Renato e Luisa

We loved this place! It was not in a super touristy location, and the restaurant felt very family owned. Service was fantastic! We had the Carbonara and Amatriciana and both were delicious. It was exactly what we were looking for, traditional Roman dishes. We would definitely return there!

A Decade Later, Still Our Favorite Restaurant in Rome Ten years ago, our family discovered Renato e Luisa, and it instantly became our favorite restaurant in Rome. Fast forward to two weeks ago when we returned to celebrate my parents' 41st wedding anniversary and honestly, we were nervous. Would it live up to our impossibly high expectations and fond memories? Not only did it meet them, it surpassed them completely. Renato e Luisa remains our all-time favorite place in Rome. Our waitress Irene was absolutely wonderful. She was kind, attentive, and genuinely invested in making our anniversary celebration special. Both she and Renato went above and beyond throughout the evening, surprising us with extra bites and drinks that felt like gifts from old friends. The warmth and hospitality made what was already a special family milestone feel truly magical. As for the food, some things never change (in the best possible way). The truffle carbonara is still an absolute masterpiece, rich and perfectly executed. The balsamic steak remains a can't-miss dish that somehow gets better with each bite. Every element on our table reminded us why we fell in love with this place a decade ago. There's something incredibly rare about a restaurant that not only maintains its excellence over ten years but actually gets better. Renato e Luisa has that special magic—the kind of place that doesn't just serve incredible food, but creates lasting memories. We're already counting down the days until we can return. Keep it up, Renato e Luisa!

We had a wonderful time at Renato and Luisa. The pasta was excellent, especially the daily specials, but all dishes were superb. A particular mention goes to their tiramisu, just phenomenal.

I loved the food here!! I ordered the truffle mushroom pasta which was delectable, the custard bowl with fruit which was so creamy. I really enjoyed my meal! The restaurant was cozy and there appeared to be a lot of locals dining here which is also a good sign. Reservations are a must. They were full on a Thursday evening when they opened! I found the service to be good and quick.

This place was amazing. The staff was really friendly and helpful. The food, we took the specials, was so good! We are certainly coming back when in Rome!

I’m so happy we were able to eat here! The food was phenomenal! It was cooked to perfection and incredibly delicious. The atmosphere was so cozy and inviting, and the service was impeccable. Our waiter was very kind and attentive and took the time to explain the menu items to us. They also added wonderful touches such as sugared lemons to cleanse the palate before the meal and a delightful bread basket. I highly recommend this place and I’m sad that we can’t eat here more often since we don’t live in Italy!

If you’re ever in Roma do yourself a favor and visit Renato e Luisa! Renato and his staff let us into their restaurant (when it hadn’t even open) shared their food (literally shared their lunch with us)and treated us like family when we were starving after a long day of travel! Needless to say the food was authentic and absolutely delicious! This restaurant is a gem and so is Renato, who made sure our daughter “la bambina” had a bag of cookies to go😭Talk about Italian warmth and hospitality! This is how we were welcomed to Rome and it brought me to tears🇮🇹❤️🍝We will be sure to visit every time we’re in Rome!!! PS: Make sure you make reservations ahead of time! They’re always booked (not surprised) and people travel to Rome just to eat there (not surprised)! They also have THE BEST apple pie I’ve had in my life❤️ Thank you Renato for your kindness and generosity, we will never forget it🇮🇹❤️🍝

We had such a delightful evening -- it was our favorite meal in Rome. The food was perfect. The restaurant was warm and welcoming, making me feel as if I was visiting someone's house. And the service was impeccable. Don't sleep on the bread service. The selections were delicious and all made inhouse. Our family of 4 ordered a broad range of menu items and everyone left happy and full. Thank you so much for the wonderful experience!

Nothing but positive things ti say about this restaurant. Impeccable service and impeccable food. Top notch across the board. We went there because some of my family wanted their truffle carbonara, which was delicious. I had the traditional carbonara and was not disappointed. One of the best meals and experiences on our trip.

Solid pasta, cooked perfectly al dente with amazing flavors. The carbonara with a hint of truffle was my favorite. SO good. Great wine selection - I got the Lambrusco which is always a nice refreshing red on a hot day. Great homey ambiance, friendly. Definitely come here!

We had 2 appetizers- caprese salad and zucchini flowers. Both were delicious. Then we had the gnocchi with mushrooms and the carbonera pasta. Wow the 2nd plate was out of this world. I had never tasted anything so delicious. Everyone was so nice and polite too. Thank u for the great time and food.

Very good food, pleasant service. Place is close to our hotel. Very convenient location for dinner after long day walking around Rome

Great restaurant in the heart of Rome- full of locals. Charming and small with all the traditional Roman favorites and some modern options too. Lots of wine choices as well. Not giving 5 stars as I ordered the nightly special pasta dish with asparagus and cherry tomatoes; not only did it not have any tomatoes on it, but the asparagus was super mushy, it felt like baby food. Fortunately, my fiancés carbonara was top notch as well as our antipasti and dessert. You need to get reservations a week in advance for weekends and a few days for week days.

If you're in Rome and you don't see the Vatican the Coliseum or Renato e Luisa, then you have failed (alright, you can skip the Coliseum). Seriously, booked this place 3 weeks in advance and I would have done 6 months if needed. Crispy mortadella stuff with ricotta app, cacio e pepe and carbonara, beef steak with prunes and port and the fish of the day. Unforgettable. I wish I could go back. The wine was equally amazing--my only regret was leaving a glass in the bottle. Best we had in Rome. Finally, there is a very pleasant server there named Luigi. He swears he was born and raised in Rome but his English was so fluent (American accent, too..?!!!!) its a little hard to believe. Efficient, well versed in food and wine and very very pleasant. HIs recommendations were a home run every time. Renato e Luisa will make your Rome visit that much more memorable.

Went here with a group of 10 based on a recommendation and boy, it did not disappoint. This family run establishment was excellent, from the service to the food. Would definitely recommend it to anyone going to Rome. Make sure you have reservations just in case.

The owner of our Air BnB told us that this is her favorite place to eat and we wanted some authentic Italian food. We are so happy that we went. We did have some trouble finding it since it's hidden a bit in an alley way. The prices are decent here for the house wine and primo course. The primo course is a very generous portion. The atmosphere here is very cozy and is decorated with many wine bottles. The menu has so many options which made it hard to decide since it all looked so good. We ordered wine with our meals and were pleased with the price and the pour. I ordered the Frascarelli Tartufi which is a mushroom truffle pasta. The noodles were so thick and fresh. We barely had any room for dessert, but we couldn't pass up tiramisu!

For elevated Roman homecooking, I recommend checking out this sophisticated family restaurant. Renato e Luisa provides classic, hearty dishes with a modern twist. The atmosphere is cozy, service is warm (though not super English-friendly), and the food is satisfying. The three day slow cooked egg was surprisingly delightful. Warm, rich, and flavorful-- the runny egg and truffle was a perfect dip for our basket of bread. I'm pretty sure the dish taught me I might like eggs afterall. I had one of the specials of the day-- gnocchi with a red lobster sauce. The portion size was good, the gnocchi was a good texture and stuffed with a nice ricotta, and the lobster sauce was subtle but tasty. The creme brûlée was visually bizarre but very nice. Everything I had was delicious. The staff was also accommodating of questions and alterations. There are plenty of vegetarian and pescatarian options here. Definitely try out this solid spot hidden among Rome's abundant tourist traps!

My favorite meal in Rome! My friends and I loved it so much that we ate here twice during our 5 day stay in Rome! Honestly, we happened to stumble upon this place as it was close to our Air BnB, but boy are we glad we did. The please is relatively small, as with most Italian restaurants. Very minimal, but authentic decor. The staff was AMAZING! They were super attentive and super helpful with the menu, and they even gave us some options on nightlife (which were great, btw). The food! The food, omg. Everything was fresh and flavorful and tasted like it was made with heaping amounts of love. Highlight dishes were the beef, the carbonara, the salmon, the oxtail (yes, Italian oxtail) and their take on tiramisu.

Quaint restaurant located off a small street near Largo Torre Argentina. I had the carbonara with truffle. My boyfriend had the truffle pasta. I also had a poached egg with truffle a couple days later. The food was amazing, fresh and so flavorful. This is definitely a go to if ever you're in the area!!!

I went here 3 years ago and I thought of it randomly. It was that memorable. Sweet lovely place. Would definitely return when I am in Rome again.

Update: after nearly 2 years in Rome, this is still the best place for typical roman dishes. Happy to share that the truffle carbonara pasta is now a permanent menu. Had this as my last meal in Rome before coming home already missing it so much. If you don't eat here while you are in Rome you are missing out - you are welcome! ;) ----- Small crazy typical Italian place which I pray won't become infested with tourists in the future because it is currently perfect. The carbonara with truffles is literally to die for - I would be happy to have that as my last meal on earth. Large portions. The scent of truffle as it arrives on your table is just too much. I do think it was a special menu since it was written on the board and not in the menu and also given the truffle season... Either way the other pastas at my table were fantastic and fresh. Home made pasta and fresh ingredients. Had mortadella and cheese as starters, also delicious. Tiramisu is above average. Good wine selection. Highly recommend it!

Best food we've had in all of Italy. We had high expectations because of the good reviews, and they were all true. The tenderloin with prunes, gnocchi, and tagliata beef flank were particularly good. Service was fast, food was fresh, and servers spoke good English. Worth the price!!

We called last minute for a reservation they did not have a table for us but they did for the next night. We were seated in a room next the kitchen the smells had us before we even looked at the menu. You have to walk past the kitchen to get to the bathrooms it was great watching them cook for a bit in the immaculate kitchen. This restaurant was recommended by so many people. It lived up to its reputation. The lobster pasta was excellent as was the the truffle pasta and the pasta with mushrooms and truffle. The fish of the day was perfect.

Wow! This restaurant is an excellent choice for seafood lovers! This place gets packed so make sure you reserve a table in advance. Forget ordering off the menu and go for their specials and don't forget to bring your appetite because the portions are very generous. Honorable mention goes to their crudo plate and octopus pasta (see pics). I can't recommend this place enough! Definitely a spot popular with locals... translation: very few tourists. But, no worries the staff are more than accommodating, even if your Italian needs polishing.

This restaurant is so amazing! The dishes are true pieces of art. Definitely hard to find, but worth it. I got the gnocchi which was stuffed with ricotta cheese. So delicious! I studied in Rome for 5 months and this was one of my favorite places!

I came here for dinner as one of my first meals in Italy during a 2 week trip. The dishes at Renato e Luisa is presented with such ease, simplicity and precision, it will make you think all Italian food in Italy is supposed to be this amazing. (As I found out through the trip, this is not true, and you can easily have bad meals too) That said, this place is definitely not a tourist trap, not to be missed in Rome! One of the best meals out of my 2 weeks in Italy! My favorites were their special of the day - a fish soup that was made with perfectly cooked seafood (fish, clams, shrimp and mussels) covered in a delicious spicy tomato soup! Their pasta dishes are also to die for - Carbonara with Black Truffle Shavings? Get out of town! Also not to be missed -Fiori di Zucca- stuffed zucchini flowers. Just be sure to make a reservation - they open a 8:30PM.

I was aiming for 6 stars but the waiter forgot to bring me the extra grissini I asked, so I'll settle on 5 stars instead. You need to think hard to find a flaw in this place. If you're looking for the quintessential gastronomic experience, Michelin-star-esque without being Michelin-star-expensive, Renato & Luisa is all that and more. The menu has everything from elaborate appetizers to the classics, including surf and turf and home-made desserts. This is where the Roman cognoscenti indulge, hidden from the crowds of tourists of nearby Campo di Fiori. You really need to know where to look, you won't stumble upon it by chance. This time around we ordered most of the off-menu items, starting with a hard-to-accomplish new take on the classic fried artichoke (carciofo alla giudia), followed by a flan of octopus on a bed of pesto. We split a carbonara, which was probably the most pedestrian dish we had, and the only one selected from the menu. The second course offered "cotoletta of seabass" and fried lamb chops, both accompanied by roasted potatoes. The seabass was really something memorable, the presentation alone being worth a praise: they kept the right side of the filet on the bone, retaining only a portion of the bones on the left, which they wrapped in aluminum to serve as a handle, the way you'd do it with a cotoletta bone. Smart way to complicate an otherwise simple dish. I loved the desserts, which left me with the curiosity to try the rest of the selection. That double chocolate tart my neighbors ordered seemed almost as good as my chocolate chip crumble pie. Easily a €50 per person dinner, worth every dime. I love the ambiance, the crowd, and the attentive eye of Renato & Luisa ensuring your experience is nothing less than impeccable. But don't you ask for seconds on the grissini, not gonna happen!

Loved this place!!! Near Campo di Fiori but hidden away in an alley, making it less frequented by tourists. Decent prices for the house wine and primo course which were very generous portions. We ordered fiore do zucca which is stuffed zucchini flower. It was the best I've had in Rome because the whole flower remains intact and and it is one of the few without anchovies. The matriciana was the best I've had yet and what the waiter said was the best dish in the house. We also had the frascarelli tartufi which was a mushroom, truffle pasta. The noodles for both dishes were so thick and fresh! Wish I had room for dessert.

You definitely need reservations - the place was packed as soon as it opened. And it's a little more dressy - we came in our day wear (shorts, etc.) we didn't look homeless but we certainly weren't wearing khakis and button down shirts and got a few stares from the staff. We felt uncomfortable enough that no one wanted to get up to walk through the restaurant to use the restroom. Service was a little slow - we had to keep waving down our waitress to take our order, ask for things, etc. which is surprising considering the restaurant was on the higher end. The food was just alright - we weren't really blown away by anything which was disappointing considering its tripadvisor reviews, etc. But we definitely had better while in Italy

Loved it! Small trattoria near Campo di Fiori. The menu is quite simple but the restaurant also offers many specials. The atmosphere is very cosy. The walls are decorated with many wine bottles. For starters, we tried zucchini flowers stuffed with cheese -quite surprising ! I had only tried zucchini flowers once or twice before. We also had some bresola with cheese. For the main course, I had the turbot cooked in the oven with tradiotional Roman artichoke. My friend took a pasta course with ricotta and lamb. We drank some excellent Italian wine with our courses.

Holy smokes. This place was incredible. Kind service and bomb food. Going back again tonight. Make sure to have reservation.

Excepcional place! Everything was good and full of flavor! The prices are high, but if you can afford to expend something like 50-60 euros plus (no wine included) it will be one of the best places to go in Rome.

This was truly an amazing meal with the best quality ingredients and wait staff. Excellent job and will definitely make sure this is a stop anytime I'm in Rome. Can't wait to go back and try more amazing dishes.

Average at best compared to what is available in this city. Service was slow and the food was rather tasteless. It was a disappointing final dinner in Rome.

This is a phenomenal restaurant- the atmosphere of this cozy/high end trattoria doesn't give justice to the high gastronomical level of the food. Old style typical roman plates are matched with excellent innovations and the result is fantastic! I have recommended this restaurant to many ppl traveling or living in Roma and we go religiously every time that we pass by the eternal city. Thank you Renato & Luisa for your excellent hospitality!!

This place was perfect. I mean it - I ate very happily at a whole slew of touristy (and not-so-touristy) places in Italy and this took the cake. Delicious, friendly, and remarkably affordable. A+.

One of the best meals in Rome. Happened to be nearby on a rainy night and were delighted by this place. Food was great and served by friendly and accommodating staff supervised by the ever-present owner who observes everything. Next time in Rome this restaurant will be on my must do, list of places. Try it, you'll love it.

Our waiter was helpful and nice, but our main dishes came out before we were done with our appetizers...apparently that is taboo in Italy? Plus my friends dish was overdone because of it.

All the truffle dishes! Everything was delicious and good selection of wine. Friendly and welcoming staff.

Great, authentic Italian food! One of the best pasta dishes I have ever had in my life. Service is a bit slow but the food more than makes up for it. This place is a gem!

Inventive, absurdly delicious food. A recommendation from a native Roman. Try to the Nero Buono local wine and of course, if truffles are in season, enjoy! Best fiori de zucco I had in three weeks in Rome.

A hidden gem with unbelievably delicious food. Whether you like the classics or new incentive dishes made in their intimate kitchen, this is a place for a truly real Italian food experience. Both Renato and Luisa are a very nice couple with just as nice waiting staff.