Lugano Restaurant

Lugano's is in our neighborhood, so we've been going for years--especially for big parties and special events. Recently, we had a birthday dinner with reservations. We were seated promptly, but then realized the whole restaurant was smoky and sweltering hot. Finally, a waiter came by and took our suggestion to ""open a door or window"" to let out the smoke. Duh! The indifferent and unapologetic waiter then took our drink orders, and disappeared for 35-40 minutes. After trying repeatedly to get his attention, he finally showed up and told us we wouldn't be served--no explanation, no apologies, and no offer to comp our drinks. After we paid, and he THREW THE CREDIT CARD AT US. A few days later, after we'd calmed down enough to be rational, we sent an email to the owner. His reply was cool and indifferent--at least we know where the waiter learned his attitude. more

Ate here in late august 2007. We were very dissapointed. Food was bland and forgetable to say the least. more

Went to Lugano's over Labor Day weekend 2007. Had eaten there once 1 1/2 ago and it was wonderful so I brought out of town guests. I was embarrassed by the quality of food for the price. Bread they put on the table was so so and the olive oil not good. Appetizers of bruschetta and foccacia were good but entrees were bland or inedible. Roasted lemon chicken was okay. Risotto special with pork loin was misleading - was supposed to be wild mushroom but no mushrooms! Okay but I could have made it at home. Tagliatelle pasta was so salty we sent it back. Barely better when they brought it back out and didn't eat it. Didn't offer to comp it. Dessert of bread pudding was okay. Overall, if I had been paying half the price it would have been alright. Not great food but at least more fitting the price. However, definitely not worth the price they charged for what we got. I won't chance going there again. more

Lugano?s is a simple, good restaurant with a rustic Italian menu. Service can be a little slow at times; it never bothers me, since they usually serve great wine and cocktails. It does deliver consistency, you can expect a great meal most times. I love their lamb shank and mussels appetizer. When in doubt where to go, Lugano?s is usually my choice. Pros: Great food, patio seating Cons: Small, so not many tables avai., more

Be prepared to pay near-fine dining prices for average food. The tables are non-linened which means you get to see all the dust particles that your utensils sit on. Nice...The wine glasses have spots on them and you get your water in a high ball glass. Upscale according to Zagats..yeah right. You think you are in an italian restaurant but you see french posters. The servers wear dirty, worn out aprons and it's only 6:00pm. The scallop salad is ok and not worth $10. You get two subpar, nondiver, unraveled scallops with supposed bloody oranges but you get only basic oranges that come sliced. Which means you need to section the oranges yourself unless you like the the bitter white part. The ""special of the day"" $25 risotto is bland with plenty of fresh peas and not a hint of parm regg. The pork arrived medium to medium well due to the fact that the server never asked my how I wanted the pork prepared. Still think you are in an upscale restaurant? Maybe in SLC but nowhere else. The pork came with a reduction that didn't help the basic pork sirloin that can prepared at home. Sidenote: The server didn't immediately remove my empty glass of wine when she arrived with a new one. I had to ask for a knife to cut my bland pork. These may be minor to you but when Lugano is described as upscale and is rated best italian restaurant in SLC for several years, it makes you wonder what the standards of culinary excellence is in SLC. It's obvious why James Beard didn't think SLC is a spot to dine at. Park City is nothing more than overpriced food due to location. $9 for basic creme brulee? Come to SLC for renewing your faith if you are LDS, don't expect fine dining. more

The restaurant was highly rated, and I thought I had heard good things. My sister and I were expecting a gourmet experience and willng to pay for one. The restaurant was nearly empty. We received perfunctory service from our waitress (the bus person was more attentive). The food was very uneven. A good steak, but potatoes so undercooked, they were hard to cut with a fork. My halibut was not cooked all the way through and bites of the lemon sauce alternated too tangy with too oily. Dinner and dessert for two (no alcohol or appetizers) was nearly $100. I've not been to many nice restaurants in SLC, but have been to my share in other cities. Lugano's did not measure up. Certainly not worth the price. more

Back in Salt Lake City recently. Hungry for Italian cuisine, my son and I visited Lugano's on Thursday, 2/22/07. My son wanted pasta with pesto (which wasn't on the menu). They were most willing to accomodate. He also loves salmon, and they added that to the dish. I was torn between two different specials that evening, and opted for a wild mushroom risotto with pork medallions topped with caramelized onions. While we waited for our entrees, we noshed on the complementary bread served with olives and a slab of butter. I let my son devour most of the bread, while I started with the beet salad. When our plates arrived, his was smartly done with a beautifully done salmon fillet placed atop his mound of basil pesto spaghetti. I am a big fan of risotto, but the pork medallions were so juicy and tender, they stole the show! The desserts looked tempting, but we were too full to do them justice! Maybe next time! Pros: super food Cons: a little pricey more

I expected a lot from my visit to Lugano. From the praise here on Citysearch, local press and their website I thought I would find a new gem of a restaurant for special nights out. In reality what we found was nothing more than a bog standard trattoria with prices suggesting a much higher quality. Pros: Decent wine, fair sized appetizers Cons: Food, noisy, too expensive more

The best way I can describe my visit to Lugano is average. I called at about 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon, looking for a 6:30 reservation. They were able to get us in at 6:45, which was great for such short notice. The atmosphere was pretty lively, they have really crowded a lot of tables into some rather close spaces. We were shown to our table, and observed the restaurant decor to be very, you guessed it, average. The wine list was average, with a few good selections by the glass. After perusing the menu, which was pretty predictable and held little excitement, we decided on two appetizers. My husband advised the waiter that he did not like cheese, and asked if the carpaccio would be suitable. The waiter actually spoke the words, ""That has no cheese, so you should be fine."" I ordered the smoked salmon with pizzetta. The appetizers arrived, and the carpaccio was covered by what could only be described as a small mountain of shaved parmesan. The waiter noticed and said, ""Oh, that has cheese. Can you pick it off?"" It was not a pickable amount of cheese! It was promptly returned and quickly replaced. It was average. The smoked salmon was absolutely delicious, complemented by red onions, capers, lemon and creme fraiche, by far the best thing we tasted that night. The appetizers are huge, definitely meant for sharing. My husband's entree was steak and potatoes. The steak was, here it comes, average. The potatoes were extremely dry and had so much black pepper on them that they were almost inedible. I had a pasta dish, which I could have made just as well at home. Incredibly average. For desert , we opted to share a slice of an average chocolate cake. Then the bill came, and it was the one thing that evening which was above average. Not a great value for money here. Average. more

I had the lamb shank and... who cares what my wife had... I was so involved in my own meal that I was oblivious to everything else around me. (almost beyond description). I took the waiters recomendation for a particular glass of wine that was heavenly - I only wish I could remember it for addition to my own cellar. The staff was attentive, and the owner came by to check on us a couple of different times. Probably in my top 5 meals of all time! Pros: The food, the wine, the service Cons: NOTHING AT ALL more

The food at Lugano's is amazing. The avocado and beet salad was a surprising treat. The Risotto was delicious, and the pasta was good. Dessert was good, but not spectacular. The bruschetta was great, but very filling (larger than expected, which is rare in a fine-dining situation). There were a great deal of middle-aged people getting very very loudly drunk and raucous. Yuppies beware: young people that don't drink get far less attention from waiting staff and management, and the atmosphere is far from romantic. Go for food, not for ambience. Pros: Food Cons: Wait staff, Management more

I took my Boyfriend to Lugano for his birthday. We were seated promptly even though we did not have researvation, and were dressed for the occasion. There was a party of 4 middle aged patrons (We are in our mid 20's) seated across from us that shared the same server. Our server attended to the other party more and seemed annoyed that we were at the restaurant. He made it obvious that we were not welcome there. The chef made his rounds to all the tables, took one look at us, and passed us by as if we were not there. The food was good, except for the dry chicken. We would go again, as long as we did not have the same server. Pros: Prompt Seating, Atmosphere, Open Kitchen Cons: Server, Chef more

Luganos belongs among the Salt Lake Best Restaurants. The food is what matters and it's just great! I love this restaurant. Pros: Great food quality, Good value more

Very good filet mignon & ravioli. Tasty house wine. Was on waiting list for 2 hours, so make a reservation. Well worth the wait. Pros: Food, Ambiance more

Lugano is now my favorite restaurant in SLC. The quality of the menu is remarkable. There are no weak dishes. Everything from Italian regional appetizers to a humble chicken entree is infused with a creative Italian twist. The wine list is well thought out, with value bottles in the twenties on up to reserve selections I can't hope to splurge on! Greg Neville, the owner and head chef, came by to see if we were enjoying our meal. This guy is a perfectionist. And he delivers great value. In the past I have eaten at restaurants twice the price and left dissapointed--but never at Lugano. Pros: Great Value, Changing Menu, Amazing Wine List Cons: A bit noisy more

I've had better service at a Del Taco at two in the morning.(Fortunately, Michael was excellent and kept us from leaving) I can only hope that the hostess is new and the chef can survive on patronizing local connections. I don't appreciate an overpriced wannabe upscale restaurant advertising their lamb as slow roasted, when it is clearly braised or pressure cooked. If I wanted tender, flavorless meat I would buy Dinty Moore and put it in a crock pot. The potatoes were worse than those served in Junior Highs. The only thing keeping us from choking on the dry potatoes was the excellent wine we selected. As far as the rib-eye, maybe only Japanese restaurants know what rare means. I was not asking for sushi, but I did want medium rare. Finally, if you serve carpaccio, please use flavorful meat. Anybody can hide poor quality behind olive oil and cheese. Pros: location Cons: , Service, Parking more

I arranged for dinner for 10 on Oct. 24 to celebrate a huge team accomplishment at work. Since we were an eclectic group with tastes ranging from basic steak and potatoes at one end to champagne and steamed mussles at the other, I was a little concerned about whether Lugano's could rise to the challenge. In fact, it surpassed all expectations! From superb sundried tomato pasta with smoked mozzarella all the way to 22-oz. tender steaks, finished off by luscious desserts, we enjoyed every morsel provided by our knowledgeable server. This one's a keeper! Pros: great food, super value more

We had a veiw of 2300 East. The food was poor. The Service was rude, and the romance was none. I would suggest something like olive garden over this place. Pros: no kids Cons: Bad parking, service poor, food bad more

I've been to Lugano several times, and the food and hospitality are excellent. Parking is a little scarcy and the noise level on the south side can be high, especially if there are large parties, but it's not something to keep me away. Pros: food, hospiotality, service Cons: noisey, parking more

Tough to have a conversation here. Food was good. I ordered mussels and many of them were empty, just shells with the mussels in the broth. Not indicative of freshness. My date had salmon which was overcooked. The tiramisu is excellent, apple crisp was overcooked. I will go back but I suggest they hang some wallhanging or other sound deadening device to make dining more intimate. Pros: tiramisu, service, friendliness Cons: loud more