Lucca's Trattoria has been part of the Tiong Bahru neighbourhood since 2012, serving authentic Tuscan Italian cuisine inspired by the walled city of Lucca, whose preserved medieval walls and devotion to genuine food inspired the restaurant's founding. The kitchen's philosophy is 'cucina alla casalinga' — home cooking — with hand-made pasta, ravioli assembled in-house, fresh gelato churned the traditional Italian way, and a menu based on what native Lucchese would eat daily, using premium ingredients imported mostly from Italy. An open kitchen lets guests watch the chefs at work, turning out Neapolitan-style pizza, fresh anti-pasto, house-baked bread, handcrafted pasta and fresh seafood alongside Tuscan classics like T-bone steak. Wine is a major draw: over 200 labels, mostly Italian, housed in a climate-controlled walk-in wine cellar, with pours by the glass, rare collectibles, an Undersea Series from Spain and large formats up to methuselah. Desserts, made fresh daily with premium ingredients from Italy and France, include an award-winning tiramisu built on a heritage family recipe and Segafredo espresso. A sheltered outdoor terrace full of greenery and cooled by overhead fans makes for breezy, romantic dining, and reviews from millions of TripAdvisor travellers place the restaurant in the top 10% worldwide. The menu caters to both small and large group functions, with corporate and event bookings available.
Lucca's Trattoria has been part of the Tiong Bahru neighbourhood since 2012, serving the kind of Tuscan home cooking its founders fell in love with on trips to Italy. The restaurant is named after the city of Lucca in Tuscany, which the owners and chef found charming and idyllic — a traditional Italian city ringed by medieval walls so lovingly preserved that they have been transformed into a lush park. That city, and the Lucchese people's passionate devotion to genuine food, became the blueprint for everything the restaurant does in Singapore.
At the centre of the kitchen's philosophy is 'cucina alla casalinga' — home cooking. Pasta is made by hand, the ravioli is assembled within the restaurant, and the gelato is churned fresh in the traditional Italian way. Most ingredients are imported from Italy, and the menu is based on what native Lucchese would eat daily, alongside dishes from all over Tuscany, a region renowned for its rich culinary history. Lucca itself is famous for its olio d'oliva lucchese, one of the highest-quality olive oils you can find, and that devotion to honest ingredients runs through the whole menu. Nothing is hidden either: the kitchen is open, so guests can watch the chefs at work.
Pizza is a headline act — Neapolitan in style, slightly charred on the outside yet moist within, made with quality flour imported from Italy. Around it sits a full Italian menu: fresh anti-pasto to start, house-baked bread, handcrafted pastas, fresh seafood and Tuscan classics such as the T-bone steak. The award-winning menu was curated by the chefs to satisfy the most discerning of palates, and it scales well — the restaurant caters to both small and large group functions, with corporate and event bookings available.
Wine is half the story. Italy has some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world, with more than 500 native grape varieties and 4,000+ years of winemaking, and Lucca's list does that heritage justice: over 200 labels, mostly Italian, spanning the north, centre and south of the country and beyond. Guests are invited to visit the climate-controlled walk-in wine cellar, and there is a good range available by the glass. Beyond still wines, the list covers bubbly, rosé and sweet wines, an Undersea Series from Spain, rare and coveted collectibles in the Collezione Di Lucca, and exclusive wine from Lucca itself. Large formats run from magnums (1,500ml) to jeroboams (3,000ml) and methuselahs (6,000ml). Not drinking? There is also a good selection of liquors, beers, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks.
Desserts are made fresh at the restaurant with premium ingredients from Italy and France. The tiramisu is the one to order — award-winning, made with Segafredo espresso and built on a heritage family recipe. The gelato, churned fresh in the traditional Italian way, is a worthy companion.
The dining room extends onto a sheltered outdoor terrace, full of greenery and cooled by overhead fans — breezy, relaxing and, as the restaurant describes it, romantic. Travellers appear to agree: reviews from millions of TripAdvisor travellers place Lucca's Trattoria in the top 10% worldwide, and it has earned TripAdvisor's Certificate of Excellence and Travellers' Choice awards. Over the years it has also been featured by Time Out, The Straits Times, TODAY, Lianhe Zaobao, Lifestyle Asia, Wine & Dine, The Weekender, My Paper and the Japanese media outlet JPLUS.
Lucca's Trattoria sits at 77 Tiong Bahru Road, Singapore 168727, in a neighbourhood popular with lovers of culture and fine food. Hours are Mondays to Fridays from 12 noon to 11pm, Saturdays and eves of public holidays from 11.30am to 11pm, and Sundays and public holidays from 11.30am to 9.30pm, with last orders 30 minutes before closing. Reservations can be made through the restaurant's website — worth doing if you have your heart set on a terrace table.