ruffino's italian restaurant

this is one of my favorite restaurants in baton rouge and has been for years. always greatserviceand great food. nothing bad i can say about this establishment. best chicken parmesan, amazing steaks and so much more.

though theservicewas 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 to ruffino's as a great slap in our face. he proved he had no idea of the pain or any significant empathy for the suffering ruffino's had caused we 3 diners. beware of the lump crab cheesecake future ruffino diners.

went last night.servicewas horrible. took half hour to get drink order and then one drink was missing and one was wrong. took another half hour to get that fixed. waiter would ask if we were ready to order and didn't stay to hear answer (3 times)! top half of lettuce wedge was missing and had meager serving of dressing. portions seem to have shrunk but prices haven't. it seems that the tables they have added have stretched the staff to where they can't provide proper service.

not impressed.servicewas great. food was unimpressive.

two words: don't bother w.... two words: don't bother

went to eat there last night for my wife's birthday. it was the first time for both of us. sat down, got some good bread and olive oil dip. after that, they poured my whiskey drink into my wife's sugar rimmed glass. i was offered a paper towel to wipe off the sugar. all the drinks are served in shakers which guaranteed underpours and drips all over the table. got some great bbq shrimp and a mozzarella salad app. not bad at all. ordered a filet, it came out blue, like seared and raw blue. they fixed it, but my wife was done eating in all the time it took them to remake it. i had ordered a glass of wine after the apps. never received it. then was told after eating that they would "take it off the check." well duh, i never got it. i'm not paying for wine i never got. they didn't even do anything for my wife's birthday. no cotton candy, no happy birthday on the dessert we ordered, nothing. don't ask customers if you are celebrating something if you aren't going to recognize it.

the ambiance was akin to tiger stadium, loud as all get out and full of drunks who could care less. if a 30 year old thinks it's loud, it's loud. apparently everyone else got their wine and properly poured whiskey.

i had always heard it was fine dining. the decor was a mix of tj ribs and uncle earl's.

$180 for dinner for two with horribleserviceand people literally yelling 3 feet in all directions around you is not worth it.

check out 18 steak, ruth chris, or even louisiana lagniappe. all have better food, better atmosphere, know how to respect customers, recognize a simple birthday, and cook a simple steak.

ruffino's: italian for overpriced and overhyped

great dinner. a little expensive but one of the nicest restaurants in baton rouge. definitely have to make reservations. wonderful martinis.servicewas also excellent.

not worth stopping in !. an overpriced money machine for the local owners but not a top flight restaurant.servicewas slow and all three persons that came to my table seemed indifferent , they put as much effort and attitude intoserviceas 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's labeled ) 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 years ruffino's was 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 whileserviceis at an all time low. management is all new....i hope they revamp soon!

try the ruffino's experience. if you aren't afraid of what may come out of the kitchen i definitely recommend the ruffino's experience.
i was not disappointed. very well executed.servicewas 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.

epic fail. my table was near the fire and smelled like a camp fire. the food was pathetic. ordered the cheapest thing on the menu to not waste money on a poor experience and it still tasted like burnt rubber. save your money. poor date spot, or really anything. i've had betterservicefor a $7 lunch special at chilis.

mediocre at best.. haven't been to ruffino's in 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..theservicewas 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 at ruffino's when i am in town. the food is delicious and theserviceis always impeccable.

went with 10-12 friends for lunch today and ordered entrees from burgers to pasta, to maine lobster. all delicious, but everyone commented on theservice- perfection.

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 theservicewas 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 give ruffino's an "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's has 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. theservicehas 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.