Private dining in Lucca, with no set menus

A private dinner should not feel like a hotel meeting room with three wine glasses lined up in a row. It can be a table of friends, colleagues, or family who want to drink well and eat at an unhurried pace, in the center of Lucca. That is where we start: what you want to drink, how much time you have, and what kind of evening you want to remember the next day.

We are at Via Calderia 12, just a short walk from Piazza San Michele. We are open in the evenings, Monday through Saturday, from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. For a private dinner, write to us or call us, tell us about your group, and we will find the right format. No packages with fanciful names. No making you choose from ten menus printed six months ago.

What we mean by a private dinner

For us, a private dinner is an evening built around specific people, not a standard event disguised as hospitality. It might be a group traveling to Lucca that wants a dinner different from yet another tourist table. It might be a team getting together after work. Or it might be a table of people from Lucca who feel like opening bottles that would normally remain closed in the cellar.

It does not automatically mean taking over the entire restaurant. It depends on the number of guests, the day, and how the evening is organized. A small, intimate table can work perfectly well within Tomkat's usual rhythm; for different requirements, we can discuss them beforehand. The useful thing is to contact us with a little notice, but if you are already in Lucca and looking for a table for tonight, it is still worth asking.

We want to understand whether you are looking for a long dinner or something lighter, whether the wine should lead the table or simply take its place, and whether there are bottles you want to look for. Then we take care of the rest, with good judgment.

Wine comes first, but it does not make a fuss

Our cellar contains almost 200 Italian and French labels. We select them bottle by bottle, and the list changes every week. These numbers are not meant to impress: they mean we do not have to say yes to just any bottle when you have a specific question at the table.

For those visiting Tuscany for a few days, the starting point is almost always Tuscany. And that makes sense. Brunello di Montalcino, Bolgheri, Chianti Classico, Sangiovese, and Vermentino are the bottles we see most often on our tables. We also add small Tuscan producers, the kind that are rarely encountered outside this area and deserve a place alongside the better-known names.

A private dinner can begin with a Tuscan white and continue with a well-chosen Sangiovese, or with a Brunello for those who want to devote the evening to an important bottle. If you are a mixed group, we do not impose a single route on everyone. A table is better when everyone drinks with pleasure, not when they follow a program out of obligation.

The French side of the cellar

France is the other half of our identity. Burgundy, Champagne, and Bordeaux are not decorative additions to the list. We have major houses, small producers, and a Bordeaux Experience featuring château from the 1980s onward.

For a group of enthusiasts, this part of the cellar can become the center of the dinner. For a table that mainly wants Tuscany, it remains a real option when someone wants to step outside the expected route. There is nothing wrong with putting a Barolo next to a Brunello if the table feels like doing so. We leave rigid rules to the forms.

We also have a selection of wines by the glass that changes often. For those who live in Lucca, the Piana, or Versilia, it is a simple reason to return on a weekday: the by-the-glass list does not sit still gathering dust. Sometimes an older vintage by the glass changes the tone of the evening more than a long explanation.

A short menu, made for lingering at the table

The menu is short because we want it to be clear. We are not trying to do everything. We prepare dishes that accompany the wine and have a presence of their own, without turning dinner into an endurance test.

The toasted sourdough focaccia arrives at the table to be shared by hand: focaccia, Campanian tomato, Tuscan olive oil, and Maldon salt. It is a direct beginning, especially useful when guests arrive at different times or the first glass has already been chosen.

The pork ribs in Italian sweet and sour sauce have a bolder character. The fresh pasta lasagna is made with a beef and pork ragù cooked for 24 hours. It is one of those dishes that calls for a red wine with presence, but does not require a specific label. Brunello, Bolgheri, Barolo: the choice depends on the bottle, the vintage, and the table.

For a lighter dinner, there is the pantry. Culatta di Parma, 100% Ibérico de Bellota Jamón, Italian and French cheeses ranging from Tuscan pecorino to Jura Comté, Gillardeau oysters, and caviar. It is not a fallback compared with a complete dinner. For some tables, especially when wine is the main reason for the gathering, it is exactly the right measure.

When it makes sense to add a tasting

Guided tastings can be booked starting at €20. They are a useful option when a private dinner comes from a specific curiosity: older Tuscan vintages, Burgundy, Champagne, Bordeaux, or a comparison of the regions and styles represented on our list.

The starting price covers the tasting and does not replace a quote for a dinner or private event. We prefer to be clear about this. The final cost depends on the bottles, the dishes, and how we decide to build the evening together.

If you want an evening centered on wine, we can work out a sequence and accompany it with dishes from the kitchen and pantry. If, instead, you are organizing a dinner for people with different tastes, it is often better to leave more room for individual choices at the table. The best solution depends on the group, not on a ready-made formula.

For those in Lucca for just one evening

Many of our guests stay in town for one, two, or three nights. They have walked all day, seen the walls, and in the evening are looking for somewhere to sit comfortably without turning dinner into a project. A private dinner can be very simple: a reserved table, a few suggestions about Tuscan wines, dishes in the center, and bottles chosen at an unhurried pace.

If you are a group, tell us what you usually drink and whether anyone is looking for a particular bottle. If you do not know, that is fine too. We can start with Tuscany and see where the evening leads. If you are looking for an older vintage, ask a specific question instead: the answer may be more interesting than expected.

Our list has been recognized by Star Wine List with Best Newcomer 2025 and Best Medium-Sized Wine List 2026. Wine Spectator awarded us the Best of Award of Excellence in 2025 and 2026. Naturally, we are pleased. But at the table, what matters most is a bottle opened at the right moment and service that does not interrupt every conversation.

How to talk to us about it

To organize a private dinner, write to us or call us at +39 376 203 5395. You can also book through OpenTable. Tell us the date, the number of people, and whether you have in mind a dinner centered on Tuscany, France, or both. If there are any dietary requirements, it is best to tell us right away.

You do not need to arrive with a fully formed idea. It is enough to know whether you want a table for sharing, a bottle that deserves time, or a freer evening among glasses and pantry dishes. We will put the rest in order at Via Calderia 12, when the city begins to slow down.

A good private dinner does not need a script. It needs the right people at the same table and enough wine to make them stay a few minutes longer.

Pier Giulio Bendinelli