One of the most exclusive and prestigious fish restaurants in the capital, the history of the Pierluigi restaurant began many years ago, in 1938, and continues today under the guidance of the Lisi family, in the name of excellent raw materials and exquisitely Roman hospitality.

The dream of Rome is all here: a hidden square surrounded by Renaissance frescoes, outdoor tables, good fish and the right atmosphere, the one where the Hollywood actor is sitting next to a regular customer who is enjoying his spaghetti with clams.

And who knows if Pierluigi would have imagined all this. The name of the restaurant is, in fact, a tribute to the man who opened it in 1938: Mr. Umberto Pierluigi who left his small town near Rieti to reach Rome and open a traditional trattoria.

At Pierluigi we have always had two simple, non-negotiable rules: pampering the customer and excellence of the raw materials. (Nisi family)

In the 80s, the restaurant becomes the dream of another new entrepreneur: Roberto Lisi who takes it over, expanding it and making it the first fish restaurant in Rome, a point of reference for kindness and conviviality.

After traveling the world, in 2010 he is joined by his son Lorenzo Lisi, now the owner of Pierluigi, who has maintained the authentic spirit of the restaurant while making numerous changes, influenced by his experience abroad.

He further improves the cuisine, equips it, the first in Rome, with an American Bar operating for lunch and dinner, creates a reception team capable of making both a head of state and the neighbors who live around the corner feel at home, always placing classicism and excellence of the raw material at the center of the gastronomic proposal.

The cuisine is composed of 80% fish dishes and is coordinated by the executive chef Fabrizio Gagliardi, with experience in various national Michelin-starred tables, who offers clear flavors, so that guests can recognize the great research of individual ingredients and the flavors of tradition.

The fish comes from the Italian seas and arrives fresh every day thanks to a relationship of trust established over the years between the restaurant and the most important suppliers present at the various fish auctions.

On the menu, we find tartare and raw fish, pasta with lobster or crawfish, as well as the inevitable spaghetti with clams and calamari tagliatelle which is Pierluigi’s signature dish together with the Catalan shrimp salad. But also more creative proposals such as fillet of bonito marinated with fennel and tuna breaded in panko and cream of aubergines, as well as meat and vegan dishes.

The restaurant, with heated tables even in winter for eating outside, is located in Palazzo Ricci which gives its name to the suggestive Renaissance square, one of the few remaining in Rome with frescoes on the external facade made in 1500 by Polidoro da Caravaggio.

The interiors are in an elegant 1930s style and offer a wonderful cellar with over 20 thousand bottles for 2000 labels, the result of extensive work done thanks to the constant presence at the most important wine auctions in the world.

Roman nights at Pierluigi are truly special.

The Secret

Pierluigi has been the scene of high-profile international meetings, also thanks to the privacy guaranteed by the “trained” staff, the possibility of privatizing secluded rooms and of moving through secondary exits without risking being seen.

Useful info

Ristorante Pierluigi
Piazza de’ Ricci 144
00187 Roma
Tel. +39 06 6868717

Starters: from 18 euro
First courses: from 20 euro
Second courses: from 38 euro