Lucia’s Fine Foods

An Adelaide institution. Need fresh pasta? Lucias. Need something to go on top of that pasta? Lucias. Don’t want to cook? Lucias. Proscuito + dreamy cured meats, rillettes, dip, cheese, EVERYTHING ITALIAN? Lucias.
They are both a shop and and a Panini bar. Get your more ‘sit down’ and coffee next door at the other Lucias (but it’s all the same thing really). The Panini bar makes bread rolls sexy (again?!?) and gives you all of the above mentioned cured meats and cheeses an opportunity to come together. I’m going to put it out there: this is the best place in Adelaide for a roll. I blame the seriously good olive oil.
Can’t go wrong really unless you are on a budget or about to fly overseas and can’t actually buy anything.

Having a good reputation can be a bad thing — it can raise expectations to an unmeasurable level. But I tell you what — if you want quality produce, this is the place to go. Yes you pay for it, but it is rare that you get quality for cheap.
The charcuterie/​sandwich/​meat bar/​delivers excellent lunch time snacks. I tried the sopressa/​basil/​olive tapenade sandwich and it was Delish. I can recommend the buffalo mozzarella sandwich as well.
Like I said — quality, quality place!

The first time I came to Lucia’s, about six years ago, it housed just the old school coffee/​pasta/​pizza bit. Then a few years later the next generation came along with the deli and take-​home goods in the store next door. I loved it even more and bought pâté and tins of delicious things to stuff in my suitcase and take home to Melbourne.
Now they’ve taken another store, stocked it floor to ceiling with imported and local goodies, thrown in a big bench complete with meat slicing machines and some fridges stocked with all manner of cured meats and cheese. If I ever get to build my own kitchen it would look exactly like this store… meat slicer and all.
I love that you can order a fresh Panini and they’ll stuff it right there and then with items from the store. We shared two — the prosciutto and mozzarella and the daily special of egg tortilla and greens — and realised while half way though eating them that we could have settled on just the one. They’re massive and incredibly filling.
Will I come back in a few years to find the Lucia’s empire has expanded even further in to the market I wonder?

This is a review for the store section of Lucias.
Yes the food is awesome! I agree, 100%. The food is the only reason I keep going back. Hoooooowever (and its a biggie), they are always super rude to me, very uninterested in my presence, i was pretty much told off for not knowing about the $ 10 minimum. which is preposterous anyway. Oh, sorry I must mention the singular time that I received excellent service, I was at a national food bloggers event. Surprise, surprise they were wonderful then.
What a shame I don’t do reviews based on fake/​one off service.

I’m going to run away and hide now. I have never eaten a bowl of pasta at Lucias. Yes, yes it is an institution. I have no idea, having lived in Adelaide all my life; having lived in the city for the past 3 years, why I have never ticked it off my list. Just haven’t.
Can I come back now?
I have shopped in the store, though. Not for much. The odd jar of pasta sauce. Many, many bottles of Fever Tree ginger beer – sometimes to quench my thirst on the spot; other times for mixing with various kinds of hard liquor. Always, it has been a pleasant experience. They stock all sorts of mouth-​watering preserves and jarred things; pre-​prepared meals; packaged Italian whatsits; and imported beverages. The staff are a friendly bunch; only too happy to joke and make your day.
++++ VEGAN FRIENDLINESS — Most of the preserves, unless obviously not, are vegan. The dried pasta is. Fever Tree is.