Savannah’s Starland District gets Lucia Pasta Bar after years of delays

Lucia Pasta Bar has finally landed in Savannah’s Starland District, and the opening carries the kind of backstory that makes a new pasta room feel earned. Chef Kyle Jacovino was supposed to cook in the old Starland Dairy years ago, but the deal fell apart and the project sat on the shelf until the building could again house the concept he had been chasing.

Now the restaurant is open inside the restored dairy, and the room does a lot of the talking before the first forkful ever hits the table. A curved pasta counter anchors the space, with an open kitchen behind it, plus exposed brick and Art Deco details that make the history feel like part of the dining room rather than a backdrop.

Jacovino’s menu makes it clear Lucia is not trying to be another broad Italian spot. His path through Atlanta, Italy, Athens and Savannah shows up in handmade pasta dishes built with specificity and restraint: agnolotti with peas, morels and country ham; squid ink bucatini with crab, scallops, bottarga and uni butter; and beet scarpinocc stuffed with chèvre. That is the kind of lineup that tells diners the kitchen is chasing texture, technique and a little surprise, not just comfort.

Pizza still has a place on the menu, but even that piece comes with a story. Three pies come out of the original Vittoria oven, which was moved over for good luck and ties Lucia to Jacovino’s earlier Savannah work. The rest of the kitchen broadens the picture with grilled octopus and Jacovino’s grandmother’s steak pizzaiolo, a dish that brings family memory into a polished pasta bar setting without feeling forced.

The beverage program stays just as focused. Lucia pours draft negronis, mixes a pistachio-and-Sambuca cocktail called the Sicilian Job and keeps the wine list limited to Italian bottles. Everything about the operation points back to a clear point of view, from the glassware to the pasta shapes.

That is why Lucia matters in Starland now. It is the kind of opening Savannah waited through delays for: a chef with a real résumé, a room that fits its neighborhood, and a menu that feels specific enough to give the dining room staying power long after the first wave of curiosity passes.