Luce Ristorante E Enoteca — Restaurant in San Antonio

Luce is a true "Ristorante Italiano", more formal and luxurious than a trattoria, and far above a common osteria. This is quite possibly the best place to go for Italian fine dining in the Alamo City. My review could have, should have been a 5 star, but alas, our server was supposed to box up my exquisitely cooked, absolutely perfect Linguine Mare Chiaro. Instead, he ended up throwing it away, and then returned to the floor as if nothing happened. My lady and I calmly and politely waited for him to return to our table. When he did, I inquired about the status of the leftovers box. He immediately became hesitant, and then sheepishly stated that he "boxed it up, but somehow must have thrown it away or it got misplaced or something ". I initially thought this was a prank. Surely, he had to be joking. Time slowed to a creep. I looked at my companion. She looked at me. We both looked at the waiter. He shrugged and apologized for his gaffe, and then asked if he could fix things by talking to the chef or his manager. At this point, my lady was completely ready to leave. We had already been there for a good, long, romantic evening dinner and wanted to get cozy and warm. We had already settled our bill and we always tip well. We thanked him for his service and just told him it's ok, we need to go and no big deal. In different company or circumstances I probably would have spoken to his manager just to make him aware at the time, but we move differently in the company of womenfolk, and I deferred to her desire to go ASAP. So, the food was absolutely wonderful. Lobster Ravioli. Exquisite. Linguine Mare Chiaro. Superb. Their cocktails were delicious. Mixed perfectly. We always had bread and butter on the table, and the ambience and lighting really set the mood. I really like this place, and definitely will return. Next time, I'll remind our server to make sure and bring our to-go leftovers BACK to us🤣. With inflation and the cost of living going up daily, having a half plate of rich linguine loaded with clams, scallops, shrimp, mussels, lobster, and calamari, thrown away by a frazzled waiter felt like a punch in the kidney. Man, I was really looking forward to those...

There are a lot of good places to eat in San Antonio, but there are only a handful of truly great restaurants. From the moment you walk in the door at Luce, to the last goodbye, you are made to feel special...like family.

Yes, the usual traditional Italian dishes can be found on the menu, but their next-level execution and fresh ingredients elevate even a simple plate of pasta to something special. Of course, if you are looking for something that you can't - or won't make at home, Joe (the owner) offers a wide variety of Italian classics and unique dishes that are certain to please.

The wine selection has something for everyone. Admittedly, I don't know much about wine; I know what I like, and that's about it. Joe and his staff are pros, they can size you up in about 2 seconds...if you know wine, they can geek out with you on hard-to-find bottles that they offer. If you are like me and just get absolutely glossy-eyed staring at a wine menu, they will pick up on that and bail you out. I have found that if you just tell them what flavors you like, and what you were thinking of spending, they will make a suggestion or two of something that will pair nicely with your food and help you stay within your budget.

If the weather is fair, you will definitely enjoy sitting outside on their patio. Every once in a while...If you squint just a little, you will forget that you are in NW San Antonio. It's worth adding that when the weather turns cool, they keep the fireplace stoked to knock off the chill, which makes it even nicer.

If you have not been to Luce yet, let this be your reminder...grab some friends, find it, and go!

Pro Tip: Check out their Happy Hour menu for deep discounts on shareable...

Our server was super nice and greeted my husband and I shortly after we were seated, but that is where the good experience stops. The bread that was offered after we were seated was okay but the butter trio was less than appetizing. The sun dried tomato butter did not have a butter consistency or flavor and was very watery; while the basil pesto butter was simply green without any flavor at all. The menu was impressive, so we thought, with several veal options and an interesting risotto dish with Italian sausage and langoustine tail meat, which is what I ordered. My husband ordered the veal saltimbocca. The dishes came out in record time with billows of steam rising from each dish as it was plated. Though we did not hear the ding as the microwave was done heating both dishes, they sure seemed to be much hotter than what could be reasonably expected for a fresh cooked meal. I tasted my risotto. It was bland. I moved the risotto around a bit hoping the second bite would prove to be as delicious as I had anticipated, but I was sorely disappointed. My husbands veal saltimbocca was accompanied by fettuccine pasta which was swimming in broth. Both dishes lacked all seasoning. We reluctantly asked the server if we could have salt and he brought some over. Hoping a few sprinkles of salt would bring out the flavors of the Italian cuisine we were looking forward to we added a bit to both plates and tried them again. There was minimal improvement so we ate what we could and asked for the check so we could end this abysmal evening date night dinner. We won’t be coming back...