My go to in Benicia is Lucca. They are probably the only restaurant that regularly updates their menu. Living here, one can grow tired of the same menu every time you visit a restaurant. I do like Lucca for atmosphere and the service is always nice. Their cocktails are usually pretty good; I've never had a complaint. The food however has gone downhill.
I usually stick to the small plates and appetizers because I enjoy sharing but the past three visits (in the past 6 months), I've ordered an entree and it hasn't been great. I can't remember what I ordered the first time but the vegetables were horrible and the potatoes were basically a rock. Not creamy at all. I joked with the guy next to me about the vegetables because he had the same thing. Not good at all. Like they were either thrown in the microwave to defrost or just steamed and thrown on the plate. No love.
The second time I had the bacon wrapped meatloaf. I hesitated because it came with veggies and mashed potatoes but thought I'd push my luck. I lost. The vegetables were again so bland and the potatoes... I could pick up in one piece like a softball. The meatloaf was very bland as well. I'm starting to noitce that Lucca does not believe in salt or pepper. The friend I was with is a chef andI told her the food had no punch. She said, salt... poorly seasoned.
So I ordered a burger the other day, which I've enjoyed in the past, but again.... where is the salt? The patty was bland. I considered going to Burger King but decided on Lucca. I really should've gone to BK. Nothing special whatsoever about this Lucca burger. Unfortunate. If I left this review 2-3 years ago, it would have been a better review. *In the past, I've really enjoyed their Famous fried chicken and chicken sandwiches.
My recommendation, stick to the small plates and cocktails. Salads are good. I wish I could've given a better review because I really enjoy visiting. Apparently I just need to be more careful with my ordering.
Kid-friendliness: It's a good place to take kids. I do like the beer garden. In the past, my daughter would run around and dance when there were bands playing. It's a great vibe in the back and I appreciate the upgrade to shade the area.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Deviled Eggs with Duck Prosciutto, Beet Salad, Famous Fried Chicken
Wendy Ayson
Best food and music experience ever. Loved the food had ribs eye and veggies
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John Gajan
Music, great beer selection and good food. A Benicia must
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lucca Burger and Fries
Anngi Giusto
We went to Lucca's to hear one of our favorite bands. Beaufunk!! The people are friendly. The place is fun. But the only complaint we had was no place to sit. But that is a good band so I understand it was overcrowded.
Atmosphere: 5
Jim Hardwick
My wife and I went here to hear a blues band. We were very pleased with the food, entertainment, and service. Our table was on the sidewalk where I could see a beautiful sunset developing. After finishing our meal, we walked to the nearby shoreline where we found a comfortable bench from which we could watch the sunset.
Parking: We came for a special event, so parking was not available nearby. We parked several blocks away, but the walk was enjoyable along the Main Street of Benicia, lined with interesting shops.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Deborah Quigley
Great food, server was so personable and looked after us. Gorgeous lunch sat in the sun.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Sandwich
Angelina Bethman
Crazy busy Porchfest Saturday in Benecia had 17 bands playing throughout the city...the best bands & music were at Lucca's! Their burgers club sandwiches salmon fillet specials are worth the price.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Josh P.
I love Lucca, I live in Benica and come here 3 times a week. The food is awesome and the atmosphere is fantastic. You'll find a crowd of grounded middle aged to older people here. It's a great atmosphere with the perfect amount of chatter and never rowdy.
Darcy, Jack, Anna, Luke, Justin and the other staff are all awesome people.
Pictured: The Cobb salad is legit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lucia Acuña
It is a beautiful place. I recommend going with my friends and it is wonderful♥️?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hamburguesa
J wu
Their fried chicken is super crispy, not too dry, and comes with some really good sides. Definitely worth checking out.
Great place to dine. Some days, they have live bands
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Dre Hardin
A quaint eatery featuring small portions exploding with multi note flavors !
Very Enjoyable !
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Chris Harrod
This review is my experience in the beer garden.
The good: you can eat outside, there was a band, decent beer selection.
The bad: First off, everything is served in plastic and not degradable plastic but single use plastic including food entrees, beers, forks, knives and spoons. I I can't imagine the amount of plastic trash they create in one weekend.
For the food, the chef can't be happy sending this food out the door. When it showed up, I had to give it a double take. Maybe inside is better but the Beer Garden food was absolutely awful. The fries were soft with a puddle of chili and cheese in the center. You'd be better off finding your local little league snack shack for some chili fries.The $16 dollar cobb salad was sad on many levels with no effort to even slice the hard boiled egg. The pretzel was fine but nothing to write home about.
The whole lucca experience is all the reasons I dislike eating out. Not cheap, not good, and tons of trash. The only reason I'd go back is to enjoy a beer outside when they've stopped using plastic cups. Until then, I'd never come back to Luccas.
My go to in Benicia is Lucca. They are probably the only restaurant that regularly updates their menu. Living here, one can grow tired of the same menu every time you visit a restaurant. I do like Lucca for atmosphere and the service is always nice. Their cocktails are usually pretty good; I've never had a complaint. The food however has gone downhill.
I usually stick to the small plates and appetizers because I enjoy sharing but the past three visits (in the past 6 months), I've ordered an entree and it hasn't been great. I can't remember what I ordered the first time but the vegetables were horrible and the potatoes were basically a rock. Not creamy at all. I joked with the guy next to me about the vegetables because he had the same thing. Not good at all. Like they were either thrown in the microwave to defrost or just steamed and thrown on the plate. No love.
The second time I had the bacon wrapped meatloaf. I hesitated because it came with veggies and mashed potatoes but thought I'd push my luck. I lost. The vegetables were again so bland and the potatoes... I could pick up in one piece like a softball. The meatloaf was very bland as well. I'm starting to noitce that Lucca does not believe in salt or pepper. The friend I was with is a chef andI told her the food had no punch. She said, salt... poorly seasoned.
So I ordered a burger the other day, which I've enjoyed in the past, but again.... where is the salt? The patty was bland. I considered going to Burger King but decided on Lucca. I really should've gone to BK. Nothing special whatsoever about this Lucca burger. Unfortunate. If I left this review 2-3 years ago, it would have been a better review. *In the past, I've really enjoyed their Famous fried chicken and chicken sandwiches.
My recommendation, stick to the small plates and cocktails. Salads are good. I wish I could've given a better review because I really enjoy visiting. Apparently I just need to be more careful with my ordering.
Kid-friendliness: It's a good place to take kids. I do like the beer garden. In the past, my daughter would run around and dance when there were bands playing. It's a great vibe in the back and I appreciate the upgrade to shade the area.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Deviled Eggs with Duck Prosciutto, Beet Salad, Famous Fried Chicken
Best food and music experience ever. Loved the food had ribs eye and veggies
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Music, great beer selection and good food. A Benicia must
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lucca Burger and Fries
We went to Lucca's to hear one of our favorite bands. Beaufunk!! The people are friendly. The place is fun.
But the only complaint we had was no place to sit. But that is a good band so I understand it was overcrowded.
Atmosphere: 5
My wife and I went here to hear a blues band. We were very pleased with the food, entertainment, and service. Our table was on the sidewalk where I could see a beautiful sunset developing. After finishing our meal, we walked to the nearby shoreline where we found a comfortable bench from which we could watch the sunset.
Parking: We came for a special event, so parking was not available nearby. We parked several blocks away, but the walk was enjoyable along the Main Street of Benicia, lined with interesting shops.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food, server was so personable and looked after us. Gorgeous lunch sat in the sun.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Sandwich
Crazy busy Porchfest Saturday
in Benecia had 17 bands playing throughout the city...the best bands & music were at Lucca's! Their burgers club sandwiches salmon fillet specials are worth the price.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I love Lucca, I live in Benica and come here 3 times a week. The food is awesome and the atmosphere is fantastic. You'll find a crowd of grounded middle aged to older people here. It's a great atmosphere with the perfect amount of chatter and never rowdy.
Darcy, Jack, Anna, Luke, Justin and the other staff are all awesome people.
Pictured: The Cobb salad is legit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It is a beautiful place. I recommend going with my friends and it is wonderful♥️?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hamburguesa
Their fried chicken is super crispy, not too dry, and comes with some really good sides. Definitely worth checking out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Famous Fried Chicken
Restaurantji Recommends
Benicia night life is so wonderful
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Great place to dine. Some days, they have live bands
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
A quaint eatery featuring small portions exploding with multi note flavors !
Very Enjoyable !
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
This review is my experience in the beer garden.
The good: you can eat outside, there was a band, decent beer selection.
The bad: First off, everything is served in plastic and not degradable plastic but single use plastic including food entrees, beers, forks, knives and spoons. I I can't imagine the amount of plastic trash they create in one weekend.
For the food, the chef can't be happy sending this food out the door. When it showed up, I had to give it a double take. Maybe inside is better but the Beer Garden food was absolutely awful. The fries were soft with a puddle of chili and cheese in the center. You'd be better off finding your local little league snack shack for some chili fries.The $16 dollar cobb salad was sad on many levels with no effort to even slice the hard boiled egg. The pretzel was fine but nothing to write home about.
The whole lucca experience is all the reasons I dislike eating out. Not cheap, not good, and tons of trash. The only reason I'd go back is to enjoy a beer outside when they've stopped using plastic cups. Until then, I'd never come back to Luccas.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Portions getting smaller, prices getting higher.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Loading...