Lucia’s Wine Bar

Took my daughter and friends to dinner for her birthday. Very inattentive service had to ask for apps twice and two dishes came out 20 minutes after the others. The food was wonderful but the service was so poor I can’t recommend it. Very disappointing.

Love everything about Lucia’s! One of my favorite places in town! My favorite brunch spot… hands down.

We went to Lucia’s for our anniversary dinner, and it was hands down some of the best food I have ever tasted! The pork starter was extremely succulent, and the salmon entrée was to die for! The hosts were all extremely gracious, and even gave us a mouthwatering chocolate-​caramel cake since it was our anniversary. Reservations are necessary, and it is pricey, but it is worth every cent, and is the ideal place for a romantic dinner, being situated so close to Lake Calhoun.

We used to love Lucia’s for brunch and lunch. It’s such a nice neighborhood setting. Since this restaurant has changed hands, it has definitely gone downhill. I ordered a simple green salad, and it looked like someone just dumped a bag of greens on a plate. No care in presentation, pieces that were far too big to eat. The snack board was not nearly as good as usual. The only meat was liver. There was very little color. No olives. Only one kind of cheese, and not a good one. And most glasses of wine and most cocktails are now $ 12, which is steep. We’ve been disappointed twice in the last three months, so we’re crossing Lucia’s off the list. There are so many other choices that it’s just not worth bothering for us. It’s very disappointing because this used to be such a lovely place.

Where to begin? There isn’t one thing I’ve tried at Lucia’s that I haven’t absolutely adored. It’s split into two sections — part wine bar, part to-​go bistro, and fully Parisian. Lunch, dinner and brunch are great in the dining area, but I prefer the smaller to-​go side. I had the fortune in college of having Lucia herself come speak to one of our French classes, and she was as classy and fascinating as her establishment. The dishes and ingredients are inspired by her trips to Province and she invokes French culinary brilliance into everything.
The quiches, crepes (ham and gruyère, ohhh-​la-​la!), handmade oatmeal, sandwiches and gorgeous desserts are out of this world delicious. My personal favorite though are the scones, baked just right so that they’re slightly crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. The flavors are always interesting and vary depending on what’s in season — my favorite are the currant scones.
There is no better start to my Sunday than with a scone and espresso, curled up at a cozy corner table watching the hustle and bustle of Uptown. Pure perfection.

Typo on the menu saying they had King Crab when in fact they did not was very disappointing as well as the lack of WiFi. The atmosphere was pleasant as well as the food.

delish

Cozy, great food and courteous staff. They change their entrees every week, but the small plates are kinda the same. The duck, salmon and the chicken are few plates I have tried there and it has always been great

The happy hour specials were nice.
They have a good cocktail selection and a few draft beers which were all excellent and only $ 3 during happy hour.
I would like to come back and try the food sometime.
The staff and service was friendly and excellent as well.

The restaurant is nicer than the wine bar. The petite steak is good but I was still hungry afterwards and I don’t eat a ton. The service was great and the atmosphere is romantic but I can think of a handful of other restaurants that I would rather frequent for date night.
I do hear their brunch is amazing. Every weekend when I run by, it’s packed. So that’s a good sign, right?

Had lunch on a Saturday from their brunch menu served on both weekend days and is excellent. However I asked if they could make one of their hamburgers I had heard so much about. The kitchen came back with a quick yes. Three of us ordered them. The fourth had an omelet with a side of bacon. No fries, at least not on their brunch menu, so I ordered hash browns.
Burgers were indeed wonderful, moist and flavorful. The hash browns were exceptional. Lightly browned, not too much oil. And a reasonably sized order (not too big, not too small). Our dining partner insisted the omelet was great and I tried a piece of the generous serving of thick slice bacon and it was delicious.
We all really enjoyed our meals and the service was excellent. It’s a little pricey but this is not a diner and the price is not inappropriate.

Excellent food, scene and wine selection. Half priced wine bottle section on Sunday night.
Music could use a bit of an improvement.

This place has definitely gone downscale. My family and I used to go here all the time for dinner. Now the choices on the menu just don’t get our attention. I really used to love the pizzas and pasta and now they don’t seem to serve them anymore. There are just strange choices on the menu.

Holly balls this place was awesome. Ordered the tenderloin steak with snack board. Loved the steak with holy balls demi gaze sauce. The snack board was good but the steak for sure took the cake. Speaking of cake. I ordered the rhubarb pie and that was life changing.

Sigh… first thing first if you tout yourself as a wine bar I’d highly suggest putting the selection of wines on the online menu. This is a resturant not a wine bar.
Even though this was a mystery stop for me due to complete lack of information on what wines they’d have I decided due to the love from the locals that I would give this place a try.
The atmosphere I got was drink enough so your drunk enough that you dont taste the wine and food… A highly pushed happy hour was I guess what drew most of the locals as well as the ability to bring fluffy with you.
Other detriments were lack of knowledge of the wines by the servers, lack of by the glass selection (again this is a resturant not a wine bar) cramped spaces allowing you to intimatly be involved in your neighbors conversations.
It may be that food is exciting but the fact again is I was looking for a wine bar. My coworkers are enocuraging me to try again so I guess we’ll see.

First time here. walked up to the outdoor patio and asked for a table for two. Was asked «for the Wine Bar or Restaurant», we replied «We want to eat, so whichever has food», their reply «They both do», our reply «Okay, can we eat outside here at the patio?», their reply ‘yes, that is the Wine Bar”. WHY DOES THIS NEED TO BE SO COMPLICATED? If its the same on either side, why two names and the complicated process. Don’t they serve wine on the other side?
We ordered «Wine» and small plates on the Wine Bar patio: Bruschetta (not your traditional tomato the peach/​ricotta was my favorite), fries, petite tenderloin (very good), and 3-​bean quesadilla. Okay food, nothing super special. With the hassle of parking in the Calhoun Square area and above mentioned ‘choice’, this is not a restaurant that is work all the work. (Call me picky).

I love this place. It’s one of my favorite places to go to for weekend brunch and/​or after a stroll at Lake Calhoun. All the times I’ve gone here, I’ve sat outside on the sidewalk. I love how it’s dog friendly, you see locals and neighbors stroll up with their pets and everyone seems accomodating and respectful as in the dogs don’t get in the way. I spent one summer here at least once a week but mostly on a Saturday or Sunday for brunch. My go to is always their organic house made granola and yogurt parfait with seasonal fresh fruit. The portion is generous and the fruit, always perfect and fresh. I’ve also had a few other things on their menu and have no complaints. Chef Lucia always find a way to add her touch to everything by adding something that’s different but complimenting to the dish.
Service and people are impeccable here; attentive, quick, friendly, and knowledgable. Parking is also very accomodating since Lucia’s does have a parking lot for customers.
Location, attention to detail, and the locally sourced ingredients will continue to have me coming back to Lucia’s sidewalk patio for more this summer.

I have to admit I just don’t get it. I must be the only freak that doesn’t like Lucia’s. I mean the food is decent but not standout for the price. The interior is cramped, and somehow I always get the table by the kitchen closest to the service bar where every time some one walks by clomp clomp clomp. There is limited wine by the glass in the restaurant for a place that touts itself as a wine bar (although better than uncorking a dozen types and having it go bad). Only four entrees the night we dined — sea bass, ribeye, chicken, and a vegetarian.
I was told that the $ 11.95 salad was like the garden salad but with more toppings; I didn’t think the handful of proscuitto and red peppers was worth a $ 6 premium. The folks next to us (and we were practically sharing a table they were so close) were muttering about the disappointing sea bass (although I think they expected chilean, which I know Lucia would never serve, thankfully). I had the chicken, which was the right pick. The demi glacé was great. Also sampled the ribeye, which tasted a little like clove. Again, not saying it is bad, but there are so many choices that suit us better.
Really? $ 6 valet when there is free street parking?

I can’t believe I’ve never been here before. Well add another to the 2012 list!
What a great location, nice atmosphere with an open and inviting room. I’ve heard so many good things but most of all it’s just a great place for a late night glass of wine and some good conversation.
Now I can’t really comment to much about the food. Nice wine list and some good beers in the wine bar side. We did order the antipasti plate and it was great. Some really tasty little snacks and very creative. The pickles rocked, the stuffed peppers with blue cheese were great and the salmon mousse melted in my mouth.
Can’t wait to come back for dinner some night.
KT

Have always loved this place for the ambiance, the menu, the wines, all of it. Was convinced I’d give it nothing less than 5 stars.
The most recent visit with out-​of-​town guests was a disappointment for desserts. Nothing wowed us — which is what Lucia’s never fails to do.
The chocolate in the devil’s food cake lacked depth. The second dessert, a flaky pastry with a pear filling was limp and nothing spectacular.
The home-​made pineapple vodka sorbet was good.
The espresso was excellent: strong and served hot.
Service was excellent as always, and the staff knowledgeable about what they serve.
On a different note, I like LUCIA’S updated website but please bring back the section that provided updates on Lucia’s home in Normandy!