Luca Cucina Italiana - Berkeley

Atmosphere : a little underpolished and hole-in-the-wall-ish, but VERY welcoming. EXACTLY the kind of place you might expect to find astonishingly good food. Th... read more Atmosphere : a little underpolished and hole-in-the-wall-ish, but VERY welcoming. EXACTLY the kind of place you might expect to find astonishingly good food. Their pastas are cooked to perfection, and their sauces are as rich and subtle as any I 've ever had in Italy. You 'll feel an urge to keep this place as your own special secret, only to be shared with close friends.

The food at this restaurant was amazing! The salad came in a large portion, so I only ate about half and it's definitely shareable. I added meatballs to my past... read more The food at this restaurant was amazing! The salad came in a large portion, so I only ate about half and it's definitely shareable. I added meatballs to my pasta and while I wish I had gotten one more for the price, it was still very tasty. The service was excellent. The hardest part was deciding what to eat because everything looked so delicious, especially watching them cook the fish. Looks like I'll have to come back again!

The food was great. The service was not great. It was freezing in there, as well, and there was a heater over the door but it was not running even though the ro... read more The food was great. The service was not great. It was freezing in there, as well, and there was a heater over the door but it was not running even though the room was full of patrons. They seemed to be so busy fulfilling take out orders that it took 45 minutes for the waiter to come to our table to take away the dishes from the last customers who sat at our table and take our drink order. It might not be bad if they served drinks or something but it was a cold wait with no acknowledgement from the staff. We had to stand up and wait in line with the take out delivery people to call attention to our table. No drinks came, not even water. The waiter seemed very inexperienced and it seemed like he was the only one working on Valentine’s Day. He took our order and we waited another 45 minutes for the food, which arrived half warm. The potatoes were cold but the chicken was fresh and warm. The chicken piccata and eggplant parmigiana were perfect aside from the cold potatoes. Sauces were great. Our waters arrived after our meal arrived, the appetizer never arrived so we tried ordering it again to eat with our meal. The appetizer salad arrived and it was quite big, but not very well dressed. It was a generous portion of arugula with some vinegar, beets, nuts and cheese but not quite enough oil to balance the acidity off the leaves.A new server arrived who served our meals and she was much better. Quick and friendly. Overall I enjoyed the food but was surprised by the service.

Good “bang for your buck” Italian food. A bit oily for my taste, but still pretty good Service: Dine in Price per person: $20–30 Food: 4 Service: 4 Atmosphere:... read more Good “bang for your buck” Italian food. A bit oily for my taste, but still pretty good Service: Dine in Price per person: $20–30 Food: 4 Service: 4 Atmosphere: 4

Meatballs... I really liked them. The issue was there were only two when added to the pasta vodka sauce. They were small also. Food was very good. No wine on me... read more Meatballs... I really liked them. The issue was there were only two when added to the pasta vodka sauce. They were small also. Food was very good. No wine on menu. Service: Dine in Price per person: $20–30 Food: 4 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 4