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“Not the best....”
Review of Lucca

Lucca
Ranked #53 of 1,081 Restaurants in Nairobi
Cuisines: Italian
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Dining options: Reservations
Description: As soon as you enter the Trattoria style surroundings of LUCCA Restaurant and Deli, the tantalizing and intoxicating aromas of home cooked Italian food really stimulate those taste buds. The team of Chefs at LUCCA use the finest ingredients to deliver the greatest home cooked food, just what is required for a delicious dining experience. LUCCA has become an instant hit with guests because of its relaxed atmosphere and delicious Italian cuisine. Designed with friends and family in mind, this venue is the perfect place to trade stories about another exciting day in Nairobi.
Reviewed 15 December 2014

Arrived at the hotel of which Lucca is one of the restaurants, as arriving late I did sit down to order a little later than most at +-21:00, though was told that the kitchen was open to 22:00.

The staff were well meaning but the service was lacking from drinks through to food. My meal order was lost and finally arrived an hour late, the staff were apologetic, even so......

On the kitchen, the Bucatini reportedly comes with pancetta and chilli, both of which were missing in action, leaving a bland tomato base with pasta.

The courtyard venue was nice for a drink, though on the food front, wouldn't recommend it, very pedestrian ...

Date of visit: December 2014
    • Value
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Thank KnightInBrisbane
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ManishNambiar, General Manager at Lucca, responded to this reviewResponded 19 December 2014

Dear KnightInBrisbane,
Thank you for writing a review on your recent dining experience at LUCCA.
I have reviewed your feedback with our Chef de Cuisine at LUCCA, Chef Silvio and our Outlet Manager, Geoffrey Mulwa, and we are disappointed to read that you did not have the best dining experience at LUCCA.
We have looked into both the service and the quality of food comments and have taken the necessary action.
We do hope that we will have the opportunity to host you at LUCCA once again in the near future.
Best Regards
Manish

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviews (252)
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224 - 228 of 252 reviews

Reviewed 3 December 2014

We went to Lucca - italian restaurant over the weekend.
The food was great... all the vegetarian food was extremely yummy and so was the chicken. The service however needs to be worked on. The waiters were not to attentive and needed to be called on about 3,4 times to place our orders. The ambiance was nice.. we sat outdoors towards the hotel side which was quiet and pleasant, as we were informed, the side that over looks the highway is quite noisy. to be honest it is a tad bit expensive... but worth it, especially for a special occasion.
They gave us a free dessert which was enough for 20 people, for the birthday girl.

Date of visit: November 2014
Thank S0nki
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 3 December 2014

We went to Lucca - italian restaurant over the weekend.
The food was great... all the vegetarian food was extremely yummy and so was the chicken. The service however needs to be worked on. The waiters were not to attentive and needed to be called on about 3,4 times to place our orders. The ambiance was nice.. we sat outdoors towards the hotel side which was quiet and pleasant, as we were informed, the side that over looks the highway is quite noisy. to be honest it is a tad bit expensive... but worth it, especially for a special occasion. They gave us a dessert.. on the house for the birthday girl, which was very yummy

Date of visit: November 2014
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
    • Service
    • Food
Thank S0nki
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 1 December 2014

we went to the LUCCA restaurant in the Villa rosa Kempenski.
service was good. pizza's well prepared and well priced. Drink prices are very expensive. the management need to review the prices for drinks.outdoor sitting is good but facing the highway so too much noise of cars passing.Waiters very polite and eficient in service.
will surely go again

Date of visit: November 2014
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
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Thank raju21
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 21 November 2014

Sunday last week saw us as the only candidates for lunch at this well reviewed restaurant. This in itself should have been a warning alarm but we gave in to the usual "give it a chance" syndrome. Not the best of choices. Right through our lunch we only saw three other tables taken. The place looked quite clean but very clinical as if I had wandered into a new hospital cafe. Staff are good people but clearly not too well trained and easily got flustered. Saw a manager fleetingly and once. He obviously must have cleared off seeing that the restaurant was empty. We chose a table on the front balcony. My advice is never to make this mistake. The super busy highway is hardly 100 yards away and you will not hear yourself think let alone maintain a table conversation with all the racket. Sit well inside for some peace.
The menu was predictable and nothing fancy. The prices shocked some members of my group. It shocked them even more when the food arrived and upon tasting them it was felt that better quality was available at some food courts.
Nobody ordered from the starter menu as it looked quite bready and would fill up appetites unnecessarily. The stuffed chicken dish (Pollo Alla Boscaiola) was bland to infinity and beyond. The vegetarian souffle dish (Tortino di Patate) was uncuttable and unforgettable in how pathetic it was. Would not pay anything for it. The grilled prawns were saved by their natural fresh taste only. Desserts were very good with the star of the show being the tiramisu.

Beers at K.Shs. 500 were clearly money being thrown with abandon. I can't understand that a retail beer of K.Shs. 170 is resold at 500.

Clearly if you have more money than sense you will patronise this restaurant but for foodies who appreciate good food at good value you may end up clogging this blog with your dissatisfaction.

Date of visit: November 2014
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
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Thank AnujD660
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ManishNambiar, General Manager at Lucca, responded to this reviewResponded 2 December 2014

Dear Anuj D,
Thank you for taking the time to write a review on LUCCA Restaurant and Deli at Villa Rosa Kempinski Nairobi and for selecting the restaurant for Sunday lunch.
I am very disappointed to learn that your dining experience was not a pleasant one, I have taken note that you were not satisfied with several aspects of the experience and would appreciate the opportunity to communicate on this with you.
I would be grateful if you could please get in touch with me – manish.nambiar@kempinski.com
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best Regards
Manish

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