Ruggeri’s Ristorante

Really disappointed to learn from a friend that this Ruggeri’s location refused to honor her 90 year old WWII Vet with a complimentary dinner for Memorial Day. I have been to this location but normally go to the Colleyville location and after this will not go back to Dallas. I am pretty sure the Colleyville location would have honored her Father — as they are very nice and friendly in there. And their family does frequent the Dallas location fairly often for special events and family celebrations — but I am guessing that was the last time.

We enjoyed a great meal here last night. And while the décor is a bit dated and the Frank Sinatra tunes evoke an ambiance of Maggiano’s, the service and food is well worth it. The veal dishes are outstanding and there is abundance of talented servers.

Great food, great service. If you love Italian food, this is the place. We will be coming back.

Yes, this place is old school. But that means the service is impeccable and the food is absolutely amazing! We had the mussels appetizer and it was to die for. The sauce was so flavorful and the mussels were cooked to perfection. My husband had the shrimp and scallop primavera and I had the night special which was red snapper with shrimp in a butter sauce. Both were exquisite. The house Pinot was smooth and wonderful. The wait staff were very attentive and knowledgable. I would highly recommend this spot for an amazing Italian dining experience.

Classic Italian cuisine! The most attentive servers! Thank you, John! The Red and Bleu Salad made for an excellent starter and the Chicken Parmigiana? Mama Mia!

Its a great place to see living fossils. The atmosphere is quiet and perhaps dead? We’ve eaten here twice and were the youngest people by more than 20 years (we are in our 40s). The service is slow, but friendly.
Honestly, the good is very average. There are so many better places to get Italian food. If people say its amazing, they probably would tell you Pizza Inn is good pizza. The food is pretty bland and overcooked when we were there.
I debated on two stars, but its not as bad as Olive Garden.

Ruggeri’s is a lovely place. The food is good and it is a relaxing environment. Older crowd, but that’s fine. We have been there several times and you can’t go wrong with any of the selections on their menu as they are all pretty good.
We also enjoy the piano player. She is very good, but could work on her song selection to be more up to date. Not picking, just mentioning…
HOWEVER, whatever you do, DO NOT get JOHN for your waiter!!! He is rude, pushy and condescending!!! I think my husband and I can get along with most anyone and normally enjoy having a good time with our server and being most appreciative of them (as I am sure can be noted by my previous reviews), but this guy, he’s the worst waiter we’ve EVER had PERIOD! Not only did he hit me in the face with his arm while trying to serve me, he told my husband in no uncertain terms what he could have/​not have, interrupted our conversations like a bull in a china shop (numerous times) and ordered us around like a Drill Sargent! The list went on and on with his faux pas! He is completely unaware of his actions, has no finesse, doesn’t have an ounce of customer service skills, is a know it all and I never in my life have seen a waiter be so rude to his bus boys. He literally was snapping at them and embarrassing them while they were doing fine. I felt so bad for them!!! No one deserves to be treated the way he was treating them in public. I don’t think I’ve ever used the expression, «complete ass» in one of my reviews, but there is a first for everything! We held our tongues to the owner (who btw is very nice) because we were with others, however, it is only by the grace of God that we were with company that either my husband or I didn’t come unglued!!! Like I said, I think I’m a pretty understanding person, but this guy was causing me anxiety and completely ruined what should have been a nice evening. I’d rather have a root canal than ever be served by him again! As I said, food and atmosphere — nice! John — HELLS NO!!! Hence the three stars…

I see that a former employee has posted here. I always have to wonder how his job ended. I assume not well.
We enjoy popping in when we are in PH area. We stopped in Friday night on our way to a celebration of our favorite spots that led to our engagement and wedding (our first meeting as at Ruggeris… a business meeting that quickly became romantic and likely offended several of our fellow dining patrons — bonus fun!).
We came in prior to our dinner elsewhere to just have a drink and an appetizer. I spent an hour watching and chatting with Mr Ruggeri and found him to be extremely charming. His staff gives off an old time Italian grump that just adds to my love of this place. I have to say that based on my wonderfully rich stuffed shrimp, I considered trying to convince my husband to cancel the rest of our plans and stay at Ruggeris.
I look around each time we visit and have some concern about the long term. The clientele seems to be aging. I think I shall make it my mission to turn on some of my younger friends to start meeting here for wonderfully rich dinners and a laid back old style Italian atmosphere. Simply love it.

This place, where do I begin? This place is absolutely amazing. I cannot express how much I love this place. Suck a nice pianist, she takes requests, knows everything classic. This restaurant, the food is absolutely amazing. This place can be fun! With singing and the piano, this place’s food I so great. I love it. The tomato soup, is ¹¹⁄₁₀. Everything is very favorable. I would want to be a regular here anyday. ¹²³⁄₁₀

This place is a shadow of its former self.
They brought me an escargot appetizer and it was cold. I pointed this out to the waiter, he apologized and brought it back 90 seconds later steaming. They used a microwave.
Dinner was lamb Shanks, which was hot and tasted precooked, old end gamy.
Never again

Ruggeri is a snot rocket. He treats his staff like crap. I used to bartend for this jerk, which is why I know all the backroom goings-​on at his restaurants. It astounds me that he has more than one location.
Food: frozen. Not home-​made. You’re paying for fresh & home-​made; you *should* get it.
Waitstaff: they think «up» means «neat». Explain the difference 192 times? Too bad. Order something «neat»? Expect shaken with ice and strained.
Ruggeri: tool. Bad attitude, rude to staff and customers, totally unconcerned as to your experience. Happy to serve low-​grade fare.
Have fun with that.

Old school Italian popular with the older crowd. My dining companion was 87 and had been coming for years. She knew the staff by name. Her favorite place and she was treating so twist my arm. No one was more surprised than me at how much I enjoyed my meal. We were there for lunch. We each ordered small dinner salads which came dressed with an excellent house dressing. Bread was warm and crusty. I ordered the stuffed shrimp. What arrived was 3 large shrimp stuffed to overflowing with crab meat, a side of creamed spinach AND a side of eggplant parm. All decadent, rich and diet-​blowing delicious. Very generous portions. I couldn’t finish it all. My companion had the filet of sole with lobster sauce, same sides. The filet looked buttery and decadent as well, with large pieces of lobster in the sauce. It must have been good because this 87 year old 90 pound woman ate every single bite. Plus salad, plus bread. Then she ordered 2 desserts for us to split. Spumoni and another mocha type ice cream type dessert. Both were good although I’m not a fan of spumoni. She is tho. she took care of it for me. Overall really good food and service.

It a perfect place for a classic dinner. It’s been for more than 25 years and that’s why you will find old people. They used to come years ago and they still like it. You should try it.
For salad, I usually like the sea food salad the most. Its just perfect!

One item will say it all to you… the toasted ravioli!

The food was pretty good (had the lamb osso bucco, tried the polle alle carciofo). We went for a Christmas lunch and also had he bottomless mimosas, which weren’t bad. Also, %90 of the customers were elderly people which was a little weird, but I’ve been to Luby’s before.

Ruggeri’s has been in Dallas a long time. It’s a survivor through many ups and downs. It’s survived because of its commitment to good food and its customers. At its heart, it’s a family place. The staff have been around for a long time — that’s good. The menu is extensive but stick to the basics and you’ll be fine. And yes the crowd can be a tad older but so what? You want happening go to McKinney Ave or god forbid Addison and see what you get (read: Attitude). You’ll come back to Ruggeri’s. We’ve been customers for years — we like the food and we like the staff. They welcome children and the staff has watched our child go from infant to four years + and they treat him like a member of their family. It’s touching. So — go and have soup/​salad and pasta. Sometimes wines are ½ off. Don’t worry if the little one spills a glass of water — it will be fixed in seconds. You will have a wonderful meal, with good service and you’ll leave feeling good. What more do you want?

DISCLAIMER: This place is 3 ½ but I’m rounding up! We’ve come here many many times over the years when we’re just in the mood for PASTA! Unless you’re going to order the chops or a steak, stick with any of the pasta dishes — They’re all really really good! Salads are pre-​plated and come out instantly. Stick with the soup, especially minestrone which seems to be made on-​site and delicious. And yes dear children, it’s an older crowd. Way older. At 55, I’m usually the youngest in the place save for my 4-​year-​old son. So if you’re a hipster looking for a hook-​up Hahahaha this ISN’T the place! If you’re looking for really good pasta dishes with EXCELLENT service, come here! Full bar and great martinis just like the old people drink them…straight up and STRONG! I put «dressy» but you can show up in jeans and they’ll still take your money, no problem. The waiters have all been there forever. They know what they’re doing and will take care of you. Great for a date whatever your age is. Kinda romantic. .. . I think. .. .been a while here lol!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday brunch!
Ruggeri’s Sunday brunch on the patio is really fun, especially with a big group of Mimosa-​lovers. Last time I was there, I got the crab cakes, which are served on a bed of linguine with a yummy cream sauce and fresh green beans with garlic. These crabcakes are gigantonormous, so I usually save one for dinner or breakfast the next day.
Brunch is prix fixe at $ 12 a person, and if you want a Ceasar salad (you do) it’s a $ 3 upcharge, and bottomless Mimosas are $ 5. Since I always bring home leftovers, I figure I’m really paying for two meals, so it’s not really that expensive.
My sister had the Chicken alla Carciofo, which we made her order with an Italian accent and hand gestures. It looked yummy, and had artichoke hearts and mushrooms in a cream sauce. Her boyfriend had the sausage ravioli, and said he’d definitely order it again.
The mimosas are served in huge glasses and have a good ratio of dry champagne to sweet OJ. The waitstaff are amazing about refilling your drinks before you ask, and are so accommodating. It’s almost worth going to Ruggeri’s just for the stellar service.
I love Ruggeri’s brunch, and I hope they stick around for many years to come!

This place had been built up by family but I was a bit disappointed. Had the ravioli and it was okay, a little over cooked (dried and burnt) on portions of the pasta. Filling was excellent though. The bread was undercooked and doughy in the center.
Atmosphere was a bit odd and under lit, with colored lighting. I tried someone else’s beef tornado’s and the consistency was not like meat. Very tender… almost too much so. Kind of mushy.
I was under impressed for the price. In a party of 6, I think we were split on our impressions.

My grandparents love this place. The crowd is all their age, for starters, and there’s no background music to drown out the conversation. Now you know…
It’s a bit of a time warp walking in here — lots of fake greenery, old-​fashioned stacking chairs like the kind you’d find in a church basement, and red lightbulbs. Yes, red lightbulbs. Okay, some are yellow. Kinda bizarre.
The complimentary bread is free, and it was the highlight of the meal. It’s got a nice crunchy crust and is fabulously doughy inside. There’s no olive oil served with it, but it’s fine plain.
I ordered the Veal Oscar, which was veal piccata topped with crabmeat. It was doused in bernaise suace, which was the only thing that made it edible (when I tried the veal without the sauce, it just tasted… awful…I can’t describe it). The crabmeat was anything but fresh — salty and tasted old, so I eventually just scraped it all to the side. I love crab, even fake crab… so for me to not eat crabmeat, you know it’s bad.
The portions here are huge, which would have been nice if it had been worth eating. If you ever find yourself eating here, stick with something safe like a basic pasta dish.

I’ve been here a few times and didn’t feel strongly one way or the other about Ruggeri’s until I had the pasta primavera last night. loved it. the calamari is not very good though. service is good, prices are a little steep but the dishes are big and they give heavy pours on the wine. the crowd is on the elderly side.