9th August Aqua Restaurant Group announced today that its latest venue, Luci, will open in Covent Garden’s Long Acre on 15th August. Luci is London’s first Italian Dining Bakery – with a long ‘bancone’ counter showcasing a huge selection of tasty ‘al forno’ baked goods, freshly made on the premises in Luci’s ‘forno’ (ovens) and which change to reflect the time of day. Guests can take away or eat in with a sit-down menu of Italian classics served upstairs.
Spread across two floors, Luci shares the same heritage as the grand Milanese cafes. On the ground floor and at its heart is a stunning 18-metre long ‘bancone’ – an expansive colourful counter laden from morning until evening with a bountiful selection of tempting Italian goods, which customers can order for eat-in or takeaway. Guests can start the morning with Italian viennoiserie and freshly baked bread, accompanied by Luci’s own-roasted coffee. At midday, a selection of thin focaccia Genovese, delicious ciabatta and wood-fired pizza by the slice – all topped and stuffed with artisanal Italian cheeses, ham and seasonal vegetables. Luci’s ‘al forno’ baked goods are all made on the premises and served fresh from the oven throughout the day.
Homemade gelato, sorbet and cakes that capture the essence of Milan are available all day. In the afternoon and into the evening, guests can stop by for aperitivo and dinner for pasta, wood-fired pizzas and hearty oven-to-table Italian classics including lasagne, melanzane parmigiana, all to be enjoyed with a wide selection of Italian wines and cocktails.
Upstairs, guests can find sit-down dining in a beautiful, intimate room. Open for lunch and dinner, the menu takes guests through a journey of Italian classics, brimming with the flavour of fresh seasonal produce and great ingredients – the grounding of authentic Italian cooking.
Chef Andrea Pesenti (formerly executive chef of Princi in London) heads up the kitchen team, having spent months carefully creating the Luci menu, scouring his Italian homeland for the finest produce to elevate even the simplest of dishes. One of Pesenti’s signatures is a thin Florentine-style focaccia, topped with green and yellow zucchini, sliced thinly and laid like fish scales on top of the focaccia.
Luci offers affordable all-day Italian dining, sharing the same philosophy and focus on ‘wow’ dishes as its sister outlets in Aqua Restaurant Group. The interior has been designed by award-winning designer Robert Angell and Aqua Restaurant Group founder David Yeo, with a look that captures the charm of the grand Milanese cafes past and present and combines the spirit of London with the sunshine of Italy.
Luci opens at 136 Long Acre in The Yards in Covent Garden on August 15th 2023
Luci, 136 Long Acre
London WC2E 9AA
