Lucca Osteria & Bar in suburban Oak Brook is the vision of Italian chef and veteran restaurateur Claudio Ulivieri, who co-founded the eatery with Steve Hartenstein on May 1, 2021. Located at 1415 W. 22nd St., across from Oakbrook Center mall, Lucca features a broad menu of authentic Italian dishes including pizza, antipasti, soups, salads, pasta, seafood, meat dishes and sides.
Ulivieri was born in Lucca, Italy, and raised on a farm in the town of Altopascio, a small village outside the city. “He learned winemaking from his father and helped him harvest the crop every year,” Lucca’s website recounts. “He learned cooking traditions passed down over generations from his mother, who was known for never letting a soul go hungry.”
A year ago, chef Federico Comacchio joined Lucca’s culinary team. Comacchio’s career includes a tenure as sous chef with the Bice Group in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and stints at Coco Pazzo and Gioia in Chicago. His relationship with Ulivieri and Hartenstein began under the Stefani Restaurant Group.
Lucca’s menu features rotating specials of seasonal food. The restaurant hosts a variety of events such as a Cinco de Mayo tequila and mezcal dinner, a “Giro d’Italia” wine dinner series, a bottle-engraving evening, and even a late-night dance party. The restaurant holds multiple private dining spaces for 10 to 100 people. For more, click here.
Dining and Cooking