Pierluigi

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Roman Institution, Without the Stiffness

Pierluigi has occupied Piazza de' Ricci, a quiet Renaissance square in the heart of Rome, since 1938. What began as a small osteria founded by Umberto Pierluigi grew steadily in reputation until 1980, when a young Roberto Lisi took over the property — keeping the name and embarking on a transformation that turned a modest family trattoria into one of the city's most respected Italian restaurants. In the 1990s, Roberto became a pioneer in the Roman seafood scene, building menus around the freshest seasonal catch and preparing it with traditional methods given a quietly innovative edge.

Today the restaurant is co-managed by Roberto's son Lorenzo, whose international perspective shapes both the menu and the atmosphere. It was Lorenzo who opened the American-style Cocktail Bar in 2010, extending the dining experience beyond the table without losing any of the Roman character that defines the place. The team around them — courteous, professional, and described by those who know the restaurant well as genuinely good-humoured — keeps the mood warm rather than formal.

The Food

The menu is built on the logic of the season. Seafood and fish are the clear focus: whole turbot, sea bass, Mediterranean lobster and red prawns are available by weight, cooked to each guest's preference. The raw preparations — a red prawn carpaccio with oyster mayonnaise and green apple, or an amberjack tartare with samphire and finger lime — show the kitchen's confidence with primary ingredients. Pasta courses lean into the same territory: tagliolini with lobster and datterino tomato, calamarata with Maine lobster, pumpkin gnocchi cacio e pepe with Siberian caviar. For those who prefer meat, a Chateaubriand with béarnaise and pink pepper jus is served for two. Roman classics appear throughout — artichoke alla giudia, puntarelle salad — grounding the menu firmly in its city.

Chef Fabrizio Gagliardi leads the kitchen, and the approach he brings has been described as "a thousand flavours of the Mediterranean": wise and solid in its foundations, but full of playful detail.

The Wine Cellar

The Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence — earned for the depth and curation of the cellar — is well justified. Over 16,000 bottles from 220 producers represent some 1,500 labels, spanning historic verticals of Brunello di Montalcino Biondi-Santi from 1961, Ornellaia, Sassicaia, Château Mouton Rothschild, Romanée-Conti, Château Margaux and many others. Chef Sommelier Alessandro Tibaldo, who has guided the list since 2008, selects across regions and styles with equal attention to the canonical and the independent. The cellar itself — set beneath ancient vaults in volcanic stone, wood and glass — doubles as a private dining space seating up to 36, used by heads of state and international delegations seeking both discretion and exceptional Italian cuisine.

The Setting

Dining outdoors on Piazza de' Ricci, surrounded by Renaissance-era architecture, is one of those Rome experiences that requires no embellishment. Indoors, the elegance is quieter but equally considered. The restaurant has become a reference point for discerning locals and international visitors alike — a fact confirmed not only by Wine Spectator's recognition but by the steady stream of guests, from regular Romans to the occasional global celebrity, who return to a table here whenever they are in the city.