Ristorante Schiaffino is a recent addition to the thriving restaurant scene in beautiful Lucca, Tuscany. Located right in front of Puccini’s natal home, in a charming alley right off piazza San Michele, it is both easy to reach and hidden from sight. If you don’t know it’s there, you'll probably walk right past it.
Lucca lovers will probably remember that this space used to house another (very good) restaurant, that closed during the Covid-19 pandemic. After the initial shock, the former employees decided not to give up, bought the business, and opened a restaurant on their own.
Today Schiaffino is run by a family team: Stefano is the (fantastic!) chef, his sister, Federica is the Maitre d’, and Luca, her son, is the waiter. The unusual name (Schiaffino) was chosen to honor Stefano and Federica’s father, Ilario, who was an amateur footballer in the 1950’s, and nicknamed “schiaffino” for his serious kicks on the field.
The restaurant itself is small, beautifully designed, airy and modern. This is a welcome change in a city that specializes in mostly traditional tuscan eateries, but unlike so many modern restaurants, nothing here feels pretentious or alienating. You feel very welcome from the moment you walk in.
The menu is short and focused: three antipasti (starter) dishes, three primi (first course), and three secondi (main course). Naturally, the menu changes seasonally.
Some of the dishes on offer during my last visit were a poached egg cooked at 63 degrees, served with potatoes, truffles and a chicken demi- glace; beef tartare; risotto with garlic, chilly and seared scallops; potato gnocchi with saffron and ossobuco ragù; and tagliolini pasta with clams and candied lemon. The secondi included an amberjack filet served on a bed of cauliflower cream and lentils; oxtail with tempura artichokes; and a rabbit roll with pumpkin cream and roasted topinambur.
I was in the mood for an antipasto and a primo, and following Federica’s recommendation I decided to break with tradition, and order for my antipasti a decidedly un-Italian dish: a curry and coconut soup, served with crunchy vegetables and roasted calamari. This was followed by the risotto with scallops. The soup was fantastic - aromatic and balanced. The calamari were fresh, delicious and perfectly roasted..
Next came the risotto, which was wonderful! Perfectly cooked (very creamy, while still maintaining a slight bite). The spicy chilly and the sweetness of the gently seared scallops married perfectly. The ingredients used in both dishes were top quality and very fresh.
A quick confession - I often order the risotto in new restaurants to “test” the kitchen. Making a perfect risotto and handling seafood (the RIGHT way, that is) requires solid techincal skills, and ordering these dishes is usually a good way to get a sense of the chef’s abilities. In this case, both dishes were perfectly executed, and delicious!
For dessert, I had to choose between the tiramisu, the zuccoto (a semi frozen Tuscan dessert) al limoncello, and the flan di buccellato (the ‘buccellato’ is a sort of sweetbread typical of Lucca). I was intrigued by all three, but in the end I decided to follow my heart and go with the classic tiramisu. And I was not disappointed :) It was decadent but light and creamy, and made with savoiardi biscuits that they bake themselves. I was also treated to a small pre-desert: a little baba (a Neapolitan rum cake) which was very good.
Lunch came at 40 euro (including water and the coperto), which is similar to what most restaurants in town might charge for such a meal.
So, is this the best restaurant in town? It’s hard for me to name just one specific restaurant “the best”, because there are at least two other restaurants in town that I love (check my upcoming guidebook, “Tuscany for the Shameless Hedonist 2022” for additional recommendations), but Schiaffino is definitely one of the top 3, not just in Lucca but in the entire area. 5 stars!
Ristorante Schiaffino, Corte San Lorenzo 1, Lucca. Reservations are highly recommended.