(323) 655-6277

8474 Melrose Ave
West Hollywood, CA 90069 34.0824 -118.3756

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Neighborhoods: West Hollywood, Central LA

LUCQUES.COM

Hours:

Tue-Sat 12 pm - 2:30 pm

Mon-Thu 6 pm - 10 pm

Fri-Sat 6 pm - 10:30 pm

Sun 5 pm - 10 pm

Price:

$$$$

Last updated 1.06.12

Category:

Restaurants, Attractions

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Late Night Dining, Quiet, Lunch Spot, Date Spot, Romantic Dining, Special Occasion Dining, Fine Dining, Outdoor Dining, Notable Chef, Business Dining, Group Dining, Fireplace, Dine At The Bar, Notable Wine List, Private Parties, Prix Fixe Menu

General Info:

Open 7 Days

Cuisine:

Eclectic & International, Mediterranean, French, Californian, New American, Italian

Notable Chef:

Suzanne Goin

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Lucques

Featured Review

Leigh Reason

Contributor

The Scene – This converted carriage house, once the abode of famed silent film star Harold Lloyd, welcomes with a sleek California ski lodge feel. Weathered brick, exposed wood beams, a prominent, wood-burning fireplace, a cozy bar and a lovely canvas-draped patio all create a homey, upscale vibe. Engaging owner/chef Suzanne Goin is more often at sister property, A.O.C. or her husband's Hungry Cat, but her expert hand is still felt. Service is informed and amiable. – – The Food – Meals begin with crusty Italian bread, the restaurant's juicy, salty namesake Tuscan…

Editor's Tips

Save Money:
Make reservations for the weekly "Sunday Supper." The prix-fixe dinner includes three courses for $35, so you can savor the cuisine while saving some cash.
Know Before You Go:
Wine list selections marked "375 ml" indicate a half bottle. Lucques offers around 15 domestic and imported halves--sample a couple different wines with your dinner.
When to Go:
The kitchen serves until 11pm weekdays and till midnight Fridays and Saturdays--something to remember the next time your only option seems to be Swinger's.
ambiance
95.0% positive
  1. “Wonderful, sophisticated and warm atmosphere.”
  2. “The location is nice, the ambience is relaxed and the food is just perfect.”
  3. “When I go out for a romantic meal, I don't want to feel like I'm sharing it with my husband plus the strangers at every neighboring table.”
  4. “very cozy atmosphere-- not stuffy at all and the food was great.”
  5. “The restaurant is a beautiful, cozy space, lively but quiet enough for intimate conversation.”
  6. “Everything is so fresh, packaged in the right atmosphere.”
  7. “The food is always delicious, the atmosphere lovely and comfortable, and it's a nice place to relax and catch up with friends.”
  8. “Very nice ambiance.”
  9. “The place is pricey, and each time we spent about $100/head on moderate drinking, but the food is great and ambiance really good.”
  10. “Wonderful atmosphere, great service, excellent wine list, terrific bar area, okay meal choice, iffy combination of ingredients on most of limited menu items.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “It's also a great place just to go to have dessert and coffee and sit by the fire.”
  2. “The only highlight was the desert-- a delicious sundae-like refreshment served with burnt chocolate wafers.”
drinks
96.00000381469727% positive
  1. “We love sitting at the bar or out on the patio, but on a cold night the fireplace and booths inside are great too.”
  2. “It's also a great place just to go to have dessert and coffee and sit by the fire.”
  3. “The food was absolutely delicious and the wine selection was superb as well.”
  4. “There are decent bottle of wine in this vast world of ours that are not exorbitantly priced, taste good and have a cork.”
  5. “Great food and awesome wine list.”
  6. “Wonderful atmosphere, great service, excellent wine list, terrific bar area, okay meal choice, iffy combination of ingredients on most of limited menu items.”
  7. “The wine list is diverse and i've loved each wine i've selected.”
  8. “Outstanding food, good wines.”
  9. “My only complaint is that their grilled cheese sandwiches (bar food) are not nearly as good as Campanile Grilled Cheese night, but other than that Lucques is fantastic.”
  10. “great rabbit dish and the wine choices were really good as well.”
food quality
91.85000419616699% positive
  1. “Decent food, horrible service!”
  2. “If you're lucky you'll hit a gem of a meal and a reasonable tab.”
  3. “Even though the steak was excellent, the overall experience was disappointing.”
  4. “great rabbit dish and the wine choices were really good as well.”
  5. “The place was trying to hard, the dishes looked horrible and at $40 a plate we decided we'd rather go somewhere else.”
  6. “ordered a fish dish which was so flavorful, probably the best fish dish I have had in years.”
  7. “The corn polenta provided a tasty complement.”
  8. “The lamb was over the top delicious.”
  9. “We started with a glaas of Aracdia Chardonnay and munched on the almonds, Tuscan olives and fresh bread.”
  10. “Nothing stood out during meal but really nothing bad either.”
  11. “The food wasn't exceptional -- I've definitely had better, but the ingredients were fresh and I liked what I ordered.”
  12. “The mixed bitter green salad with pomegranites, toasted walnuts and warm goat cheese was topped with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.”
  13. “perfect place for true fine French cuisine.”
  14. “Food was delicious, I definitely recommend going to this restaurant.”
  15. “To me, suckling pig salad did not sound that appetizing but the waitress recommended it and I could not have made a better selelection.”
  16. “Charming, excellent food.”
  17. “Great food and awesome wine list.”
  18. “Outstanding food, good wines.”
  19. “Probably the BEST food in Los Angeles.”
  20. “The food was absolutely delicious and the wine selection was superb as well.”
  21. “Everything is so fresh, packaged in the right atmosphere.”
  22. “It tasted like the most tender, perfectly cooked carnitas and when mixed with fresh, sweet peach slices, mixed greens, candied pepitas and a wonderful cumin dressing it made for one of the tastiest salads I've ever had.”
  23. “The appetizer was rich and buttery, perfect to start the meal.”
  24. “The food is rich rich rich, and if you want a salad and a fish you've got precisely one choice of each.”
  25. “Really good food!”
  26. “The club steak, however, was wonderful!”
  27. “Flavors and texture of food was amazing, and do go for a nice, crisp salad as a starter.”
  28. “The ingredients were amazingly fresh, and the attention that went into their preparation, from the humble to the exotic, seemed clear, starting with the nettle soup; I'll look for the recipe in the Lucques cookbook.”
  29. “The info above is incorrect though, it now costs $40 per person, but that is still a great bargain for the quality of food.”
  30. “good meal not great.”
  31. “For the fact that it's a great place to hang out and the food is good (but not great), I would return, however.”
  32. “Consistently excellent food, a solid restaurant”
  33. “The best prep of salmon I've ever had (w/bacon over cabbage-sounds weird but worked.)”
  34. “Good food, busy restaurant, but not too noisy”
  35. “Grilled black bass with farro, sumac and tomato-preserved lemon salsa was good but the wild salmon with bacon, sweet corn and green cabbage was incredible.”
  36. “very cozy atmosphere-- not stuffy at all and the food was great.”
  37. “Simply great food”
  38. “Wonderful atmosphere, great service, excellent wine list, terrific bar area, okay meal choice, iffy combination of ingredients on most of limited menu items.”
  39. “The location is nice, the ambience is relaxed and the food is just perfect.”
  40. “In short, there are plenty of places to get a good steak in LA.”
  41. “The food is always delicious, the atmosphere lovely and comfortable, and it's a nice place to relax and catch up with friends.”
  42. “The ingredients are all fresher than fresh; seasonality is the star here.”
  43. “So the food looks good and tastes even better.”
  44. “The food was good, quality excellent, very good service.”
  45. “It's amazing what can be done with fresh ingredients and a little creativity!”
  46. “The atmoshere here is great but it doesnt make up for the poorly prepared food.”
  47. “Even my husband who loves meat couldn't find anything to eat on it.”
  48. “For the price range (not the most expensive but still pricey - easily 170+ for 2), the menu selection was limited and mundane, and the meal itself quite standard.”
  49. “The service at Lucques is wonderful, and the food is great as well.”
  50. “The menu would have been good only if you're a die hard meat eatter.”
  51. “The place is pricey, and each time we spent about $100/head on moderate drinking, but the food is great and ambiance really good.”
  52. “When I go out for a romantic meal, I don't want to feel like I'm sharing it with my husband plus the strangers at every neighboring table.”
  53. “The only highlight was the desert-- a delicious sundae-like refreshment served with burnt chocolate wafers.”
  54. “My only complaint is that their grilled cheese sandwiches (bar food) are not nearly as good as Campanile Grilled Cheese night, but other than that Lucques is fantastic.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “The wine list is diverse and i've loved each wine i've selected.”
  2. “great rabbit dish and the wine choices were really good as well.”
  3. “Wonderful atmosphere, great service, excellent wine list, terrific bar area, okay meal choice, iffy combination of ingredients on most of limited menu items.”
  4. “The Sunday fixed menu for $40 is good value and well worth a visit - I'll be back for the regular weekly menu sometime soon - the menu changes very regularly dependent on what's locally available, so I doubt if it'd ever be dull to go back.”
  5. “The menu would have been good only if you're a die hard meat eatter.”
  6. “For the price range (not the most expensive but still pricey - easily 170+ for 2), the menu selection was limited and mundane, and the meal itself quite standard.”
  7. “The place is really beautiful but the menu was very limited.”
  8. “The food was absolutely delicious and the wine selection was superb as well.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “Truly LA's best restaurant!”
  2. “This is an especially great place for group dining.”
  3. “This is a great place, we had about 16 people and the dinner service did not miss a beat.”
  4. “It's also a great place just to go to have dessert and coffee and sit by the fire.”
  5. “For the fact that it's a great place to hang out and the food is good (but not great), I would return, however.”
  6. “The food is always delicious, the atmosphere lovely and comfortable, and it's a nice place to relax and catch up with friends.”
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. “The Sunday fixed menu for $40 is good value and well worth a visit - I'll be back for the regular weekly menu sometime soon - the menu changes very regularly dependent on what's locally available, so I doubt if it'd ever be dull to go back.”
  2. “For the fact that it's a great place to hang out and the food is good (but not great), I would return, however.”
service
88.88999938964844% positive
  1. “Decent food, horrible service!”
  2. “The service at Lucques is wonderful, and the food is great as well.”
  3. “Excellent service.”
  4. “Wonderful atmosphere, great service, excellent wine list, terrific bar area, okay meal choice, iffy combination of ingredients on most of limited menu items.”
  5. “Great service!”
  6. “My only complaint was that the service was rather slow.”
  7. “Service is attentive but discreet.”
  8. “Our server Amanda was great!”
  9. “To me, suckling pig salad did not sound that appetizing but the waitress recommended it and I could not have made a better selelection.”
  10. “Lucques was very good and I was not let down, the service was good too.”
  11. “Dessert was also very good, the runners were very attentive and continued pouring water into our empty glasses --I wish the tip went to him instead of our flaky waiter!”
  12. “The food was good, quality excellent, very good service.”
  13. “The main thing I enjoyed was the attentive service.”
  14. “The service was also good.”
  15. “The wait staff is attentive and European and NOT "Hi-my-name-is-John-and-I'll-be-your-server!”
  16. “In LA it can be hard to find restaurants that actually have good service so I was impressed by this one!”
  17. “This is a great place, we had about 16 people and the dinner service did not miss a beat.”
  18. “The waiter was not pushy at all.”
value
62.5% positive
  1. “The place is pricey, and each time we spent about $100/head on moderate drinking, but the food is great and ambiance really good.”
  2. “For the price range (not the most expensive but still pricey - easily 170+ for 2), the menu selection was limited and mundane, and the meal itself quite standard.”
  3. “The Sunday fixed menu for $40 is good value and well worth a visit - I'll be back for the regular weekly menu sometime soon - the menu changes very regularly dependent on what's locally available, so I doubt if it'd ever be dull to go back.”
  4. “Somewhat pricey as anticipated and worth it!”
wait time
0.0% positive
  1. “My only complaint was that the service was rather slow.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

01/28/11

Such bad attitudes

by believe it at Citysearch

C'mon! So we go for restaurant week and the choices are labelled with an asterisk. My partner can't decide what to order so we're told my order won't go in until both are decided. Fine, we say, no problem.

This is where the attitude starts. I get the restaurant week items, partner decides to get a starter of squid and the night's chicken dish. Mine, citrus salad, steak (medium) and chocolate torte.

Quality of the fare is acceptable, steak a bit tough, chicken, salty; not on par with other less expensive places... Can't quite see the appeal of Lucque's from the food side. But now know the attitude of the manager and waitstaff leans heavily on snarky remarks and bad attitude. Problem #1 lukewarm steak, precut in strips, not medium as ordered. Didn't want to wait for an explanation. Glad I didn't, because Problem #2 was older waiter charging us for hot water claiming he thought it was tea, ok, fine, that's possible; his remark as he took away the check to correct, "we don't charge for hot water, but other restaurants do." WTF??? Dude.

Manger looking dude walks around to our table and says, "Sorry it is taking so long, your card doesn't seem to be authorizing." Um, okay, since when does an AmEx black give anyone trouble. Better call AmEx and let them know I need a new #.

Wanted really badly not to tip waiter, but other staff were doing what they normally do, and there were three other waiters involved bringing bread, first courses, main courses and clearing up. Sorry, Susan Goin and other Goins, really wanted to enjoy, but sad to say won't be returning. Hope you get new waiters and manager!!!!

4 Star Rating: Recommended

02/25/10

Delicious, but a little...

by RobertorBob at Citysearch

Delicious, but a little disappointed. Fine line between delicate and bland, and some of the dishes tilted toward uninspiring. Expensive.

1 Star Rating: Poor

01/31/10

What a drag!

by mhayesart at Citysearch

I guess I'm just not that hip. When I go out for a romantic meal, I don't want to feel like I'm sharing it with my husband plus the strangers at every neighboring table. Is a little elbow room such a bad thing? Anyway, we had ourselves transferred to the patio for a little more privacy. This was fine, but why do two person table have to be sooooo small? Every time a new item comes to the table I feel like I'm in some sort Vaudeville act, trying to rearrange all the pieces, balancing saucers on my head.

Adding to the clutter, every menu was attached to a board with a rubber band. The wine menu was about ten pages long. I had to remove it from said clip board to read the top few lines. Not having a lot of disposable

income we chose the least expensive white at $36, for which we paid dearly. Not only did it have a screw top, but it was horribly sour and bitter. Guess what? There are decent bottle of wine in this vast world of ours that are not exorbitantly priced, taste good and have a cork. I'd be happy to recommend a few.

We skipped starters because of the shear expense. Luckily, they served almonds and olives with coarse salt on the side which were quite nice (the highlight of the meal in fact).

Now for the main event. I had three rubbery, bland scallops a top a gooey, overworked squash puree with a pool of bacon grease. My husbands fish was respectable, however the mayonnaisey slaw beneath was inexcusable.

Needless to say, we also skipped dessert. The thought of giving this establishment anymore of our dough was just too painful. I'm really not sure how they've stayed in business so long.

  • Pros: Olives and almonds with coarse salt
  • Cons: Everything else
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

02/11/09

Consistently excellent food, a solid restaurant

by eriklarsen at Citysearch

What can I say, Lucques continues to amaze. The location is nice, the ambience is relaxed and the food is just perfect. I ordered a fish dish which was so flavorful, probably the best fish dish I have had in years. The waiter was not pushy at all. The hostess could have been more welcoming but oh well, the food makes up for it. A perfect place for true fine French cuisine.

  • Pros: FOOD
  • Cons: Hostess could be friendlier
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/19/08

Suzanne Goin is the best of the best!!

by GreenbergPR at Citysearch

What can I say, there isn't a detail left to desire... the team behind Lucques (especially Suzanne Goin) is genius! The food is perfectly executed and the decor is simple and understated but warm & inviting. My favorite time to go is Sunday, when the Supper is anything but ordinary. Truly LA's best restaurant!!!

  • Pros: Food, service and ambiance!!!
  • Cons: Nothing. Other than I can't go every night :)

The Details on Lucques

Place Categories:

  • good bar food
  • attentive service
  • great place
  • very full lucques
  • not wait staff
  • good solid restaurant
  • fantastic experience
  • wonderful atmosphere
  • always great meal
  • wonderful club steak
  • loved wine
  • beautiful space
  • really good great rabbit dish
  • loved olives
  • delectable dinner
  • rich appetizer
  • other grilled cheese sandwiches
  • flavorful fish dish
  • best suzanne goin
  • fresh little creativity
  • tasty complement
  • nice ambiance
  • wonderful iffy combination
  • fresh ingredients
  • loved almonds

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