Rusticanella 2 da Luca — Restaurant in Lucca

An Exceptional Dining Experience at Rusticanella 2, Lucca

After three weeks traveling through northern Italy and now venturing south into Tuscany, our dinner at Rusticanella 2 in Lucca stands out as the best meal of our journey.

We began with a simple yet extraordinary pasta with tomato, mozzarella, and basil—a dish so perfectly balanced and flavorful it set the tone for the evening. For the main course, we enjoyed braised pork with peas and roasted pork ribs with olives, both prepared with remarkable depth and tenderness.

Dessert was a silky pistachio panna cotta, the perfect sweet finish to an unforgettable meal. The house Sangiovese red wine complemented every course beautifully.

Service was delightfully prompt and genuinely friendly, adding to the warm, welcoming atmosphere.

Highly recommended—Rusticanella 2 is a true culinary gem in Lucca, offering authentic flavors, heartfelt hospitality, and a dining experience...

We had the most amazing and enjoyable meal last night. The waiter was jovial and professional. The food was flawless and we couldn’t wait to return the next evening. Unfortunately, our service experience was so pathetic that it permanently scarred the truly unique place. The young server was impatient, and when my wife couldn’t decide on a main dish, we sensed he wouldn’t be back for some time, beyond serving us our drink order. When the server finally made it back to the table to take my wife’s order, she was informed the mushroom pasta featured on signage and the menu was not in season and left without taking her order. The drinks we ordered failed to arrive before our food (40 minutes later) and the server never checked on us again. The guests arriving after us were all served before us as well. In all, the quality of the food couldn’t overpower the bitter...

We had a mixed experience. The focaccia that was brought to the table for all guests was one of the best we have tried in Tuscany. I did not really like the filling of the Tortelli Lucchese but that is my personal taste as it is a traditional dish. The tartare had less taste than in other places we have been to but it was okay. The salad was nothing special in our eyes and a little bit too expensive. The Tiramisu was great. The service was very friendly. We have been to very tiny traditional restaurants but we found the place too narrow and it was simply too loud for us. We barely understood each other.

It is a good place if you are really into trying the traditional dishes like Trippa. Most of the dishes are very traditional.

Overall it was one of the highest bills we have had but we preferred other places in terms of food and atmosphere. But the focaccia was...