Baccanale Wine Bar & Bistrot — Restaurant in Lucca

Let me preface this by saying that I feel bad leaving this review because I want to support local businesses—but our dinner here was outrageously bad, and easily the worst meal we have had in Italy. Especially do not come here on a Sunday, because there are three people working the entire restaurant and you will have to wait 2 hours to get your meal. Such a shame because the space itself is very cute and my boyfriend and I were excited for a romantic dinner at the end of our amazing trip to Italy.

First of all, the tables are packed so close to each other you feel like you are a sardine. We started by ordering two spritzes which tasted medicinal. We also ordered two appetizers, the crostini with cheese and figs and the tuna tartare, both of which were mediocre. The crostini in particular were disappointing because they were literally just a slab of cheese and slice of fig and felt like I could have made it when I was in first grade.

The biggest issue was that it took one and a half hours after our appetizer to be served the main course. When our main course arrived, we were flabbergasted that the steak was so raw that it was literally taking a bath in its own blood. The venison ragú pasta we ordered was also stinky, and gave whiffs of wet dog. We had one bite of the steak and realized we couldn’t eat any more. We had been waiting for so long at this point that we had lost our appetite.

The waiter was very apologetic and explained that the service is typically better but on this night they were not expecting so many patrons to arrive at the same time and acknowledged that it was particularly bad. Still, he took only seven euros off our bill, which was extremely overpriced for the standards of Italy.

It’s a pity because we thought we would have a nice romantic dinner, but unless the restaurant hires more staff I would not recommend going. I feel bad as I write this but just wanted to post so other couples and fellow travelers will not make the...

I ordered the "Pappa al pomodoro con stracciatella e sale nero" soup at this restaurant. The menu described it as a traditional Tuscan soup made with fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, and stracciatella cheese. However, the dish served was completely unrelated to the menu description. There were no traces of garlic or basil at all.

Due to this inconsistency, we canceled our orders for fish and wine. I informed the waiter of the problem with the soup and requested the bill. During this time, the restaurant owner only observed from a distance. The waiter said he would check with the chef, but despite going outside several times, he neither brought the bill nor provided any explanation.

When I went inside to settle the bill, I stated that I did not want to pay for the soup that did not match the menu description and only wanted to pay for the drinks we had consumed. However, the restaurant owner refused to accept this, started arguing with me, and raised his voice. After a disrespectful argument, he refused to take payment and sent us away. Interestingly, if they had bothered to bring the bill to the table, I would have planned to pay for everything, including the soup.

As a result, I definitely do not recommend this restaurant. It is a place that does not value customer satisfaction, fails to prepare dishes as described on the menu, and displays...

I ate here again on my last day of 4 weeks in Lucca. I wanted to have a special pranzo so I knew this was the place to go (see earlier review below). Great food, kind people and very peaceful.

I ate here twice in three days. First I had the stinco which was amazing and the recommended white wine from the region was a perfect match. Then on Pasquetta I went back because it was tugging at my heart strings and my tummy. The second time I had the regional soup "Pappa al pomodoro con stracciatella e sale nero" followed by "Tordello Lucchese al Ragu ai sentori di tartufo" accompanied by a suggested red wine which was again perfect. The owner's mother who helps him open was absolutely charming, the owner was also kind. The food was wonderful. Highly recommend this charming place which is in a quite location next to a...