Roux & Lucia Restaurant — Restaurant in Dubuque

Roux & Lucia: Room to Grow, But Worth a Visit

TL;DR: Roux & Lucia has great potential. If they can streamline their customer service and improve the front-of-house experience, this could easily become one of the best restaurants in town. We’ll be back for the food and the atmosphere, and we’re hopeful that with a few tweaks, the service will soon match the quality of the kitchen.

Update – August 2025: We visited again hoping the earlier hiccups had been smoothed out, but this recent experience was undeniably worse. Yet again, the host stand was confusing and unorganized—and this time, our reservation wasn’t honored properly. Despite having reserved a table for a business lunch, we were told our reservation was for seats at the bar. The whole interaction was awkward and frustrating, and it left us standing around while other groups were seated without issue. The food didn’t redeem the visit either. I ordered the same sandwich from before, and it came out underwhelming and lacking the flavor and consistency I’d enjoyed on the first visit. The inconsistency—not just with food, but in the overall guest experience—is becoming a real concern. I genuinely want Roux & Lucia to thrive. The space is stunning. The menu is creative and shows real potential. But the continued front-of-house disarray and unreliable food quality make it hard to recommend at this point. We’ll give it some time and hope for changes before considering another visit. —— We were excited to try Roux & Lucia after hearing about its fresh, elevated menu and beautiful space. Our visit started off a bit rocky—parking was easy enough, but signage was limited, and we accidentally wandered into the bakery before figuring out where the restaurant entrance was. Once inside, it took a while to find the host, and the check-in process was confusing and a bit unwelcoming. We waited about 10 minutes for a table, only to be told the wait would be longer due to a mix-up with the order of arriving guests. It felt a bit disorganized and, honestly, no one seemed eager to greet or help us at first. But once we were seated, things improved. The decor is absolutely stunning and the ambiance is lively—this place has a wonderful energy and feels like it could become a real community favorite. Our server, Ashley, was a highlight: friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu.

The food was the real star. The burrata & pesto on focaccia was outstanding—fresh, flavorful, and something I’d order again and again. The curry chicken salad was sweet and delicious, and the house chips were a tasty touch. Unfortunately, they were out of the burger, which was disappointing, and our sandwiches didn’t come with the advertised pickles. Still, the quality of the ingredients and the creativity of the menu left us optimistic. Drinks took a little while to arrive, but once they did, we enjoyed them. The cocktail list is fun and adds to the experience.

Pro tip: Stop at the bakery next door for a giant cookie to share for dessert on...

I recently stopped by Roux and Lucia for lunch with friends and overall had a mixed experience. I ordered the salmon croissant sandwich with fries. The sandwich was decent, but the fries were way too salty. And trust me, I love salty fries, but these were overwhelming. They also came with a garlic aioli that was so intense, it kind of took over the entire dish. Everything tasted like garlic after that.

The service could use a little work, too. When we first arrived, there was a bit of confusion about whether we had been helped yet. We stood around waiting to be seated while the front-of-house staff figured out if they’d already acknowledged us. It wasn’t a huge deal, but a little more organization would’ve been nice.

That said, the space itself is beautiful - really inviting and stylish. I’m definitely excited to come back and explore the wine and deli section, which looked amazing.

After lunch, I popped over to the bakery section and picked up a pistachio cruffin and a vanilla iced latte. The cruffin was delicious - flaky and rich. The iced latte, on the other hand, was a bit too syrupy for my taste, which made it taste a bit off. But overall, it was a nice touch to finish up my visit.

I’m definitely planning to return, though I hope the little kinks in the service and food balance are worked out. Still, the bakery and the wine/deli area have me curious...

I recently celebrated my 60th birthday at the bistro, and I truly cannot say enough about the outstanding food, service, and atmosphere! We hosted around 40 guests, and everyone raved about the attentive and professional waitstaff. The Steak Frites were a huge hit, and the Salmon entrée was incredibly fresh and flavorful. The mini pastries from the bakery were absolutely delicious—such a perfect touch! The bar offered fantastic signature cocktails along with an impressive selection of beer and wine. The ambiance throughout the evening was warm, inviting, and simply unbeatable. To top it all off, the Airbnb upstairs was stunning and made the perfect venue for continuing the celebration with friends and family. Having the bakery just a few steps away was such a bonus—being able to grab a hot cup of coffee at 7:00 AM the next morning was the icing on the cake. This place is a gem. Highly recommend for any...