Buca di Sant'Antonio
Founded in 1782 and tucked into a narrow lane just off Piazza San Michele, Buca di Sant'Antonio is not a tourist trap dressed in antique clothing — it is a genuinely working Lucchese trattoria where the kitchen still makes tordelli lucchesi by hand and the wine list leans hard into the underrated Colline Lucchesi DOC.
What to Order
Start with the lardo di Colonnata on warm unsalted Tuscan bread — the bread's deliberate blandness is the correct foil for the silky, herb-scented fat, and you will understand immediately why Lucchesi bakers never add salt.
The signature first course is tordelli lucchesi: large, slightly rough-edged pasta parcels stuffed with a slow-cooked meat ragù laced with herbs and ricotta, served under a further ladle of ragù and a snowfall of Parmigiano. This is the dish Lucca is proudest of, and the kitchen here does it as well as anyone.
For a secondo, the slow-roasted kid (capretto) with rosemary and the grilled Chianina beef tagliata are both outstanding — portions are generous enough to skip the contorno unless you are very hungry.
The Room and the Ritual
The dining room is a warren of vaulted brick alcoves hung with copper pots, old prints and the kind of atmospheric clutter that takes two centuries to accumulate naturally. It feels lived-in rather than staged.
Service is formal but genuinely warm — the staff will steer you away from a dish that is not at its best that day, which is the mark of a kitchen that cares about its reputation rather than its turnover.
Book at least two days ahead for Friday and Saturday evenings; lunch on a Tuesday or Wednesday is the easiest walk-in window and the kitchen is equally attentive.
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