Located in the heart of Montreal's charming Little Italy district, the Restaurant Lucca serves market-fresh Italian cuisine. Lucca specializes in a wide range of fine gourmet dishes like fresh pasta (a popular choice: seafood linguine), seafood, risotto, veal chops, filet mignon and grilled fish. Lucca details its menu on a chalkboard since the dishes change according to market availability.
Lucca is widely praised for authentic Italian cooking and a diverse menu that features seafood linguine, duck papardelle, lamb, burrata and classic desserts, with flavors described as balanced and memorable. The service is consistently impeccable and attentive, contributing to a warm and refined dining room that many guests say feels like home. The atmosphere is cozy yet lively, with a chalkboard menu and a compact layout that can be bustling and a bit loud at times. While most visits highlight high quality ingredients and carefully prepared dishes, a few experiences mention issues with value or a miscommunication on portions, though these are comparatively rare. Overall, Lucca stands out as one of Montreal's top Italian spots, delivering authentic fare, strong wine selections and a memorable dining experience in the heart of the city.
We are a foodie couple from New York City, & we have had the opportunity to dine at many restaurants in our city. My family lives in Canada, so we visit frequently, & over the past two to three years, we discovered Lucca online through its outstanding reviews.
Although our visits are often filled with family commitments & we have not yet experienced dinner service, we have enjoyed lunch here three times over the past two years. Each visit has been consistently exceptional.
From the moment you walk in, the restaurant offers a beautiful, cozy, & romantic atmosphere. The service is warm, attentive, & genuinely welcoming. One of the waiters, whose name may be Thomas, left a lasting impression by recognizing us on our second visit, which speaks volumes about the level of care & professionalism of the team.
As for the food, it is truly outstanding. The quality is evident in every dish, fresh ingredients, refined flavors, & thoughtful presentation. My husband, who is Italian, is particularly discerning when it comes to Italian cuisine, & he was thoroughly impressed. We both agree that if this restaurant were located in New York City, it would easily be worthy of Michelin recognition.
It is important to understand that this is an upscale restaurant. The pricing reflects the quality of the food, the service, & the overall experience. In our view, it is entirely justified. When dining at this level, the focus should be on the experience, the ambiance, & the craftsmanship of the cuisine, rather than simply the portion size.
Regarding a recent two-star review mentioning portion size & pricing, from Karine Khachatrian we respectfully feel that such criticism may not fully reflect what this restaurant offers. Value is not only measured in quantity, but in quality, service, & overall dining experience.
We have no personal connection to the restaurant or its owners. We simply believe that exceptional establishments deserve fair & thoughtful recognition. Despite having visited over the past few years, we had not taken the time to leave a review until now, & we felt it was important to do so.
We are already planning our next visit for lunch in late June with a group of four to six people, & we look forward to returning. We have never left disappointed, & we truly appreciate the dedication & talent of the entire team.
Thank you to the owner & staff for consistently providing such a memorable dining experience. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Apr 17, 2026
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My partner & I went to Lucca as a Reddit recommendation & it was great! We were visiting Montreal & it was by far the best meal we had. The service was top notch & the pasta was so fresh. Would definitely recommend the gnocchi! We also had a bottle of wine to pair & it was delightful. Will be back when we visit Montreal again. Thanks again for a wonderful meal & service!
Luca, located in Little Italy, is a charming & authentic Italian restaurant.
The ambience is warm, though the tables are a bit closely packed. That said, the food truly stands out. We absolutely loved the burrata & pomodoro antipasto, & the arugula salad was just as fresh & delicious. The bread, burrata, & starters were so filling that we were already quite stuffed before the mains!
I really enjoyed my Chardonnay as well. I wasn't completely satisfied with my gnocchi, but my partner really liked his main course.
A special mention to the waiter, who was incredibly knowledgeable about the menu & helped customize vegetarian options for me, which I really appreciated.
Overall, it's a great place to celebrate something special. Pricy though!
Mouthwatering dishes, quality fine dining with impeccable service. Our table enjoyed a family style feast- burrata Mozzarella, seafood linguine, duck papardelle pasta, lamb, creme brule & tiramisu....& a lovely wine. Every single bite was delicious. Highly recommend.
I am not one to post reviews but felt I needed to this time. This is my favorite restaurant in Montreal. It feels like home. Have been there several times & the experience never disappoints! The food is delicious. The menu is diverse & there is something for every pallet. The service is impeccable & the attention to detail is a standard every time. The staff is courteous & attentive. A must for a night out with friends, family or date night! Do yourself a favor & experience this gem of a restaurant in the heart of little Italy!
Fells wear when you see the menu in the wall. We all order different plates & we all enjoy the food. We get there at 9pm with a full restaurant & the food was in my table in less than 20 min. We need places like this in Miami.
Mar 23, 2026
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Location excellente, un peu dispendieux pour le lunch à mon goût, mais ça en vaut chaque dollar quand même.
Petit point négatif est que c'était très bruyant, & ce n'était pas l'idéal pour mon lunch d'affaires.
I was excited to come after seeing overwhelmingly positive reviews, but our visit fell a bit short. The menu features pasta specials that change regularly, & we tried two of them. Both were quite salty, the gnocchi with sausage in tomato sauce was underwhelming, & the veal & spinach ragu felt dry.
Maybe we came on an off night, but the food didn't live up to the expectations set by the reviews.
Absolutely delightful, food is fantastic perfectly balanced & seasoned. I had the gnocchi with sausage, I was a little nervous as sometimes sausage can be overpowering but it had the perfect flavor & amount. Service is attentive, we were treated as though we were his only table even though the restaurant was full. We were there for our anniversary & in our 36 years this stands out as the best experience all around. We are not from the area or this would be a regular spot for us!
Mar 18, 2026
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I'm not very used to dining at upscale restaurants here in Montreal yet, but I would confidently recommend this one. It feels like an authentic Italian kitchen, with a well-crafted menu & service that matches the experience.
I ordered the pasta with ragù - excellent. The fried calamari was also very good.
Nous sommes allés au Lucca pour la première fois hier soir. Nous avons été impressionnés par la qualité des plats. Les pâtes au canard étaient incroyables. Le service était impeccable & courtois! Nous reviendrons assurément!
Mar 1, 2026
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Le meilleur restaurant à Montréal, j'y retourne avec grand plaisir à chaque fois. Le service est parfait, les plats sont plus de délicieux & les employés sont si agréables!
Situated in Little Italy, Lucca is an authentic upscale Italian restaurant. It's busy, cozy, & tightly packed; even with a reservation, there was a 10 minutes short wait. The menu lives on a chalkboard, the tables are closely staged, & the small bar stands nicely at the back of the restaurant. The server took the time to answer any questions we had from the menu.
We ordered the off-board special Antipasti. The octopus came tender, paired with fresh fennel, onion, bell pepper & cucumber, grounded by a grainy chickpea purée. Better still were the baked figs stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in bacon: tenderly sweet, salty & memorably unique (I loved it!).
For mains, the meat pasta of the week (pasta ragu della settimana) delivered ribbons of fresh fettuccine tangled with boar (!), spinach, & mushrooms in a hopefully homemade tomato sauce. The seafood linguine went all in on sea-saltiness, with a generous amount of mussels, clams, shrimps & scallops (& capers & pepper). Very savory!
Taste-wise, Lucca would be ranked on my top restaurants in Montreal :) (I might be a little biased tho cuz Italian food is my fave).
