Lucca Osteria & Bar (1415 W 22nd Street, Oak Brook, IL) is the vision of veteran restaurateurs Chef Claudio Ulivieri and Steven Hartenstein. Guests will experience Chef Claudio’s unique take on rustic Italian cuisine with a modern twist starting Saturday, May 1, 2021. Lucca Osteria & Bar will open with dinner service Tuesday – Saturday. Expanded hours, lunch, and Sunday brunch service will be added in the months to come. Conveniently located off the expressway across from the Oak Brook Mall, Lucca Osteria & Bar will be a welcome oasis for power shoppers, nearby corporate offices, and locals looking for a new neighborhood hotspot. Known for their high standard of hospitality, Chef Claudio and Steven have assembled a team to make guests feel welcome and turn first-time visitors into friends and regulars.

“Our goal for Lucca is to be sociable and welcoming, with guests experiencing our take on warm hospitality during every visit,” says Steven Hartenstein, Managing Partner, Lucca Osteria & Bar. “We want guests to feel comfortable coming in for drinks with friends after work, gathering with family for meals, and hosting your milestone moments, like baby showers and graduation parties. Oak Brook is like Claudio’s backyard, and we wanted to bring a bit of city entertainment to the area. The people in the community are longtime friends who feel like family. We hope to be a go-to option, delivering high-quality service, for many years to come.”

The menu and concept are inspired by Chef Claudio’s hometown of Altopascio, a small village in the Italian Province of Lucca in the Tuscan region. Twelve miles northeast of Pisa and 50 miles west of Florence, this charming city lives within the heart of Italian Renaissance culture. Lucca is known for its Mediterranean cuisine and focuses on simplicity that lets quality in-season ingredients shine. Inspired by the meals his mother created when he was a child, the menu follows this philosophy and incorporates fresh vegetables, beans, and lean sources of protein, like fish and poultry. A variety of imported meats like mortadella and prosciutto take center stage at Lucca Osteria & Bar’s Salumeria. The menu is built on clean yet complex flavors using staple ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, basil, parsley, and lemon.

“This menu is inspired by my home and what I grew up with – it’s very close to my heart,” says Claudio Ulivieri, Chef & Partner, Lucca Osteria & Bar. It’s rustic. It’s full of flavor. Above all the focus is on fresh, high quality ingredients. My goal is to bring authentic Italian food – the way I know it – to my friends and neighbors in Oak Brook.

The menu is broken into sections like Pizza, Antipasti, Zuppa & Insalate, La Pasta, Dal Mare, La Carne and Contorni. A selection of house-made desserts is available to round out the meal. The inclusive menu also offers a selection of vegan and gluten-free options.

Menu Highlights:

• La Salsiccia Pizza – homemade sausage, bufala mozzarella, a medley of mushrooms and cooked in a wood-burning oven
• Fett’unta (V) – toasted garlic bread, sautéed kale, cranberry beans, calabrian peppers
• Insalata Lucca (V) – tuscan kale, farro, cucumbers, white beans, pickled red onions, tomato vinaigrette
• Spaghetti Neri – squid ink spaghetti, clams, garlic, breadcrumbs, bottarga, EVOO
• Brodetto di Pesce – mussels, shrimp, clams, calamari, fin fish broth, toasted garlic bread
• Branzino al Forno (GF) – mediterranean sea bass baked in a wood-burning oven, olives, cherry tomatoes, capers, herbed potatoes
• Il Manzo (GF) – 24oz bone-in prime ribeye, grilled vegetables, white beans (for two)
• The Burger – kobe beef, fried egg, crispy pancetta, caramelized onion, mozzarella cheese, fries

General Manager, Aeron Lancero, is a certified sommelier and an experienced mixologist. Along with Chef Claudio, he has created a tightly curated list of classic Italian cocktails and an approachable wine list that offers something for everyone and pairs perfectly with the in-season menu. The cocktail recipes pay homage to the classics, honoring tradition, and are enhanced with fresh juices, infusions, and high-quality ingredients. The wine list includes options produced in Lucca as well as selections from around Italy and the world.

Cocktail Menu Highlights: 

• Negroni di Lucca – gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, blood orange
• Stormy Italian – cane rum, dark rum, fresh watermelon juice, lime juice, ginger beer
• San Michele – gin, St. Germaine, lemon, Prosecco, mint, rosemary garnish

Mercatino di Lucca will sell wines that are approachable in every way, and will rotate often. The goal is to share wines that are not found easily or typically for restaurants only – but affordable. Cocktail kits of juices, syrups, and spirits, will be available so guests can purchase everything needed to make Lucca quality cocktails at home.

Located across the street from the Oak Brook Mall, Lucca Osteria & Bar is a charming meeting place to relax, spend an evening, and enjoy an excellent meal, a few small plates, an aperitif, or a glass of wine with friends. The interior, designed in collaboration with Mark Knauer and Associates, features floor-to-ceiling windows making the space bright and airy. The soothing mix of creamy white walls, dark woods, and artwork will transport guests to Italy. Guests entering the space will see a curved bar that seats 18. The adjacent lounge area & Salumeria is a perfect spot for cocktails and light bites and seats 40. On the other side of the restaurant, the formal dining room is a mix of round tables and banquette seating for 120. Two private dining rooms offer seating for 40 – 80 guests. The Mercatino di Lucca space seats up to 35 and will soon include an indoor marketplace where guests can shop for dry goods, meal kits, sauces, and more. The large patio space will welcome guests as they arrive, with seating for up to 80. The outdoor space will be surrounded by florals, greenery, and fresh herbs and feature bright umbrellas and comfortable lounge seating.