Lo Skianto — Restaurant in Lucca

Lo Skianto is just inside one of the main gates to the walled city. My family and I are living nearby for a long term stay. It’s always been our experience that in order to have great local style food you need to stay away from the tourist thoroughfares…. Lo Skianto is THE EXCEPTION TO THAT RULE.

As we walked in for lunch, the first thing I noticed was that the entire dining area was filled with local construction workers and their supervisors … always a good sign. The owner and his staff were warmly interacting with all the workers and we felt as though we had stumbled into a movie.

We speak no Italian however, the menu was in English which helped. We ordered a mix of pizza, hearty salads, and pasta dishes. Everything was perfect! The pizza was the best we’d had in Europe, the pasta was perfectly cooked and savory beyond expectation. The salad was the highlight. Local prosciutto, olives, tomatoes, and fresh bread.

Afterward we had cappuccino which again was just awesome. Piping hot and great flavor.

Bottom line, don’t let the tourist friendly location fool you. This cafe is top notch and in all honesty had better food than the Michelin rated restaurant we ate...

Had lunch outside on a very pleasant day. Across the board this restaurant was good but not fantastic. We had the tortelli Lucchesi (very tasty but a little cold) and the Maiala pizza (very nice pastry but very plain). Menus are accessed by a QR code and you go inside to the counter to order and pay. You are then given a buzzer that goes off when your meal is ready to be collected. There is also a 1,5 euro per person charge added to your bill, which is no big deal but I would rather be told upfront than just finding it later...

They charged €1.50 for a paper placemat and cutlery! First time I’ve experienced this in Italy. Not cool. Especially since you go and order at the counter, and then you have to pick up your own food at the counter, so it’s a total bummer that they’re charging you for the placemat and cutlery. Food was okay but the woman at the counter was unfriendly. Lots of other choices in Lucca, so I wouldn’t...