Best Pizza in Lucca: Where to Eat It and What to Order
Our pick of the best pizza in Lucca covers Roman-style pizza by the slice at Alice Pizza and the alternative doughs at Pizzeria da Ninni, with what to order at each.
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For the best pizza in Lucca, pick by style: Alice Pizza on Via San Paolino 22 for Roman-style pizza al taglio (pizza baked in big trays and sold by the slice) with more than 60 topping combinations, or Pizzeria da Ninni on Via Giovanni Guidiccioni 266 for a long-running slice shop with alternative doughs. Both are counter-service places where you point at what you want and pay by weight, eating indoors or taking it away. This guide covers what to order at each, how the doughs differ, and when a slice beats a sit-down pizza.
Best pizza in Lucca: the short answer
Alice Pizza is the one to choose if you want variety: its Lucca branch sits a few minutes from Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, with a long counter of trays and over 60 combinations, from Margherita to seasonal specials. Pizzeria da Ninni is the one to choose if you care about flour and fermentation: the shop offers five alternative doughs alongside its standard one, which matters if you want wholegrain, five-cereal or a lower-gluten option. Neither is a sit-down Neapolitan pizzeria with a wood oven and a booked table; both are slice shops built for a quick lunch or a snack between sights. If you want a full restaurant meal instead, the best restaurants in Lucca covers the wider picture.
Roman pizza by the slice at Alice Pizza, Via San Paolino
Alice Pizza's Lucca shop is on Via San Paolino 22, in the tangle of streets between the walls and Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, which makes it an easy stop on the walk from the cathedral towards the amphitheatre square. The style is Roman pizza al taglio: rectangular trays baked in advance, cut to order with scissors or a spatula and sold by weight, so you can try two or three different slices in one go. Inside, the company describes a very long counter, bright colours and steaming trays coming out of the oven, with seating indoors or takeaway if you prefer to eat on the move. It is a chain branch rather than a one-off family shop, and it behaves like one: fast, consistent, and built for volume.
What to order at Alice: Margherita, patate e sfoglia, prosciutto e provola
The classic slices that Alice says are always on the counter include Margherita, patate e sfoglia (potato and pastry), prosciutto e provola (cured ham and smoked mozzarella), ortolana (mixed vegetables) and funghi porcini (porcini mushrooms). Start with Margherita to judge the base, then add one of the potato or porcini slices, which show off the light, crisp texture better than a heavily loaded topping. Seasonal specials rotate through the counter and often reflect local ingredients, so ask what has just come out of the oven. Order by pointing at the trays and saying how much you want; the staff cut and weigh each piece.
How Alice's dough is made and why it eats light
Alice Pizza describes its dough as the core of the product: a very small amount of yeast and a slow 24-hour rise at controlled temperature, which the company says breaks down much of the starch and makes the pizza lighter and easier to digest. That long fermentation is what gives Roman-style trays their open, airy crumb and crisp base, and it is the reason a slice shop can turn out pizza all day without the dough collapsing. Whether you find it noticeably lighter is a matter of taste, but the method is a fair guide to what you are eating: thin, crunchy and not weighed down by cheese. If you want to compare with a different approach to dough, da Ninni's alternative flours are the other end of the spectrum.
Pizzeria da Ninni: pizza al taglio in Lucca since the 1980s
Pizzeria da Ninni traces its history to 1982, when it opened as one of the first pizza al taglio takeaway shops in Lucca; the current owner began his own chapter there in March 1999 and has run it since. It is on Via Giovanni Guidiccioni 266, outside the historic centre, so it suits a stop on the way in or out of the walls rather than a stroll between sights. The shop offers takeaway and delivery as well as counter service. Its opening days change, so check the hours on its site before making a special trip; Tuesday is listed as closed.
The alternative doughs at da Ninni: wholegrain, five-cereal, charcoal, low-gluten, protein
Da Ninni's point of difference is its range of doughs: farina integrale (wholewheat flour), Cinque cereali (a five-cereal mix with wholewheat, spelt, oat, sunflower and sesame), carbone vegetale (vegetable charcoal, which turns the dough black), a low-gluten dough and a protein dough made with type 1 wheat flour, pea flour and soya flour. The five-cereal dough is described as the most successful of the alternatives and is recommended for focaccia and white pizzas with generous toppings. The low-gluten dough is not suitable for coeliacs: the shop itself warns that it is made in a kitchen where gluten is present and cross-contamination is possible, so it is aimed at people with mild intolerances rather than anyone with coeliac disease. The protein dough is pitched at people watching their carbohydrate intake.
Pizza al taglio or pizza at a table: which suits your day
If you are sightseeing and want to keep moving, both of these shops are built for a quick stop: you order at the counter and take your pizza away or eat it inside. Alice's central position near Piazza dell'Anfiteatro makes it the easier of the two for a lunch between the cathedral and the walls, while da Ninni is better if you are coming or going by car and want to take pizza away. If you want a proper sit-down dinner with a table, a booked slot and a full menu, neither shop is that; Lucca has plenty of trattorias for tordelli lucchesi (meat-filled pasta typical of the Piana di Lucca, the plain around the city), and the best restaurants in Lucca points you to them. The slice shops are the answer to a different question: what to eat when you want good pizza quickly.
Counter service and takeaway at both shops
Both shops run on counter service, but the practicalities differ. At Alice you queue at the long counter and point at the trays; there is seating inside, and takeaway is normal. At da Ninni you can also order takeaway and delivery, which suits an evening at home or a picnic on the walls. In both cases, the price depends on the weight and the toppings, so ask for a smaller piece if you are unsure.
How to order at a pizza al taglio counter
The routine at a pizza al taglio counter is simple: choose your slices, say how much of each you want, and let the staff cut and weigh them. Lunch is the busiest time in both shops, when locals and visitors converge on the same counters, so going slightly before or after the noon rush makes for a calmer experience. You are paying for the pizza by weight, not for a restaurant table.
When the slice shops are busiest
Slice shops do not take bookings: you turn up, queue if necessary, and eat. The queues are shortest mid-afternoon and longest at lunch, and they move quickly because the pizza is already baked. Da Ninni's hours run into the evening, so it works for a late snack or an early dinner taken away, but its weekly closing day means you should check before you go. For a sit-down pizza in the evening, you need a different kind of place, and a table booked ahead; the best restaurants in Lucca has the detail on that.
Which pizza shop should you pick?
Choose Alice Pizza if you are in the centre, want variety, and like the idea of a long-fermented Roman-style slice a few minutes from Piazza dell'Anfiteatro. Choose Pizzeria da Ninni if you are curious about flour and fermentation, want a takeaway pizza for later, or need one of its alternative doughs, remembering that the low-gluten option is not for coeliacs. Either way, order by weight and eat while it is hot.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I eat pizza by the slice in Lucca?
Alice Pizza on Via San Paolino 22 is a chain branch in the centre with a long counter of Roman-style trays and over 60 combinations, convenient for a quick lunch between sights. Pizzeria da Ninni on Via Giovanni Guidiccioni 266 is a long-standing pizza al taglio takeaway shop offering several alternative doughs. Both are counter-service rather than restaurants.
What is Lucca known for food?
Lucca is known for tordelli lucchesi, a meat-filled pasta typically served with ragù, and for buccellato, a sweet bread with raisins and aniseed. Pizza al taglio is an everyday lunch option in the centre, and the two shops here show the range of styles.
Do I need to book at Alice Pizza or Pizzeria da Ninni?
No. Both are counter-service pizza al taglio shops where you choose by weight and pay at the till. Bookings are not part of how they work; for a sit-down pizza dinner in Lucca you need a restaurant with tables instead.
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