I’ve been eating in Rome since I was 12 years old, when my family moved here from St. Louis. While a lot has changed in the Rome restaurant scene since I first came here in the ‘seventies, much has stayed the same.
Thank god.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the new restaurants that have opened, and the exposure to a more ‘international’ way of eating (i.e. you don’t always have to have a huge lunch if you don’t want to) has opened the door to a entire new generation of chefs, cooks and restaurant owners. Want an craft beer and a gourmet burger at 4 in the afternoon? No problem. It’s all good.
While I’m always trying new places, my heart (and stomach) tend to gravitate towards the old classics. So ingrained are these favorite haunts, that I end up taking them for granted. I wrote my supposed list of ‘classics’ for epicurious a while back, and have included what I thought were my all of my favorites on my app Eat Italy.
But a few weeks ago I realized a glaring omission. I picked up my iPhone and tapped on Eat Italy to look up the number for Pierluigi. Not there. At first I thought I had misspelled it, or was looking under the wrong category. But no. It just wasn’t there. I hadn’t included it.
Pierluigi is not a secret place. It’s not off any beaten track. But I had taken it for granted, like many people do. It doesn’t make it into many of the hot foodie guides, since it’s not new, nor is it rustically charming. Instead, it’s just one of the best places to get some of the freshest fish in town, perfectly prepared, in a beautiful setting, with excellent service.
Which is kind of what you want in a restaurant, right?
And in fact, Pierluigi is the restaurant that I most often recommend to friends and visitors to Rome. Why? Primarily the food, of course. But also the setting. You’d think it would be easy to find a nice place to eat outside in Rome, that also has good food. But it’s not. Most of the better restaurants have no outdoor seating, and none have as charming a location as this piazza lined with sixteenth century palazzi.
But back to the food. While you can certainly eat things other than fish, why bother? Walk inside, and you can see it all on display. Fresh and glistening. I usually go for one of the two house specialties to start. The Soppressata di Polpo is octopus that has been cooked, then pressed into a loaf pan. Once it has ‘set’ it’s sliced so thinly you can see through it, then drizzled with olive oil. If I’m feeling more like a salad, I order the insalata catalana, which is rughetta tossed with potatoes, squid, shrimp and tomatoes. Simple and delicious.
This is the place to order Spaghetti alle Vongole, of which they are masters. Thick strands of spaghettoni, bathed in a rich, clammy broth. If you aren’t in a rush then the Risotto a Crema di Scampi is pure indulgence. They make it the old fashioned way, with rich fish broth with the shrimp heads passed through a mill to produce the fishy creaminess.
Second? Grilled fish. Always cooked perfectly (never over done) with just the right salty charring on the skin.
If you already have Eat Italy, don’t worry. I’ve just added the entry for Pierluigi, which will show up on the next update. But in the meantime, the number’s below. Sorry for the inconvenience. 
Pierluigi
Piazza Ricci
+39.06.686.1302
A few things to keep in mind. The piazza is best enjoyed on a summer night, or on a spring or fall afternoon. Summer days are way too hot, so if you’re there for lunch (which I was a few Sundays ago) choose a table inside, where the a/c makes a cool respite.
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I love fish, so I hope I get the chance to come to this restaurant. Spaghetti alle vongole is one of my favourite pasta dishes.
Funny, I was just thinking about the vongole the other day.
One of my favorites since the 80’s.
Possibly the first restaurant I recommended back in 1995 when we first started Homebase Abroad. As a vegetarian I only graze their offerings. It is great to know it still delivers for those who can truly enjoy the breadth of the menu.
I am SO glad to see Pierluigi added to your App. It’s the one place I ALWAYS recommend to visitors, and the place I miss the most since we moved to Paris. Your pix made me hungry, despite the fact that we just finished eating supper. I want some soppressata de polpo, spaghetti alle vongole and some grilled sea bass NOW.
Ate here in April at Paula’s suggestion and were very pleased…wonderful waiter, beuatiful fish, great wines, and so lovely to eat outdoors. Would highly recommend it to anyone. Also saw Ted Koppell dining there and he stopped at our table to say hello, so I think that is a recommendation too!
Well now we know where to head when we next get to Rome….I am drooling!
ciao lisa
I have a terrible craving for their agnolotti! YUM!
Wow, those pictures look great. I’ll have to give it a try sometime 😉 Just back from first Rome visit last month, so not sure when the next visit will be.
Since you’re visiting new places (or adding them to your app which was great when we were in Rome), you should check out Ad Hoc — we had a great meal there and for a wine lover I was really digging all the wines staring at me as I ate.
@Cathy: The fish is the best!
@Jodi: you’re always thinking about vongole.
@Catherine, Mara and Paula: Yes, a much loved favorite of all us ‘Romans’
@Lisa: Yes, you must try it.
@Sienna: never tried their agnolotti, will have to go back soon.
@Charlie: Thanks for the new recommendation of Ad Hoc. I’ll check it out.
Elizabeth – A quick note from Sun Valley – Hello from Colleen Daly. We share Verdella (and Shirley, and Rick and Ro) Caracciolo as friends. And people I know here in Sun Valley rented your Umbrian house this summer.
This is one of my favorite piazzas in Rome (Piazza Mattei is my favorite). I love that violin shop on the corner (windows are closed in the photo you have posted).
I’d love to see you the next time I am in Rome. Normally I am there in October but I went in May this year instead. I’m going to see Roberto and Nicoletta and the girls in NYC the week after next. . .
Kind regards,
Colleen
We found htis quite by accident the first night we were in Rome, and can only concur with your reviews. We were amazed by the pressed octopus, and had the fish baked with potatoes and tomatoes as shown in one of your beautiful photos. All delicious and the service was so warm and generous. Best of all (for us) we wandered in without a reservation, sat in the bar area, and eventually they found a way to serve us dinner there. It was really lovely! We’re so glad to have our experience affirmed by your experience!
Glad to hear you had such a wonderful experience!
Ho fame
My husband and I just had Lunch at Pierluigi. We were treated disrespectfully, and we were overcharged. Do they dislike Americans? My husband is in a wheelchair so maybe they are prejudice against the disabled. We love quality food and rarely complain. The waiter was rude, and the management was argumentative. I could not wait to get out of there! Food was a mixed bag. They put ketchup on my plate. As a garnish!?!? I couldn’t get a single serving of fish …I would have to order the entire fish. I have never been to a restaurant where you could not order 1 serving of fish. The waiter brought the wrong order to my husband and told my husband he was wrong. Then they overcharged us. A nightmare! We are not the ugly Americans, and we were appropriately dressed for this restaurant. I was very upset with it all.
I’m so sorry you had a bad experience at Pierluigi. Let me answer some of your questions. No, they love Americans. If you looked around, you could probably see many many Americans there. They have lots of American clients. And no, they are not prejudiced against people in wheelchairs. I know the owner personally, and his family, and can say with 100% certainty they are not prejudiced against people with disabilities. I find it impossible to believe that ketchup was put on your plate as a garnish. What were you having? Pierluigi, like many high end fish restaurants, serve only whole fish. This is to ensure that the quality of the fish is evident. In other words, filets of fish are not served. But they do have fish that are one serving size. This is very normal. I’m sorry they over charged you and am sorry that you found your waiter rude. And mostly I’m sorry that you had a bad experience, since that is very upsetting.