No resys, just walk ins and it's busy but going earlier is always best or be prepared to wait a bit. It's more than worth it, the food is fire and with the portions it still feels like a lot but it's nice to try a little of everything. My favorite is the pesto and oyster mushroom pasta dish and the radiatore with lamb! Great wine selection as well. Quaint small and nice spot.
Taylor J.
This restaurant is amazing! I highly recommend this business. Their food is incredible and the service was amazing. It's so cute on the inside, it's a small place! All of the pastas we tried were delicious, as well as the desserts!
Christine G.
This was our first time at this restaurant. We had heard good things about it, but I must disagree. After a two hour wait in the rain, we were grateful to have a seat by the drafty front door. Our food server did not introduce themselves. We had been seated with the menu for 5 minutes when she approached us and seemed frustrated that we were not ready to order. The server did not offer to explain any of the dishes and was impatient to answer any questions. We received our appetizers: some stale bread and a few fried olives rolling around on a plate (poor presentation). A while later, we received a bowl of lukewarm soup and other entrees. As they reached across the table to set down one of the plates, some olives came toppling off and rolled away. She did not bat an eye. All of the surfaces in the dining room were hard which made for a loud clangy ambience. Because the servers were lounging around and chatting, we had to get up from the table to bring our empty carafe to them for a refill. I have to say it was not an enjoyable experience. Having waited two hours, our expectations were pretty high. That being said, the service was lousy and the food was subpar.
Ben C.
Cozy corner dinner off of Burnside, arguable the tightest tables around. Definitely not a group venue but perfect for two. Every table was seated which made a very lively room. The menu ~ small bites, nothing served in large quantity. Everything was seasoned well, tasty & satisfying if tasting multiple plates is your thing. Gotta sip on Italian beer to complete the ambience! Our waiter was perfetto ~ soft smile & inviting tone to his voice & posture. Attentive throughout the dinner. Showed true professionalism. Made the $$$ dinner. The restaurant could use an overall deep clean. The antiqued decor is cute, but too much grime all around and the walk to and in the bathroom is not pleasing.
Paula B.
Used to be a regular at Luce's just had meal there after a couple years' absence. Meal was PERFECT. Made me realize how second rate some restaurants I have been going to really are. Had crostini with salt cod, half order of cavatelli with arugula and pine nuts and the cabbage with garlic oil. I like heat so asked for chili flakes which were promptly provided. Had the house wine which was just fine and very inexpensive. Don't think I will be going back to any other Portland Italian restaurants any time soon.
victor colominas
Outstanding italian in Portland; definitely my favorite one.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
calla johnson
A favorite in Portland. We make a point to come here whenever we’re in town. Luce is the closest thing I’ve seen to an authentic Italian trattoria since being in Italy. This visit, our favorites were the rabbit liver crostini, the octopus salad, the spaghetti with bottarga, the lamb pasta and the fish cheeks with lentils. The menu is done in a way where even if you’re a solo diner or just two people, you can try many different things - which I love. And the service is wonderful.You can tell a lot of thought and care go into this place. I hope they’re around for years to come.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Josina Reaves
Well, this is an excellent date spot, special dinner with good friends spot, or special event with the honey spot. The wine is excellent, the antipasti are lovely, and the mains are perfect. It's just delightful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marshal Turner
10/10. A very special, intimate Italian spot. The service is amazing. The food is amazing. Simple but in the best way. One of the best bowls of pasta I have had in Portland.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Linguine
Eric Getchell
Great, friendly service, really good food at a good price, will be going there again
I don't remember how I found this place. It's now one of my favorite restaurants now. We got there around 6pm weekday. We're lucky and got seated immediately at the la St available table. People who came after us had to wait for a long time. I love the ambiance there. People were chatting and laughing in a cozy place. It makes me feel like we are all having a party together. Wait staffs are friendly and answered all our questions patiently. They have a one page menu but 5 pages of wine list. I like everything in a smaller portion so we can have more dishes to share. We're enjoying ourselves so much we forgot to take pictures of our dishes until dessert time. The fresh pastas are sooooooo delicious. Our favorite is the clam spaghetti. The fettuccine with lemon is refreshing and not too sour.
Bassline Pixie
Wow. The food here is to die for.The pasta is perfectly al dente and the flavors are good. Try the olives!The servers are incredibly friendly and so fun to talk to.Desserts were bomb too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Olives
Emilee McKelvey
The food is light and flavorful. Appetizers were unique and delicious. The pasta was well made. The service was kind and quick.Would recommend and will go again.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cristian Cruz
This is a place I’ll come back to over and over again for a solid Italian experience!I haven’t been to many Italian spots in Portland, but this has been my favorite spot thus far.We came on a Saturday night, around 6:30pm and were able to be seated outside within 20 minutes. (Wait time outside was longer) there are no reservations, it’s first come first served but they take your phone number down which allows one the freedom to walk around and try one of the cocktail or shopping spots nearby.We split focaccia, 3 - half pasta portions, 1 main, 1 side, and 2 desserts between 4 of us and we were perfectly satisfied. I highly recommend splitting half pasta portions because each of them are unique and flavorful, it was so hard to choose just 1!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pappardelle w Rabbit Ragu
Elizabeth Sizemore
We had a fantastic dinner at Luce! Some absolutely great Italian food. We had FOMO so ended up getting a few half order of different pastas and sharing. A couple desserts too (we really splurged). Everything was great. My favorite was the ragu and the apricots wilth milk cake. Our server was fantastic as well, made great recommendations.The place is quite small and reservations are not taken, so show up and prepare to wait (but outside or somewhere else). We came on a Tuesday evening and it was still packed. It's charming and has got a great vibe, but you have to go through the kitchen to get to the bathroom, which is a bit awkward. Also the tables are very close together. On the surface, it feels intimate, but we heard more of our neighbors' conversations than we could each other across the table.All that to say, it's now one of our favorite Italian places. Can't wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Olives, Pappardelle w Rabbit Ragu
No resys, just walk ins and it's busy but going earlier is always best or be prepared to wait a bit. It's more than worth it, the food is fire and with the portions it still feels like a lot but it's nice to try a little of everything. My favorite is the pesto and oyster mushroom pasta dish and the radiatore with lamb! Great wine selection as well. Quaint small and nice spot.
This restaurant is amazing! I highly recommend this business. Their food is incredible and the service was amazing. It's so cute on the inside, it's a small place! All of the pastas we tried were delicious, as well as the desserts!
This was our first time at this restaurant. We had heard good things about it, but I must disagree. After a two hour wait in the rain, we were grateful to have a seat by the drafty front door. Our food server did not introduce themselves. We had been seated with the menu for 5 minutes when she approached us and seemed frustrated that we were not ready to order. The server did not offer to explain any of the dishes and was impatient to answer any questions. We received our appetizers: some stale bread and a few fried olives rolling around on a plate (poor presentation). A while later, we received a bowl of lukewarm soup and other entrees. As they reached across the table to set down one of the plates, some olives came toppling off and rolled away. She did not bat an eye. All of the surfaces in the dining room were hard which made for a loud clangy ambience. Because the servers were lounging around and chatting, we had to get up from the table to bring our empty carafe to them for a refill. I have to say it was not an enjoyable experience. Having waited two hours, our expectations were pretty high. That being said, the service was lousy and the food was subpar.
Cozy corner dinner off of Burnside, arguable the tightest tables around. Definitely not a group venue but perfect for two. Every table was seated which made a very lively room. The menu ~ small bites, nothing served in large quantity. Everything was seasoned well, tasty & satisfying if tasting multiple plates is your thing. Gotta sip on Italian beer to complete the ambience! Our waiter was perfetto ~ soft smile & inviting tone to his voice & posture. Attentive throughout the dinner. Showed true professionalism. Made the $$$ dinner. The restaurant could use an overall deep clean. The antiqued decor is cute, but too much grime all around and the walk to and in the bathroom is not pleasing.
Used to be a regular at Luce's just had meal there after a couple years' absence. Meal was PERFECT. Made me realize how second rate some restaurants I have been going to really are. Had crostini with salt cod, half order of cavatelli with arugula and pine nuts and the cabbage with garlic oil. I like heat so asked for chili flakes which were promptly provided. Had the house wine which was just fine and very inexpensive. Don't think I will be going back to any other Portland Italian restaurants any time soon.
Outstanding italian in Portland; definitely my favorite one.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A favorite in Portland. We make a point to come here whenever we’re in town. Luce is the closest thing I’ve seen to an authentic Italian trattoria since being in Italy. This visit, our favorites were the rabbit liver crostini, the octopus salad, the spaghetti with bottarga, the lamb pasta and the fish cheeks with lentils. The menu is done in a way where even if you’re a solo diner or just two people, you can try many different things - which I love. And the service is wonderful.You can tell a lot of thought and care go into this place. I hope they’re around for years to come.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Well, this is an excellent date spot, special dinner with good friends spot, or special event with the honey spot. The wine is excellent, the antipasti are lovely, and the mains are perfect. It's just delightful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
10/10. A very special, intimate Italian spot. The service is amazing. The food is amazing. Simple but in the best way. One of the best bowls of pasta I have had in Portland.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Linguine
Great, friendly service, really good food at a good price, will be going there again
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I don't remember how I found this place. It's now one of my favorite restaurants now. We got there around 6pm weekday. We're lucky and got seated immediately at the la St available table. People who came after us had to wait for a long time. I love the ambiance there. People were chatting and laughing in a cozy place. It makes me feel like we are all having a party together. Wait staffs are friendly and answered all our questions patiently. They have a one page menu but 5 pages of wine list. I like everything in a smaller portion so we can have more dishes to share. We're enjoying ourselves so much we forgot to take pictures of our dishes until dessert time. The fresh pastas are sooooooo delicious. Our favorite is the clam spaghetti. The fettuccine with lemon is refreshing and not too sour.
Wow. The food here is to die for.The pasta is perfectly al dente and the flavors are good. Try the olives!The servers are incredibly friendly and so fun to talk to.Desserts were bomb too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Olives
The food is light and flavorful. Appetizers were unique and delicious. The pasta was well made. The service was kind and quick.Would recommend and will go again.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a place I’ll come back to over and over again for a solid Italian experience!I haven’t been to many Italian spots in Portland, but this has been my favorite spot thus far.We came on a Saturday night, around 6:30pm and were able to be seated outside within 20 minutes. (Wait time outside was longer) there are no reservations, it’s first come first served but they take your phone number down which allows one the freedom to walk around and try one of the cocktail or shopping spots nearby.We split focaccia, 3 - half pasta portions, 1 main, 1 side, and 2 desserts between 4 of us and we were perfectly satisfied. I highly recommend splitting half pasta portions because each of them are unique and flavorful, it was so hard to choose just 1!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pappardelle w Rabbit Ragu
We had a fantastic dinner at Luce! Some absolutely great Italian food. We had FOMO so ended up getting a few half order of different pastas and sharing. A couple desserts too (we really splurged). Everything was great. My favorite was the ragu and the apricots wilth milk cake. Our server was fantastic as well, made great recommendations.The place is quite small and reservations are not taken, so show up and prepare to wait (but outside or somewhere else). We came on a Tuesday evening and it was still packed. It's charming and has got a great vibe, but you have to go through the kitchen to get to the bathroom, which is a bit awkward. Also the tables are very close together. On the surface, it feels intimate, but we heard more of our neighbors' conversations than we could each other across the table.All that to say, it's now one of our favorite Italian places. Can't wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Olives, Pappardelle w Rabbit Ragu