Oracle Online

Soon, St. Paul residents will have the opportunity to experience the hip atmosphere of Luce at a much closer locale. LucÄ has made a commitment to open a restaurant on Selby Avenue.

Pizza Luce got its start in a small space in 1993 in the historic warehouse district of Minneapolis. The large collection of awards they have won has helped contribute to the success of the eatery. The award titles range from “Best Gourmet Pizza” in 2002 by the Mpls/St.Paul magazine, to “Favorite Restaurant” in 2000 according to the Star Tribune, to “Best Happy Hour” in 2003 by the Minnesota Women’s Press.

“It’s no wonder Pizza Luce is expanding to another location. The restaurant has a diverse customer base which ranges in age from 25-55,” said downtown Minneapolis location manager, Michael Sturm.

The new restaurant will be located at 1183 Selby Avenue, just south of I-94 between Hamline and Lexington Avenues. It is “tucked away in the neighborhood,” Sturm said. “That’s why we picked the location.”

It is unclear how Pizza Luce will be received in St. Paul. Already having numerous pizza places, including Papa John’s, Little Caesar’s, Domino’s, Pizza Hut, and Checkerboard, the pizza market here may already be too saturated with options.

Luce houses a dine-in eatery to go along with a delivery service, while most other pizza places just deliver.

People already familiar with Pizza Luce will be happy to know the new pizzeria will feature the same menu and prices as the current locations in downtown Minneapolis, Uptown, and the Seward Neighborhood in Minneapolis, and Duluth.

This means a full menu starting with appetizers from $2.49-$7.59 including items like garlic cheese toast (available vegan with rinotta or with soy cheese for an extra 50 cents) to more costly items: salads, pizza (a large cheese pizza costs $12.59), pasta, hoagies, and desserts. The new LucÄ will also feature a full bar.

“The quality [of food] is definitely deserving of the price,” said Matt Parris, a student at the U of M.

Parris said he enjoys Pizza Luce because it caters to a lot of union worker get-togethers; he is a member of the sheet metal union in the Twin Cities.

If money is tight, customers can always just sit at the bar and nurse a beer while turning to the television in the corner of the room. Unlike most bars that televise sports or the news, Pizza Luce entertains with the Cartoon Network.

If beer is not enough, customers can order pizza by the slice, offering an inexpensive alternative perfect for college students who only have a few bucks for a meal or are constantly on the go.

Fortunately, the college crowd may not have to wait too long for Luce to arrive. The proposed open date for the Selby location is Dec. 27.

It is unknown exactly what the layout of the new location will be. Will it portray anything like the downtown location that gives off an industrial vibe with brick walls and high ceilings that purposely expose the piping? Or will the new location become something totally new?

Luce has received recognition for their ability to meet the needs of the “late night” customer. One year after opening, they received the award of “Best Late Night Dining” by the Twin Cities Reader thanks to their delivery service and late kitchen hours open for inside dining and delivery until 2:30 a.m. each day. The downtown location extends their hours to 3:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays for dining and delivery.

According to the mission statement at www.pizzaluce.com, “At Pizza Luce, we take great pride in the quality of our food. We believe that good food comes from fresh ingredients, original recipes, and happy cooks. We are strongly dedicated to maintaining the diversity of vegetarian and vegan alternatives on our menu(along with the carnivorous items as well, of course!).”