ruffino's italian restaurant

very good food, but.... have been eating atruffino'sfor years, and think it has some of the best creole italian around. however, there are a few problems, the crowds being the most bothersome. it is entirely possible to be kept waiting for 30 minutes or more with a reservation (now, to the management's credit, once they found out about the situation they were very apologetic, and liberal with the drinks thereafter).

though the service was excellent and the food delicious, our party of 7 included the only 3 of us who ordered their signature appetizer, lump crab cheesecake. we 3 and we 3 only started feeling bloated as if we had over-eaten soon after leaving the restaurant although we had not over-eaten. later in the evening, we 3 began cramping. several hours after dinner, we 3 all had tremendous diarrhea all through the early morning hours. not only had we 3 lost a nights' sleep but we have now spent our entire weekend recovering from this experience and are still not feeling well. i called and spoke to sean, manager and although he did apologize, we 3 all felt that his offer of a free appetizer if and when we return toruffino'sas a great slap in our face. he proved he had no idea of the pain or any significant empathy for the sufferingruffino'shad caused we 3 diners. beware of the lump crab cheesecake future ruffino diners.

not worth stopping in !. an overpriced money machine for the local owners but not a top flight restaurant. service was slow and all three persons that came to my table seemed indifferent , they put as much effort and attitude into service as one would put into moving chairs or sweeping the floor ! no greeting from any of them or any conversation and no thank yous either. now let's talk food ! i could have done better at any fast food place for one forth the cost ! after a long wait i received the wine. after another long wait a small loaf of do bread arrived and the waiter added the house olive oil (ruffino'slabeled ) from the bottle on the table - the mix appeared to include balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese. i like all of these . but this was terrible ! strong taste but very odd tasting too . since it was lunchtime, i had ordered the knuckle sandwich . it finally arrived plated on very small dish usually used for bread,salads,etc. it was accompanied by a very skimpy side of fries with marinara sauce for dipping, the fries were hot but were obviously from a bag were mostly small end cuts. the sandwich looked like diner fare, cut into four triangles,no garnish. but wait,this lobster claw sandwich so it has to be good right? not so fast! it was on toasted white bread! not home made bread either . a deluxe filling should deserve an equally deluxe bread or roll! but wait ! the lobster is cut up covered in a sauce so it has to be good right? whoa,not so fast! the sauce was a poor knockoff of cane's with capers added, and the lobster was ice cold! it was very disappointing!

ruffino's customer for years. we dined there last weekend. through the yearsruffino'swas our favorite! the last 6 months we have gone a few times. we will simply wait until there is a makeover. i have seen it happen before. the staff is all new, the food is no longer presented but sat out and people pass while dishes are uncovered. the salads use to be part of the meal and there is a charge. reservations are made and the staff forgets you checked in. the lobster fest was no fest. the pasta was awful, the bottom of the white boal was black because it sat in a heat lamp. prices can't go up while service is at an all time low. management is all new....i hope they revamp soon!

lobsterfest review. it had been a while since we visitedruffino'sfor various reasons. thought lobsterfest might be a good opportunity to give them another chance.

the lobster spring roll and desserts were the highlight of the meal. the roll was filled with sweet, tender lobster along with avocado and mango. a combo made in heaven. the lobster bisque and pot pie were disappointing with tough, chewy lobster. the pot pie had a strange taste that may have been a result of the bay leaf which i found in the pot. the dessert offering of bread pudding and strawberry pepper sorbet did much to redeem an otherwise disappointing meal.

sorry guys ... it's back to le creole.

try theruffino'sexperience. if you aren't afraid of what may come out of the kitchen i definitely recommend theruffino'sexperience.
i was not disappointed. very well executed. service was amazing. wine recommendations were great. only thing do not like is i find it a little under-lit. i can't see the table. takes away some of the visual aspect of dining.
i will return.

maybe i just picked the wrong night?. made reservations atruffino'sa few weeks back to take my wife there for valentines's day. the owner here at my job "raves" about this place quite a bit so i figured i would give it a shot. everyone was friendly and courteous and eventhough we were 20 minutes late for our 4:30 pm reservation time, we were seated imediately. since i had already checked out the menu on-line and was also told certain entrees that were a "no-miss", it was very disappointing to find a "valentine's day menu" that allowed no alterations. priced at $65 per person for a simple "steak & potato" guy, the options were very limited. my wife enjoyed the appetizers as i simply waited for the main entrees to arrive. now it took 55 mins for them to arrive but since it was a holiday, i was prepared for that possibility. what i wasn't prepared for was my "med-well" ordered prime rib to come out with a pool of blood on top of it. now my wife's prime rib was obviously cooked longer but had entirely too much pink in it for a "well-done" ordered steak. my waiter was very apologetic and offered to correct the mishap but we decided not to sit any longer and asked if they could correct and prepare them to-go? they happily did as we had asked so once the meal was returned to us packaged up, we paid and left the establishment. once home and as we entered our relaxed evening mode, we unpackeged the steaks. wow.........totaly uneatable. now believe me when i say that i understand that the prime rib normally has more "fat" present in it than some other cuts but these were fatty throughout. after salvaging what little we could, we simple discarded the rest and chucked it up as simply a lost. maybe another day and a different menu but on this night the stars didnt line up.

yam

mediocre at best.. haven't been toruffino'sin about a year.

had some appetizers and entre's with a group of 6.

the wood fired oysters were just blah.. only 6 and tasted just like parmesan, no other flavors came through.

arancine app was pretty good, but only 3 for $13.

crab cheesecake was okay. nothing special, again apps, all of them, are $13. one slice. more cheesy than crabby.

veal michael was just okay. lacked seasoning. cooked very nicely though. sauce was tasteless. you would figure a $32 dish would have a bit more crab to it. this is more like a $15 meal.

bbq shrimp was too peppery. noodles were plenty, the shrimp were not. again, this should be a $12 meal, not $25.

overall..the service was very very good. too bad the meals didn't match the service. most were underseasoned...and for what you get.. way way overpriced. not fine dining quality.

too many caught up in the atmosphere and the history of the place instead of the quality of the food.

doubt we'll return.

my favorite restaurant in baton rouge! i always make a point to eat atruffino'swhen i am in town. the food is delicious and the service is always impeccable.

excellent food, wine.. i was very pleased the last time i went to ruffino's. we went as an office for a holiday party and the service was quick and wine selection tremendous. i even found a new top-10 cabernet (solaris 2005)... which i haven't been able to find locally as of yet. food was very good but not excellent. i was pleasantly surprised when one of the owners came to greet us. overall i was pleased with my visit. i would giveruffino'san "a-".

one of my two or three favorite "nice" restaurants in south louisiana.. from almost the day i moved to baton rouge in the mid-90s, and my stepdaughter took us here for an anniversay,ruffino'shas been my favorite place for special occasions. it's what the newspaper food reviewers call a "dining experience." by now i have found the items on the menu i like best and i pretty much stick to those -- veal parmesan, veal marsala, fish katie (with lump crab meat and meuniere sauce), the flat noodles (with a tomato-vodka cream sauce), and the pork tchoupitoulas (topped with barbecued shrimp). and if we're going with a couple other people with whom we can split it, the crabmeat cheesecake as an appetizer. the service has always been first-rate and we like to go a little ahead of the crowd so we can sit near the fireplace. the prices are such, unfortunately, that we can't afford to eat here regularly. (or maybe we're just old enough that we don't *feel* like we could afford it.)

update: christmas 2016 -- sad to say, this place has declined badly in the past few years. maybe it was the fact that their parking lot was blocked by road construction for nearly a year, or maybe the manager just doesn't care any longer. in 2011, i gave it 5 stars. now they're down to about 2.5. too bad.

my favorite restaurant!. a very busy restaurant, one of the best and our most favorite restaurants in br.ruffino'soffers incredible service as well as such tasty food. customer service is always superb. the crabmeat cheesecake, as well as the veal parmesan and the 16 ounce prime rib are unbeatable!! we use any excuse, such as birthdays, anniversaries and our favorite nye tradition to go to ruffino's! keep up the good work !!

cold veal micheal. i've visitedruffino'sfor the second time this week. it wasn't my choice, but i'm glad i had the opportunity to try it again to see if my first experience was just an off night for them.

i wish i could say that i liked it better this time, but i didn't. the veal michael was lukewarm with some parts unacceptably cold, and the service was horrible for this price point. they actually forgot the imperial sauce that goes with this dish this time. this was the second time that i've visited this establishment and luckily the bill was on my company.

i'm still impressed with howruffino'sis able to portray a quality image to this city without supplying a quality product.

the wine selection, on the other hand, is awesome. second to none in this area.

excellence service from the start.. the excellent service started and ended at the door.ruffino'shas hired employees with great personalities, and even better work ethic. a good well done!!

treated like a queen. my (now) husband and i came here on our first date. the service was amazing and we were treated like royalty! the food is very good and leaves nothing to be desired. the ambiance is business casual to dressy and the atmosphere makeruffino'sa fabulous date place.ruffino'sboasts local food and decor. i would highly recommend this restaurant.