Ristorante LUCCA & Piano Lounge — Restaurant in Bordentown Township

*PLEASE READ THE UPDATE BELOW * We had high expectations for Luccas and we were prepared to pay $300+ for our dinner (party of 2).It was our 49th wedding anniversary so we were excited to give it a try. We had a 6:00 dinner reservation and arrived 1/2 hr early to have a drink at the piano bar and listen to a little music…. unfortunately the music didn’t start until after 6 so we missed that! I’ll get to the 3 star review. We ordered Caesar salad table side which was good and also a good size not what the bad reviews stated. But….. I ordered a chestnut risotto and was given a seafood risotto for my appetizer. I told our waiter and he said I would love the seafood one and not be disappointed, but no apology for sending out the wrong dish. I was speechless for a few uncomfortable minutes and then when I didn’t seem happy with his response said then….. he would bring it back and he wanted me to be happy. I was so uncomfortable with his initial response and the situation feeling as though he really didn’t want to change the dish that I tried to eat it unhappily. After a few bites I really didn’t want it so I told him to please take it away. He actually asked me if I wanted it wrapped to go…. Still no apology, unbelievable I didn’t want it at all! Next on to my dinner. I ordered the halibut diner with calabrese sauce, I asked our waiter if it was made with a red tomato sauce and he said YES. When my halibut arrived it was in a white sauce? I tried my best not to complain, as I felt uncomfortable already with the appetizer mix up. But a manager approached our table and asked how everything was so I decided to let him know about the risotto. I told him about my experience with getting the wrong appetizer and he was actually wonderful and apologized. He said he would take it off our bill and also gave us complementary desserts for our anniversary. The attention to their customers was wonderful, and the experience could’ve been five-star, the restaurant is beautiful but unfortunately for me it was only 3 stars. Both dishes I ordered were not as expected and our waiters response to an unordered dish and a wrong description of my entree made me feel uncomfortable the rest of our diner.

*UPDATE We ate at Luccas last night for a second time and wow did it impress! We came a little early to have a cocktail at the piano lounge and listen to the music. The room is so beautifully decorated and cozy we decided to have our dinner there. We started off ordering the burrata salad with shrimp and I had the grilled octopus which melted in my mouth. Onto our pasta course which was a beet pasta with shrimp and an asparagus sauce which was to die for. For our entrees my husband ordered the filet mignon which he considers himself a kind of connoisseur on and said it was the best he’s ever had any place hands-down. I had the Dover sole prepaid side table that was cooked and then deboned to perfection. For dessert our waitress suggested the tiramisu and that also did not disappoint That was paired with an Italian dessert wine that we wanted a second glass of, but had to drive home😆. All in all I would like to give Luccas 10 stars if possible but I can only give them five in this review. Thank you Luccas (PINO) and your amazing staff for an exceptional dining experience. This is definitely our new favorite restaurant. Oops didn’t want to forget the amazing piano player his music was wonderful and he also ended our night playing my favorite song”a house is not a home”...

While I recognize why this restaurant is so lauded, and well-regarded, this review is more of a suggestion to other readers than it is a full condemnation of my experience. Hence the three-out-of-five stars instead of one star. If you are planning a romantic dinner for two, or perhaps dinner with another couple, or maybe five or six friends, I'm sure you will enjoy yourself immensely.

That said, if you are planning a dinner involving 10-or-more attendees, go somewhere else. The staff of Ristorante LUCCA has proven itself ill-equipped to handle your orders correctly with a party that large.

I attended a 40th birthday celebration for my sister. We had fifteen adults in our party, along with three young children. I understand this is no small task for a waitstaff. However, I feel it is well within my right to assume a restaurant that carries such a high price tag for their wares has no right to make excuses for failure of service, especially when four waiters were employed for one party. Refilling single-order wine glasses without asking the customer, failure to refill water throughout a meal; these things I suppose are excusable.

My wife is vegan. She was the only vegan sitting at a table of 18. While we were happy to learn they had a dedicated vegan selection, we were less enthusiastic when they served her regular pasta with dairy-based cheese. ONE vegan at the table. I would agree with you if you were to have guessed hers was potentially the easiest appetizer order to remember, seeing as how it was the only one of its kind. Sadly, this was not the case.

When we informed them of their mistake, they retrieved the pasta dish. While she did receive her correct order eventually, it did not arrive until her entree had already been placed in front of her. No apologies were offered.

As it relates to my entree: my brother-in-law and I had decided to split the special: a $200+ 40 ounce steak. We explained to the head waiter that we would be SPLITTING the dish. As an omnivore husband of a vegan wife, I don't often eat red meat. This was to be a special occasion for me... and I was excited!

The steak arrived and I watched intently as the head waiter shaved beautiful strips of medium rare flesh from the bone. My attention interrupted briefly by my wife and aunt, I turned to speak with them. Upon turning back a few minutes later, I saw my brother-in-law enjoying his dinner. Looking down, there was no plate set before me. I then spotted the HEAD WAITER who took our order walking a plate of leftover medium-well pieces to the other side of the table, offering other guests a taste. I raised my hand above my head and said, "seeing as how he and I had intented to SPLIT the steak, if you recall, I guess that's mine." His eyes went wide, his face went white, and he placed the sad excuse for a medium rare steak in front of me. Grey chunks of fatty, well-done meat. He quietly whispered, "sorry," and walked away.

I suppose out of 18 guests someone had to get the short end of the stick, and that just so happened to be me and my wife. In the end, my sister appeared to have had a great time and that's really what matters.

That said, if any dining establishment is hosting a party spending (I assure you) $5,000+ for their meal, one would think said establishment would pay extra attention to ensure all members of said group were pleased with their experience. I most certainly was not, and do not intend to...

"Was it really all that"? Yes, yes it was.

This restaurant was previously a very famous diner and bakery that closed several years ago. It has since been redone as a high end Italian restaurant. The interior was completely redone in a way that demonstrated high quality, but not appearing pretentious.

We were immediately greeted by the hostess upon arriving and was given a rose for my wife. The main dining room included a violinist who played along with songs on a small amplified speaker. The volume was good and not too loud. Our server, Roberto, hailed from Rome and was extremely personable. Roberto took the time to walk us through the menu and recommended wine pairings. He saw that we were there for our anniversary and knew that we wanted to take our time and made sure that at no point did we feel rushed through. However, I don't think that they rush through anyone at this location, which is a good thing.

We began with the octopus appetizer which was both tender and extremely flavorful. Roberto noted that they boil then grill the octopus. This kept it from becoming dry when cooked. They also slice their own prosciutto and serve with some non-pitted olives. The olives were very flavorful and varied in type. This made a nice pairing with the prosciutto.

The second course was spaghetti that was prepared with black pepper inside of a pecorino cheese wheel. This is prepared table side and literally mixed inside of the pecorino cheese wheel. The flavors of the cheese and the pepper were extremely intense, however, not overpowering. This course was immediately followed by a sorbet to cleanse the pallet. A small scoop was sufficient to do the job and prepare us for the second course.

I had the sole, and my wife had the tuna. The soul was prepared in the kitchen and deboned tableside. Roberto took extra care to ensure every bit of the flesh of the fish was maintained in its shape and topped it off with a butter herb sauce that contained olive oil and cherry tomatoes. The portion was significantly more than I expected it to be and the flavors were almost haunting. The tuna was done perfectly rare and the outside flesh had a contrasting yet perfectly paired flavor with the rare flesh. It came with caramelized onions and sauteed spinach that was paired perfectly. Roberto had brought a nice dry white wine to go with the fish.

We finished the meal with desserts that were chocolate and pistachio respectively. The portions were generous enough, yet not overly gratuitous. We were able to come complete the course without feeling bloated or overfilled.

This location also has a lounge with a live band. We popped our heads in right before I left just to see what it was like. The patrons ranged from people sitting at the bar up to people sitting in booths enjoying a full meal. The four-piece band seemed to keep everyone's interest going.

All in all, I would say it was definitely all that. We will be returning again and hoping that Roberto will be there to serve us, as the service was just as important as the quality...