Popular Liverpool Italian restaurant Luca has reopened its doors on Allerton Road following a refresh, unveiling a brand-new autumn menu packed with comforting Italian dishes and seasonal flavours.
The Italian small plates and cocktail restaurant welcomed customers back on Friday 30 October after a short closure, revealing a freshly painted dining room, upgraded kitchen equipment and a new menu designed for cosy autumn evenings.
The improvements have given Luca’s kitchen team the opportunity to expand its offering, with new dishes focusing on slow-braised meats, rich sauces and seasonal ingredients including squash, pumpkin, celeriac and Cornish mussels.
New autumn dishes at Luca
Among the exciting additions is La Bomba, featuring crispy molten mozzarella baked in vodka sauce with chilli honey and toasted bread for dipping.
Other new sharing plates include lamb arancini with parmesan custard, whipped goat’s cheese crostini with honey, thyme and pistachio, and charred hispi cabbage finished with a rich gorgonzola sauce.
For those looking for something heartier, the new menu features Guanciale di Manzo, a slow-braised beef cheek served in a rich Barolo wine sauce with creamy polenta.
Seafood lovers can enjoy Cozze Diavola, featuring Cornish mussels steamed in a spicy ‘nduja and pancetta cream sauce, served with toasted focaccia.
Other additions include Pollo alla Vodka, a breaded chicken breast with vodka tomato cream sauce, crispy basil and grilled provolone, alongside Welsh lamb rump with puy lentil ragu and grilled seabass with celeriac purée.
Fresh pasta, risotto and Italian favourites
Luca has also introduced several new pasta, risotto and pizzette dishes to celebrate the autumn season.
Highlights include Lasagne Bianca al Tartufo, a traditional beef lasagne with white truffle sauce, and Risotto alla Zucca, made with roasted autumn squash, toasted pumpkin seeds, sage and amaretti.
The new Paccheri alla Vodka combines pasta with a rich tomato, chilli and cream sauce, while the Zucco pizzetta features roasted pumpkin and squash purée, goat’s cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds and chilli honey.
Popular favourites remain on the menu, including Luca’s 24-hour slow-cooked lamb rigatoni, potato gnocchi, spaghetti carbonara, fried calamari and classic tiramisu.
With small plates starting from £5.50, the restaurant continues to offer a sharing-style dining experience, perfect for everything from a midweek catch-up to a full Italian feast with friends.
Vegetarian and vegan dishes are available throughout the menu, with gluten-free options offered on request.
Luca owner delighted to welcome customers back
Adam Lunt, owner of Luca, said:
“We’ve loved giving Luca a little refresh, and the new kitchen equipment means the team can do even more with the dishes we’re proud of.
“Autumn is our favourite season to cook for. It’s all about slow braises, rich sauces and plates you want to share, and dishes like the beef cheek in Barolo and the cozze diavola capture that perfectly.
“It’s been brilliant welcoming our regulars back today, and we’re looking forward to meeting plenty of new faces this autumn.”
The refreshed restaurant is now welcoming diners back to Allerton Road, with its new seasonal dishes offering plenty of reasons to visit this autumn.
Luca’s new autumn menu is available now, with tables available to book on the website.
