Lucrezia Italian Ristorante — Restaurant in Center Township

I'm a 45 year old man, Italian and German, from Chicago Heights. This was my first time here and this place is absolutely fabulous! The restaurant is in a beautiful old home likely built around the turn of the century. It makes for a very elegant dining experience. The meal started with the BEST bread/olive oil/parmesan appetizer I have EVER had - hands down. Didn't know it could taste that good before this experience. And, they use their own Olive Oil which definitely plays into the equation.

The whole roasted garlic bulb for the great price of $4 was amazing. What a way to get those taste buds active before an incredible meal.

We had the White Pizza appetizer ($9 - great price), and the 14oz pork chop with maple syrup and crispy bacon glaze ($24 - pricey but totally worth it!). The pizza was very very good, and the only reason I don't say excellent is because I am a new to Neopolitan pizzas and am not familiar enough with them yet to say whether one is excellent or not but either way, it was great. The pork chop was not only the best pork chop I have ever had in the way of quality, tenderness and juiciness, but, the flavor from that glaze made it one of the best food items I have EVER tasted in my LIFE! Truly unbelievable, and it was at that moment that I said to myself that I would now have to return to this restaurant and basically go through every item on the menu since I knew now that even foods I otherwise wouldn't eat could wind up being a favorite of mine here (I'm not even big on pork chops!). The lasagna will be my next target.

The vegetable medley that was served (broccoli, cauliflower, potato chunks, and a few other veggies) had a flavor that I have never experienced in my life. I have no idea what they did to make this unreal combination of veggie flavor but it rivaled what the glaze did to an already perfect pork chop. I would have that as a side with every dinner, every day, for the rest of my life if I had the chance.

The meal literally had me trying to decide what amazing flavored food item to take for the next bite - every bite! I was so anxious to re-taste every single flavor that it made this problem a wonderful one to deal with indeed! This has never happened to me before but the next day I woke up, thought about what's for dinner tonight, and the only thing I could think of was going back to Lucrezia for dinner again!

The waitstaff was very helpful, courteous, and available throughout the dinner, and the diners appeared to be well-dressed and in the middle- to older- age crowd.

So, in summary, I recommend this place like no other, as the chef is obviously spectacular, and look forward to going back,...

Last year we had dinner at Lucrezia Italian Restaurant, Crown Point Indiana. As you can see I gave rave reviews. SO what happened. Since they were rated #15 in the region for restaurants, I believe this year they will falter.

We had family and friends from out of State in this past weekend. I did speak very highly of this location. Raved not only about the food, but the service. Now knowing it was Friday night, and rightly so, they would be busy. So we arrived around 7ish. The hostess took our name and was aware there were 5 of us. She stated it would be 30 to 35 minutes as there was a couple before us and some customers wee ready to leave. Hey, I get it. Not a big deal. Patrons came in and the same spiel was given them. A few had a party of 3 one couple had also arrived. The hostess took their names. Grant it they had a small group,and a small table opened up. While we were there, now 45 minutes waiting and watching small groups come in and be seated, several 4-somes came in. Same spiel, 30-35 minutes. Now we been waiting 50 minutes. She took the 4-some groups and seated them. O.K., so, I went to her and asked why. She stated she only had tables for 4. So, you mean you can't put a chair for the 5th person at the table. She said sorry and said another 15 minutes. Again and again, two sets of 4's came in. They were seated almost immediately. I go up there to inquire, and she said, "What group are you with?" REALLY!!! We been sitting there close to an hour! We decided to go elsewhere. After being embarrassed in front of my family and friends, I had it. IF THIS restaurant can not get decent help hostessing, maybe they should either fire the hostess, or have someone who knows what they are doing!

I will NEVER return to Lucrezia again, especially after being treated the way we were treated. We were understanding it was Friday evening and they were busy. The kicker was, a lot of servers were standing around and the hostess was being giggly with the new patrons that were coming in. If I could give zero stars for this unfriendly restaurant I would. I also will NOT vote this year for them.

We ended up going to Station 21 with our party. They too were busy. We were welcomed with open arms and were seated within 10 minutes. Additionally, Station 21 food is outstanding and their service impeccable.

If you want professional service, Lucrezia, is a place to avoid. Very terrible experience. I would recommend avoiding...

I love that this restaurant is in an old house. The downside is, there's not a ton of parking.

I would have liked the complimentary bread to have come out warm, but it tasted good, especially with the included olive oil amd shredded cheese.

My dining partner had the stuffed chicken, which she said was delicious. I had the fettuccine Alfredo, which was tasty enough, though the eight dollar shrimp add on was too expensive for what you get. They use the small shrimp (the ones that are 50 to 60 per pound). For eight dollars, you should get the larger shrimp. That would have made the dish a winner.

The service was acceptable, with glasses being filled right at the perfect time each time.

Altogether, Lucrezia was a win. I'd go back if in the mood for Italian, but I'd pass on the shrimp, and maybe try something else.

Update: We went to Lucrezia again tonight.

Having reread my original review before we went tonight, I kept that in the back of my mind.

The parking is still the same, but to further clarify, there is plenty of parking across the street. So finding a spot to park isn't an issue. It's only an issue if you are one of those people who sits and waits for a spot to open that's close, so you don't have to walk.

I was happy to see the bread tonight came out hot. A nice improvement.

The stuffed chicken was no longer on the menu, so my partner had the chicken parmigiana instead. She said it was just as good as the stuffed chicken. I tried the vegetables that came with it. The green beans and carrots were slightly undercooked, which I wasn't a big fan of.

I had the three meat lasagna, which was delicious. I opted to add some of the shredded cheese from the bread to the top of it, which made it even better.

For dessert, we shared the triple chocolate mousse cake. It was tasty, but I wouldn't put it in the "to die for" category, where I like to put chocolate cake usually. It was just ok.

Just as before, our drinks were constantly refilled. The service was still very good overall.

When I leave reviews for restaurants, I like to try to leave one negative, but to be honest, I really don't have one for this visit. Everything was good, and worth...