Restaurant in Lucca, Italy
Serious Italian cooking, piazza setting, easy booking.
A Michelin Plate-recognised kitchen inside an 18th-century palazzo on one of Lucca's finest squares, Giglio delivers classic Italian cooking with a modern touch at €€€. The terrace is the seat to request. Easy to book, consistently rated 4.4 across 850 Google reviews — a reliable anchor for a serious meal in Lucca's historic centre.
Giglio earns its place at the leading of Lucca's dining shortlist for anyone who wants serious Italian cooking in a setting that the city does better than most. The Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 signals consistent quality without the pressure of a starred experience, and the €€€ price point sits at a level where the kitchen needs to deliver — and, by most accounts, does. If you are visiting Lucca and want one meal that combines historic atmosphere, modern-inflected classic cuisine, and a location on one of the old town's finest squares, book here. If you want something more experimental, consider L'Imbuto instead. If you want to spend less without sacrificing Tuscan sincerity, All'Olivo or Il Mecenate are the better calls.
Outdoor seating at Giglio is the detail that shapes the whole booking decision. The restaurant sits on Piazza del Giglio in Lucca's walled historic centre, inside an 18th-century palazzo, and the terrace faces one of the city's calmer, less-trafficked squares. In summer, that space fills early and holds. If you want to eat outside — and at this location, you do , reserve as far in advance as your plans allow. A week out is usually enough for indoor tables; the terrace in peak season requires more lead time. Booking difficulty is rated Easy overall, but that assumes you are flexible on where you sit.
The interior is a different experience: high ceilings, period detail, the ambient quiet of thick stone walls. Neither setting is loud in the way that Lucca's more tourist-facing restaurants can be in July and August. The sound profile here is contained , conversation stays at the table, service moves without theatre. For a food or wine traveller who wants to actually talk through a meal, that matters. The energy is composed rather than lively, which makes Giglio a poor choice if you want a buzzy room, but a good one if you want to concentrate on what is on the plate.
The menu works along a recognisable axis for this tier of Italian cooking: traditional recipes given a modern reinterpretation, with both meat and fish represented. The Michelin description specifically references a siphoned potato dish finished with bottarga, squid sauce, chanterelle mushrooms, and spicy parsley cream , a construction that signals genuine technical ambition rather than a kitchen simply presenting good ingredients. Bread is flagged as a particular strength, which at €€€ is a useful differentiator; it is the kind of detail that separates a kitchen that cares from one that does not. For the food-focused traveller, these are meaningful signals about what the kitchen is trying to do, even without a full current menu in hand.
At €€€, Giglio is asking for trust. The service style at this price point becomes the variable that determines whether the meal feels worth it. In a Michelin Plate-recognised restaurant in a historic palazzo, the expectation is attentive but not overbearing , knowledgeable staff, appropriate pacing, and the sense that the room is being managed rather than simply occupied. Nothing in the public record suggests Giglio under-delivers here, and a Google rating of 4.4 across 850 reviews at this price tier is a reasonable indicator of consistent execution. For comparison, L'Imbuto operates at €€€€ with a more avant-garde kitchen; if the service polish at that level matters more to you than Giglio's classical register, it is worth the step up. But for most visitors to Lucca, Giglio's pitch , serious food, historic setting, attentive service, bookable without significant effort , is a strong one at the price.
For context on where Giglio sits in the broader Italian classic cuisine conversation, consider how kitchens at this tier operate elsewhere: venues like Obauer in Werfen or Meierei Dirk Luther in Glücksburg work the same territory , traditional foundations reinterpreted with modern precision. In Italy specifically, the spectrum runs from the accessible Tuscan warmth of Buca di Sant'Antonio at the approachable end to the ambition of Osteria Francescana in Modena or Uliassi in Senigallia at the leading. Giglio sits comfortably in the serious-but-not-destination tier , good enough to anchor a day in Lucca, not a reason to travel from another city.
The address is Piazza del Giglio, 2, in the historic centre. No phone or website is listed in our data; booking is leading approached through the major reservation platforms or by visiting in person if you are already in the city. Lucca's historic centre is walkable from most accommodation options , see our full Lucca hotels guide for where to base yourself. If you are building a broader itinerary, our full Lucca restaurants guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide cover the full picture.
Giglio is at Piazza del Giglio, 2, in Lucca's walled historic centre. Price range is €€€. Booking difficulty is Easy , standard advance planning handles indoor seats comfortably; terrace seating in high season warrants earlier action. No phone or website is available in our current data; use third-party reservation platforms or contact in person. Dress code and hours are not confirmed in our data , smart casual is a reasonable assumption for a €€€ Michelin Plate venue in this setting.
Yes, with one caveat. The combination of an 18th-century palazzo setting, a Michelin Plate-recognised kitchen, and a location on one of Lucca's quieter piazzas makes Giglio a solid choice for a celebratory dinner. The €€€ price range supports the occasion without demanding the full commitment of a starred experience. If you want maximum atmosphere, request the terrace , it adds significantly to the sense of occasion. For something more theatrical and technically ambitious, L'Imbuto at €€€€ is the step up worth considering.
Groups are workable here, but no confirmed private dining or group booking policy is available in our data. The palazzo setting implies enough physical space to handle a larger table, and the composed, quieter atmosphere suits groups who want to talk rather than shout. Call ahead or use a reservation platform to confirm availability and table configuration. For very large groups needing a dedicated room, it is worth checking directly with the restaurant before committing.
The menu covers both meat and fish, which gives some built-in flexibility. Beyond that, no confirmed dietary accommodation policy is available in our data. The kitchen's approach , traditional Italian recipes with modern technique , suggests a scratch kitchen capable of adaptation, but you should confirm specific requirements directly when booking. This is especially true for serious allergies or strict dietary frameworks.
It works well for solo diners. The room is not the kind of loud, communal environment where a solo table feels awkward, and the service style at a Michelin Plate-recognised restaurant at €€€ generally means you are looked after rather than ignored. The terrace on the piazza is also a pleasant place to eat alone , the square setting gives you something to observe. Budget-conscious solo visitors might find Nida at €€ a better fit; those wanting more interaction might consider the counter seating culture at All'Olivo.
Three things. First, the terrace is the reason to come in good weather , request it when booking and be specific. Second, the kitchen leans toward classic Italian cooking with a light modern touch, not the kind of experimental tasting-menu format you find at L'Imbuto; if you want avant-garde, go there instead. Third, at €€€ in Lucca you are paying for setting and technique in equal measure , the palazzo location is not incidental. If price is the primary concern, Il Mecenate at € delivers Tuscan cooking at a fraction of the cost. Giglio makes the most sense when you want the full picture: serious food, serious room, manageable price for the tier.
Yes, and it is one of the stronger cases for a celebration dinner in Lucca. The Piazza del Giglio setting, an 18th-century palazzo with outdoor terrace seating, gives the evening a sense of occasion that indoor-only restaurants at this price range cannot match. At €€€ with a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, the cooking is credible enough to justify the choice. Book a table on the square if you can.
The venue occupies a palazzo on Piazza del Giglio with an outdoor terrace, which suggests enough physical space to handle mid-sized groups. For parties of six or more, check the venue's official channels well in advance — Lucca's historic centre restaurants tend to have fixed room configurations that limit flexibility on the night. Giglio's booking difficulty is rated Easy, so securing a reservation should not be the obstacle.
The menu spans both meat and fish dishes rooted in traditional Italian recipes with a modern touch, so there is range to work with. Specific allergen or dietary accommodation details are not documented in available records, so raise any restrictions directly with the restaurant when booking. At €€€ with Michelin recognition, the kitchen should be equipped to respond.
It works well for solo diners, particularly those who want to eat at an outdoor table on the piazza and watch Lucca's historic centre in the evening. The Italian approach to dinner service at this level rarely makes solo guests feel rushed or out of place. The €€€ price point is reasonable for a solo Michelin Plate meal in a Tuscan city of this calibre.
Giglio sits at Piazza del Giglio, 2, in Lucca's walled historic centre — easy to reach on foot, harder to find by car given limited access. The cooking is traditional Italian reinterpreted with a light modern hand: expect dishes like siphoned potato with bottarga and squid sauce rather than straightforward trattoria fare. Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so a few days' notice is usually enough, but request outdoor seating specifically when you book.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
