Lucia Ristorante — Restaurant in Boston

I’ll be honest, I was really excited to try Lucia Bistro. It’s got a great reputation online, some pretty pictures on their website, and being in Salem it felt like the kind of place we could enjoy a nice dinner without going all the way into Boston. Unfortunately, our visit ended up being a bit of a letdown.

The Good Stuff: Let me start with what did go right. We were seated pretty much right on time for our reservation, which is always a nice first impression. The bread basket was actually pretty good — fresh, soft slices with a nice olive oil dip that had some flavor to it. And one of the dishes we ordered, the pesto pasta, was decent. The pesto itself had some brightness to it and tasted homemade, which was a relief.

So there were a few positives — just not enough to save the night.

The Not-So-Good: First off — the lighting. Wow. It was so dim in there that reading the menu was basically impossible unless you had your phone flashlight handy. And once the food came out? You couldn’t even see what you were eating. Like, I get ambiance is important, but there’s a difference between romantic lighting and feeling like you’re dining in a cave.

The layout didn’t help either. The tables were packed in super tight. So tight, in fact, that every time someone walked by, they’d bump your chair or lean over your table. Eating comfortably felt like a challenge. Also, the restaurant itself is much smaller than the photos online led us to believe. Maybe it’s just how they shot the pictures, but in person it felt cozy to the point of claustrophobia.

Now, onto the food — and this is where things really fell apart. Both the chicken and pasta dishes (outside of the pesto one) were shockingly bland. One dish was just pasta tossed in oil — no sauce, no seasoning, nothing. The only flavor came from a few sun-dried tomatoes scattered in. The chicken was dry and under-seasoned, like it hadn’t even been touched with salt or pepper. I mean, basic seasoning goes such a long way and it just wasn’t there.

And honestly, the service didn’t make up for any of it. Our server didn’t introduce themselves, didn’t walk us through the menu or specials, and barely checked in after the food was served. It felt like we were an afterthought rather than guests they wanted to impress.

One last thing — everything came out super fast . Like, we had barely sat down and our food was already arriving. That usually doesn’t happen when things are made fresh to order. It definitely gave off “prepped ahead” vibes, which isn’t what you want from a place that markets itself as chef-driven and seasonal.

Final Thoughts: It’s hard to understand how Lucia has such strong reviews and media mentions based on what we experienced. Maybe we caught them on a rough night — but that shouldn’t matter. You never know who you’re going to get staffing-wise or if something’s off in the kitchen, but the basics — good lighting, enough space to eat, properly seasoned food — those should be consistent every single night.

If you're planning to go, maybe temper your expectations a bit. And seriously, bring a flashlight if you want to...

If I could give zero stars I would! Terrible service, terrible meal, terrible overall experience. Terrible customer service! Will not go back or recommend.

for various and very personal reasons we don’t go out much. I don’t get around as well as I used to so a night on the town is a physical struggle. Knowing this I choose my destinations carefully to make the most of my experiences. A few months ago my husband took me out. the last two weeks have been hard to say the least, with my physical condition and other family issues I needed a night away from our troubles. It was my birthday and a beautiful night for Boston. We haven’t been to the north end in ages. We had a gift card for a your restaurant and I was looking forward to a cozy and romantic dinner. I was so excited My husband made Our reservation for 5:30, he requested a booth and noted in special requests spot that it was a birthday dinner (because why not ) We arrived..sat a regular table. It was steady but not completely full. No worries. I didn’t mind not sitting in a booth. Our server comes. Takes our drink and dinner order. I chose the cranberry cosmo with a sugar rim 10 minutes pass..no drink but our meal was served! So fast that I thought maybe it wasn’t ours. We could tell Definitely not made to order. My husbands chicken parm was dried out and looked as if it sat under a warmer all day. I ordered bacon wrapped scallops over rizzotto with sundried tomatoes. I took two bites and couldn’t swallow it. The scallops were undercooked horribly fishy tasting and the bacon was raw. I didn’t see one sundried tomato. My drink still wasn’t out. Finally 10 minutes later my server comes with my drink no sugar rim. I told her the meal was bad. I whispered it so not to embarrass her. She didn’t cook it. So not her fault. I asked for a salad. Salad came out. It was just a bed of wilted greens a few chunks of cheese and a couple 1/2’d grape tomatoes. It really was mehh. Nothing special. We picked at my salad and his overcooked dry chicken parm, I drank my cosmo and we paid and left. No one checked on us. No one apologized that my meal was raw. No one asked if we needed anything else. No one offered desert menu or anything. I found the staff rude and inattentive.

Also note, I sent an email with my issues as well as a dm on Facebook. Neither prompted a response or an apology for the experience. I don’t expect them to respond. Avoid this restaurant. There are plenty of other amazing places that care about their customers and the...

Was hoping this would be a great place in the heart of little Italy Boston but unfortunately it was not. Food was subpar and service by waiter was uninspired, we felt ignored. Like talking to a wall. Young man with large hefty beard needs to be attentive to his table and represent the restaurant better. He seemed distracted with visitors he apparently knew. Maybe even family. Not sure but nonetheless very dry approach to waiting.

FOOD: Calamari was good. Lightly breaded and a good taste. Served in a basket with a hot sauce. Carbonara entree was basically dry spaghetti with pancetta? No taste of pecorino or egg sauce. Just like eating spaghetti and pancetta. I doused it with olive oil that was left on the table for the bread (waiter never offered more bread or even checked our water and drinks. We had to chase down bus girl for more sparkling water)

The Quattro formaggio pasta was cooked just right and it's thin nature was very good. It came in a white sauce that was watery and no flavor. Again. Where's the cheese? Just bland. The tartufo and the gnocchi dishes were good. Not spectacular but definitely better than the above noted. But again, seems touristy type level cuisine. Nothing that blows your mind. You know what I Mean. And that IT wasn't found here unfortunately. I think it starts with staff and the owner needs to be present. Espresso had good flavor with slightly burned taste which tells me they are running machine too hot. Maybe needs a cleaning. One last note. The portion of espresso was very small. Seems waiter got a single shot and split it into two espresso cups. Was funny to look at. Just a drop at the bottom of the tiny demitasse cup. I really wanted this place to be a home run. I mean. We are in the heart of Boston little Italy. In front of a firestation and next to a Catholic Church. Amazing place. Very nicely adorned. Very cozy. Rustic and fantastic painting on ceiling. Sinatra lightly playing in the background. Transports you to another time. They need to up the game in the kitchen and in the service and this...