Restaurants in Lucca
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La Corte dei Vini
Strategically placed between Piazza Napoleone and Piazza San Michele, this friendly ‘enoteca e picola cucina’ (wine bar and small kitchen) is a great choice for an aperitivo or casual meal. It specialises in rustic dishes, including tortelli Lucchesi (meat ravioli) and minestra di farro della Garbagnana (soup made with spelt). Get here early to score a choice table on the front terrace.
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Trattoria da Leo
Ask a local to recommend a lunch spot, and they will inevitably nominate this bustling trattoria. The clientele of tourists, students, workers and ladies taking a break from shopping have one thing in common: an appreciation for the cheap food and friendly ambience on offer. The food ranges from acceptable to delicious, with stand-out dishes including the vitello tonnato (cold veal with a tuna and caper sauce) and torta di fichi e noci (fig and walnut tart). No credit cards.
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Locanda di Bacco
It is strictly cucina lucchese e Toscana - albeit of a refreshingly creative nature - at this fine specimen of a restaurant, grandly situated in an old building, with marble-topped tables. Pappardelle with hare, gnocchi with gorgonzola, honey and nuts, or a side order of cabbage cooked in red pepper wine, garlic and oil are among the many dishes with an imaginative twist.
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Locanda Buatino
A Lucca legend, this age-old trattoria - it is reckoned to be Lucca's oldest - with a fun 'n' funky air of retro wafting through it, has the added advantage of being a short walk from the madding crowds, outside the city walls. Chef Angelo chalks up a different menu daily - cionca (veal's head) is a speciality. Live jazz sets the place jiving Monday, October to May.
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Machiavelli
A much-loved Lucca favourite alongside Leo, this funky old-fashioned osteria has a definite retro air to it. Walls are pea-green, the bar is painted lavender-blue and the clientele is staunchly loyal, local, fun and of all ages. There is live music some nights and the cuisine - salted cod with leeks, chickpea soup and grilled pork ribs etc - ooze natural flavour.
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Caffè di Simo
This atmospheric Art Nouveau cafe-bar-restaurant was once patronised by Puccini and his coterie (the maestro would tickle the ivories of the piano at the entrance to the dining area). These days, locals stand at the bar for coffee or aperitivo and sit at the tables to enjoy their selection from the daily €10 lunch buffet.
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Osteria Baralla
Dine beneath magnificent red-brick vaults at this busy osteria, inevitably packed to the rafters by noon. Rich in tradition (the place dates to 1860) and local specialities, its menu highlights include soup with new-season olive oil, salt cod and chickpeas, bollito misto on Thursday and roast pork on Saturday.
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H
Gigi Trattoria
Buzzing by noon, this 1950s cantina on the old market square - revamped by three young Lucchesi in the new millennium - is another hot address among Lucchese. Recipes are plucked straight out of grandma's cookbook, local contemporary art to buy hangs on the walls and simplicity is the predominant philosophy driving the place.
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Taddeucci
This pasticceria (pastry shop) is where the traditional Lucchesi treat of buccellato was created in 1881. A ring-shaped loaf made with flour, sultanas, aniseed seeds and sugar, it’s the perfect accompaniment to a mid-morning or -afternoon espresso (coffee and slice of buccellato, €3.50).
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Buca di Sant’Antonio
This atmosphere-laden restaurant dates to 1782 and is an outstanding spot for tasting top-notch Italian wines. Its flattering lighting and banquette seating make it a favourite destination for romantic dinners, and its standards of service are unmatched in the city. Bookings essential.
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Prosciutto & Melone
Next door to Osteria Baralla, it's hardly haute cuisine but the fine choice of pizzas and salads alongside the mainstream primi and secondi ensure an easy midday refuel. Sit within the dark-green stable doors or snag a table on the shaded street outside.
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Dianda Pasticceria
Cakes, pastries, puff-pastry apple strudels, meringues and a multitude of other killer calorie-rich sweet treats are baked at Dianda Pasticceria, a delightful cake shop, within picnic distance of Lucca's botanical gardens, and with coffee counter to down an espresso standing up.
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Ristorante Olivo
Known for its fresh fish, which is brought in every day from Viareggio, the Olivo epitomises old-fashioned Lucchesi dining. The wine list is excellent (with Tuscan drops dominating) and the menu balances classic Tuscan choices with seafood specialities.
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Vecchia Trattoria Buralli
A once-intimate local favourite now in all the guidebooks, this busy crowd-pleaser is a great for sampling wine from the surrounding Lucchese hills. Fare is wholly traditional and a green parrot sits on the packed terrace outside.
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Forno Giusti
Join the crowd queuing in front of this excellent bakery to purchase fresh-from-the-oven pizza and focaccia with a variety of fillings and toppings. It’s the perfect place to buy picnic provisions.
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