Food
Pierluigi occupies a prominent spot on its own piazza near the river and has a reputation, per reviewers, for drawing an elegant, well-heeled clientele — one review calls it among the must-visit restaurants in Rome for exactly that reason. Reviews are more mixed than most in this dataset, with at least one account of a genuinely troubling service incident alongside others praising the food and setting, so expectations should be tempered against its premium price point. At 4.2 stars over 2,153 reviews, it remains popular and heavily booked despite the unevenness. It suits diners drawn to the see-and-be-seen piazza setting as much as the specific dishes.
✨ Reasons to go
💡 Good to know
⏱️ Typical visit
2h
🕰️ Best time
lunchtime, afternoon, evening or late night
🚶 Walking intensity
Easy pace
What people say
"Overall food is decent, but a deeply unsettling service incident completely ruined the experience. First, the food: 1. **Spaghetti alle Vongole con Limone (Spaghetti with clams and lemon - €30-35):** The balance of lemon and fresh clam flavor was outstanding. A must-try dish, though unfortunately, my clams still contained a bit of sand. 2. **Gamberi in tempura (Tempura prawns with horseradish mayonnaise - €45):** Very fresh, light, and crispy. I noticed many tables ordering this, and it is definitely worth trying. 3. **Carpaccio di seppia (Thinly sliced cuttlefish carpaccio - €32):** Sliced incredibly thin and exceptionally fresh. It relies on the natural, high-quality flavor of the seafood. Above average. 4. **Carpaccio di capesante (Scallop Carpaccio with smoked pumpkin - €32):** The scallop slices themselves were completely tasteless; the dish only tasted like the dressing/pumpkin puree. You can safely skip this one. While the rest of the staff provided above standard Roman-level service, one specific waiter was incredibly arrogant. After we politely declined his aggressive push for caviar, his attitude turned cold and dismissive. When asked for recommendations, he shrugged and said, "Everything is good, order whatever you want." But the most shocking part was what I witnessed him do to a neighboring table of four who *did* order the caviar. Instead of a proper mother-of-pearl spoon fitting for a restaurant of this caliber, he used a regular metal spoon. He scraped about 4/5 of the caviar onto their pancakes, leaving a big, messy portion stuck inside the edges of the tin. The host looked uncomfortable and had to ask him to leave the tin on the table so they could finish it themselves. Then, with his back turned to the host's table, the waiter took another serving spoon—which still had a significant amount of the guest's expensive caviar left on it—and walked about 10 steps away to the service station. Right there, in front of the entire outdoor dining area with 10-15 tables eating, he ate the remaining caviar straight off the spoon. It was absolutely unbelievable and unprofessional. The hosts of that table were clearly furious with how their caviar was handled. Management seriously needs to retrain or discipline this specific server. Food is okay, but this kind of behavior is unacceptable."
— Lady dine out everyday
