Cafe Lucia

Really good food. Stop by here and you will be happy you came. My children are usually picky but they were satisfied with the food here.

took my gf here for dinner. food wasn’t good period. — embarrassingly so.
I paid $ 28 for a greasy, oily, box of pasta, with a dozen clams.
I get that this place is a local tourist trap — but why, if you’re a neighborhood staple, and your mainstay is pasta, why not make both fresh pasta and sauce? I’ll never understand it. it’s pure laziness, and cheapness on the owner/chef’s behalf.
on my gf’s dish, the marinara sauce was soupy, and lacking any flavor.
I’m wondering what the chef /​sous chef /​kitchen staff prep for if they only use boxed pasta and canned sauce.
either way, I’ll never be back there again.

12 hours later, a harsh, acidic, bitter taste still in my mouth from the marinara sauce. Too garlicky with raw or under sautéed garlic. Otherwise tasteless. The potato leek soup was also boring and without taste. The pepper salad with anchovies was blah. And everything was very overpriced. The wine was pedestrian and both red and white were served in the same crummy kind of glasses. And then at the end, the waitress ran the credit card thru some gizmo on her iPhone. Gave me her iPhone to sign the e-​receipt while she hovered over watching to see what percentage tip I chose. So annoying. All in all, a crappy dining experience in every respect.

We had not gone to Café Lucia for several years because of the poor quality of the food. Friends prevailed upon us to have dinner there again. I’m sorry they did. The house salad was OK but nothing special. Since my wife split the salad there was an extra charge. I had the ricotta filled raviol with spinachi. The dish was truly awful. The tomato sauce was so acidic that the dish was barely edible. There was a miniscule bit of spinach. Moreover it was way overpriced. I will never go back.

I had the veal, their signature dish. It was slow cooked for hours. It was very tender. My guest had the chicken. It too was tender, moist and the flavor was throughout. The service was attentive. If you pay by credit card they bring a small device to the table, swipe the card, you add gratuity there and sign it. I mention this because the server may see how much tip you leave. If you are not comfortable with this, then you are at least forewarned. They only serve dinner and they do book up. There is a parking lot, but it get’s packed.

My go-​to restaurant when I want fabulous food and excellent service. Their specials are a «best bet».

My wife and I had a delightful dinner at Café Lucia over 20 years ago and have been trying to get back there since. Unfortunately, tonight we succeeded.
We arrived at 6:00 pm without reservations and inquired as to whether a table might be available. We were told that there were one or two tables — both adjacent to, and looking directly into, the waiters serving area. We accepted the table offered and settled in. Throughout the evening, we couldn’t help but notice three other tables in much more desirable areas of the restaurant which remained empty during our entire dinner.
My wife started with a cup of coffee while I had a glass of house wine. The choice was very limited, but the wine I had was acceptable, though the serving size was small and price seemed high for a house wine ($ 10/​glass for barely about 4 oz).
Our salads (priced at $ 11.00 each) were just fair. I ordered Caesar and my wife had the spring mix salad. The service this evening was quite poor — completely inattentive. We were never offered ground pepper for our salads and were never offered refills of water (we had to ask each of 4 times for water refills — you’d think the waiter would have gotten the point after the first request — but, no). The main courses were just so-​so. I had the rigatoni with sausage, and the sauce had what I can only describe as a shoe leather-​like after taste. My wife had the Bolognese which was uneventful and nearly tasteless. For desert, we split a «Bourbon Pecan Tart» which turned out to be – I’m not kidding you — a very slim slice of what must have been store-​bought pecan pie! At $ 10.00, it was a joke. The pie crust was like sponge, sort of like what Table Talk uses — you know, those 99 cent supermarket bargain pies? Actually, we almost were saved the experience of the «Bourbon Pecan Tart» by our waiter who, apparently forgetting he had not served us our desert, came over and asked how we enjoyed it. When we told him he never brought it, he asked if we still wanted it. We said «yes» — BIG mistake!
So, here’s the lowdown for those of you who like star ratings (on a scale of 1 to 10):
Atmosphere: 9 — very pleasant, if they don’t seat you near the servers station
Service: 3 — self serve would be more efficient
Portions: 7, except for wine and desert (though a small amount of a bad thing is still too much)
Food: 3 — flavor seems to be a second (or third) thought at Café Lucia
Food Presentation: 5 — my wife says less, I’m trying to be generous here
Price: 3 — certainly overpriced for what you get (in all regards). We’ve eaten in more expensive restaurants on many occasions, but at least we felt we got our money’s worth (and I don’t mean quantity, I mean the quality and the experience). That was not true here
Bathrooms: 10 — spotless — perhaps we should have asked for a table in there. Perhaps after reading this, and if we’re ever foolish enough to go back there, that is where they will seat us.
Recommendation: there are certainly better restaurants to eat in the Berkshires. Sorry to say it, but don’t waste your time (or your money) at Café Lucia.

My husband and I have eaten at Café Lucia many times over the years but we have never written a review. We went back there last night, had yet another spectacular dinner and felt compelled to write one. Unfortunately, by the time we sat down, it was a little too cold to sit on the porch, which we love doing in the height of summer — this restaurant has the best outdoor patio and atmosphere in the Berkshires. No other place offers such a tranquil setting on a beautiful summer night. However, for colder nights, like yesterday, the main dining room also offers plenty of character with exposed brick wall, large windows and a winding staircase leading up to the wine gallery. But let’s talk about the food — luckily for me, the Spring menu was still being offered last night as I absolutely love the grilled calamari over arugula salad. On the other hand, the summer version of this delicious appetizer, is just as good… finely cut grilled octopus strips mixed with onions, peppers with a zesty lemon condiment over crunchy bread. As a main dish, I would highly recommend the roasted chicken or in the summer, the chicken paillard, both cooked to perfection and with seasonal vegetable medley on the side. My husband, however, would recommend the pork chops, very juicy and perfectly seasoned or the veal piccata. Last night, we also tried a small portion of spicy sausage with peppers — delicious! The fish of the day is always a good choice as is the steak! Finally, the pasta is truly an homage to Italy and I feel I have the right to say so being that I grew up in Tuscany.
For wine, just ask the owner, Jim — he knows more about wine than anyone I know and he will be able to recommend a solid bottle within your price range. We also like to start with an aperitivo, either a mini bottle of prosecco or my favorite summer drink — Aperol Spritz! We are not dessert people so I can’t really help you here.
Lastly but most important, the owners — Jim and Nadine — are so attentive and passionate that will always go out of their way to ensure you have a wonderful experience and will greet everyone as dear friends.

Completely overpriced for the quality and portions… they are trying to build a high end perception that is not warranted! Staff seemed very incompetent and like other reviewers noted… bad attitudes. Much better choices in Lenox.

The food was very fresh and delicious. But one thing puzzled me. How can an Italian restaurant that serves homegrown heirloom tomatoes, homemade everything, and «foraged» berries serve supermarket grated cheese in a jar?

This place was really disappointing. My husband and I ordered pasta that was clearly boxed and the sauce was super bland. Way too pricey for the quality of food offered.

We had dinner here during a girl’s weekend to the Berkshires. The service was great and we thoroughly sated with wine and delicious Italian food. We didn’t even get teased when broke out some little princess crowns. The prices were pretty reasonable for a fancy night out and it was a great place to spend time with friends and celebrate a special night in our lives. The rigatoni with hot italian sausage totally hit the spot.

Finally tried Café Lucia last night and was very disappointed. The server was courteous and good. The food was mediocre and overpriced – even by Lenox standards. My wife had the ceasar salad. Typical salad in a very small portion for $ 11. There is absolutely no excuse for charging this much for a run-​of-​the-​mill, small portion of ceasar salad. I had the soup of the day, tomato. Again, it was fine, if a bit watery – but also overpriced at $ 9 for a small bowl. My wife had the pasta with the eggplant. The three, fried pieces of eggplant were good. The pasta in acidic tomato sauce was not – however, it was overpriced at $ 24. I had the sausage and penne. You guessed it – mediocre (with little sausage – the menu on their website saying the dish has 3 sausage links is old) and overpriced at $ 24. We spend summers in the Berkshires and live in Miami the rest of the year, which is to say that we’re used to high restaurant prices. But the combination of exorbitant prices and mediocre food here is simply unacceptable. We will not return.

Last night, I joined friends for dinner at Café Lucia’s. We sat on the covered deck, had cocktails, and then dinner. You’re probably noticing the lack of enthusiasm in my voice. That is intentional. It was just ‘fine’ for the most part.
I had the carpaccio, which while finely sliced, was devoid of flavor. I’m not sure how you make arugula tasteless, but it happened.
Then, onto the tuna, served rare. I was looking forward to it, but ended up eating only half, not because it’s swimsuit season, but because it had a funky taste to it. If tuna is to be served rare, it needs to be crazy fresh and perfectly cut. This tuna was stringy and almost ‘grissly’.
I’m done with this review, and Café Lucia’s.

I had received a gift certificate for Café Lucia which obviously prompted me to give it a try. What a great little gem in the heart of Lenox.
Because the meal was being paid for by a gift certificate, I decided to step outside my comfortable zone and try the mussels over pasta. What an outstanding dish! Even on Cape Cod, I have yet to find the same dish that tastes as good.
The menu is limited to a handful of items, so you might not find a comfort food item on there, but my date was able to ask for Eggplant which wasn’t on the menu and they created a wonderful dish for her.
We had outdoor seating. All the landscaping and gardening made this a nice setting for dinner. We heard the conversations of everyone around us because the tables are close together, but we didn’t find it that distracting. It looks like the seating inside is a little more open.
I highly recommend Café Lucia for a special night out.