Ristorante Peperosa — Restaurant in Lucca

We visited Peperosa Ristorante Bistrot with high expectations, given its Michelin listing and the charming ambiance highlighted on their website. The staff were indeed welcoming and attentive, contributing to a pleasant atmosphere. However, the food was a significant letdown.

I started with the “Bottoni di cervo e funghi di stagione” (venison-stuffed pasta with seasonal mushrooms). The dish had a strange bitterness, and the execution fell flat—the pasta was overly thick and lacked the finesse I anticipated. My partner ordered the “Raviolo ai sapori fiorentini nella Maremma,” and we both found the pasta’s texture unpleasant, breaking awkwardly while chewing.

For my main course, the “Anatra, pak choi, arancia, patata Ratte e Stock 84,” the duck was undercooked and incredibly chewy. The dish lacked a cohesive element to tie it together—no sauce to harmonize the flavors, and the orange fillets felt out of place. My partner’s “Guancia di Manzo, cavolfiore e chips di polenta taragna” was visually unappealing, though he said it was acceptable in taste.

Dessert was a “Dark chocolate lava cake with sour cherry, fior di latte gelato, and coconut flakes.” While pleasant, it wasn’t memorable, especially not at the level one expects from a gastronomic restaurant.

The wine recommendation added to the disappointment and mismatched to my tastes.

In summary, while the service and setting were commendable, the kitchen did not deliver the level of culinary expertise one would expect from a Michelin-recognized establishment. The experience didn’t reflect the harmony of flavors or thoughtful execution that defines true...

Really nice staff, generous and pasion with the wine tasting👍. But the food was NOT as you should aspects if your see the website😭 the food is not home made it is from cans, the tartar is with huge chups of meat, you have too chew through, by no means tender. and the garnish is pulled right from the cans 🤥 the scallops was cooked ok, but again garnish from cans 🥴 main course was Angus raw, but the sauce was a mausterd it dif not combined at all... with the deep fried mashed potatoes 😭 our daughter had the kids menu chicken with potatos sorry to say but "Mac Donald" would have been better, they know how to cook the French fries 🤪 after all they are not raw. They have a really nice place, and a really nice staff, but they REALLY need a New chef. The table next to us had fish platter, it smells of fish. Hope there stomachs is okay. The price was 120 Euro but they made a discount to 100 euro. So we think the sweet male owner will do...

We had dinner at Peperosa last night. The location, service (our waitor) and wine was great, but it was all diminished by what was actually being served to us.

The beef tartar starter was an odd combination of what looked like cooked meat, pear and a ball of ice cream (?). Moving on to the gnocchi dish, the taste was somewhat okay but esthetically and texturally reminded me of something served in the elementary school cafeteria decades ago. Not great.

Unfortunately, I didn't remember to snap a photo of the last dish (beef cheek). Could have been the state of shock I was already experiencing. It was an odd chunk of meat surrounded by what seemed to be frozen vegetable slices.

Food-wise our worst experience in Italy thus far, had no idea Peperosa has been associated with Michelin in the past. Clearly isn't the...