Sam & Luca Italian Bistro

So where do I start, wow! Such a delicious date night! My handsome hubby and I had a wonderful dinner. He has the prime rib and I had the shrimp and scallop risotto (literally cooked to perfection). Bethany was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu.. chef Mark thank you for everything!

When I moved into the neighborhood I wondered what is that cute dark tinted restaurant on the corner. When I finally stopped to find out, I was blown away by the quant atmosphere and great food at this hidden gem! Last night I brought a party of 11 and were accommodated quickly by the manager. We were checked on multiple times. The wait staff and management as well as owners are excellent! All of my friends loved every dish and desert they ate. This is the best kept secret of excellent Italian food and service in the east valley. We’ll be back again soon!

We went to Sam & Luca’s for my mother’s birthday. Absolutely amazing service. Our server was very knowledgeable, very quick with refills and kind. We even were served by the manager, who frequently touched the table and asked if we needed anything. The specials this evening were perfection, everyone loved their dinner and the desserts were top notched. Amazing atmosphere and very clean on the inside. Can’t wait to go back soon!

I am a huge fan of chef Mark Coakley from prior experience, especially his Salmon and tomahawk steak, among other great menu items. Mark took over as chef at Sam and Luca yesterday, so I ordered takeout. Holy Moly, it did not disappoint. I ordered the new salmon. It was delicious as usual. I ordered Capelli pasta and meatballs which were also excellent. I also got the Tustico salad which was great. I can not wait to try the filet and other items. Great job for your second night Mark and new owners and staff. Excellente! Can not wait to go back for more. I went back tonight 3/13 for dinner in the restaurant. Staff and server bartender were friendly, attentive and competent. New owner and his son the manager were there. Friendly, great atmosphere and superb food by Chef Mark and his kitchen staff. Happy hour mussels were great. Had filet mignon and risotto with spinach. Wowser! Very tender and extremely flavorable. Chef Marks daughter’s Oreo cheesecake was killer! So good. Thanks to Mark and his kitchen staff, the new owner and his son manager, and the staff for another five star rated dining experience.

I stopped impromptu just before dinner opening on a Friday to order Tiramisu to-go -life can be uncertain, eat dessert first! I was warmly greeted by Chef Patrick who graciously served me with a smile, going over and above to accommodate my request. When home, I enjoyed the best Tiramisu I've ever had. The craving for meatballs and marinara hit hard after enjoying that afternoon treat so a friend and I returned for a light dinner at the patio bar. Manager Josh shared a taste of newly crafted tangerine-cello and Taylor tending bar was fun and entertaining. The next day I deconstructed my left-over meatball and marinara adding sauteed garlic, mushrooms and spinach in olive oil and topped a toasted english muffin... DE-lish! I look forward to returning to try the Shrimp Risotto with an(other) Italian Mojito. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Sam & Luca!

This is nice cute place! Service was good!! Alittle over priced and not much on menu as far as variety! A lot of entree’s had a marinara sauce which was not appealing to me. No bread is served at this Italian Restaurant. I had the Bicatta I believe it’s called not sure it has Capers with chicken. The cream sauce with capers would of been just perfect with a pasta, but they did fettuccine noodles in marinara sauce!! Chicken was thin but tough! Great cream sauce though! Was kinda bummed they did not have the Lobster Ravioli that’s why I went back!! But try the Mozzarella sticks !! Amazing .

Truly an Italian restaurant! Very cozy & romantic! The food was amazing! I didn't care so much for the side-by-side seating. Next time I ask for a table alone. They make their own limoncello! The tiramisu just melts in your mouth!

Food was delicious. Great atmosphere. Quick service.

What a nice hidden gem in the area. Tired of chain food, then try this place for very good Italian food. Very small and quaint, but still large enough to get a reservation and a table. Happy Hour is ok, but ends at 6pm... The short ribs won the best entrée at our table. The scallops were amazing as well. Then the salmon Ceasar salad rocked.

I had a wonderful evening! The food was delicious and the service was wonderful. I loved the meatball appetizer!

The food was amazing. True Italian flavor. Our waitress "Bee" was a pleasure from the minute she came to our table. As was every employee in the restaurant. Save room for dessert. You will be sorry if you don't. Thank you for a wonderful evening. We will be back with the gang. P, B & J 10 STARS

We had a very good meal as we shared along-awaited time together with family of 10 from 3 states! Overall, the food was excellent, with just a couple of concerns that I chose to share with the owners and general manager via e-mail. I still have not received a reply, but hope to hear from one of them soon.

I wish I could give this place 10 Stars. Everything about the dinner was fantastic from the service the attention to detail and the food. If you go here I highly recommend the short rib dish. My husband had the linguine and clams and said it was the absolute best he has ever had in his life. We've been trying to get in there for a while with our friends and tonight we went to celebrate our friend's birthday. They did not disappoint. We have found our regular haunt for our monthly dinner.

I checked memu prices ahead of time. One menu uploaded 2 months ago said the pizza was $20. When I arrived it was instead $29, everything was increased in price substantially. It was my first time here. I think that was the #1 best pizza I ever had.

OMGOSH, celebrated our 47th anniversary here. What a NIGHT! Food was excellent. Leftovers for lunch, yay! Collin was our very knowledgeable, personable, attentive waiter EVER! He genuinely celebrated with us in his words and actions. Several employees were involved in making sure we had all we needed without hovering at all. ALL were so nice and HAPPY! Thanks to Collin, everyone else and the Chefs of course. Bob and Shelley

Wow! We were just in the neighborhood and stopped by to grab dinner. Never been here before but we would definitely come back. The min we walked in, everyone was welcoming! Phillip was our server and he was incredible with suggestions and service was top notch. Believe me I have worked for Hillstone Restaurant group for over 6 years and my expectations are pretty high and no one nearly can provide the service as Hillstone/Houston's but this Restaurant very close or the same level. Even Chef came out to make sure the foods came out right. Keep up the great work and thank you for your AMAZING service ❤️

Awesome food we all loved it. Be sure to make a reservation so you are not disappointed. I am an American living in western Canada but I come every winter to visit my sister in Mesa.We had the pleasure to dine here tonight with lovely Bea as our server. Very efficient, and friendly. We leisurely dined. My sister gets a different meal she loves each time. It was my first experience but surely not my last. Yummy. Thanks.

What a cute spot! We had the best time! Great environment! Our server was THE BEST - Thanks B! We gave a 4 for the food because they brought my dish out cold (twice) and ran out of meatballs. They felt bad, shared apologies and sent us home with dessert. We will be back for sure! Looking forward to trying a hot and yummy dish/meatballs next time! Thanks guys!!

My husband and I dined here for the first time a few weeks ago and we really enjoyed ourselves. This is a family owned and operated establishment and the pride in ownership shows. The ambience was nice and the service was top notch! We arrived in time to take advantage of their happy hour and ordered a couple of cocktails and their cheese sticks (best cheese sticks we’ve ever had)! My husband ordered the lasagna and I ordered the special, which was short rib bolognese with pappardelle noodles. We both agreed that our dishes were delicious and I was pleasantly surprised in how meaty the bolognese was. I normally do not order dessert as I am too full by the end of the meal, but had to try one of grandma’s recipes cannoli, so I ordered one to go and it did not disappoint! Delicious!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Overall — A Must-Try Local Gem! Food: 5/5 – Amazing! Excellent collection of vegetarian options with great flavor and freshness. Service: 7/5 (Yes, that’s from my wife!) – Truly exceptional service. Atmosphere: 4/5 – A little busy, but that just shows how popular it is. We visited this family-owned local restaurant on Power Road on a Friday night. My wife initially wasn’t in the mood to go out, and we had planned for another place, but I convinced her to try Sam & Luca instead. She wasn’t too happy at first — until we arrived. The warm greeting at the door set the tone, but what really changed everything was Mr. Colin. His friendly personality, great sense of humor, and detailed explanation of the menu completely turned her mood around. He made us feel genuinely welcome and helped us choose the perfect dishes. The food was so good that, for once, we didn’t have any leftovers to take home — everything was wiped clean! This place is truly a hidden gem with incredible food, outstanding service, and a cozy local vibe. Please support this wonderful family-owned restaurant — they absolutely deserve it! P.S. We were so busy enjoying the food that we forgot to take pictures

EAT AT THIS PLACE!!! Absolutely one of the best authentic Italian spots in AZ! The food truly was amazing. The staff was even better. They listened, acted, and truly put the patron first. You never see this sort of service anywhere. They worked as a team and it showed. Price was affordable and the dessert was amazing also. Get the salted caramel gelato, you’ll be happy you did!

The service was amazing! Food was very good as well. Everything was extremely fresh! The manager stopped by a few times and was a very nice guy. BTW Tiramisu is 100% amazing!

Wife and I were running errands and we were hungry and we looked at what was close by and I said "What about Sam & Luca" which we had been to once a few years ago. Parking lot was a little tight but not terrible and we didn't make reservations so we sat at the bar. The staff was immediately attentive, the manager smiled and greeted us. We ordered two dishes that were wonderful and I asked my wife why haven't we been back here in the last couple years. She replied that I hated it last time which I clearly did not remember. Looks like ownership has changed and things are run right now. Like I said the food was great the drinks were pretty good and the service was excellent. And to top it off I didn't feel like the prices were out of control like you see in many restaurants. Dishes ranged from mid $20s and up. If you've tried this place in the past and haven't been back maybe it's time to give it another shot.

Pizza, calamari, mussels, Brazato De Manzo and tiramisu all outstanding and well prepared. Had a reservation but circumstances dictated otherwise and we picked up our order instead. Everything as it should be and ready on time. Friendly and helpful staff certainly rounded out the picture. A great go to neighborhood place that we don’t get to often enough. As usual, we’ll keep coming back.

Tanner was our waiter and he was fabulous. He made our dining experience so much fun. We can’t wait to go back. Food was great and their Tiramisu is out of this world

My family & I like to attend this restaurant atleast once or twice a month and every time we visit we experience nothing but short of exceptional service. The staff is very attentive, patient and understanding especially with my little ones. We love coming here! The food and beverages are delicious. We highly recommend.

Fantastic place, great food that’s done with pride. Tanner was very patient and knowledgeable, made the experience wonderful. Reviews talking up the mozzarella sticks were right they are insanely good. Will be back.

It was a delicious dinner with great service! Bea gave us exceptional service and made excellent recommendations. The stuffed mushroom appetizer was delicious. I would highly recommend.

We were a party of four at our table, greeted and sat at our table very quickly. Our server came and offered recommendations of the house specials and got our drinks. Server brought out drinks and bread and butter, cold vs warmer for spreading on French bread. We all had the half salads. The Caesar Salad was the perfect size, lacking in taste and under dressed. Needs more of an anchovy taste very bland. Dinners came out and were excellent in size portion and beautiful presentation. There were two orders of lasagna and very good taste but luck warm, needed to be hotter to allow the cheeses to melt. The server came many times along with the owner. The restaurant looks to be on point., Good communication and with the staff. The restaurant is very inviting to come in for dinner. There is also outside seating great for long afternoons. Dinner is a little expensive but that is the sign of the times. They have Happy Hour and $2 dollars off glasses of wine from 4-6pm

Dropped in while we waited for an event across the street to start. Cute little place, but you can’t tell if it’s open or not from the outside. But definitely walk up and find out, because it is worth it! I don’t remember our servers name, but she was funny and personable. We got the Caprese salad, which was the perfect sharing size for two people, and the pesto sauce was amazing! My guy ordered the chicken carpaccio I think it was, and said it was the best he ever had! Almost made himself sick eating it because he wolfed it down so fast.😂🫣 I ordered the lamb ribs with potatoes and asparagus. The asparagus was basically burnt 😔 potatoes are potatoes, I don’t love them, but these were OK. The lamb was just OK as well, I’ve had better. Kind of disappointed with my meal because I had high hopes .☹️ But the blueberry lemon cheesecake was absolutely wonderful! Although we are convinced those are huckleberries, not blueberries …;)(which is fine because we love those as well!) We recommend this place, maybe just don’t get the lamb and asparagus.🫣

Service was great and the food was exceptional! We got the specials everything was fresh and high quality. The short rib was very tender and flavorful. Free bread was a plus as well. We will definitely be back!

This is a nice Italian restaurant. They do chef specials every week. There’s a room with barn doors you can rent out for an event and they are happy to do a custom menu etc. great quiet vibe (it was a weekday) and friendly service. My only complaint is it was hard to get any oil out of the container for my bread. It dripped so slow.

The eggplant parm was really good. Our server was fantastic. But we ordered a $36 appetizer sampler and the portions were so small it was lame. 3 meatballs, 4 mozzarella sticks ( albeit the best mozzarella sticks we ever had) and somewhat tasteless bruschetta. They need to do away with that menu option or increase the sizes of the portions. The shrimp on the shrimp risotto was fantastic, but the risotto itself was disappointing.

Food is mid, but service was terrible. Our glasses were sitting empty. Were told to keep our forks between courses. Were told if we wanted to split a full salad (which is just a normal sized Caesar for $17) is $3 more, but no extra plates could be brought. Two top table was too small for the bread bowl and two modest antipasto. I would be okay with the price of a) you don't nickel and dime me over something stupid like a salad. Everything is al la carte so I know I'm paying more, I get that, give me new plates, give me new silverware b) service was attentive. Final comment, the decorations/atmosphere was poorly executed (emphasis on poor). The light fixtures hang too high but not high enough because the electrician didn't lower then to be intimate table lighting. The wall is covered with cheap mirror tiles from the 70s or is it the 80s? The wall is covered with the same vinyl material as the floor. The bathroom floor is dangerously slippery. Portions are almost generous but not quite. Even my little wife was still hungry after two apps a salad and her ravioli main. In short, would I go there again? Not for dinner no. Maybe it would be okay to go to the outdoor bar and have drinks and apps. In short, pretending to be a bistro but really just tacky with overpriced food and very poor service. Did I tip? Yes, I'm not cheap. But also left a note as no one asked about the food or the experience while we were there. Was it busy? Not really. Just incompetence. Oh... And there's no parking unless you want to walk from the jack the box parking lot

Although the ambience and the service was very good, the value for the food and the food portions were well below expectation. Nearly $30 for a plate of pasta that was not amazing or a hearty portion, $9 for a piece of tiramisu that is smaller than a pack of cards, $13 for an appetizer of 4 pieces of bread / bruschetta, Etc.… Left us less than wowed. We had 1 appetizer, 4 pasta dishes, 3 desserts, and 5 beverages – no alcohol- and walked out paying $225 for 4 adults.

Not the happiest with my meal I splurged on, $36 for short rib mushroom risotto, lots of meat! Not enough risotto AT ALL, and 3 whopping mushrooms. You gave me more calamari then you did the actual entree.

I enjoy a good clam linguine and saw it advertised here, even with phoyos, shown in picture. What I was served? A bowl of watered down linguine with 3 clams and some canned clams mixed in. Disappointed! Not even close to their advertised dish.

Going down hill. We are here last year and it was very good. This time we took my 91 year old mother for a special dinner and it was extremely sub-standard food and preparation. We first got a cesear salad that was wilted brown and sent it back to receive a less wilted salad. The romaine was partially frozen, it was prepared hours before and kept too cold. The staff commented he was color blind and couldn't see anything wrong. "Not a great start." Next, my mother commented her plate was warm after eating some of her wedge salad. Them turned it over to discover a gross soup of bacteria festering on the bottom, due to poor preparation and storage. I asked for the kitchen manager, but they wouldn't come out to address the issue. I guess it's the practice of the management to ignore any customer concerns. Lastly, our entree s arrived at the table. The plates were cold and food barely warm. The short rib was tender but dry with no sign of juices. Served with a small portion of mushroom risotto that was tasty. The lamb chops were overcooked and needed a steak knife to cut them. See the pictures below of the wedge salad and decide if you want this on your dinner plate?

Honestly, if I could’ve given the restraining a zero stars I would’ve from the minute we set foot into this restaurant we knew we made a mistake. First of all to begin with. We paid $80 plus “doesn’t include gratuity fee” Per dinner, we were provided two shrimps with the poop still in it in some pick cocktail sauce for our appetizer, two options for a salad, which you could’ve bought the ingredients from the dollar store for and 3 to 5 options for dinner which were dramatically underwhelming overall, i’d like to save anybody who is within a higher Brax Tackets time and advise to not go to this restaurant

This was the most disgusting meal I've had in a very long time. Everything was so greasy and flavor. I left there needing to brush my teeth. Bread was cold, the appetizer was soggy bread. I would never recommend this place. And for seventy two dollars, definitely feels like a rip off. Looks nice walking in, but it's like putting lipstick on a pig. Gross.