The dishes, the atmosphere and the overall concept of Lucciola, was specifically inspired from the film Fest di Laurea, directed by Pupi Avati. We portray Avati's nostalgic and romantic mood of Bologna in our restaurant. From the decoration within the film, we were struck by how simple lights, illuminating a courtyard reminded us of fireflies, which brought to our name, Lucciola.
Our restaurant is dedicated to the lead actor in Avati's film: Nik Novecento, who embodied the values of Bologna from his passion, soul, courageousness and kindness.
Private Dining
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Popular dishes
Any Pasta or Entree
36 reviews
Truffle
22 reviews
Any Appetizer, Salad or Pizza
23 reviews
such a great dinner and vibe, wide wines offer and great pasta and pizza
Great! Fabulous atmosphere, friendly staff and amazing food.
Zucchini parmigiana OMG, and tagliatelle bolognese unbelievable. Comprehensive wine list. A truly gem to try
Solid honest food and great great wines for any pocket
Cozy and lovingly run, Lucciola is a nice addition to the neighborhood. Authentic Italian with some expert touches.
We went because it was jazz night. Group was great and the food was very good. It was our first time here and we will be back.
Fabulous!!
Had such a great time! Had the Bolognese home made pasta that was to die for, zucchini parmigiana. Good wine list and we were lucky to hit the jazz night !
A gem!
Best Cacio Pepe ever! Maybe a bit too al dente for me but so rich in flavor and cheese! The wine specials are so so great
Total disappointment. We were the only diners at 8:00 pm for dinner. Empty restaurant. Now I know why. Everything from the food to the service to the attitude was outrageously bad. The menu sounded great, their story sounded great, but the "truffles" were tasteless, the buratta was not really buratta, the bruschetta were stale, the pasta overcooked, the cacio pepe sauce tasteless and gluelike, the brocolli overcooked and amateurishly presented, the steak not seasoned. What a waste.
I like Lucciola and Michele, the owner is very accomplished. I want the restaurant to do well and stay in the neighborhood.
However, the branzino that I ordered was not fresh. Very disappointing!!!
A wonderful meal at a neighborhood place on the upper west side. Beautiful restaurant, great service and food.
cozy space, friendly wait staff (Matteo is very helpful!) and solid food. Will be repeat visitor.
If you are looking for the “Italian” meal, this place is more. This is the Italian experience. Ingredients strictly superior and elegant location. Michele and Alberto great people!
Good vibes and buonissimo “delicious” food!
The best Italian food I ever had in New York, amazing wine selection! Tiramisù is incredibly creamy and done at the table in front of your heart shaped eyes LOL!
Salad came not dressed and I had to put my own oil/vinegar on it. Don't like that. Bruschetta was very bland and had no character or herbal flavoring. Pasta had way, way too much sauce on it and I had Pescatore and there no no clams in two of the shells.
I, unfortunately, would not recommend this. Sorry
Outstanding. Real Italian food, real Italian hospitality. Pasta fresh and delicious, great desserts, too.
PK.
My pasta was delicious. My wife's was overcooked.
Valentine’s Day
We had a very nice Valentine's Day dinner at Lucciola. The truffle bruchetta was novel and excellent. The cacio e pepe was a bit on the peppery side, which I liked very much, although my companion was not as enthusiastic. Nevertheless we agreed that the pasta was cooked perfectly. Branzino was also excellent. Good wine list, too.
Authentic and delicious food and unexpecet jazz night! Loved the ford as much as the vibe and jazz was such a great classy touch! They will pour wine into your glass at the table from a gigantic wine bottle, 6 Liter, my first time ever, great wine and impressive idea! Definetely outstanding Italian food and fun dinner time
Unexpectedly good with a limited menu. Servioce was good wine selection was good.
Menu is small. Food was solid, but not spectacular. Setting is cute and intimate.
Not great!
Food was the big disappointment. Appetizers of bruschetta and caprese were fine with the focaccia = meh. The pastas, however, seriously lacked luster. Served on wooden "boat" trays (cleanliness ??) my bland, watery duck Carbonari was like eating something in a cafeteria. Plus the flourish of shaved truffles did nothing to enhance the dish's flavor. Large black slices reminded me of tasteless church wafers.
In terms of ambience the room is small and lighting romantic. Only problem? It is full of plants and greenery which give the room a wet and dank aroma.
Overall impression … not impressed (albeit waitress was wonderful).
The food an ambiance were magnificent. It's a small restaurant nestled In a quaint area of NYC. They have outdoor seating in the summer which I look forward to going to. My only complaint, is that the food comes out quickly and I felt rushed. Other than that, it's 5 stars.
Great as always! Octopus, bolognese, Tiramisù to die for
We wanted to love Lucciola after reading so many favorable reviews, but despite the beautiful room and friendly staff, the food did not live up to expectations. Because it is New York and the options for delicious, classic Italian food are competitive, you have to beat average and only one of the dishes we ordered made the cut. Recommended: Fettucine bolognese. The grilled octopus appetizer (at $19) tasted fishy, something that should never be the case, and wasn't nearly charred enough. The special appetizer, a chicken liver pate on crostini, was presented nicely but the bread tasted stale and was neither crusty nor fresh. The chicken parm was good, with the star being the red sauce. Lucciola boasts a huge wine list (more wines that food by a landslide). At these higher than normal prices, the food should be mind-blowing and it wasn't. Two entrees, two appetizers, 3 glasses of wine = $170 (with tip). At those prices, you must do better.
Love this place! Our server, Matteo, was fantastic and the food and wine delicious. Love the cacio e pepe and come for that. Charming atmosphere as well. Highly recommend Lucciola.
I went to this restaurant soon after it opened and although the food was good the chairs were very uncomfortable and the exhaust fan did not work properly making my clothes smell. I am pleased to say that they have upped their game considerably. The ambiance is much improved with table cloths and comfortable seating.
The food was good. The spaghetti bolognese is excellent. The tiramisu was unusual in that they made it tableside. Quite fresh and they accommodated my request to make it with decaf coffee.
The exhaust is working better.
I will be going back and am happy to have another neighborhood option for dining.
Without any doubt the best octopus I’ve ever had, came here for a quick dinner during a snow blizard night and found a real Italian gem, I’ll be back soon for more wine and food
Pizza and Burrata are very good, Merlot house wine was a great pair
They serve the most and best unexpected Ribeye steak I could ever think of, Pasta remains my favorite though, great and complete wine offer
Perfect as always.
Outstanding service, food so so great and the waiter are so warm and kind! Lucciola has a great personality and look, wines and vibes are the best, Almond Grappa is so good ! My favorite restaurant ever
Coming back to this restaurant is like going back home and find always what you love the most. Always great food and service and such an amazing charming trattoria with an unique negroni!
I rarely write reviews and if I bother it is usually to rave about a place rather than complain, but I just had to write about this. I specifically chose this restaurant out of all the others in the area because they had braised short ribs on the main menu (not as a special) and that is what I wanted to eat. The waiter comes to take our order and when I ordered the short ribs he proceeds to tell me they do not have short ribs tonight. He gave me some story about the chef not getting in until 3 pm and the short ribs take 9 hours to cook. Now I understand that sometimes it happens, you go to a restaurant and they sell out of an item or there is a change to the menu and they no longer serve an item, but this restaurant only has 4 entrees on their menu at all! How can you not prepare 1 of those 4 items on a Friday night in NYC????? So overall not impressed with this establishment. But I will say that the service was fine and the food we ended up eating was decent. However I will never bother returning to this place.
Food was , as usual "good not great" the service is always excellent. The atmosphere warm and friendly. We will certainly go back again.
Lucciola was one of my girlfriend’s favorite gluten-free-friendly restaurants, and we had been looking forward to having a nice, romantic date night. Instead, our server acted standoffish the entire time, checking only on the handful of larger tables in a nearly empty restaurant. His younger colleague came to cover for him and started off well enough, but gradually began showing a similar lack of professionalism - interrupting our dinner conversation to tell my girlfriend her drink was “sexy” and pinch her cheek, for example.
Their behavior is unacceptable and we will not be returning. Hopefully management can sort this out, or at least keep their employees from harassing and inappropriately touching their customers.
Restaurant was too hot in temperature apparently heat controlled by building and we were seated near radiator
Azi, Anne and I: we shared the salad and the truffle pizza for half price. I had the special pasta—linguine with scallops and shrimp. Delicious but rich. Anne had the pasta with mussels and shrimp, which she said was boring. Azi had the pasta with Bolognese sauce, which she said was good.
I guess I found my new favorite spot! So welcoming and detail oriented from the first second I was there by my self I felt abroad, music, good food and kind chatting! All is so so taken care and elegenat but simple and the food is so delicate and with hogh quality ingridients, wines are at the best I’ve ever seen in all New York, some of them can’t really afford but many were for my pocket and my taste, Nanni Copè wine was such a great discovery and a perfect match with the fettuccine with truffle and porcini! The major treat is the Tiramisù, get one and watch magic happening!
exquisite food and wine pairing, impressive cantina riserva list from Italy, wines here are at their best ! Service is great, the ambience is charming and so Italian trattoria style like being in Firenze . The food was great, we had the 3 Courses Piedmont Tasting Menu was so well presented and delicious,portions were generous same for the wine pouring, definetely back very soon! Bravo Chef Michele!! Best Italian restaurant of the Upper West Side? To soon to say it but definetely possible, we’ll see !
FAQs
Lucciola does offer delivery in partnership with Caviar and Postmates. Lucciola also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (347) 536-1335.
Lucciola is rated 4.3 stars by 400 OpenTable diners.
Lucciola does offer gift cards which you can purchase here https://squareup.com/gift/AENB02CTKCCWY/order.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.