04/14/09

Dig It

by pepper125

Luca Lounge newly revamped, and has become an intriguing underground East Village destination. One would not even know it existed unless they were tipped-off, or there for a specific event. The entrance is even in a different location; next door, no sign, awing...anything, just 222.

As an East Villager, I was relieved to find an establishment that hadn't turned completely commercial within our hood, once again. Thank God!!

-me

• Pros: Great undergound NYC space

08/03/08

nasty..

by elipoo

i worked here a while ago for like 2 days. some really nasty people own and run the place. it was horrible with the chefs/manager screwing things up and blaming the waitstaff. anyway, maybe they've changed now, but about a year ago it was really horrible being there. seemed like elitist snobs. i'm not surprised that business keeps failing there. anyway, i would never go back. i didn't even go back to get my shift pay.

07/22/07

sweeeet garden, equally sweet decor

by cindarella222

i live around the corner and use luca lounge almost weekly as a win/win place to take friends from out of town. it's cool yet unpretentious and the sangria gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning. the service can get a bit slow when its packed on the weekends, but overall it's one of the better places to go regardless of the night of the week.

• Pros: awesome vintage funrniture, lots of space, outdoor garden
• Cons: pricey drinks, close garden at 1, hard to move around on weekends

07/01/07

Awful service, clueless hostess, good food, nice backyard

by surfbrooklyn

I had dinner here tonight. We ordered two family-size pasta dishes and one individual-size dish, All three were served in the family size. When the waitress brought the food, she said that the kitchen had screwed up. We told her that we only wanted the smaller size, and she gave us the larger one anyway. At the end of the meal, the bill arrived and we were charged for the family-size dish. My friend went up to the waitress and explained the problem, at which point she rudely fixed the bill. Except she didn't fix it correctly. When he pointed this out, she got ticked off and tried to tell him that she had to add tax. Finally she realized she made a mistake/was caught, she fixed it and was a little bit nicer. As we were figuring out how to split the bill, the hostess came over and started giving us a hard time about the order they screwed up. She said we should pay the full price because we took it. We politely explained that we told the waitress that we only ordered the individual size. When that wasn't satisfactory to her, we told her that she was free to take all the extra food we didn't eat from that dish back to the kitchen. We explained to her that the waitress knew it was the wrong size and gave it to us anyway. We asked her if she thought it was okay that one of us should have to wait longer to eat his meal than the rest of us because they screwed up. It all took a while to sink in, but she finally gave up. Which was good for the waitress, who clearly bitched about us to the hostess, because if she had charged us for the larger dish we would have just taken it out of her tip. I'd love to know what the kitchen was going to do with it if we sent it back. I'm guessing they would have put half in the smaller dish, and tossed the rest. Anyway, it wasn't the smartest move on the hostess's part, considering I wont be coming back to the restaurant, over $14.

To sum up: this place should make like its namesake in the Godfather, Luca Brasi, and sleep with the fishes.

• Pros: Very nice backyard, good pasta dishes, large portions
• Cons: The service, the hostess

05/30/07

Best place ever

by alexlroman11

This place is huge and amazing. The place is beautifully lit with candles everywhere. and have new sofa's. We went with a large (20+) group and had the best time ever. The waitresses were really nice and friendly. We didn't have to wait long for our food to come out nor did we have to sit around for ages without any drinks. Everyone had an amazing time and i would definitely recomend it to everyone, i don't know what you other readers are talking about...you should try going back again. I know i definitely will!

• Pros: new sofa's, great staff, great price
• Cons: don't have any

05/14/07

4:30 reservations???

by blairtate

I attempted to go to Luca Lounge on cinco de Mayo. I read decent reviews and wanted to drink in an outdoor setting. It looked dingy from the outside and inside was purposefully "cheap" decor, even down to the 'W.C' on the restroom doors. I approached the hostess and asked if we could sit outside. She promptly asked if we had reservations (I was in a party of 4). I said no because it was only 4:30pm and I couldn't understand why reservations were needed. Anyway, she checked her book and said everything was booked until 9:45pm...I was confused. Two people were sitting outside and no one was sitting in the main dining room, nor at the bar. She then mentioned we could make a reservation to come back at 9:45.

It was very odd. We ended up leaving and eating outside at a bar a few blocks up. Not sure if I will try to come back to Luca Lounge.

• Pros: I thought out-door seating
• Cons: Stench of arrogance

02/08/07

Great Hang for the Chill

by pserghini

If you're a high maintenance idiot like some reviewers below, you might not like Luca. For the rest of us, Luca Lounge offers everything you would want in a restaurant/lounge: great people, great service, relaxed atmosphere, and amazing outside patio.

01/28/07

Excellent ambience, delicious food and great service

by miguel7

This place just gets better everytime we go. I've tried a lot of the dishes and they have all been great. The antipasti was very fresh and delicious. Their pizzas are great, I recommend you try their bolognese or funghi. Their freshly layered lasagna is just mouth watering. Better than mom's! The decor is very homey and comfortable. You can't go wrong in coming here. Come during the week when it has a more local vibe. Keep up the great work guys!

• Pros: Comfortable, priced well, great food
• Cons: Can't think of any

12/17/06

If you plan on having a party at the Luca Lounge and another party is booked at an earlier time, you could be in for a big surprise!

by shiznitz11

If you plan on having a party at the Luca Lounge and another party is booked at an earlier time, you could be in for a big surprise. I planned my 30th birthday party a month in advance at the lounge and invited 30 people to my party (25 showed up, some from out of town). After I booked the reservation, a friend and I went to the place to check it out. A woman who worked there specifically said that I would have the back room, but when I got there there was another birthday party already in the back room and I was told that I was being put in another room, where the couches were broken and people were already sitting in. Apparently the restauraunt is so good at running itself, I was told there was no manager on duty and that all they can give us to compensate the mishap was 2 free pitchers of sangria. Imagine planning a party with relatives and friends coming from out of town, reserving a place and then get denied what you were promised? The worst part of it all, was that I was later told that they don't promise any room to their customers. What is the point of making a reservation then? Needless to say I took my party across the street instead and had a wonderful time anyway.

09/24/06

Incredible Experience!!!!!!!!

by meredtihdulaney

I went to Luca Lounge for a birthday party with about 15 people. The service could not have been better! Our waitress was very attentive and was very helpful with making selections on the menu. The atmosphere was very warm and intimate but also very upbeat! Last, the bill was very inexpensive! We couldn't have had a better experience anywhere else. The only downside was that it was cash only.

• Pros: Ambience, Service, Price
• Cons: Cash Only