DeLuca Italian Authentic Restaurant

De Luca is excellent and my favorite Italian restaurant in Nashville. Angelo has used his years of experience to create a memorable experience of food and atmosphere. After multiple visits, I highly recommend it.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This not only the finest Italian restaurant in Nashville
It is the ONLY Italian restaurant in Tennessee.
I relocated here from NJ 30 years ago
I worked in Manhattan for 28 years
Dined at the most renowned Italian restaurants in the New York area.
Deluca is the 1st Italian restaurant that measures up to the superb cuisine of NY and NJ
Their lemon veal is addictive

Service: 5

We’ve been excited to try this restaurant. It was better than we had expected. The ambiance, service (thanks Stefano!) and food (and wine!) were incredible. We started with the eggplant appetizer, ravioli, bread, whole fish and veggies. See menu and food pics. The pistachio limoncello was delicious as well. It was a wonderful birthday celebration. Thank you! ?

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

While visiting from Seattle, I had the pleasure of dining at Deluca, and the experience was nothing short of outstanding. The restaurant offers an inviting atmosphere, balancing sophistication with comfort. However, what truly elevated my visit was the impeccable work of Chef Ricardo and the incredible service provided by Brooke.

Chef Ricardo’s talent shone through every dish. Each plate was thoughtfully composed, bursting with fresh ingredients and vibrant flavors. From appetizers to dessert, the food was a perfect blend of creativity and refinement—truly a testament to his culinary expertise. Every bite felt like a masterpiece, making it one of the most memorable meals I’ve had in recent years.

The service, led by Brooke, was equally impressive. She went above and beyond to ensure everything ran smoothly, offering warm hospitality and attentiveness without being intrusive. Whether it was her expert wine recommendations or her thoughtful attention to detail, Brooke made me feel genuinely welcomed and well-cared for throughout the meal.

If you find yourself in the area, Deluca is an absolute must-visit. The combination of Chef Ricardo’s culinary artistry and Brooke’s exceptional service makes for an unforgettable dining experience. I look forward to returning the next time I’m in town!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tiramisù

Best authentic Italian in Nashville. If you don’t appreciate it, then you don’t get it.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great, relaxing atmosphere coupled with authentic Italian cuisine. Owner, chef, and sous-chef are all native Italians. I highly recommend it to those who want to try real Italian cuisine, rather than the typical cheap imitation. Well suited to special occasions - enjoy the fantastic flavors and the wine. It’s wonderful to have an authentic Italian restaurant in Nashville!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

DeLuca is AMAZING. It is the real deal for proper Roman food. We were a little early for our reservation and happily enjoyed classic, expertly prepared Negroni at the bar. The bartenders were hospitable and engaging. The service is gracious and knowledgeable, and, as our superb server said when we asked to linger between courses, "No, no, please don't feel rushed. We WANT our guests to slow down. Take your time. We are here." We started with burrata and prosciutto. Both were perfect, and it was a generous serving. We enjoyed a Valpolicella Ripasso that was superb, and included a table decanter with aerator. The GM (also a real sommelier), knows his stuff, but he's not pretentious at all. The fettuccine Bolognese was flawless, and the PAPPARDELLE BOSCAIOLA, with guanciale, mushrooms, peas in a white creamy sauce was perfection. They make the pasta in house, it's cooked just barely al dente so that it stays toothsome as one savors it, and it is dressed, not drowned, in sauce. Portions are generous, without being enormous, and at a $20+ price point, it's a great value, especially given the time and talent it takes to make fresh pasta, source the ingredients, and prepare them with a deft, thoughtful hand. The GM and the chef are proper Romans, and I LOVED speaking with them in Italian. My time living and eating in Rome is reborn on White Bridge Road. BRAVI!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great addition to the Nashville food scene. It’s so rare to have food served to you in the US that is a true representation of what one eats in central Italy. So impressed with authenticity of the pizza and millefoglie in particular. Looking forward to a return trip!

… special thank you for calling my cell within 2 minutes of my leaving the restaurant without my credit card ?

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We just tried DeLuca restaurant last week. Admittedly we initially tried it because the chef has our same last name and are always on the hunt for authentic Italian food. We were not disappointed. The service was excellent--from our initial encounter with the bartender to our service by our server along with the very experienced manager. My husband's Pasta Amatriciana was the best he's ever had--and his family is from Italy. My carbonara was delicious. A slight recommendation for the menu would be to specify the type of pasta the dish comes with because some people expect Carbonara to be with spaghetti and this was with penne...but delicious! My husband had a wonderful octopus appetizer that made you want to lick the plate (we behaved and did not). Bread was delicious too and I had a delicious filet (probably because the manager came from Kayne Prime) and house made dessert. The manager even used a coravin to serve me a particular type of barolo. I look forward to coming back for the pizza and perhaps sitting at the bar. This food is high quality and high quality ingredients don't come cheap. I understand why others might say that this place is pricey compared to other options but somehow if the restaurant were not located in a strip mall next to a nail salon and Raising Cane's you might not care as much. I prefer to see this restaurant as a hidden gem. If you are a "foodie" and are looking for authentic Italian, you've got your spot. The manager and chef of this restaurant are very experienced...so I hope people give this place a try...it's worth it.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Carbonara

Value for the money scores a minus 1. Imagine a simple plain atmosphere and not at all luxurious charging more than the Heritage hotel $18 for a tiramisu? They show a Michelin Star at the hotel and a million dollar classic interior. Or the high $20s for a simple dish of pasta? The food cost of a pasta is probably less than $1.00. The new partner must think nashvillians are stupid. He has been bounced about from multiple jobs, maybe his hubris and pricing explain the problem.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 4

Service: 4

First time dining at DeLuca was an excellent experience. Perfectly executed food, with a Roman menu unique in Nashville. Will recommend to others and gladly return!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

The food was delicious- fresh ingredients- pure flavors! The pesto pasta was fantastic and the pizzas are excellent.Authentically High end Italian the chef is from Rome - the real deal!

The best way to describe this restaurant is "No you cannot." I believe they forgot that the customer pays the bill, not the chef. We were very excited about trying this restaurant but were very disappointed. The prices are over the top for what you get. And be aware of the $10 bottle of water which they do not tell you about until you get the bill. One person in our party wanted to order the Carbonara and just asked if he could get a side order of shrimp and guess what the 3 word answer was... If you want good Italian at a reasonable price, go the Valentino's or Giovanni's. This place will not last if they continue to treat customer they way they do and charge the prices they are charging.

I am a native italian who lived 30 years in the USA. I finally found the restaurant in US where food is just like in Italy. Authentic italian food without having to purchase an airplane ticket. Big portions and great taste. Angelo is a fantastic host who pays attention to details and the quality of the ingredients in his kitcken. Excellent wine pairing.

Friday night at 6:30pm, our family decided to eat dinner out and wanted to try something new. We were in the neighborhood of DeLuca, and we’ve heard/read good things about the TRUE Italian restaurant. We called ahead, as we hadn’t made reservations, to see if they could accommodate us. We were told to come in. I’ll take partial blame for not looking ahead to see if they had a dress code, but as several other reviews have stated, the restaurant is sandwiched between a nail salon and a second hand bookstore, in a strip mall on WhiteBridge Rd. Nowhere else remotely near this place has a dress code, but as Angelo (the GM) will point out they have the right to establish whatever dress code they want, and just because it’s in a strip mall doesn’t mean it can’t be fine dining. I agree, and respect that. It was however the way the host approached me from the across the room, walking up and politely asking me to remove my baseball cap. I obliged, and looked to find my family that was already seated. The host then told me that I didn’t meet their dress code and simply stated “unfortunately you cannot dine with us tonight”. I probably would have taken that news better had I not just been asked to take off my hat, but to ask me to remove an article of clothing AND THEN decline me service just felt petty and downright rude. Just inform me that there’s a dress code….ask me if I have a jacket or another shirt in my vehicle (which I did)….offer to take a ToGo order so my family can try your awesome cuisine at home this time….make an exception since you only had 5 other people dining in an otherwise empty restaurant on a Friday night. I also work in hospitality, and I wish you all tons of future success, but we won’t be coming back. Even with the 30% off our next visit Angelo gifted after the interaction, the food and experience would be tainted from the way you made us feel. You made us feel unwelcome, and frankly the tone in which the message was delivered made us feel ‘less than’.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
-Maya Angelou

Service: 1