Luciano’s

We had the worst service, the appetizers were cold and so was dinner that took over 1, hour for us to start getting our food. The calamari was like jewing gum, my salad was lettuce with ½ tomatoes but I did receive plenty of grit of dirt left on the leaves, everyone’s dinner was cold not event comparable to Olive Garden which I can’t call it Italian food and the restaurant was empty. So what changed .my nieces dinner had cheese that had been reheated so many times it was so Jewy, you couldn’t swallow it. Extremely disappointed. Use to be good food good service and this was neither then add the price, rather have olive garden and I don’t like that place at all, guess it’s back to lafamilia, portifinos or Jonny’s. The owner didn’t even come over when she new we were happy, that’s why the restaurant was empty, they just don’t care. or for desert we had a half frozen cheesecake with a frozen grapes that could have broken a tooth. It was my mom’s birthday they brought her her a doll house size of I don’t know what attended by the frozen grape again.

For a first timer, dinner at Luciano’s was a good choice. Service was a bit slow, but there were several large parties also dining at the same time we were and our server Marie was very apopogetic and recognized that it was so.
Food quality was good for standard Italian fare, but personally after being to Italy many many times we’re pressed to find real Italian flavors here in the US. Ron had the Lasagna Al Forno and I had the Chicken Saltinbocca. Both dishes were well prepared and portioned well. Food was piping hot. Each dinner came with a House Italian Salad, which i would say other than a couple of grape tomatoes was just lettuce, which was disappointing. We were stuffed after eating our entrees, so we did not order dessert.
One other comment to make is that we noticed the tables are quite close together so chair to chair proximity between tables is not all that comfortable, especially for large parties.
Having been to many of the Italian restaurants here in Reno, we will say Luciano’s is worth the visit. Very popular with locals and the restaurant was very busy the night we went.
I’m anxious to try Luciano’s again because there were other dishes on the menu that I was pondering and the overall experience was good.

Wow. Had a small dinner Xmas party and was very disappointed. Awful management letting one server work 2 tables of 10, 6 of us, and another couple tables. That made service very slow, very slow. The side salad was lettuce with a table spoon of dressing and one, yes one cherry tomato cut in half! Two orders of artichoke hearts deep fried came to us like cat turds on a plate. Very burnt with no flavor. Awful starters. We got to the main course after being into dinner over an hour. Veal was super thin, and a bit tough in a lemon sauce that gave me pucker face. The over all service thanks to poor management and awful food makes me sad about this landmark in Reno. Would not suggest this place to anyone. I hope they come around to cook something that could be called Italian food sooner than later. Only reason they got two stars was the beer was cold and our server did the best she could with what she had.

Food is fairly good, if a little overpriced. The real reason for this review is to protest their replacing of all their wait staff. Service used to be absolutely fantastic; quick, efficient and friendly. I’m not sure whether they quit (the owner is known to be difficult) or if the owner’s wife is telling the truth and they simply decided to clean house. Either way, the service has suffered. They seem to be going for a more impersonal and upscale feel, but that only works if the new waitresses/​waiters are competent. These replacements are not. We’ll probably be back, as we’ve been going there for years, but none of us are impressed with the new service and atmosphere.

Great atmosphere… Very sweet waitress… Iced tea and N: A beer was ok but awful Horrible food. Period. I’m sorry but the bread was dry and crusty salad only had plain lettuce and 2 sliced baby tomatoes, plus dressing was poured on thick and already too creamy. Dinner was ½ frozen and something crunchy was in my meatball– toenail perhaps? Ugh. Desert couldn’t even save this meal — frozen watery taramigrosssss-​ness. Blah with 3 frozen grapes on the side — just icky. No. Just no — go to LaCucia down the street…

Bruschetta is the best I have ever had! The service was impeccable and the bread and wine where perfect! You should give it a try!

This restaurant is tough to figure out how to star rate it. Went there last night w/​a small group, we were all first timers at this restaurant. The food was fabulous! All of us enjoyed our meals. Very «true Italian» in style. So, I would give the food a 5 star rating. The 3 star rating is due to being greeted in a grumpy way when we came in (we had reservations) and inefficient service. This was a very busy Saturday nite for the restaurant. and the waiter was struggling so maybe they were short on wait staff that nite. Our waiter was actually very, very nice. This place seems very popular with the neighborhood folks and the bar seems to have «regulars». I would definitely go back again at least one more time as the food was so great. Maybe a week night would be a better option as probably not so crowded.

As soon as you arrive you can tell the place has a lot of regulars. Long time family restaurant. Home cooked food. Service was a little slow but the place was packed. Salad was nothing but plain lettuce and an outstanding gorgonzola dressing. No croutons or anything. Dinners come with a side of delicious polenta. Very big portions. Coffee was very weak. Lots of pros and cons. I’m in the middle on this one.

Great food. One of the better Caesar salads I’ve ever had! Nice folks running the place! Real gem in Reno.

We were so excited when we moved to this neighborhood and we finally got to try luciano’s. It has a pretty good following. We ate there about 5 times. Service is always great. The owners wife is the bartender. We met all the local ladies that hang out there. The food is good however the menu is a little tired. Quite a few things on the menu they don’t prepare anymore. We figured it out after trying to order it 5 times.
Here’s where it went really south for us… we go in about 8 ish. Eating dinner. The owner makes an appearance and is singing to the restaurant… very cool.
The restaurant starts emptying out. The owner/​chef sits down to join us… cool right?
He asks us what we do for a living. I proceeded to tell him I own my own business. I actually used to own my own restaurant. Interrupts me & tells me to shut up?! & says to my husband… im more interested in you. what do you do? We both felt awkward… and my husband said did you just tell her to shut up? He shoos his hand and we realize he is drunk. He then proceeded to tell us he is done with this shopping center and the customers. He is moving downtown to the old Beaujolais location… awkward! Since we just moved over here! His wife tells him to let us out. We had already paid. She was then putting chairs on top of the tables while we were trapped. he tells her to shut up! We finally escaped… I will leave out the other inappropriate things he said. We walked out looked at each other in disbelief. I think he really just needs a vacation and so does his wife… for putting up with him.

I came here while filming House Hunters, the producer decided to treat us to lunch and it was ok, I had a butternut squash salad, the squash wasn’t very fresh tasting, the minestrone was pretty good though. I’m not sure if I’d come back, maybe for a glass of wine and some minestrone for dinner.

The risotto with mushroom was fantastic, service great as usual and fun crowd. One of my favorite restaurants in Reno.

Outstanding food and service in a warm atmosphere!
Definitely a hidden gem and a great neighborhood spot. Everything tasted fresh and homemade. Quite possibly the best Italian in Reno.

We live in the neighborhood of this restaurant and would really like to like it a lot. The ambiance is good, location great for us and prices ok. Love the wine and their generosity with it… that at times will even make the decision for us to go. But unfortunately it feels like they have just given up… the owner/​chef doesn’t seem to have much interest anymore. maybe doing it too long or not taking vacations or something. Know the staff are frustrated… will express it. But it has a following. mostly by people who stop by for a drink at the bar. It is a friendly place, but food is not consistent at all and we are more often disappointed as not and say to each other when we leave… forget that place. But… like now. Just called them to ask if they have mussels tonight. That would bring us in. Its on their menu. one of the few places that have them.
Answer​.no. Even though they are in season. Can buy bushels at Costco for next to nothing. Its about the 5^th time we’ve called and no. Feeling is its too much trouble for them… they like to just sell pasta and things that can be frozen with big profit margin. But if you just want a pasta dinner with a sauce that may or may not be very good, but with a generous pouring of wine in a pleasant setting… this is for you. Sometimes ok for us… but mostly not and its too bad. With the chef would get his ‘mo jo’ back… as we are not alone in how we feel about this place.

It is a little pricy but the food is great. I ordered the calamari steak and it was tender. My friend ordered the Gnocchi with pesto sauce and loved it. It is a smaller place and the service is great.

We were the first ones to be seated for dinner and we were treated like royalty. We had our selection of tables to sit, the waiter let us take our time, and every one of our requests were catered to. From the cold, crisp Pinot, to the fresh caprise salad, to the homemade ravioli entrée to the cappuccino and biscotti, we ranted and raved how amazing everything was. Service was genuine, food was divine and ambiance was relaxing (I’m referring to the in-​house accordion player!). I appreciate a true Italian experience, and this was definitely one I will go back to. This has to be my favorite Italian restaurant in all of Reno. The experience is a must!

First off my favorite Italian place by far!
Luciano the owner and cook along with his wife Melanie are so welcoming! Love Melanie to pieces always very nice and easy to talk to!
I usually get a house salad with half Italian dressing and half Gorgonzola, and of course topped with fresh Parmesan. The lettuce is always crisp and cold on a cold dish.
I have been going here since they opened and I have NEVER been disappointed. The pasta dishes are always flavorful and the noodles always perfectly al dente. Another of my fav dishes is the poached salmon. The fish always comes out moist and tender and never sticky or dry. It comes with a side of fresh veggies in a light creamy garlic sauce and polenta with red sauce. Simply amazing.
If you want real Italian you should find your way to Luciano’s. Also perfect for a cozy date night.
Last time I was in they had live music. A man terrifically playing the piano and or the guitar.

Funny, my favorite Italian restaurants in town are both on Lakeside Dr. This and Zozo’s rock. Go elsewhere if you like, but both of these are great! I like to vary, I hate getting into ruts…

Drove in to Reno from the Bay Area, and my Sweetie didn’t want me to cook, so we headed down Ridgeview to Lakeside to visit his new preferred Italian place, Luciano’s. The décor is old school but charming, with cozy tables and a nice bar area. After the drive, I was happy there was a full bar! Our wonderful server, Julio, started us off (his favorite, the house Chianti for him, a lovely lemon drop for me) and toasted french bread. My SO ordered his usual– spaghetti with a plain tomato sauce and 2 giant meat balls, and I tried one of the three specials– a fettucini with a spicy tomato sauce, shrimp and a splash of cognac. He started with the house salad, I had a Caesar.
The Caesar was a little bit over-​dressed, but I like dressing, and this was a good one with plenty of garlic! Both salads were a good size to start with. Then, the pasta came out. Big plates, and oh, my, the biggest meat balls I have EVER seen! About the size of a tennis ball. My dish came with 8 big shrimp, and an excellent tomato sauce, not too spicy, but with a bit of a kick. The pasta was perfectly al dente and clearly house made. You can’t mistake that texture! I tried a bit of his pasta, and the sauce was lovey and light with a nice basil note.
The portions were big enough that, after the salad, neither of us could finish our meal, and ended up taking about half of each entrée home for a later dinner. Julio packed up some french bread for us to take along. No room for dessert, unfortunately! As we were getting ready to leave, a nearby table had their entrees delivered– one of them had ordered the fettucini pesto, and it smelled soooo good! That will be my next selection, because I know we’ll be visiting Luciano’s again!

I have read the reviews and the ones with low scores may also equal a low food IQ. Our food was perfectly prepared. The service was fantastic… Not something I say very often anymore. Yes, the prices are not cheap; if you want cheap order Pizza Hut or Dominos; you get what you pay for! Looking for a good, authentic, casually romantic place to eat? This is it… Recommended to anyone who can appreciate good food and atmosphere! Side note: love the accordion player’. Nice wine selection too.