Café Luce Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar

Cafe Luce: A Hidden Gem for Authentic Italian Cuisine in NYCCafe Luce offers an exceptional Italian dining experience with outstanding fresh pasta, warm service, and a cozy atmosphere that transports you straight to Italy.Food: The star of the show is undoubtedly their fresh pasta with mix-and-match sauce options. Portions are generous and perfectly executed. The rigatoni with vodka sauce and chicken cutlet was a standout, with the chicken thoughtfully pre-cut for immediate enjoyment. Meals begin with delicious focaccia served with seasoned olive oil, setting the perfect tone. The traditional tiramisu provides a satisfying finale to an already impressive meal.Service: The staff strikes the ideal balance of attentiveness without hovering. Water glasses remained filled, and food arrived promptly. Despite arriving an hour early for our reservation, they accommodated us immediately without fuss.Atmosphere: The restaurant features two intimate dining areas with authentic Italian decor. The thoughtful addition of a double-door entrance keeps the space cozy even on cold days. The overall ambiance is warm and inviting.While cocktails aren't available, their wine selection offers perfect pairings for their pasta dishes. Conveniently located just a 10-minute walk from Grand Central or a short distance from Broadway, Cafe Luce is well worth seeking out when you're in the area.

I came here for some wine and dessert after dinner and it was a good time. The inside of the restaurant is a bit small, so seating was a bit cramped but the ambiance was quiet. Staff was very friendly.I got a couple glasses of wine here and the oreo tiramisu, and it was good! The tiramisu was a good portion, decadent, and came with lots of oreo bits (loved it!). Meanwhile, all of the wines I had were also great. Would love to come back to try their pasta.

Was it the best chicken parm I've ever had? Not quite. But still, we had a very enjoyable experience. The waitstaff was attentive and kind. The pasta was fresh, and the sauces flavorful without being too salty. The portions were HUGE (~$30 an entree).While the restaurant is narrow and can feel crowded, it adds to its rustic charm--I truly felt like I was dining in an Italian kitchen (just be prepared for a bit less personal space). Can't wait to return for more!5/5

The food was delicious; my absolute favorite was the classic tiramisu. Service was a little slow at times but it was doable. The reason for the 3 stars is due to the space and the pot/cigarette smell that was coming from the back (which is where we were seated). The smell def wasn't appreciated. The place is extremely cramped and I definitely didn't enjoy the constant bumping by the server and other guests. Really ruined my dinner experience.

The waitress was friendly, she didn't check on us when we received our food but that's fine she was managing the place with one other person. Overall, the pasta was extremely bland. We had vodka sauce and the spicy red sauce, neither worth it. Wouldn't recommend them. Our cheese plate, the cheese was all hard it was the end of the cheese cuts and some bruised and soft grapes. Don't recommend this either.The front door is broken so the cold area constantly comes in. They do try to keep it closed - but it's inevitable every time it opens. The bathroom is disgusting and smells like old stale cigarettes. That's the worst part honestly. It's really nasty. They have a very slim wine selection, yet they call themselves a wine bar. They say their pasta is homemade, it's not worth it. We won't be back.

The restaurant has two sides of seating and the restaurant was relatively empty, aside from our party. The service was okay, but some items took longer than others to come out. In addition, most of the plates were chipped. I ordered the carbonara and the flavor on the carbonara was good and the portion size was generous. When you order you can pick the type of pasta you want. The pasta texture was chewy, but I would've preferred it to be more al dente. Overall the food was okay, but I would probably try somewhere else next time.

Cute space tucked away in Midtown to provide a homey and intimate getaway/ambience! While I was initially taken aback by the pasta prices (considering any protein is an additional charge of at least $6), the portions are very generous - you'll definitely leave either full or taking home leftovers! The Meatballs came out very promptly with the delicious, toasted Focaccia. Our pastas were served more delayed than anticipated but it was good to have a break. My Limoncello pasta was zesty (even the server asked me in advance if I liked lemon cause this pasta was very lemony - he wasn't lying!) but it cuts through the heaviness/any greasiness from the egg-based cream sauce. I thought it was delicious and moreish - especially adds a new depth of flavor with some freshly cracked pepper and red chili flakes.

The ambiance is beautiful, intimate and inviting. We went later on a Thursday night and there were only a few other diners with us. The staff was wonderful and attentive. We ordered a few glasses of wine, a Caesar salad, Penne Vodka and Pesto gnocchi. We were very happy with the portions. The pesto could use some improvement, wasn't very flavorful. Everything else was fantastic. Bathroom was cute and clean. Definitely a nice date night spot.

What a gem! Nice intimate ambiance, friendly service and the best lasagna I've ever had.Will be back!!!

I rarely write reviews, but I felt compelled to write one about Café Luce. I was visiting friends in Manhattan when we decided to order Italian food for dinner. Given the online reviews, we chose to order from Café Luce. That turned out to be a HUGE MISTAKE. The homemade pasta was overdone. (I make homemade pasta, so I know what the proper consistency is.) The pasta sauce tasted like jar sauce. The vodka sauce was equally bad. We added butter to make the pasta dishes somewhat edible. The only part of lasagna that tasted somewhat decent was the beef. I strongly advise not going to Café Luce as it doesn't represent the quality food that is found in NYC.