Lucca Cafe Restaurant Review
Quail Hill Village Center
6507 Quail Hill Pkwy. (Shady Canyon Dr.) 
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Irvine, CA 92603
949-725-1773 | Make Restaurant Reservations | Menu
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Lucca Cafe Restaurant is one of our 2012
| Top 10 Orange County (CA) Small Plates Restaurants
| Top 10 Orange County (CA) Bistro Restaurants
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Cuisine
Open
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner dailyFeatures
- Heart-healthy dishes
- Kid-friendly
- Private room(s)
- Full bar
- Parking lot
- Casual
Wine
Great Wine List* Click here for rating key
 Owner Cathy Pavlos and her husband lovingly run this European-style bistro with proud panache. The Euro-chic décor is classic yet modern, and works well for Shady Canyon residents and others who want to enjoy a casual meal or a glass of vino and a snack at the wine bar. Pavlos’ contemporary menu features mostly locally-grown, organic, seasonal ingredients. Pavlos is known for composing sumptuous cheese and charcuterie plates from the in-house deli, featuring topnotch artisanal food products from California, the East Coast and Europe. Entrées are full of bold flavors like pan-seared scallops with spinach-cannellini bean ragoût and pancetta, or a tender Angus beef hanger steak with wild mushroom trifolata, fingerling potatoes and Gorgonzola. Wines from an eclectic 30-label list are meant for pairing: all are offered three ways---two-and-a-half-ounce taste, six-ounce glass or by the bottle. Desserts include a “killer” brownie à la mode with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce, or a seasonal fruit galette. Breakfast reflects the upscale California café vibe; we’re partial to the eggs Lucca (two poached eggs served on a toasted baguette, topped with roasted peppers and marinara) and orange crème fraîche-stuffed pain perdu. Chef Cathy also offers one of OC’s only fresh antipasto bars for lunch and dinner, as well as a free-flowing Champagne buffet brunch on Sundays.
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RESTAURANT AWARDS
We just published the 2012 edition of our annual restaurant issue, featuring the Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. and much more. Check it out!
