Osteria LuCa

5/5! This place is incredible! I have been dining here since 2021 and they were great then and are great now. A great, locally owned restaurant. They have great homemade pastas and sauces, excellent fresh pizzas and great service. Some of my favorites are the Rigatoni alla Vodka, Cavatelli with Lamb Sausage and Broccoli Rabe, any of their gnocchi dishes. Their puttanesca pizza is also incredible as is their broccoli rabe and sausage! The staff is so friendly and welcoming too. Easily one of the BEST restaurants in Charlotte regardless of cuisine type.

This place had cool people, cool vibe, and the coffee was much better than I expected and I'm pretty picky on coffee.I would definitely come here again. Did I mention how nice the staff were?

I have nothing but good things to say about the food here. You will not be disappointed. Osteria LuCa is tucked away in Park Road Shopping Center. It's a small restaurant (a little loud and overcrowded), but I will forgive all that because of how good the food is. But be prepared to wait--whether you have a reservation or not. Every time we come here (with a reservation), we've had to wait upwards of 30 minutes before our table is ready. This place is packed on evenings and weekends, and they overbook. The food is worth the wait, but I sure wish they could honor reservation times.

I ordered the chicken parm, which was delicious and a generous portion. A cozy spot/hidden gem in Charlotte with some of the best Italian food and ambiance. Highly recommend!

My favorite Italian in CLT! Inconspicuously located in Park Road Shipping Center, Osteria LuCa is a delicious Italian spot. It is perfect for date night, family dinners, or entertaining out of town guests. I love the ambience of the restaurant and they also have patio seating. I would recommend a reservation, especially for weekends. I have dined at Osteria LuCa many times, and my personal favorites are the rigatoni alla vodka and the cavatelli with lamb sausage and rabe....SO delicious. The pizzas are also wood fired to perfection! I always look forward to dining at Osteria LuCa and I look forward to returning for my favorites and to try something new!

For one reason or another, I wasn't able to check out this restaurant 'til now...and glad I finally did.We made reservations thru Resy, so able to slide right in during a Saturday night rush hour. However, I noticed that there were only a few tables that had optimal placement. Meaning, many tables were adjacent to doors, wait staff station, bathroom hallway, bar, pizza station, etc. etc. We ended up in one of these half-booths (not a fan of these seatings) right next to the wait staff station...but luckily, it wasn't too annoying. Nevertheless, I didn't like the busy layout. The restaurant itself was nicely appointed (casual, but chic), but the overall ambiance felt a bit chaotic...and for me anyway, not too cozy.One other thing I didn't love was their acoustics. There were a lot of clinking noises...of utencils, people yapping, etc.etc. Plus, there was no overhead music! Italian or some romantic genre music overhead would have been a nice touch.Now, the foods! We ordered Brussels Sprouts, Eggplant Parmigiana with Spaghetti and Rigatoni Alla Vodka with Shrimp. Also, asked for some bread. The Vodka Pasta sauce was delish, but just a tad heavy. I really appreciated the plumpness of both the penne pasta and the shrimp! My husband LOVED his Eggplant Parmigiana...even remarked how it was possibly the best he had?!? Their complimentary bread was Foccacia...and it was also really good. The only thing I didn't care for was their version of Brussels Sprouts...which had a bitter taste (too much lemon?) that didn't appeal to me. Still, I thought their foods were really good...solid! I liked their menu...and am thinking I should try one of their pizzas next time.The service was good...and surprisingly fast! All of our foods were delivered rather quickly.The restaurant was much more casual than I had anticipated...and the pricing was friendlier as well.Aside from the "busy" restaurant layout/ambiance, we both really liked the foods here...definitely enough to return.PS***Should have used a flash with the pictures...all kinda blurry! :\

My hubby surprised me with a nice Valentine's Day dinner at Osteria LuCa. I was not properly dressed because I was not expecting to go to a nice dinner, but after blasting him out for not at least giving me a heads up to dress properly, I settled down. We were seated outside thank goodness. Most of the patrons were dressed nicely and seemed like a semi upscale establishment. It was rather busy too, which is to be expected on Valentine's Day.I ordered a Sauvignon Blanc and my hubby ordered a lemon-cello cocktail. My hubby also started off with a caesar salad. He said it was delicious but not better than Emmy's Squared Pizza restaurant (they set the bar high). We finally ordered our entrees. I ordered the Cioppino (Seafood Stew) with gluten-free bread. Hubby ordered a wood fired pepperoni pizza.Verdict: The Cioppino was decent. I just wish it had more shrimp and liquid. The flavor was average. There was really nothing special about the meal. My bread was average gluten-free bread drizzled with oil and salt sprinkled on top. I have had some really good gluten-free bread at other restaurants, but it seems like the gluten-free bread here is an afterthought.My hubby said that his pizza was really good but again, not better than Emmy's Squared Pizza restaurant. Hubby's ratingCocktails - 4/5Caesar Salad - 4/5Pizza 4/5My ratingCioppino (Seafood Stew) - 3.5/5Gluten-free bread - 3/5Customer Service - 4/5 Ambiance - 4/5Overall rating - 3.78 (4 stars)I would definitely try a different dish the next time I visit this restaurant. In the end, I would recommend this restaurant to those looking for a nice meal.

New place I tried on my latest trip to Charlotte thanks to coworkers, and I'll definitely be adding it to my rotation of favorite spots! We started with the true meatballs and fried mozzarella, which were a big hit, and I had the Luca chopped salad with grilled chicken for my main dish. If I had been hungrier, I would've tried the wild mushroom white pizza or the cavatelli with lamb sausage. My coworkers enjoyed their chicken parmigiana, puttanesca pizza, roasted Brussels sprouts, and potato gnocchi with prosciutto. The drinks were equally good, and our wine loving crowd seemed to enjoy their selections. As a craft beer fan, I was pleased with the local options that were on tap. We were a party of 8, so we were seated at a large round table, packed in a little tight, near the entrance. But there seemed to be lots of good seating options for smaller groups, and a decent amount of space at the bar. The only downside really was the location. It's located in a busy strip mall, so there's a constant flow of cars pulling in and out of spaces or looking for parking. It took us about 10 minutes of circling until we found a spot and this was on a random Wednesday, so I can't even imagine what it's like on weekends. On the way out, we saw a special parking space with the sign that said "Reserved Parking for people who commit random acts of kindness." Love that idea and will have to do some good deeds between now and then to earn that spot next time I come to Osteria LuCa.

My wife and I came here for dinner and really enjoyed our experience. They seated us at the community table in the front but it was still an enjoyable experience. Our server did an excellent job. It was out first time here and they were very helpful in helping us decide on what to order. I ordered the Cioppino and my wife ordered the Bucatini Arrabiata. Both dishes were full of flavor and had good portions. We really enjoyed our experience and would return again when we are in the area.

I hosted my 30th birthday celebration at this establishment, and from the initial planning stages to the event itself, owners Ken and Trish were incredibly accommodating and professional. I partnered with Events and Designs by Wanda, LLC for event planning, which complemented the venue perfectly.The space itself is outstanding, offering both excellent aesthetics and a convenient location with ample parking. The food was authentically delicious, and the service was exceptional. Special mention goes to bartender Liz, who created a unique "Death to My 20s" cocktail and an abstract skull design to match the theme.Overall, this is by far the best Italian restaurant in Charlotte, and I couldn't be more satisfied with the experience. I ordered the Orecchiette Alla Pesto, chefs kiss!