Insider Pages Reviews for Ristorante Luciano

5 Stars: delizioso (by trasquera)

trasquera — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:00:00 GMT

tres delicieux
muy bueno
exccelent

5 Stars: Un restaurante Excelente (by sant1a)

sant1a — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:00:00 GMT

es uno de los mejores Italianos que he conocido desde que regrese de Italia.. las mejores pastas y carnes de toda la region..

It is one of the best

5 Stars: great place (by chrysalis2010)

chrysalis2010 — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:00:00 GMT

very Italian,great atmosphere , a great restaurant

1 Stars: Can I give ZERO Stars to this Place? (by sushidaisuki)

sushidaisuki — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 02:00:00 GMT

This is THE worst Italian restaurant I have ever eaten at! Olive Garden is better. I t was obvious from looking at the food that everything was prepackaged and warmed up.
I surmise that not a single item was actually prepared and cooked at the restaurant, but rather opened and rewarmed. Salt was the predominate flavor and disgust was the flavor left at the end of the meal. I should probably have my blood pressure taken after this meal!
For the price, I should have spent the $$$ on a nice bottle of wine and a home cooked meal. Restaurant Row on Bellevue Way SUCKS. We deserve better than chain restaurants with no creativity or taste! YUK YUK YUK. Boycott Bellevue Way restaurants!

1 Stars: So Bad, It Was Laughable (by Ed C.)

Ed C. — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:04:00 GMT

We couldn't get reservations at Maggiano's nearby so my wife and I decided to try something new. We had no problem getting a table at Luciano Ristorante and after being seated, I couldn't help but notice how close we were sitting by two other couples -- it's impossible to have a private conversation with your date unless you're sitting at one of the dining tables near the center aisle. In short, this is not an ideal "romantic" setting if this is the type of evening you have in mind.

Service, on the other hand, was decent. We were offered our dinner menus and were satisfied with the menu variety. My wife ordered the Spaghettini with Meat Sauce and I had the Linguine with Clams. Before our main course, we ordered a Caesar Salad. It was fabulous! Probably one of the best tasting Caesar Salads I had ever had. It had just the right amount of dressing and the parmesan cheese they used was very good. Unfortunately, the salad was the highlight of our evening.

Once our dishes arrived, our Slovakian waiter didn't bother checking on us to see how we were doing. We had to flag him down just to ask him for some parmesan cheese for our pastas. He failed to even ask us if we would like another glass of wine with our meal. It gets worse...

After taking the first bite of my Linguini with Clams, it tasted ok. But after the 2nd or 3rd bite, my mouth began to burn as if I was eating a five-star spicy Thai dish. Several factors may have caused this -- either they added too much garlic, white pepper, or they didn't allow the wine to reduce properly. Maybe it was all three. In short, my dish was as spicy as Jambalaya. At least the clams were cleaned and cooked properly.

My wife's Spaghettini with Meat Sauce tasted worse than mine. I could tell by the expression on her face that she was not impressed. She offered me a bite and after sampling her pasta, I couldn't help but smile because I had a sudden flashback of my childhood when my babysitter fed me Chef Boyardee Spaghetti for the first time. As soon as we made eye contact, we both couldn't help but laugh! My wife commented, "...our worst spaghetti we've ever made at home is better than theirs." I am not exaggerating when I say it tasted identical to Chef Boyardee.

We couldn't possibly leave on that bad of a note, so we decided to order dessert. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse... I ordered the Lemon Tart and my wife ordered the Chocolate Mousse. We could only handle one bite of the chocolate mousse because it was too bitter! If you're on the Atkins Diet or a diabetic, this is your dessert! Unfortunately, this is the only part of the meal that we sent back to the kitchen. My Lemon Tart wasn't much better. It arrived at my table, looking like a sadly deflated souffl. It tasted as bad as it looked too. They were a bit overzealous in zesting my dessert, hence the bitterness.

There are many restaurants in the Bellevue area that I can recommend -- Luciano Ristorante is not one of them. I am beyond disappointed and should have demanded a refund for my dinner and the 1 hour and 40 minutes of my life that I'll never see again. I'm very surprised they are able to stay in business, considering they are in a high-rent section of Bellevue. In short, stay away from this place. Stay far, far, away.

1 Stars: So Bad, It Was Laughable! (by NWFoodLover)

NWFoodLover — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:00:00 GMT

We couldn't possibly leave on that bad of a note, so we decided to order dessert. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse... I ordered the Lemon Tart and my wife ordered the Chocolate Mousse. We could only handle one bite of the chocolate mousse because it was too bitter! If you're on the Atkins Diet or a diabetic, this is your dessert! Unfortunately, this is the only part of the meal that we sent back to the kitchen. My Lemon Tart wasn't much better. It arrived at my table, looking like a sadly deflated souffl?'. It tasted as bad as it looked too. They were a bit overzealous in zesting my dessert, hence the bitterness.

4 Stars: Love the Osso Buco (by BillRiccomini)

BillRiccomini — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:00:00 GMT

Had dinner last Monday and still thinking about the great Osso Buco so I decided to write about it. Thanks

5 Stars: salmon is too die for! (by caligal02)

caligal02 — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:00:00 GMT

I love this restaurant! I have been going here for years now and the service is fantastic. Many of the servers have been there long term and know you when you walk in the door. This is my fav spot if I just want a glass of wine or if I want a really good meal, and one of the only places where I am comfortable even if I am by myself. The salmon is my current favorite and the chocolate mousse has always been the thing I just can't refuse. Food is great, wine is great, service is awesome!

5 Stars: Ristorante Luciano (by Gavbot)

Gavbot — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:00:00 GMT

Every time I've eaten at Luciano's has been a delight. The staff is always enthusiastic and helpful, the food and selection are great, and well paced service coupled with a warm atmosphere makes Luciano's a good dinner choice in my book.

4 Stars: Very good (by DasCoug)

DasCoug — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:00:00 GMT

I recently took my family here for lunch. We had a terrific meal and the service was outstanding. I believe the person we spoke with was the owner and he made some terrific recommendations. I will be back.

5 Stars: Ristorante Luciano (by NOPE)

NOPE — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:00:00 GMT

its the bestest

5 Stars: a taste of italy in the heart of bellevue (by c425j)

c425j — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:00:00 GMT

amazing atmosphere and food, wine list and menu is op of the line. cute waitresses. will be back many times for sure. try the clams, to die for. love the price and location :)

4 Stars: Luciano Ristorante is great! (by Darce J.)

Darce J. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:52:00 GMT

I've been to Luciano's for lunch and I thought it was great. We had pizza and split a salad. It's really really nice inside, linens and an atmosphere of elegance. I also didn't think it was overpriced, especially considering how expensive a hamburger is at chain places like The Cheesecake Factory.

5 Stars: Wow. I feel like the other diners went to a different place (by 3rdTimesaCharm)

3rdTimesaCharm — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:00:00 GMT

I just finished reading all the other reviews and I have to tell you I'm shocked at them. I have been to Luciano's twice, both times with a client for lunch, and it was great. Both times, my clients loved the food. I don't remember what they ordered but I do remember one client saying it was the best glass of red wine she'd ever had. My gnocci was awesome, perfect texture, perfect sauce. I had a salad the second time and it was great. I thought this place was the "real deal", so to speak. I have told several people that it's the best Italian food in the entire metro area. I don't know what happened to everybody else but maybe there's a new chef or something?

1 Stars: Horrible!! (by Druss)

Druss — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 01:00:00 GMT

We went in because everywhere else was full. Our server came after 15 minutes and was extremely indignant. We ordered salads, but he told us they were out of lettuce!! We ended up ordering pizzas with mozzarella. After 1 hour of waiting for our order, we tracked down our waiter and he told us they were out of mozzarella! He told us we could leave if we wanted and he would bring us our check. We asked him what we could get quickly since we were starving. He brought out a plate of cold calamari. They really shouldn't even call themselves a restaurant. Seriously, we thought we were being punk'd because we couldn't imagine service and food being that bad.

1 Stars: HORRIBLE service! (by alisa99)

alisa99 — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:00:00 GMT

Our whole family went out for a dinner, but with that being a homecoming weekend, everything else was booked, so Luciano's was the only restaurant with open availability.. We like Bellevue Square restaurants, so we thought this would be a good time to try it out. BIG mistake! This was the WORST experience out of all restaurants EVER! We had a little baby with us, but she was very quiet, and we tried to keep her very calm not to disturb other customers. No one seemed to be bothered, even a group of teenagers next to us found her cute. Apparently, the waiter and other staff didn't think so.. In my mind, I cannot come up with any other reason why they were unhappy with us there. We did order appetizers, main courses and desserts for 8 people! Our waiter constantly kept dissapearing, food took insanely long to come. After we asked her to bring us bread and spread, (which she noticed was missing after she took our orders) she dissapeared again. And again after we asked her for more. Through the whole nights, she didn't sport a smile, and seemed to be more bothered by us, than interested in earning a tip.Then we had to ask some other waiter to help us beacause she was nowhere in sight. He said he would help us right away, and never showed up again! The glass of Coke ended up costing $6, b/c it was poured from the bar!! Refils on it were not free either. It was a mess! And through the whole night, the owner kept staring at us! As we were ready to leave in the lobby, he was standing right next to us, not even saying "thank you" or "have a good night". It was just weird! The food is VERY average, and is not worth what you pay for it. After paying $350 for the dinner, it felt like it was worth it to pay that just to get out of there asap! PLEASE save yourselved money and mood, and go to any other place in Bellevue but Luciano's!

1 Stars: Lamb Tartare?? (by sansmerci)

sansmerci — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 02:00:00 GMT

I ordered the lamb chops rare, and they arrived raw. They weren't even seared on the outside. I sent them back to be cooked a little longer. They came back with the same level of doneness. I would definitely not recommend this restaurant when there are many others in the Bellevue Collection that know how to cook meat.

1 Stars: Awful! (by leafygreen)

leafygreen — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:00:00 GMT

I took a work colleague to Luciano's for dinner, & later that night I woke up with violent stomach cramps. The next morning I called my colleague to check in and he was sick all night too. I was sick for 2 days from this place. I would never return here. The meal was way overpriced as well. There is a reason why the place was half full when there is a 30 minute wait at all the other restaurants on the same block. We shared the tableside caesar salad and the mozzarella y tomato appetizer, one of which made us both sick.

Unless you enjoy clutching your stomach all night long, don't eat here.

1 Stars: Only thing worse than the food was the service. (by Claudiette)

Claudiette — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 01:00:00 GMT

This place is awful. Service inattentive and utterly indifferent- never a smile to be had. Both my husband's and my pasta were bland and mediocre at best. Menu overpriced for the lousy quality of food. The atmosphere was the only nice thing. Tonight was our first time in there and we wished to God we had waited the 20 minutes to be seated at the restaurant right up the street but we were too impatient. Save yourself the $90 and eat ANYWHERE else in Bellevue for a better meal and better service.

1 Stars: Confused, expensive, bland. (by midiner)

midiner — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 01:00:00 GMT

Very mediocre food, with a menu that ranges all over the Mediteranean (should I really be seeing escargot in an Italian restaurant?). The most boring pizzas ever: crust was bland and clearly baked in a plain jane oven; toppings totally lacked variety. The spinach in the Spinach and Ricotta ravioli was undetectable. Prices were very high given the quality. From where we were sitting in the back, I smelled strong cigarette smoke repeatedly, but it was unclear where it was coming from (not from the diners. Service was uninterested. I boxed my own leftovers (for the kids) and drinks went un-refilled. This is the place to go if you have money to burn, no sensibilities about food, and don't care about service.

1 Stars: Food not worth the visit. Owner didn't care. (by crash_ke)

crash_ke — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 01:00:00 GMT

My husband and I decided to stop in here when our first dinner destination was full. Although our gnocci was good, the side of vegetables that we ordered was terrible. It consisted of simply prepared green beans and mini carrots. The green beans were edible, but the carrots were not. Both were old, but the carrots tasted terrible. For this we were charged $14! We asked the waiter to deduct part of the cost, but the owner refused. We will never return.

1 Stars: Where you pay first grade money to eat third grade food (by brista)

brista — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:00:00 GMT

This is probably the worst Italian food that you'd ever eat. Even the Safeway next door serves better pasta.
Even the rice was undercooked. Their tiramisu is a joke and the waiter didn't even offer a dessert menu.

One of my friends is a vegetarian and the waiter refused to offer the dish she wanted without meat. There are only two veg options and when she ordered one of them, the waiter still got her meat filled ravioli and wasn't even apologetic about it. Absolutely not vegetarian friendly.

There are better places to waste your money.

3 Stars: great food (by pallavi_singh)

pallavi_singh — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 01:00:00 GMT

Being a weekend evening, all other restaurants in the downtown area were overly crowded and had a long queue waiting and so we landed up in Ristorante Luciano as it was not so crowded and we didn't have to wait. Though it was by chance that we landed there, but we didnt regret it as the food was really good.

2 Stars: Expensive cuisine hardly equals quality (by cmarlow)

cmarlow — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 02:00:00 GMT

Despite its upscale ambiance and fine wine selection, Luciano's cuisine was clearly designed by a chef of a bygone era. That chef, of course, is Ettore Boyardee. The tell tale sign of the kitchen's lackluster talent is made evident not only in their sloppy presentation (my ravioli resembled pimples on pale skin), but by the presence of carrots in their risotto.

If you want a much more enjoyable, authentic Italian dining experience, go to Mama Melina's or Barolo.