Luca's Beach Kitchen Opens at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk

Andrew Dominick June 15, 2026

If you’ve been to Calf Pasture Beach anytime since the end of May, the bright colored, beachy food trailers near the concession pavilion very likely caught your eye and captured your attention.

Aiming to make some changes to Norwalk’s beach with Luca’s Beach Kitchen is Anthony Luciani, his wife, Rosa, and their partner, Cory Burns.

*In the very near future, it’s expected that Luca’s will continue doing what Ripka’s did by having live music acts on a regular basis.*

*Not a Norwalk resident? No problem. Luca’s has 15 dedicated parking spaces for folks who are coming just for them.*

Luciani, as locals know, is a Norwalk native who owns the popular Mr. Frosty’s Ice Cream Shop nearby and a food truck, Seaside Sliders. As for Burns, he used to work for Luciani as Mr. Frosty’s first ever ice cream truck driver. Long story short, they stayed friends for over 20 years, Burns wanted to leave his career in finance behind and team up with his buddy on a cool concept.

Luciani, though, always wanted the spot at the beach he grew up going to.

“Before Clyde (Ripka) passed away, his lease was coming to an end, and he was sick, I talked to him and told him I was interested,” Luciani says. “Before he took it over with Ripka’s Beach Cafe from Stew Leonard’s, him and I were both interested in it at the same time. It wasn’t the time for me since Beach Burger had just closed, so I didn’t even put a bid in, but I always wanted to do this.”

*Luca’s debated having a lobster roll on the menu, but people wanted it, so they decided it had to be a thing.*

*Popular so far, and one of Luciani’s favorites has been homemade chicken nuggets coated in a sweet and sour orange - garlic glaze with shishito pepper aioli drizzled on top.*

When the time came up to go through the process of trying to get the lease, Luciani and Burns took a look at the space and thought up ideas to present to the City of Norwalk with something that wouldn’t be a basic concession stand and “wanting to make it a vacation in Norwalk, and a destination, just like Mr. Frosty’s is.”

With the concession space needing a remodel, the idea for Luca’s was an outdoor setup with a shipping container that would serve as a bar, a trailer outfitted with a commercial kitchen where they could crank out “beach classics,” and a bunch of seating, some under a tent, and scattered stools near the trailers to soak up the sun.

After what Luciani called a long process, they won the bid

On May 29, Luca’s went live to the public, serving approachable beach friendly fare like burgers, hot dogs, mozzarella nuggets, a hot buttered lobster roll, fried clams and oysters from Copps Island Oysters, orange-garlic chicken nuggets with homemade kimchi, and lobster chips, featuring their house-made potato chips covered in butter poached lobster, avocado crema, and Old Bay aioli.

*Grilled lemon-garlic shrimp with fresh fried tortilla chips and black bean + corn salad is some of Luca’s lighter fare.*

*Frozen piña colada if the mood strikes you.*

Because it’s still early in Luca’s launch, Luciani says they will roll out a bunch of specials (he’s particularly excited about lobster empanadas), but he and Burns are also giving the people a chance to chime in.

“We have a QR code (by where you order food) so you can tell us what you like, what you don’t like, and what you want to see for the future,” Luciani says. “We’re going to try different food specials and get opinions. What do you want at the beach? I want the people to have some say here and make sure they want it, that it’s not just me.

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If you’re wondering about the name, Luca’s, it’s just what they came up with when Burns and Luciani tossed around possibilities. Burns said it’s a loose play on his partner’s last name and it sounded catchy, like, “Hey! Meet me at Luca’s!”

As for the bar, by the time you read this, it’ll be more than just beer, Surfsides, and five frozen cocktails. Much like everything they’ve done since opening day, it’s being rolled out in stages. The bar is no different. Luca’s bar will add signature cocktails not of the frozen variety, and after that, a full bar.

But…because of the Mr. Frosty’s connection, you obviously want ice cream, right?

“There was a car show here and the beach was busy—it’s actually been busier than we ever imaged—and we thought, ‘this would be a good time to have an ice cream cart,’” Luciani says. “We now have that because people want to see Mr. Frosty’s ice cream here.”

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And this is all just phase one, according to Luciani and Burns. Their vision for the future, as in, 2027, is a remodeled concession with both indoor and outdoor seating, but they’d love to keep the outdoor area where they are now as a 21 and older bar section with a 40-foot bar where you can sit down and sip on a drink.

Next to the pavilion, where the big white tent was, they’re aiming to make that into a three-season public and private event space where the walls come down that you could rent for parties or weddings with the beach as your backdrop as long as the city agrees.

“I sit out here in the mornings and I feel like we transformed the beach,” Luciani says. “We’re trying to be a better concession stand. I don’t want it to cost you $100, then you take a few bites and throw the rest out because it’s your only option. I want to be here for people who are already at the beach, but I want you to say to your friends, ‘Let’s go to Luca’s and have dinner.’”

99 Calf Pasture Beach Road, Norwalk
lucasbeachkitchen.com
Instagram @lucasbeachkitchen