Lugano Restaurant

Recommends

Kim L.

Joined 1 year ago

Great food!! Great service!! This was the best meal I have had in a long time! Very authentic and creative! We were very impressed!!

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Foodie3012

Joined 3 years ago

Slam Dunk Dinner!!. My Wife and I dined out at Lugano last weekend and, as always, loved it. We had a GREAT bottle of Italian red (a variety I will not try to spell : ) ! ) Our server was good, knew the wine really well, attentive but not hovering and annoying (not to mention any place in paticular......the New Yorker, the week before)

We ordered the blow tourched pears with arugula and mascarpone - very simple and knock-your-socks-off. We moved quickly to the Foccacia with blue cheese, pine nuts and carmelized onions - I think my wife cried a bit. She had the Napa Cabbage and Cauliflower with Spag (Perfect!) and I had the Corn/Pea and Goat cheese Rissotto with some kind of rolled Pork chop stuffed with Panchetta and Fennel, i think, topped with Red Wine Sauce....at this point i am crying. The pork was sooooo moist and flavorfull. A must try!!!

We got out of there for a reasonable price for the two of us and had a great time, loved the food and nice staff. The place was pretty packed which tells me we were not alone in having a good time - it was a great end to a busy week.

Recommends

foodlvr16

Joined 3 years ago

Pretty Good Food, Unacceptable Service. My husband and I went there for the first time last night. I love good Italian food (and Olive Garden is NOT good Italian food) so I was excited to try Luganos after hearing rave reviews. When the waiter asked what we wanted to drink and we said "water" he gave an exasperated look. (I'm sorry if I don't drink alcohol or soda because I'm invested in my health!) The bruschetta was so strange. It had way too much on it. I was disgusted with the oversized cauliflower, uncooked red onion, burned pancetta and gobs of goat cheese covering the bread. It left me feeling sick to my stomach. However, the spring garlic risotto was very good (although HORRIBLY overpriced at $27 for a mound of risotto, half a piece of chicken and three slices of zuccini) and my husband's chicken ravioli had a great smoky flavor. What made our experience bad was our waiter. He was unfriendly, slow and never cracked a smile. We even heard him complaining to another table how cheap all of his tables had been that night. I was annoyed because I had ordered the 2nd most expensive item on the menu and we had ordered appetizers and desserts. I won't come back because I can get good Italian food elsewhere with better service.

Recommends

bullsmoke

Joined 3 years ago

Outstand meal and service. Our first time and having grown up in N.Y, I know what good Italian food is and this was it. From the appetizer to the capucino, everything exceeded expectation. I tried that night's "Big Red" wine selection, which was great, I don't remember the name now. My girlfriend had gnochi and loved it, I had the spaghetti with seafood and it was outstanding.

The staff was friendly and the owner/chef worked the room, greeting every table and apologizing to those who he saw waiting at the door.

All in all a great find for us in SLC. We're transplants from S.F. and N.Y. and really appreciate this restaurant.

Recommends

redick4prez

Joined 4 years ago

The best Italian in Utah, hands down!. I’m a pretty picky person when it comes to my dining experience -- especially when Italian food is involved. I’ve lived and traveled all over the United States and sampled the best Italian this country has to offer, so I know a good place when I find one. I’m not your typical Olive Garden-loving culinary layman. So believe me when I say that Lugano Restaurant offers the best Italian food in the Salt Lake area, hands down. As I don’t live in close proximity to the restaurant’s Holladay location, I don’t get to go that often – but when I’m in Salt Lake, Lugano is the only option for me.

The restaurant’s atmosphere is intimate and welcoming. The décor is charming and the lighting just dim enough to make you feel like you’re enjoying a romantic night out, but not eating in the dark. The staff is always polite, prompt and friendly, and their service is impeccable. I often ask my servers for recommendations when I dine out, and the Lugano staff have always provided excellent suggestions that I whole-heartedly enjoyed.

The food is the real deal, offering an eclectic variety of authentic Italian dishes – from delicious pastas to mouthwatering risottos to succulent meats. This isn’t just your average spaghetti-and-meatballs joint; the menu provides many Italian staples with a welcome twist to keep things fresh. The specials are consistently great and unique, especially the “Risotto of the Day,” which is always a treat.

From the appetizers (including some truly excellent bruschetta) right down to the desserts (an absolutely divine tiramisu, among others) and their extensive wine list, Lugano Restaurant provides first-rate Italian food and great service at a very reasonable price. Certainly not what I expected to find in an allegedly cultureless town like Salt Lake, but I’ll take it! Consider me enthusiastically surprised.

Doesn't Recommend

heazzy

Joined 5 years ago

Will not return. We tried this place out with a group of friends and we were so disgusted. One of the couples was about 20 min. late and the owner threw an absolute tantrum IN FRONT OF US to the hostess. We were completely ignored by our waitress who told us we had to order right then because they needed our table for the next reservation...AN HOUR FROM THEN. You DO NOT say that. We literally glanced at the menu, then our drinks were never refilled and I asked 3 times for bread. The food was just ok and we know Italian. We just wanted to leave so we rushed through dinner and gave them 15 min. to spare. On top of that gratuity was added at 20%. What a joke. By law you can refuse the added gratuity for larger parties and that we did. We will not spend our money here again.

Recommends

ammisco1

Joined 7 years ago

Very good!. We haven't been here in years, and went the other night with friends. Our waitress was very good, and the specials were wonderful. I had sea bass with polenta, and it was excellent. However, I tasted my husband's pork loin, and it seemed dry to me. The risotto was incredible. It's a bit crowded in there which makes it a little less cozy for a romantic dinner. Overall, a great place.

Doesn't Recommend

vinnieb333

Joined 4 years ago

Great Food, Horrible Service. I took my wife here for valentines day. We showed up shortly after opening time, there were a couple of other groups already seated. We stood up front for what seemed like an eternity. The wait felt very akward because there must have been 5 or 6 different employees look at us and pretend not to see us, some of them on two or three occasions. My wife asked me if this was some kind of private club, "I feel like they would rather we leave." Eventually we were seated by our waitress, it felt like we were saved from drowning and the lifeguard was not very happy she had to do so. After the waitress explained the specials to us she looked at us with raised eyebrows like she was hoping we didn't understand the fancy gourmet language. We ordered, the food showed up and holy cow it was awesome! This is the best Italian I have found in the state! The whole experience is almost tragic, tons of great food and employees leaving a bad taste in my mouth. This place needs some serious employee training and managing. I can't believe the employees were so horrible that I don't recommend you eat at the restruant that has the best food in Utah. (They do have take out!!)

Recommends

Oohiknow

Joined 5 years ago

Delicious food, romantic ambience. Some friends and I gathered here for a dinner last weekend and had a great time. Our appetizers and entrees were tasty (we recommend the bruschetta), our server was very courteous and one of the chefs visited us twice for good measure.

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Novara

Joined 5 years ago

Utah's Best Dining. My favorite foods are mexican, greasy-spoon burgers, and all sorts of asian. I hate[d] italian. My wife and I did not try Lugano for years after moving to Salt Lake.

Big Mistake.

This is best establishment in the state. I love Takashi, and the Red Iguana is unreal, but everything I have ever tried at Lugano is sublime. I especially recommend whatever lamb dish they are serving. Shanks, chops, whatever... It is outstanding. For an italian resturaunt, Lugano is also outstanding at properly cooking salmon (a skill that escapes most high-end eateries in the valley).

All of this, plus the best service in town (you will leave a 40% tip and not think twice about it), plus online reservations. This is also an excellent spot for a mid-week night out.