La Lucciola — Restaurant in Kuta

I recently visited this restaurant after hearing a few recommendations, and overall, my experience was a real mix of highs and lows.

Starting with the good: the food was genuinely delicious. Every dish I tried was packed with flavor and obviously made with care. Ingredients tasted fresh, and everything was well-prepared and nicely presented. You can tell the kitchen staff know their craft. There was a good range of choices on the menu, and the portions were decent for the price. If I were judging based purely on taste, this place would have easily scored higher. The food definitely lived up to expectations.

However, the atmosphere was a different story. When I first walked in, there was a strong, unpleasant smell that immediately hit me. It wasn’t just a brief whiff — it lingered throughout the meal, and honestly, it took away from the overall experience. It’s hard to say exactly what it was — maybe something musty or stale — but whatever it was, it left a bad first impression. Dining out is about more than just food; the environment matters too, and this seriously let the place down.

Another major disappointment was how inflexible the restaurant was when it came to modifying menu items. I had a couple of simple requests — nothing complicated, just swapping or removing a few ingredients to better suit my preferences — but the staff wouldn’t accommodate them. Every request was met with a firm “no,” with no real explanation or attempt to be helpful. It didn’t feel like they were busy or overwhelmed; it just felt like a strict rule they weren’t willing to bend on. I understand that some restaurants want to protect the integrity of their dishes, but in this case, the lack of flexibility made the experience less enjoyable. Being able to slightly tweak a meal isn’t an unreasonable request, and good service usually means working with your guests, not against them.

Speaking of service, it was polite but lacked warmth. Staff were efficient enough — food arrived in reasonable time, and orders were correct — but there was very little friendliness or engagement. It felt like they were just going through the motions. A smile, a little bit of conversation, or even checking in to see if we were enjoying our meal would have made a big difference. Dining out should feel welcoming, and here, it felt like the focus was just on getting the job done and moving on.

The decor was fairly basic, nothing offensive but nothing memorable either. Tables were set pretty close together, which made it a little loud when the restaurant filled up. Lighting was comfortable, though, and the temperature was fine. Overall, the space didn’t feel particularly inviting or cozy, and with the lingering smell, it definitely needed a refresh.

As for value, I thought the pricing was fair for what was on offer. Good ingredients, well-executed dishes, and decent portion sizes justified the bill. If the service and environment had been better, I would have felt like I got real value for my money. Right now, it feels like you’re paying mainly for the food and not the full experience.

In short, this restaurant has real potential because the food is genuinely impressive. If they could fix the smell, improve flexibility around the menu, and put a bit more effort into customer service, it could become a great place to eat. But as it stands, the experience doesn’t fully live up to what the kitchen is capable of delivering.

Would I come back? Maybe — but it would probably be for takeaway rather than dining in. If you’re someone who cares mostly about what’s on the plate and can overlook a few environmental issues, you’ll probably enjoy it. But if you’re looking for a full, welcoming dining experience, you might leave feeling a little disappointed, like I did.

Overall, I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars: great food held back by atmosphere and service that just didn’t match the quality coming out of...

The company I work for is hosting a National Meeting next year with around 300 staff members from across Australasia attending. Part of my role is sourcing restaurants for departmental dinners, so while on vacation I decided to revisit this restaurant (which I’d last been to 6 years ago) to see if it might still be a good option. I thought it would be nice to dine here on our final night, 17th September 2025. Big mistake. First, if you have children, I wouldn’t recommend coming here for dinner. There’s no children’s menu in the evening—apparently it’s only available during the day. My kids are now young adults, but one of them has Autism and sometimes struggles with ordering meals. There was nothing on the menu he wanted, so I asked if they could at least make him some hot chips. The answer was flat-out no. Just like last time, this meant a trip to McDonald’s afterwards. This in itself isn’t the end of the world, but it would have been helpful if the restaurant had an up-to-date menu available online so expectations could be managed. The bigger issue was with my own dinner. I was excited to see a seafood stew on the menu featuring Coral Trout—my absolute favorite fish, and something hard to find in Sydney. However, the dish also listed clams, which I can’t stand. When ordering, I asked for no clams, and the waiter agreed, saying they’d simply add extra of something else instead. When the meal arrived, I was stunned to find clams (or at least what looked like them) everywhere in the bowl. When I raised it with the waiter, he insisted they were mussels, not clams. To me they looked like clams, and even if they were mussels, they’re similar enough that I would have appreciated being told upfront. He dismissed me by saying mussels were listed on the menu. I was confused, as I had never noticed this. The lighting wasn’t great, so I thought perhaps I had missed it. Another waiter offered to have the dish remade without them, but I didn’t want to be difficult and took responsibility, saying maybe I just hadn’t read the menu carefully. The stew itself was deeply disappointing: tiny scraps of calamari, chopped-up bits of prawns (not whole prawns), and only a single piece of Coral Trout, barely 3cm in size. The rest was mostly just tomato soup with a piece of burnt bread on the side. Later, my husband insisted he hadn’t seen mussels on the menu either, so I asked for it back. Sure enough, no mussels were listed. I showed the waitress and all I got was, “Oh really?”—no apology, no attempt to make things right. Finally, when we asked for the bill, another waiter admitted it was a mistake and that mussels had been left off the menu. By then, I felt completely gaslit. I suggested the least they could do was remove my meal from the bill, but instead I was met with a dismissive “sorry Madam.” Not even a complimentary drink was offered. I didn’t mention that I was scouting the restaurant as a potential venue for a corporate dinner—but in hindsight, it’s a blessing in disguise. There’s no way I would book this place for my colleagues. The only positives were the cocktails (which were good) and, of course, the location. But don’t be fooled by the setting—come for drinks only, if at all. The other family members’ meals were just “okay,” but we’ve had far better elsewhere. For us, this was a one-and-done. We...

I have been to La Lucciola many times over the years and have always considered it one of my favourite restaurants in Bali. Naturally, when planning my recent trip, I chose it for my birthday dinner without a second thought. Sadly, that was a mistake I will regret for a long time.

I arrived in an outfit I had planned well in advance for my birthday — elegant black pants and a classy oversized vest. To my shock, upon entering I was publicly stopped by a manager who spoke to me like a schoolchild, scolding me for not reading their dress code policy. He declared I couldn’t be allowed in because I had “bare shoulders.” Never mind that the oversized vest covered most of them, and never mind that I pointed out other diners at the restaurant wearing tank tops, shorts, and sneakers — which clearly violated any so-called “dress code.” I was told the policy only applied to men. In 2025, honestly? The sexism and humiliation were staggering.

To make matters worse, the manager actually told me to go to a local market to buy a T-shirt if I wanted to be allowed to celebrate my birthday. I cannot begin to explain how embarrassing this was, with other patrons staring at us. I was flushed red with humiliation, devastated that my special night was being ruined in front of everyone. My friend tried to reason with the staff, but I had no choice but to leave in search of a T-shirt. I ended up spending $40 on something I will never wear again.

As if that wasn’t enough, while I was in the shop trying on the shirt, I received an email from La Lucciola cancelling my reservation. At that point I was crushed — my birthday was effectively over before it even started. My friend rushed back to the restaurant to plead with them to reinstate our table and somehow salvage the night. Eventually, we were seated, but by then the damage was done. The joy, the mood, and the celebration were all completely destroyed.

What was once my favourite restaurant has now left me with one of the most humiliating and upsetting experiences I have ever had while traveling. The rudeness, inconsistency, and blatant double standards of the staff turned what should have been a special birthday memory into a night of embarrassment and disappointment.

I will not return, and I will never recommend La...