Café Luce Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar Reviews

A real find. Starter was on point, a Burrata salad. Pasta was perfection the Cacio E Peppe. The tiramisu was way too sweet for my palate but was nicely presented. Will be back for the pasta which was had incredible flavor, perfect texture and what i think fresh pasta should taste like. Service was great and allowed ample time to decide. Loved the overall vibe.

Small cozy restaurant next to 2nd Av and 53rd that serves Italian food without any special distinctive trait. I tried a fresh pasta Alfredo with mushrooms. It looked too heavy and the pasta was completely mangled like a uniform thing. Not tasteless but lifeless. Service is attentive and correct, although I asked for bread and olive oil at the beginning and it came with the pasta.

This is a tiny restaurant where you may get to know your dining neighbors! It was pretty busy even quite early by NY standards. They do a happy hour until 6, with a nice selection of $10 wines. Our waiter was really nice. Honestly answered questions, there was no rush, soft spoken. Companion and I split the bruschetta pomodoro, 3 pieces, nice flavor. Not oily. They have a variety of sauces, and you can choose which homemade pasta to put it on. You can also add a protein if desired. We had fusilli with meatballs in a tomato sauce, and companion reported that it was great. The meatballs were large. I had the diavolo with fettuccine in a spicy tomato sauce. It came with about 5 or 6 shrimp. It was not overly spicy with good tomato and basil, garlic flavor. Overall great meal. Two issues-wish they had paper menus rather than a QR code….COVID is over. Also surprised they used paper napkins, not cloth. Also thanks for pricing the large bottle of Pelligrino at $8. A bargain!

I happened to walk by this very cute boutique restaurant the other day and walked inside to order takeout. I got to chatting with the owners - an adorable couple - one of them is from the south of France, so we had a nice chat about my travels there. I ordered the lasagna to go and WOW, I was very pleased. Just delicious! They even gave me some focaccia bread which I used to sop up all the sauce. Really wonderful, a must try! I will definitely be back and I wish the lovely couple the best of luck with their beautiful little restaurant! So delighted to have randomly found this hidden gem.

This Italian restaurant was walking distance from our hotel and what a find it was. The food was excellent and is amongst the best Italian food we've ever eaten. On our first visit we shared a Bruscetta Pomodoro to start and we knew straight away we were going to have a night of delicious, full flavoured food. Mains were Diavolo with fresh homemade spaghetti and Meatballs also with spaghetti. The food came to our table piping hot. Beautiful sauces coating amazing pasta and generous portions. A bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to wash it all down and we savoured every mouthful of both food and drink. We enjoyed the experience so much we went back on our last night in NYC. This time we shared a Fried Zucchini starter followed by mains of Bolognese and Cacio E Pepe with Chicken. We ordered both with homemade spaghetti. The Sauvignon Blanc was again a great accompaniment to the delicious food. Our server on both nights was Bronilda who was friendly, helpful and courteous without being intrusive. You are encouraged to view the menu by scanning a barcode but for those who prefer not to have devices at the table printed menus are available on request. This is a small restaurant and tables are quite close together but the food more than makes up for this so don't miss out. We will definitely be back on our next visit to NYC.

Very attentive staff. Peaceful and lovely vibe. We ordered burrata, bread, a latte and tiramisu.Delicious tiramisu!! Would recommend and be back.

This food is excellent! Even better when I ate in some place in Italy! I recommended it to all of my friends. Even delivery from this restaurant is perfect!

Cafe Luce Located on “mini restaurant row” on 53rd street between 2nd and 3rd, is this very cute, bright, casual and friendly spot serving wine, fresh pastas and salads. The tricolor salad with shrimp was crisp and tasty. The spinach salad was also quite good. The pastas are hand made and the sauces (vodka with grilled chicken and tomato basil) were also flavorful. There are gluten free options, protein additions to add to salads or pastas and a nice wine list. The service is warm, friendly and accommodating and the staff is truly proud of their restaurant and their hand made pastas and fresh, carefully prepared food. We all enjoyed our meals, appreciated the utterly pleasant staff and admired the pride they had in their fresh, homemade pastas and menu offerings. We really enjoyed Cafe Luce!

A cold, rainy day in Manhattan forced me to walk briskly to find a spot close to my hotel. I am so thankful I found this hidden gem. Service was outstanding, and homemade pasta as good as anything I’ve had in Italy. Do not walk past this gem.

Stumbled into Café Luce and WOW ! Food is so good. Feels like a little slice of Italy in the middle of NYC. The pasta was so good, full of flavor, and don’t even get me started on the tiramisu NUTELLA ... unreal. Super chill atmosphere, lovely staff, no fuss , just good energy and even better food. I’ll 100% be back next time I’m in the city!

Awful fettuccine carbonara with mushrooms. More like thick tagliatelle. Arrived as a thick ball of pasta stuck together. Inedible. Had about 4 small tastes. Inedible, was too rich and tasted sickly. Spoke to manager at end and couldn’t do anything. Had tried to speak to server but didn’t understand my English and just left. Definitely the worst carbonara ever. I’ve had this dish many times including Italy. Worst meal for me so far in NYC and the one I was looking forward to the most. Ruined my evening.

Found this cute little neighborhood cafe that was close to our hotel and had a lovely dinner there. We had two pasta dishes (fettuccine Alfredo and linguine with marinara) and both were ample portions and good, the Alfredo dish, excellent. Actually, all the dishes being served around us looked wonderful. Too full for dessert so can’t make any recommendations there. Thought the dishes were reasonably priced and would go back.

Cafe Luce serves up solid pastas, and offers various types of pastas and sauces for each plate. Service is solid, space is cozy, and definitely fulfills Italian cravings.

A fantastic Italian restaurant tucked away in Midtown East. The pasta is fresh and flavorful, and the service is friendly and professional. Perfect for a date night or relaxed dinner with friends. Will definitely return!

We had the most amazing meal at this cozy Italian restaurant. The service was attentive and made great recommendations. The food tastes great and comes in very generous portions. Our spinach salad was delicious, cacio e pepe, meatballs and tiramisu were authentic and incredibly tasty. Our only regret is coming here on our last day in NYC as we would have loved to try other dishes.

Café Luce is a charming spot with amazing homemade pasta, a great wine list, and warm, attentive service. The atmosphere feels like a true Italian trattoria. Don’t miss the tiramisu — it’s the perfect finish. Highly recommend!

We are an Italian family who came to this place for the first time by chance. We were looking for a restaurant where our youngest child could eat some pasta. We discovered a really lovely place, with well-cooked pasta and a wide choice on the menu. We came back several times and were always satisfied! The staff is extremely kind, attentive but not intrusive, and on our last day of vacation they even offered us dessert. The quality-price ratio is good. We felt really comfortable and highly recommend it, especially if you want to enjoy a good plate of fresh pasta and relax in a peaceful atmosphere.

We had a really enjoyable experience at this small but cute Italian restaurant. As you can see from our photos, we ordered some of their special recommendations. Would we recommend it? Yes, absolutely!!

I had to take two colleagues out on the East Side (we all live and work in NYC) and know great restaurants galore. I gave this one a try and it was the best meal I have had in years. Fantastic food, fair prices and great service. If i could give it 10 stars, I would. My new favorite restaurant—I’ll absolutely be back.

We had a delightful dinner at Cafe Luce. I had Alla Vodka with penne and my husband had Mushroom Alfredo. Both were delish and the pasta was cooked perfectly. We ended with Tiramisu that was equally as yummy. Small restaurant with a delightful cafe ambience. Brnilda our server was a joy! We will be back!