L'Imbuto

L'Imbuto occupies the Limonaia (the Lemon House conservatory) of Palazzo Pfanner — a seventeenth-century baroque palazzo on Via della Fratta with one of the most beautiful private gardens in Tuscany. The setting is itself a destination, and the integration of the dining room into the original Limonaia architecture is unusually beautiful.

Cristiano Tomei has held the Michelin star since shortly after opening and is widely regarded as one of the most genuinely original chefs in Italy — the cooking moves through Tuscan ingredients with a creative confidence that owes nothing to the established Florentine playbook. Plates are abstract, philosophically driven, and consistently surprising.

The format is three tasting menus only — no à la carte. The shorter Sorpresa runs around five courses at €95; the longer Ti Spiego goes to nine courses at around €155. The wine pairing is excellent and reaches deep into both serious Tuscan producers and the wider Italian map.

The dining room takes around thirty covers across the converted Limonaia — high ceilings, period architectural details, garden views. Service is technically very good and quietly knowledgeable. Closed Sunday and Monday. The palazzo gardens are open to the public on a separate ticket — combine garden visit with dinner.

L'Imbuto is the Lucca table for a serious client — the Palazzo Pfanner setting (a baroque palace with one of the most beautiful private gardens in Tuscany) does the architectural work, Cristiano Tomei's reputation as one of Italy's most genuinely original chefs does the credibility work, and the no-à-la-carte tasting format ensures that the meal becomes a single shared experience rather than a transaction. Choose the longest tasting; trust the pairing.