Ruffino's | Italian Restaurant

It was our very first visit and must say it won’t be our last. The atmosphere was prefect. The strawberry lemon drop was good and strong. The service time was fast. The presentation of the food was excellent and it was delicious. I had spaghetti and meatballs and the meatballs were big and homemade. My boyfriend had lasagna and it was also delicious. Our waiter Peter was excellent I’ll give him ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ also. The prices were very reasonable. The whole experience was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I highly recommend it. The cotton candy at the end was a surprise.

We have eaten at Ruffino’s Italian restaurant several times for dinner but this was our first time for lunch. We really like the atmosphere here, sports oriented but very nice. The menu is varied with great Italian, pizza, steaks and more. My chicken parmigiana was delicious. The service is friendly and attentive. A really great lunch.

Just don't wear your hat in! 😂. Our tennis team had a nice meal here after our match that was weather delayed 4 hours. It meant we had to drive straight from the courts. Not ideal, but we made it. They made us feel at home. They handled our large group quite well. I was personally torn by all of the great app choices. I convinced someone to order/split 5 apps with me. It was a great decision. The crabmeat cheesecake was the star of the show. The gnocchi was very good too. I would leave the grilled oysters off next time as mine at home are better. Enough food without over eating. Price was reasonable for what we got. Staff was fantastic and the desert drawn tennis themed plates were fantastic. Well done!!

The wait staff and food was excellent. Recommend anyone to go here for any occasion and they give away free cotton candy blue or strawberry and they had free cocktails for the fathers on Father's Day unexpected awesome

Went here for my Anniversary, let me tell you. Im glad we did, service was on point! Food was amazing. We had the steak & oysters and it was amazing. I will be back, excited to try something else

The place was really good. Enjoy the food. The waiters and waitress were really attentive. A very cool chill intimate environment to be in perfect for date night nights.

Service was awesome!!!! The drinks were great! The food was even better! I love that it was not packed and a long wait.. We will definitely visit again!!

The food was amazing the service was even better! Great atmosphere! Kudos to the chef and staff for making my daughter’s birthday a success!

This review is easy. Service- A+ Atmosphere- A+ (especially the art) Food... The best pork chop I've ever had. Price and value were great too!

This place is terrible. We had reservations for a LSU graduation dinner on Saturday May 18th, 2025 for 18 people. First issue is that we were sat at two different tables (across a walkway) even though we were not told when making reservations that they couldn't accommodate that many people. Secondly, the food server whispered when speaking and you could barely hear him. The drink server had to be reminded to bring our wine and took at least 10 minutes to refill soft drinks. Now on to the food. We ordered a fried calamari for the table and when zi say this was the worst calamari I have ever had in my life I am not exaggerating. Do not ever order this. The steakhouse burger was also the worst restaurant burger I have ever had in my life. I couldn't even finish half even though I was hungry. The truffle fries are also not very appetizing. The crab gnocchi was spicy and did not have a good flavor. Two separate people ordered steaks that they were going to share with a child. One steak cane split on two plates while the other did not (and a extra plate had to be requested again after the food arrived). The steak was decent but definitely can be made better at home. The best food there was the bread you get when you order and the cotton candy. For the price this restaurant is not a good choice, but for the taste it is a highly do not go. These restaurants try to come off as fancy because of the ambience but their food is terrible.

In red stick for business and meeting up with some friends i suggested somewhere new and Ruffinos was the suggestion Let me say Tuesday night and I made a reservation for 5:30 , glad I did as by the time we left at 7:30 the parking was packed - not a spot available! Environment is attractive, soft lighting , linens on tables, plentiful din ing space and an attractive bar first impression Ruffinos wasn't going to disappoint . That said dress code is casual , jeans and a nice shirt but definitely no baseball caps. Menu offers plenty of wine and drink choices and service was topnotch, available for any request with a smile (thanks Alexus) We started with the fried duck fingers , DUCK FINGERS - Panko and parmesan-breaded duck fingers with roasted garlic aioli- FANTASTIC Entrees we both had the fish Katie which Tuesday night was redfish. Fish Katie - Fresh Gulf catch, jumbo lump crabmeat creole meunière, hollandaise, steamed asparagus, Both portions were generous especially given the quality of the dishes. Ruffinos is definitely is a class above the rest and a destination spot for fine dining

Great restaurant, very nice atmosphere and the food is really delicious. Drinks were awesome. I have to rave about the eggplant Parmesan it was cooked to perfection and the pork chop ummm cooked perfectly and very tender. Not one complete. Great Service and the management staff were great as well. Thanks for making my Neice birthday amazing

Real nice place to visit. I love the low dimming lights. It gives off a romantic vibe.

I attended a group dinner here . The atmosphere was nice and the lighting was perfect. The room was a little tight due to our party size. Our server was attentive and knew the group menu well. I enjoyed the fish Katie but the bread pudding stole the show.

Me and my friends ate happy food and brooklyns birthday happy birthday Brooklyn she is nineteen and let us eat yummy food with my friends Brooklyn. Awesome

Recently visited ruffinos as we go every few months. Unfortunately they have tried some menu changes and taken away some of the staples, specifically the BBQ shrimp dishes. They were always my go to's or add on's. They have also removed the Tuna dish and sauce. Alternates I got were ok, but not what I was going for.

The ambiance was extremely dim--so dark that my father couldn't read the menu. I get it though, the atmosphere was intimate. However, the service was outstanding. We had three servers handling different tasks--one for orders, one for drinks, and one for clearing the table--creating a seamless dining experience. It was impressive to have all three present the dishes together. The servers were knowledgeable, offered great recommendations, and was a joy to interact with. I had the cedar plank fish, which was absolutely delicious. For dessert, I had crème brûlée, and with just one bite, I was in my happy place. The bathroom was wheelchair accessible, but very tight, making maneuvering difficult. I forgot about the bathroom as soon as the brought in the beautiful cloud of cotton candy. I havenever been so excited to eat cotton candy as I was that night. Overall, a fantastic dining experience with top-tier service and food, but the bathroom accessibility could use improvement.

This is a Really nice place. Great experience for a steakhouse but overly priced in my opinion . The food was decent but nothing really stood out to me . Nice date night restaurant if you are looking to do something special .

Martinis, crab cake cheesecake appetizer, spinach salad, pizza, pasta, brownie and bread pudding desserts are just a few of my fav things here! This is also a great spot to go eat after church!

Ruffino's has been our go-to date night spot for a few years now. The ambiance is nice, casual enough that it's not stuffy but still nice enough to throw on something sexy and be able to show out a little. The food is usually really good, we like how they change the menu relatively often, but sometimes we miss our favorites when they switch them out. However, the last time we went we fell in LOVE with the new chef. I got the veal chop with lump crab, which was a special, and it was honest to God the best meal I've ever had in my life. I believe they told us they would be adding it to the menu soon. Our friend Peter is usually our waiter he is fantastic. They always make sure we are taken great care of.

The food and service were both excellent. A few recommendations: 1.) Corn and Crab Soup, 2.) Steak with Imperial Sauce, 3.) Cheesecake. The experience was great.

I'm so disappointed in both the service and the old cold dishes. We can't get that time back that we spent waiting over 30 minutes for our cold food that the bartender forgot to deliver to us. We were the first to arrive and watched the other tables not only receive the attention and their food in a timely manner to us just wondering why the bartender started working on the dishwasher and walking back and forth and not even thinking how dirty her hands were . I know that I'll never enter those doors again for a break that we so badly needed from saying goodbye to our family member in hospice or using their facility for the many medical lectures I've coordinated. I'm so disappointed!

It was my first time going to a place this fancy and It was AMAZING. The food, service, and drinks were all 10/10. The manager came to our table multiple times to ensure everything was going well which it was. I loved every second of this and will be coming back. GET THE BRAISED PORK CHEEKS!!!!

As usual the ambiance was great and the service was excellent! Gabe kept checking on us and addressed all of our needs and concerns. Will be returning again!!!

By far, one of the favorite dining experiences I've had. Happened to be in town for a wedding and saw Ruffino's near our hotel. Reserved a party for 3 and were seated immediately. Hostess and servers were so energetic and sweet. We started with soup and salads. The corn and crab bisque was to die for. We tried the shrimp pasta, Pork Tchoupitoulas, and the filet. Again, all amazing as was the bread. Finally settled on desserts and the cotton candy. Easily one of the best meals I've had in some time. Will definitely be returning when in town!

**Updated review** I originally had a 2 star review posted on Yelp for Ruffino's. However, I just left Ruffino's and I had to come here first to say how much we enjoyed our meal and evening! It was awesome. This experience blew my past experiences away. For starters, the staff was AMAZING. The service was fantastic, everyone was accommodating, kind and at the top of their game. I can't commend them enough. The ambiance was perfect for a date night, and they were able to accommodate our family perfectly. The food was delicious! Bread was hot and fresh, the pasta was rich and the seafood was divine. I ordered the lobster risotto (fantastic), my wife had the chicken Alfredo and my kids had chicken tenders. Everything was great. We will definitely be back for another visit! I also want to mention how fantastic their management is...from communication, to ensuring our evening went perfectly, they were phenomenal!

Again, a great place to wind down with wonderful service and exceptional food. The drinks we started with were not short on spirits and I just love that. The bread is super fresh and complimentary. The ribeye was a tad undercooked for medium but they took it back with no problem and it came out fantastic. The osso bucco was so melt in your mouth good. I really think the seafood arancini was the star. And this is the best place for crème brûlée. Thanks for another amazing dinner.

We came for my birthday dinner and it was great! The food was amazing and our waiters were very nice and attentive. The restaurant was very pretty and it was fairly quiet inside; great for a date night. I would definitely come here again!

Calamari was fair. Steak and collard greens were phenomenal. Really liked the bar atmosphere. Lots of help standing around while Bartender ran his butt off. Bathrooms were a mess. No toilet paper, trash over flowing with paper towels used as toilet paper on the floor. Felt if we are spending 200$ for a dinner should at-least have toilet paper.

I really enjoyed the fresh bread with the garlic oil. The portion of my lasagna was awesome, the sensation salad is very tasty. The service was very good. The ambiance is interesting, very clean and dark.

The only thing going for Ruffinos lately is the lovely ambience. The food is so lacking. I ordered a filet with Bernaise sauce this and it was over cooked and the sauce did not seem fresh. They gave our group of 6, one drink menu and one "specials" menu so ordering took a while. Print some more menus!! That is an easy fix. This restaurant could be so much more. Its fun to go there but don't expect much from the food.

This is one of my regular spots in Baton Rouge the service is always phenomenal along with the food you can't go wrong with the menu!

The fish katie is my favorite dish here. The fish is topped with jumbo lump crabmeat, creole meunière, hollandaise, and comes with a side of roasted potatoes. Delicious every time! Service is always great and the ambiance is lovely here.

A couple weeks ago I tried Ruffino's for the first time to celebrate my boyfriend's white coat ceremony. I had heard mixed reviews and I was glad to finally get to try this place for myself. We ordered the duck fingers, seafood arancine, seared tuna, and crabmeat cheesecake. Not one appetizer disappointed! My favorite by far was the seafood arancine, but I surprisingly liked the duck fingers as well. The complimentary bread was delicious along with the incredible dipping oil it comes with. For my entree, I ordered the veal michael. That veal was to die for! Most nice places skimp on the crabmeat as a topping, but this place was not shy at all. The sauce on top was incredible as well! The staff were incredible the whole meal, start to finish. They had great recommendations and made sure we were taken care of for such a special occasion. They made sure to ask what we were celebrating and even customized the dessert by drawing a white coat on the plate which was super cute and sweet. I enjoyed the complimentary dessert as well as the crème brulee I ordered. I also loved my bubble bath cocktail! The coolest thing about it was the presentation with a bubble on top that popped into smoke! Definitely a must go-to for a special occasion!!

Excellent food and service - what a wonderful combination - Italian and Cajun! We went for Sunday brunch and it was very elegant. The food was delicious! Several of us got the blue crab omelet - I've never seen this much blue crab added to a dish that was so reasonably priced. I got the fish Katie, which was snapper with a rich creole sauce and a hollandaise drizzle. I basically licked the plate clean it was so good! The friend duck fingers appetizer was a hit, as was the crab cakes. My little one got kids chicken tenders and fries, which came with mariana sauce for dipping. They do have a business casual dress code - no hats inside. I would highly suggest this restaurant for any nice occasion

How does this place stay open? Been there 4 times too many. The fish was so salty I had to send it back. The meatballs were very little meat and lots of additives and I could smell the red gravy had been scalded and very peppery. The steak was seasoned with a strange combination of herbs. Why not just salt and butter. I don't even remember the other meal but I do remember the lemon drop was tasteless. Use some good liquor. We pay enough for it. Staff was great each time but that won't bring me back.

Great food, great service and ambiance. Loved everything about our visit !! Veal Michael is a great dish as is chicken Parmesan. Can't go wrong with either of these !

Nice servers, good ambiance, but the beer selection is sparse. Their chicken parm is chef's kiss

The service is absolutely amazing, everyone that took care of me and my boyfriend made sure we had the best experience and it showed. My boyfriend and I decided to go with our server's reccomendation for the crabmeat cheesecake appetizer and let me tell you I'm so glad we listened to him bc it was absolutely delicious! I had the alfredo for the entree & it had good enough flavor & my boyfriend had the steak, he really enjoyed it and he even gave me a bite and it's full of great flavors. It is probably one of the best steaks I ever tasted probably in my top three. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very professional.

Been to Ruffinos and handful of times now and I think I finally found a meal that I loved. To start, the crab cakes were really creamy and melted in your mouth. Then, the steakhouse burger was really good because of the bacon jam that comes with it. That bacon jam is what dreams are made of!! A great balance of sweet and salty. I could buy a whole bottle of that! The only reason why I docked a star is because the food took a while to come.

Ruffino's never disappoints! They've revamped the menu and the quality and craftsmanship of the dishes is outstanding!

Last night we enjoyed a private birthday dinner. Our waitress was fenomenal and she took amazing care of us. We started with the crabmeat cheesecake that was absolutely delicious! Then I ordered a filet with béarnaise sauce, medium, and it couldn't be more perfect, the best in town. My husband ordered a steak Oscar and he was very pleased as well. This place is unique and excellent!

Great food, service, and atmosphere at a reasonable price for fine dining. Try the Taste of Ruffino's appetizer. It's delicious.

The service was amazing, our waiters were great, however for the money we spent the food was OK at best. They had a heirloom stuffed tomato (tomato was hard and looked like a regular tomato) on the menu with that was described as being stuffed with crab meat and artichoke, it was like soup and there wasn't an artichoke in sight and the crab scarce as well and what was in there was full of shells. So that was a bust, awful appetizer. Then the food was served, my boyfriend had a filet with roasted potatoes that he's said was good but the potatoes were nothing to get excited about. The caprese salad tomato was like the app looked and tasted like a tomato from the grocery store, hard and flavorless. I ordered the crab and corn bisque which was loaded with crab shells, it did taste good but I didn't finish it because of the shells that you got in every bite. The tuna and broccolini was so bland and well just not good. I won't be going back anytime soon if ever. Very sad trip!

Went here for a work related dinner and EVERYTHING was good. Ok. I tried pork cheek that was soooo tender. I mean it was delicious. I had the pork chop Tchopitoulas. That is my go to. My other colleague has the chicken Alfredo and I don't remember what the other had. The service was impeccable. The ambiance is very nice. The drinks are great too. I can't wait to go back. I think I'll try something new when I go again.

Absolutely incredible. Great food, the service was very good and polite. If you are looking for Italian food this is the place to go. They gave us waters to start off with. Worth the wait. Overall 5 stars. LOVE THIS PLACE .

Premium food and service in a wonderful atmosphere. Good wine, great food and fantastic service are a hallmark of Ruffino's. I enjoy every trip there, and recommend the heirloom tomato salad if in season, they are amazing. You will be pleased with anything from the grill and the Italian standards are superb.

After seeing so many rave reviews, decided to go here to celebrate my engagement. I called the day of and made evening reservations. Upon arrival, we had to wait about 15 minutes past our reservation time to be seated; but, the hostess was apologetic. Our server and drink server were good. They were nice and attentive, but more so the drink server. We ordered the special Mardi Gras Mamba cocktails and were not impressed. FYI, they won't turn on the TVs in the back seating area unless an LSU game is on. For appetizers, I had some of the complimentary bread, it was good, the dipping spice was bland. I also had the spinach salad minus pecans it was really good. Going in, I knew there was only one vegetarian entree on the menu and I'm not a fan of eggplant. So I asked the server if the chef could make me a vegetarian pasta dish. The chef did a pretty good job. It was angel hair pasta with a plethora of veggies in a butter sauce. The only thing missing was flavor. I finished the night with some complimentary cotton candy. They brought us a slice of what appeared to be fudge decorated to celebrate our engagement, but I was unable to eat it as I am allergic to chocolate. My fiancee said it was too rich. However, he did enjoy his creme brulee. Overall, I appreciated and enjoyed all the complimentary items and the service. But I must say that I would not return. Honestly, we both liked Gino's food and service much better. However, this is definitely a solid place for some.

Our two waiters were great. The restaurant was very loud. I struggled to hear my partner right next to me. The food was lackluster, and it was not worth the high price. I had the tchoupitoulas and the pork chop was very over cooked and served with some bland dry mashed potatoes. We had the duck fingers appetizer, and it had no flavor. I liken the taste to frozen chicken tenders. The drink prices were also not worth the size of the drinks. Mixed drinks are about 8 ounces and start at $14.

I always pass this place up and finally had a free day with my guy to try it out. I'm a flight attendant, and I loveeee food, so trust me I know good food. Our Service was fine no complaints there. I ordered the steak oscar, it was cooked to my liking lacking a little in flavor but was good enough. This is where i get a little upset with the food when my guys cedar plank redfish came out it was so small it was the size of my pinky. I usually look at yelp reviews prior to dining but this time I just went with the flow. After leaving the establishment my guy was so upset and still hungry by the way, I looked at the photos on yelp to see the other patrons fish was as big as the plank. I don't know what was going on in the kitchen but to be charged $30 for a half of a half of redfish is just insane.

Because I love Italian! They used to have an appetizer called eggplant Mary it was so delicious. They have since taken it off the menu but I would love to see it come back. The best I ever tasted.

Not impressed. Our server, I think his name was Steve came to our table maybe 3 or 4 times during the two hours we were there. The girl serving our drinks came to our table a lot more than he did. My wife got the grouper with eggplant. The eggplant was terrible. Almost tasted rancid. Our friend got the pork chop, was way too tender, was like eating shredded chicken with hardly any flavor. We asked Steve for a glass of milk with our dessert and he forgot. We didn't bother asking again. For a $300.00 bill and a place that's pretty much considered fine dining, we should have been blown away with the service and the food. We were not blown away in the least bit. Very disappointed and very shocked to know this is such a popular restaurant in Baton Rouge. I could've went to Chili's and had the same food and service experience we had. No thank you.

Ruffino's is an amazing Italian restaurant. My dad took me here for the first time right before I started high school and it has always been a fancy place in my mind. I remember feeling so special. The waiter was super nice and the food was amazing. Now that I've graduated college, gotten married, and have a full time job, I can afford to go back on my own and I brought my husband on a date here. He's from California, so he'd never been before. He did find it weird that there were so many TVs with sports on in such a dimly lit, quiet restaurant. He got the chicken Alfredo and he thought it was ok. There was too much chicken in it, but if you like chicken in every bite then you'd love it. We both loved the eggplant Parmesan! It was a giant portion and the angel hair pasta beneath it was delicious. I got a to go box and ate it for several meals after. The waiters were super nice and although we didn't order any wine, we felt like we should tip the sommelier because he was so attentive and came by to check on us several times. The cherry on top is always the cotton candy at the end of each meal! It is a fun surprise, especially at a restaurant so nice with so many adults every where.

I just had one of the best meals at Ruffino's. The Fish Katie was absolutely delicious. I had not been to this restaurant in a while and I had forgotten how really good the food is. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu and willing to make suggestions. I will definitely be returning soon. H

My husband and I had dinner here a couple of weeks ago. We had reservations and we were seated promptly, service is excellent, and the restaurant has a nice ambiance. We ordered fish and to our disappointment it didn't taste fresh. I don't think we will be dinning here again.

Seriously do NOT eat here (see pic). After calling and alerting the staff of the health safety issues, they explicitly disregarded standard food safety regulations (e.g. not discarding remaining buns in same package and NOT investigating either cooking or storage temperatures that lead to such egregious undercooking and serving of raw meat. As someone with multi-year experience in chain restaurant food service and management and hospital food service, I am appalled and offended by the lack of staff concern for this issue.

The atmosphere was nice and food was delicious. I had a side of red sauce brought out for my Alfredo chicken Parmesan and it enhanced my dish so much since the Alfredo was kind of bland. The red sauce is the best and made me keep the review at 5 stars instead of 4.