Ristorante Luigi, Cantina e Cucina — Restaurant in Rome

As a waitress who is very lenient and understanding about slow service, this place still managed to surprise me. My boyfriend and I came around 2pm on a Saturday, the restaurant was maybe half full. The service started out strong, somebody greeted us at the door and offered us a table inside, we came in with him and he took us to a dirty table in a corner, and assured us that somebody would come around to clean it in one minute. Once ten minutes had passed of us just standing in the dining room, I ended up asking somebody myself to clean it. I found all of the waiters (there were a good few) in a circle by the door, just talking. The only helpful member of the staff, the only one who seemed to be doing his job, asked me if I needed any assistance while going to help another table. He cleaned our table quickly and was apologetic, and by doing that alone was the highlight of our meal. We sat down, ordered water, and started looking over the menu. Maybe 15 minutes had passed when our waitress came back for our orders, I still hadn’t received my water, but I decided to order a cocktail as well. She cut me off half way through my ordering my cocktail to rudely inform me that my water was coming. It took about 20 minutes for our food to get to us, which usually wouldn’t bother me much but we had already been in this restaurant for about 30 minutes by the time we were able to order, and many other people who had arrived long after us had already received their food (keep in mind that my boyfriend and I had only gotten one pasta dish each and a cocktail, nothing elaborate). Once our food did arrive, my cocktail was missing, my boyfriend’s food was very bland (some spaghetti with pepper dish), and my food (the carbonara) was cold, and resembled as well as tasted like glorified kraft mac & cheese. You can get better pasta from a gas station. Incredibly disappointing as this was our last pasta in Italy and all the good reviews gave us hope. I recommend this restaurant if you’d like overpriced food served by rude waiters and you have nowhere to be the rest of the day.

Thank you to the one waiter who helped us though, I know it can be difficult to be the only one doing your job...

I was in Rome for 4 days, and for 3 nights I can to Luigi’s. I returned after the first time because of the cacio e Pepe. It was delicious. Even after having at 2 other places.

The upside: Alif and Zain were the best thing to happen in my visits to Luigi. They were everywhere all of the time. They accommodated every need, and answered every question positively. Honestly the word NO did not come out of there mouth at any time.

Food was amazing. As a an American Chef I do have standards, so coming to a place with no expectations , I was open for anything. The food at Luigi was above and beyond. Upon each return I ordered a different app, but ordered the same entree every time. Each app was perfect and each Cacio e Pepe was perfect. Adding truffles in my last visit was insane. Catalina also deserves some attention. She spent 90% of her time turning the heaters back on when she could have been addressing the guest. The buzzer whim unfortunately I have forgotten his name was there at every turn.

Down side: I thought it was weird that a manager, GM, owner, at no point said hello, hi, how are you, anything in 3 visits. How ever I did see one gentleman walking around like he owned the place. But did not engage any guest or even acknowledge anyone’s arrival or departure. Maybe I’m mistaken in thinking he is someone other than he is, or maybe he thinks he is more than he is. Or maybe that’s his job, is to walk around with a scowl on his face showing no gratitude. My culture does not have a person in this position, but there are people who assume this position, but they do not last long in the business.

Another down side. Heaters were not able to stay on for long. Maybe the scowl faced guy can stand by the switch and make sure they stay on since he isn’t doing anything else. I believe that is all. A huge thank you to Alif, Zain, Catalina, and the busser whom I forgot his name. I’m so sorry. You guys deserve the best. Hope everyone has a great Jubilee and may everyone get what they deserve in life. Especially...

I will start by commending Alif, the Maître d', that greeted us with a warm smile and friendly welcomed us setting the tone for their entire dining experience. All this without knowing we were just arriving after a long 4 hours from Venice, with our 6 years old daughter. He was very prompt to find a table for us and gave us a moment to decide what to order. We order a Montepulciano glass of wine and my husband a Peroni beer, then he offered our daughter lemonata. My husband ordered "Penne al Salmone", and I asked him if they had gnocchi, he told us they specifically didn't have that in the Menu, but if that was what my daughter's desire he could make it for her. And if that weren't enough he also prepared a portion of gnocchi for me as well, with "Filetto di Spigola" as a second plate. At the end, for dessert we order "Tiramisù fatto in en casa". Exquisite! We couldn't be more satisfied with the exceptional service by all these servers, they went above and beyond to provide a memorable dining experience. There was something so memorable about the ambience, and the music playing that made me forget completely the trouble of the long day we had. The quality of the food spoke louder about the culture of the restaurant and the high standards they strive for. I can honestly say that this restaurant has the most excellent service in Rome. They know the impact in knowing how to treat customers. Note for the Alif, the Chef and all the amazing team behind Luigi, Cantina e Cucina: "A food quality alone is not enough to distinguish a restaurant, but superior customer service is also the deciding factor that sets an establishment apart from another one." Please, keep striving for excellence. You all are doing an amazing...