The Facts
4151 Lake Shore Rd, Hamburg / (716) 627-9752
Cuisine: New American, Italian
Price: $$
Hours: Tues. – Thurs. 4pm — 10pm; Fri. & Sat.: 4pm — 11pm; Sun.: 4pm — 10pm;
The Dish
Lucia’s on the Lake in Hamburg opened this past winter. The former McKenzie’s has been a popular lakeside restaurant in the south towns for years. The place has been spruced up and looks great with white tablecloths covered with paper. The staff is mostly new and very enthusiastic. The menu has been completely redone into a Seafood/Italian “New American” concept.
Lucia’s Sunroom
The view is still as good as you can get without being on the other side of Route 5. Lucia’s, as McKenzie’s before it, is a bit of a trichotomy with a “sun” room overlooking the lake, a “tavern” area that was the original with the main dining area, dark wood, very cozy, lodgy, and the side porch/patio, perfect for the summer evening.
The Recommendation
Looking for a solid choice with a casual atmosphere, some bar crowd, a good view and good food then Lucia’s on the Lake is a sound choice. The new ownership is front and center making sure each customer is happy and they have a lot of sexy options on a good size menu and an creative, ever-changing list of specials.
The Menu
The food menu is extensive with plenty of good looking seafood items like salmon, whole trout and lobster ravioli, plus steak and chicken. The other “side” is Italian with some pastas like lasagna, rigatoni with Sunday sauce or pesto. They also offer some small plates, soups, sandwiches, burgers, salads and they had a nice specials selection. It is hard to believe that there isn’t something for just about any age or appetite.
They have a good beer selection with about 8 beers on tap including Southern Tier and Hamburg and several more good options by the bottle. The wine list is modest with 6-8 by the bottle and glass in both red and white. The Sterling Cab at $30 is a pretty good value.
The Story
We stopped in late (8) to a lively crowd on a Thursday and sat immediately. A quick turn around with a Southern Tier IPA on draft and a bottle of their Sterling Cab., a complimentary basket of bread and we were ready to go. Did I mention the staff is notably enthusiastic?
We ordered:
Bang Bang Shrimp ($12)- Jumbo shrimp tossed in their house-made bang bang sauce.
These eight shrimp from the shared menu offer a great combination of crunchy, sweet and spicy. This is a perfect appetizer to share or maybe even a meal for ye of petite appetite. Loved it.
Soft Shell Crab – ($22) Fresh soft shell crab pan fried in garlic, lemon, sweet remoulade served with fresh julienne veggies.
From the specials menu this is three small crabs nicely done with a light flowering and a nice crisp.
Soft Shell Crab
Braised Short Ribs ($24) – Ribs are slow braised in a Cabernet wine and rosemary sauce served with mashed potatoes and fresh veggies.
The ribs were nice and tender and the sauce was good. The potatoes were perfect.
Each dinner came with a nice size, well dressed house salad making the prices very reasonable.
Of course they have a Fish Fry, available nightly and made with Hamburg Beer batter. ($12.95)
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