clams: very good and juicy, with a light olive oil garlic sauce. The clams were so big they filled the entire shell. I grabbed bread to dip in their sauce because it was so good
–Sauteed calamari: just ok, instead of the rings, they were a few strips that were rubbery with a light tomato and olive sauce. They were $ 10 ea
I was already stuffed by the time my entrée arrived. I got the Fettucine Buscaiola which was too al dente for me. I usually prefer my pasta a bit softer. It came with scallops, shrimp, chicken (a bit too hard) and some spinach. Not enough sauce for me.
Entrees were reasonably priced at $ 17 – 19 each especially when the pasta is homemade!

Tried to call to see if we could get in for dinner
Got hit with a voicemail system that would make the phone company proud
Never could get through to a person, so we went elsewhere

Love this place. It looks like a rustic Italian home with a brick fireplace, exposed beams and vintage lamps. So warm and comfortable. Some of the tables are really close together and you don’t feel like there is any personal space between you and people next to you but once the room fills up, it gets much better.
The service is top notch, with fresh bread and butter brought out right away and water glasses that are never more than half empty before someone pops up to refill them. Our server checked up on us just enough to make us feel taken care of but not enough to be obtrusive.
The veal ravioli was fantastic and my husband said his steak gorgonzola was cooked perfectly and was delicious. We also got a free vanilla bean ice cream desert for our anniversary celebration, which was a nice surprise. Great Italian food, great service and lovely ambiance. one of our favorite places!

Holy cow– loved this place!
We rented a room for a large (25 person) business dinner. The downside was that the room (which was a sort of wine cellar) was EXTREMELY loud– but I think that was as much due to the loud people as it was the acoustics in the room.
The building is charming: it feels like an old house-​turned-​restaurant, and has a very relaxed and welcome vibe, while still being upscale. The service was wonderful and relatively timely (given the size of the party), and the food was FANTASTIC.
The fresh, obviously homemade pasta was incredible, and the chesses and sauces were delicious. I also had the crème brulee for dessert, which was good, but not the best I’ve ever had. However, the entrees were so delicious it made up for it! If I’m in the area again, I’ll be back!

Food was tasty, service was good/​speedy (note that reservations are only taken online), dim lighting with a quaint home like ambiance (there is a fire place at the entrance too). Be prepared for loudness as voices echo in the dining hall. (Pretty sure the waiter was reading our lips as we ordered.)
Complimentary — Slices of fresh, cold artisan bread with unsalted butter. You can ask for the bread to be toasted/​grilled for a warm delicious crunch!
Salad:
Insalata di Arugala: I preferred the Arugula salad to the Della Casa. The Lemon & Truffle Vinaigrette is delicious (very light and refreshing)
Entrée (s): I split/​tried the Pollo alla Parmigiana and Grilled Salmon daily special. I preferred the Grilled Salmon dish over the Chicken Parmesan entrée
Pollo alla Parmigiana: I had to try the Chicken Parmesan after reading the Unilocal reviews on how amazing it is.
Delicious but not the best Chicken Parm. I have eaten (and I have eaten a lot of Chicken Parm.). I had to ask for a steak knife as the chicken was a bit chewy/​stretchy.
It was thinly pounded with just the right amount of crunchy breading. Dangerously cheesy however and drenched in a fresh/​authentic tasting marinara sauce with a side of spaghetti that was hand crafted to a perfect consistency. The entrée also came with lightly seasoned veggies (broccoli, squash, green beans and carrots). Not bad.
Grilled Salmon Special: Delicious/​melts in your mouth. Perfect pairing of Salmon with lemon, capers, mushrooms and a white wine butter sauce. This dish normally comes with a side of red potatoes but we opted to substitute for angel hair pasta. ($ 3 substitution fee was worth being able to try and enjoy their hand tossed angel hair pasta!)
Dessert:
Complimentary– Vanilla bean ice cream for the birthday boy.
Overall it was a good experience; «A-​OK». I’d go back for the angel hair pasta!:-D