Lucca Osteria & Bar

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A story rooted in Lucca, Italy

Chef Claudio Ulivieri was born in Lucca and raised in Altopascio, a small village just outside that ancient Tuscan city. He grew up on a working farm, where his father taught him winemaking and his mother—known for never letting a soul go hungry—passed down cooking traditions accumulated over generations. More than 40 years after emigrating to the United States, Claudio carries those same values into every plate he serves. Lucca Osteria & Bar is the direct expression of that life: a restaurant built not on trend, but on memory and craft.

Gambero Rosso recognized Lucca Osteria & Bar in its 2026 guide, a distinction that reflects the kitchen's consistent commitment to authentic Italian cooking in the western Chicago suburbs.

Tuscan flavors, reinterpreted with care

The menu bridges tradition and creativity without abandoning either. Claudio has spent years cultivating relationships with the best food and wine purveyors in the area, and the kitchen applies that sourcing discipline to a menu that changes with the seasons—aromas and flavors evolving as nature dictates.

Antipasti set the tone: house-cured beef carpaccio with woodland mushrooms and black truffle sauce, charred Mediterranean octopus with shishito peppers and n'duja vinaigrette, arancini cacio e pepe served with pecorino cream. Pasta is a serious chapter—pappardelle bolognese on homemade flat noodles, fettuccine with Tuscan sausage and truffle whipped butter finished tableside from a cheese wheel, and pici al cinghiale, the thick hand-rolled Tuscan pasta paired with wild boar ragù. From the sea, a whole branzino baked in the wood-burning oven with olives, capers, and herbed potatoes speaks directly to the Italian coastal tradition. Meat dishes include grass-fed Australian lamb chops with a vermentino wine reduction and the showpiece La Fiorentina—a 36-ounce prime porterhouse served tableside for two.

The atmosphere

The space is designed for ease: a meal with family, a few small plates at the bar, an aperitif before dinner, or a glass of wine with friends on a Tuesday evening. Outdoor seating, private event capabilities, and a full cocktail program round out the offer. The tone is warm and unpretentious—close to what an Italian osteria actually feels like, which is precisely what Chef Claudio set out to create for his neighbors in Oak Brook.

"This menu is inspired by my home and what I grew up with — it's very close to my heart. My goal is to bring authentic Italian food — the way I know it — to my friends and neighbors in Oak Brook." — Chef Claudio Ulivieri