Ca'Lucchenzo

Ca'Lucchenzo remains one of Milwaukee's best under the radar restaurants. While it is well reviewed critically, I feel like too few people know about it. The atmosphere is still cozy and warm and relaxed. The waitstaff are impeccably well informed and trained and welcoming. Maggie, our server, was perfectly on point with the level of attention she gave us and the right level of celebration for our birthday dinner.The drinks are creative. All the courses are nuanced and interesting for both meat and vegetarian diners.I had a gnocchi that was the lightest and best I've ever had - a marvel. BF had a seafood dish and said the octopus was better than any he'd had in Italy and that it has ruined him for all future octopus meals.Desserts are wonderful. The bill can get high, but you won't regret celebrating a special occasion or a random Wednesday here.

Should have read the reviews for Ca' Lucchenzo before we went . . . it would have raised red flags. Our friends wanted to go to this moderately priced hot spot, so we did. First problem, it is not moderately priced. As another reviewer stated, "The food is way over priced for what you get. And who charges for bread at the table? They do! Wow!" You see, individual items are priced reasonably. But to get anything resembling a meal, you must order bread, salad and entre separately, and before you turn around, the moderately priced meal amounts to $75. A cheap bottle of wine is in the $50's or $60's, with most well over $100 or more. They do not feature a house wine.Second problem, the menu. I would have appreciated a menu written in English, not Italian. I had looked up items on the internet to try to decide what to order. (I confess, I prefer simple foods. A burger appeals more than a laundry list of unknown and exotic ingredients.) The restaurant menu was in a TINY decorative font. I used my reading glasses, but the font was still too small to read. My friend brought up a magnifying ap on her phone and gave it to me. It helped a little.I figured "Cannelloni al Forno - baked pasta filled with sautéed mushrooms, leeks & fontina valdostana cheese, $28," might be OK. My Husband tried "Spaghettone con Cozze alla Marinara - steamed mussels, tomato, garlic, oregano, wild spring onion, toasted breadcrumbs, $29." We split a grapefruit salad with a few stray greens. No traditional green tossed salad available. Too common. He said his Spaghettone was not bad, but he was hungry even after he finished my third cardboard cannelloni. My meal consisted of three tasteless, flat, dry and hard filled pasta shells. I think a cheese had been melted on top and browned, meaning dried out and hard. I mistakenly ate two, and was somewhat sick when I got home. Cardboard described the dish well.Won't be back, but Ca' Lucchenzo is doing well without us, and I wish them well. Service and ambiance are good, and their parking lot is always full. Hint to the management . . . Invest in an optional English language menu with a plain, readable, LARGE font, and add a house green salad to your menu.For those of you making reservations, take a magnifying glass, remember it is pricy, and the menu a little weird.

The atmosphere is very relaxing and intimate. Our waiter was incredibly knowledgeable and made wonderful suggestions for our group. The food was absolutely incredible. From the appetizers all the way through to the deserts, I was blown away. I wouldn't have thought something as simple as the focaccia tossed in oil would be so delicious. This set the tone for the rest of the meal. Highly, highly recommend. This will become a new staple in the date night rotation.

Received a gift card for a birthday to try this place and was very impressed! The atmosphere is very beautiful and elegant. The pasta and salad we enjoyed was so fresh. Staff was attentive and informative on the restaurant and menu.

We have been eager to visit this restaurant since we read about it in the local media over a year ago and finally got a chance to try it this week after running an errand in this part of town. We were NOT disappointed! The decoration inside the restaurant is pleasant and gives the impression of authenticity. Our server was quite cheerful and helpful. The menu offers a very reasonable number of choices to satisfy many. The explanation for each dish was fairly clear, although it would be even more helpful if description of each dish also uses symbols to indicate whether it contains ingredients that a significant portion of world population is intolerant of or allergic to, such as lactose or shellfish. I remember that the menu at an Italian restaurant in NYC not only uses symbols to provide this type of information but also explains that pecorino cheese is made from ewe milk and has less lactose. Since this was our first visit, we decided to order at least one dish in every section of the menu. -- From the Cicchetti section of the menu, we ordered Focaccia della Casa and Pickled Ramp Deviled Egg. The Focaccia was fluffy and rich with flavors and lots of olive oil - very different from the Focaccia we got elsewhere in the past, but we liked it. The Deviled Egg had a mild but complex flavor profile and was perfect for us to start the meal. -- From the Antipasti section, we ordered Agnolotti di Coniglio in Brodo (Rabbit-filled pasta in broth). The flavor was again subtle but very pleasing. -- The pasta dish we got was Maccaronara con Salsiccia. The pasta was perfectly prepared, and the house-made sausage and wild ramps created a memorable taste. It reminded us of the sumptuous pasta dishes that we had in Tuscany a couple of years ago. -- The main dish we shared was Branzino Selvatico in Padella. The skin of the wild mediterranean bass was crispy, and the fish was delicious. We ordered a similar dish at a well-known Italian restaurant in NYC about a year ago, but we thought that Ca'Lucchenzo's dish was clearly better.In our view, this is by far the best Italian restaurant that we've tried in Milwaukee.

Ok so where to start??? I LOVE THIS PLACE! I cannot believe this is the first time I've ever been! The ambiance can be intimate and can be casual/hang out. This is in Wauwatosa. Parking right next to the restaurant. It doesnt say on the yelp page but I called and they do accommodate kids! They have high chairs and they are able to make a simpler pasta dish for a toddler's palate. I LOVE how accommodating they are! With a place like this, yes moms and dads, you can still go out to eat amazing food with your littles! So let's delve into the menu. They change some items around in their menu and the newest addition when we visited is the pasta with white truffles. Btw, they hand make the pasta in house and it is the most perfect texture. I was initially doubtful about my meal being completely meatless that I even requested to have a side of grilled chicken LOL. but our wonderful server insisted protein isnt really needed for this kind of dish, so i trusted his recommendation. I did not regret it! He also made it a point to inform me that the meal includes 7g of white truffles and honestly it was the most umami-ful aromatic decadent pasta dish I have ever had! I have to say I usually don't care for pasta, but THIS is a dish to EXPERIENCE! My husband ordered the veal and it was tender and perfect. They even allowed my MIL to substitute squid ink pasta to rigatoni LMAO. We had the deep friend gnocchi dough and focaccia for starters too. Semolina doughnuts are AMAZING, it came with honey and cream cheese and the panna cotta with red wine infused cherries is the most perfect way to end the meal, slightly tart, a little sweet, and of perfect consistency. Oh and before I forget, the negroni I had to have 2 because the bartender definitely pays attention to proportion when they concocted it. I will be back with my gang because this has got to be the best pasta meal i ever had in a very long time.

5 star all around...service, cocktails, food, ambiance...get your rezzies in now!Anthony was our waiter- fantastic. We loved him...top notch service. Explained the menu so fully- we wanted to order every item on the menu! (And almost did!) Anthony gave such great recommendations- we were not disappointed. Starters were outstanding. From the prosciutto di parma , goat cheese crostine, deviled eggs, insalata cicoria , arancino, fried baccala- each was delectable.Dinner was so delicious. Malloreddus Sardo (Gnocchi), rigatoni alla Norcina (with 7oz! Shaved Black truffle), Casarecce con Cavolfiore... each one had such flavor and we all enjoyed our dishes.Dessert was just as outstanding- I would say that this was the best tirimisu I've ever had. We also had the panna cotta, frittelle and vin santo- can't be beat...we can't wait to come back.

My friend took me here for my birthday and at first I thought she was over hyping this spot but honestly it's so good! I'd recommend getting reservations to have the best dinning experience but this made from scratch pasta was some of the best pasta I've had in a long time. The spot is cozy and moody, great for a date, intimate birthday celebration or even a solo date at the bar. We had an amazing server that went through each item we ordered and shared about it. We paired our wines based off his recommendations. The focaccia was delicious, the pastas were great and the dessert was the cherry on top!

Fabulous experience all around. The staff was so welcoming from the minute we walked in. We sat at the bar which was great as our server / bartender Jack was able to spend quality time with us explaining the menu and just having a great conversation. The menu is the perfect size - plenty of options and not overwhelming. The food was GREAT. My wife and I shared everything which was a great way to get a nice variety as it was our first time dining here. The focaccia is out of this world - so crispy on top and light and airy inside and bathed in fantastic olive oil. A couple of deviled eggs, the chicken liver crostini and the pacific barramundi sea bass crudo were a really good combo to kick off the meal. That said, the ravioli with ricotta and mushrooms and the veal chop with fontina and speck ham were the stars of the show (with the focaccia). First time here...definitely not the last. One of the top restaurants in the area.

We had a phenomenal meal last weekend here. Everything was top notch. Food, service and drinks were great. We had a variety of dishes including the mozzarella appetizer, mushroom risotto, seasonal pasta. Everything was perfect. The chanterelles were perfectly cooked and it was one of the best dishes I have had in Milwaukee. We luckily got a reservation the same day but typically you need to book about a week out.