Inside Lucca’s walls, aperitivo can mean a glass of wine, a cocktail with a plate you choose separately, or a spritz beside the cathedral. Pick StraVinSky for wine, Magellano if you want a small dish with your cocktail, or Undici Undici for a drink on Piazza Antelminelli.
Three aperitivo stops at a glance
| Stop | Area | Order | Typical spend per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| StraVinSky | Via Elisa | A glass of wine | €7–12, one drink |
| Magellano | Vicolo dell’Olivo | Cocktail and hummus with focaccia | €15–25, drink and plate |
| Undici Undici | Piazza Antelminelli | Select Spritz | €7–11, one drink |
For a drink with food, choose Magellano: its small plates are priced separately, so a cocktail alone is a different order from the drink-and-plate estimate above. StraVinSky suits a wine-led stop on the eastern side of the centre, while Undici Undici puts your spritz beside the cathedral. The ranges are rounded estimates: your choice of drink and whether you add food will change the bill.
StraVinSky: wine on Via Elisa
StraVinSky is an enoteca on Via Elisa where the wine-bar setting makes a glass of wine the natural order. Arrive from 18:30 for an evening drink, Tuesday to Sunday. It also opens for lunch from 12:30 to 15:30, and evening service runs until 23:30.
A short wine stop here leaves dinner open, but if you intend to settle in for a seated meal instead, make that the plan rather than assuming a drink will turn into a full supper. Ask for a wine by the glass that suits what you like to drink, and consider arranging a table if you want to stay for dinner. Choose this stop when the wine itself is the reason to pause, rather than when you need a definite small-plate order: Magellano lists individual dishes you can add to a cocktail. Via Elisa is towards the eastern side of the walled centre, away from the cathedral-square spritz stop. If your evening begins near that square, decide whether crossing the centre for a wine bar is worth the detour before dinner. If wine matters more than staying by the cathedral, StraVinSky is the clearer choice.
- Name
- Enoteca StraVinSky
- Location
- Via Elisa 37, Lucca Maps
- Typical visit
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Price range
- €€
Magellano: cocktails and small plates
Magellano in Vicolo dell’Olivo is the choice when you want a cocktail and something to eat without committing to a restaurant dinner. Its food menu gives you a concrete small-plate order: pair a cocktail with hummus and focaccia (€7), or choose the mixed cold-cuts and cheese platter (€12) if you want something to share. Order the food separately from your drink.
Service begins at 18:00 on open days. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday run to midnight; Friday and Saturday continue to 01:00. That makes an early drink with a plate possible as well as a later cocktail, although the food is a small dish rather than a substitute for a full seated dinner. Choose your dish as well as your drink when you budget for this stop: a mixed cold-cuts and cheese platter makes more sense for sharing than the individual hummus order. The menu also lists a mini aubergine parmigiana and a ham-and-cheese toast, so you need not plan around a single snack. If you want a longer meal, compare Lucca restaurants for lunch or dinner instead. For a specific evening table with food, arranging a seat ahead is more sensible than relying on space at the bar. Vicolo dell’Olivo puts this cocktail stop in the centre rather than on the cathedral square; choose it for the drink-and-food pairing, not for a view of the cathedral.
- Name
- Magellano
- Location
- Via Olivo 3, Lucca Maps
- Site
- magellanolucca.it
- Hours
- Mon–Thu 18:00–01:00
- Fri–Sat 18:00–02:00
- Sun 18:00–01:00
- Typical visit
- 1 hour
- Price range
- €€
Undici Undici: spritz by Piazza Antelminelli
Undici Undici gives you a drink address on Piazza Antelminelli, beside Lucca Cathedral. Order a Select Spritz for a square-side aperitivo. Aperol, Campari and Limoncello spritzes are also on its aperitivo menu. It is the location, as much as the choice of spritz, that distinguishes this stop from a wine bar on Via Elisa or a cocktail-and-plate evening at Magellano.
This is the simplest pick if you want to pause by the cathedral before moving on for dinner. Choose it when the setting is the point of the stop and one drink is enough. If your companion wants a different spritz, the aperitivo menu offers alternatives to Select. You can keep your evening around the cathedral rather than crossing the walled centre for a wine bar on Via Elisa. For something more substantial alongside a cocktail, Magellano lets you order an individually priced dish. That is the more useful stop if eating is part of the plan. If you want to sit facing the cathedral, keep another nearby stop in mind in case the tables you want are taken. You can still have your drink within the walls without making a particular seat the condition for the evening.
- Name
- Undici Undici
- Location
- Piazza Antelminelli 2, Lucca Maps
- Hours
- Mon–Thu 12:00–00:00
- Fri–Sat 12:00–02:00
- Sun 12:00–01:00
- Typical visit
- 1 hour
- Price range
- €
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: services, opening hours, and key figures.
