We decided to give this place a second chance. I figured if it was closed for Easter Sunday and Monday, it must be owned and operated by an Italian family. I was right, Arlù is a small , clean, bright restaurant run by the nicest family. First off, Arlù is located on a street right off the Vatican that is loaded with a bunch of rip off Joints with crap food. First good sign was there was no person in the street begging us to come inside and assaulting us with menus. I wouldn't call Arlù traditional Roman, but they have the classic pasta dishes. Cacio Pepe, Carbonara etc. The rest of the menu is different, and it's actually a refreshing change of pace. We ordered Caprese Salad. The buffalo mozzarella was served in a ball like it should be, it was fresh and milky when we cut it. The Tomatoes were not great, I know they're out of season, but we walked by the next day and saw beautiful red ripe tomatoes on someone's plate. Next up Artichoke Romana. This was interesting, as the artichoke was in a green broth with a crostini for dipping. Had a bit of mint flavor. It was very good, but I thought the artichoke lost some of its natural texture and was a little too soft. Cacio Pepe was on point. It was as good as any other pasta we've had in Rome. I ordered the lamb chops. This was the star of the night. A simple clean dish with perfectly cooked lamb chops, potatoes and a breaded and fried lamb meatball. It was absolutely perfect. There were a few drops of a rich and delicious sauce on the plate. I order lamb a lot, and this may be the best I've ever had. We also ordered a beef dish with shaved parmigiano reggiano, and it was very good. The service was really good. It seemed like everyone who worked in the restaurant wanted to be sure we enjoyed our experience and came over to ask us how everything was. Overall food was good, service was great and friendly and atmosphere was bright and happy. I'm not going to punish a place for taking a couple of days off for holiday. Original Review: Really disappointed. I booked a reservation from the Arlu weeks in advance and received a confirmation. The day of our reservation, I received a reminder text and email confirmation again. We cut our site seeing short in order to be back in time for our reservation. When we got to the restaurant, it was closed. No sign on the door. I realize it was Easter Monday, but most places were open and I received 3 confirmations. We had to scramble around to find another restaurant for dinner. read more

Small family run pasta place near Vatican. All the pasta dishes were solid. Particularly liked the carbonara here. They even gave complimentary small bites of polenta before our meal. And free wifi! read more

Arlù - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

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One of the best Carbonara pastas in all of Rome, the sauce is so fantastic! If they added more Bacon it might become the best in Rome. All in all this is a great little spot with fantastic service and the BEST Tiramisu in the city...the Best. So make sure to visit one night while in town, this was my 2nd favorite spot in the city...currently...I'm still searching for more:) read more

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Home made good cookin ! No really, real good food and a dish of the day that changes daily ! ( I know - d'uh!) The staff could have perhaps been a little bit less arrogant and I would have given them 5 stars. So 5 star food, 3 star service, 4 star average ! read more

It was our favorite Carbonara and Tiramisu in Rome. It's family owned and operated and the staff was great! If you are at the Vatican it's a short walk and well worth it! read more

My family and I had a fantastic lunch here after visiting the Vatican. Arlu was a recommended by our tour guide and it didn't disappoint. I think we were the only ones in the restaurant who weren't "locals" which was surprising since it was only a few blocks from St. Peter's. We all agreed that the pasta was some of the best we had in Italy. My daughter had a creamy pesto gnocchi that was her best meal of the entire trip. Decor is very nice and the service was fast and friendly. Don't pass this place up when you're in Rome! read more

The pizzas and pastas are simply amazing. Full of locals, not a tourist trap. The tiramisu is a MUST!. You can't miss this place! read more

Arlù - Bread (I guess it's homemade). Delicious! - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

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Bedt tirimisui I've had! Delicious wine, great decor, good service. I had the spaghetti cabanara, although it's easy to find great spaghetti cabanara in Rome, this was the best I've had while in Rome during my 8 day stay. read more

Food was good but we only ordered 1 appetizer & she brought 2 and charged us an extra $16 for that and charged 8 for bread even though we didn't ask for it. Also, over $12 for water. Just too much upselling and the language barrier was tough as they don't speak English much at all. Nice location near St Peters but the 1st time I feel like I've been ripped off in Italy. read more

Fabulous small bistro/restaurant - Anthony Bourdain would approve authentic classy and casually elegant - emphasis on quality not a tourista menu!! Steps from Vatican - my mouth is still watering over their homemade pesto pasta - it is sublime - seafood salad, also sublime, tiramisu, yes, sublime again read more

Dint really like the food. Very average pizza. Seeing other superb reviews we were disappointed. Also beware of the pretentious portions. Not good for vegetarian options. Also one bottle of water is for €2. Not sure if they have superior quality than other restaurants who provide water. Idk just because you 'may' provide premium food you don't charge premium for water itself! read more

My wife and I started with the caprese salad. The tomatoes were sweet and full of flavor and the mozzarella was juicy. We both had the lasagna which was our favorite lasagna to date. The cheese was delicious and the sauce accompanied the dish very well with its flavor. The house wine tied everything together with its smooth taste. read more

Love the place good food good service and great wine and pasta ...we loved the burrata and the artichoke read more

Arlù - Great restaurant great service good food - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

Amazing!!! Our waitress was happy friendly and lovely. The food was superb! Thank had the carbonara and my sis the eggplant. Can't even speak about how delicious. Three generations of women have owned this establishment. The tiramisu was the topping. read more

Stumbled upon this place after receiving a sposi novelli newlywed blessing from Pope Francis at the Vatican. My husband and I were dressed in wedding attire, and roamed around to find a place to eat after the general audience. There were a lot of places we had to walk past with people trying to convince you to eat at their restaurant. Fortunately we came across this gem in the midst of the chaos. Super cute inside, and DELICIOUS food! Would come back here again. read more

Very cozy and small restaurant, family owned, this place has very nice food and excellent service. The pasta is delicious, the wine is great! Best carbonara in town! Pizza not that great (it looks and taste like a tortilla from Chipotle) and (at least mine) was raw, with a lot of liquid.. weird. But we came here three days in a row! If you are picky with food as I am, you will be "safe" here :) read more

Very good food right by the Vatican. If you have a reservation you sit inside and it's lovely. Service was a bit on the slower side, but the restaurant was pretty crowded and they were very nice. read more

Beautiful space, amazing family running the restaurant, the best house wine I have ever had, and the food is something special. The wife is the chef, the husband and the chef's sister were serving guests while we were there. We ordered the artichoke to start which was one of the best I have ever had. Both of got a pasta dish that was so fresh and flavorful. Our fellow guests were a mix of adventurous/seasoned tourists and fashionable Romans. Regardless the family was attentive, super nice, and funny to everyone who came. The space itself is also amazing. White interior with just the right styling to make you know that someone has thought out every level of one's experience in this restaurant. Make a reservation in advance so you can pop in easily after your morning tour through the Vatican or just exploring this neighborhood. read more

Nice place, very clean, wine is limited but mineral water cold (it is 100). My pasta was wonderful, ravioli w tarfuto noir (truffles) w a light porcini cream and herb sauce - wanted to clean the plate- bruschetta was ok but neighbors has veal w fresh moz cheese and grilled tomatoes which they loved; 4 people from Vatican eating there; lovely small grilled fish. Nice spot compared to others nearby-ate inside which is fresh and white and WC well kept. read more

Great location if you want a bite to eat or drink after seeing the Vatican. Wonderful service, excellent food, and a cute little restaurant. Loved it. read more

This helps because it is right by the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. It is not to touristy and the wait staff was extremely nice. Nothing stands out so much about this place but also was not terrible! Safe bet if starving after doing touristy things all day read more

If you like scrambled eggs carbonara, come here. Also, their "margarita" pizza is a cheese pizza. No basil. No fresh tomato. Also have an Italian waiter argue with you about how all their food is great, every single time. Every single dish. read more

My cousins discovered Arlù on a previous trip to Italy, my sister and her husband came during their honeymoon and recently we all returned to Rome and our first night's stop was at Arlù. We actually came twice. Their pizza is amazing, their pasta is delicious, their steak (ordered well done!) was super thick and yet incredibly soft and juicy with a delectable crust all around. The star of the show was their tiramisu. It's simply the best tiramisu I have ever had. Light and creamy with bits of chocolate in it. To die for. I could eat it every day of my life. The family that runs it is lovely and attentive. They seem like hard workers who are proud of their establishment, as they should be. read more

Arlù - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

Had lunch at Arlu after visiting the Vatican (a short walk), and had one of the most delicious pasta dishes of our trip (Carbonara). The bread was also excellent. The sisters who own/run the restaurant were very friendly and provided great service. read more

Service was incredibly slow but more than that they were rude too. The menu outside is not the same menu inside. Very small portions and they rush you once you so have food. We were still eating and she brought the check. No offer of desert or coffee. My risotto was under flavored and only had two tiny shrimp in it. My husbands ravioli dish had 3 ravioli and while I Understand this is not meant to be the main course, it was underwhelming to say the least. read more

Awesome family restaurant with charm and smart service. Ravioli, spaghetti, egg plant, salads. Highly recommend this jewel.

We tried to stop at this restaurant for lunch with our two children (3 year old and 1 year old). They turned us away because they said they don't have high chairs. We have been in Rome for days and have yet to visit a restaurant with high chairs and have also yet to be turned away because of it. I can't speak to the quality of the food but they are not a family friendly establishment. read more

This place is good. Food is okay. Service was a bit slow and the pasta was extra salty that we ordered. I was expecting much more based on the reviews but I think it was like any other place we could have stopped in randomly for. read more

We had a very tasty lunch here after looking at various artistic representations of muscular naked male buttocks at the Vatican. We ordered an insalada caprese and spagettoni carbonara. The pasta was aggressively al dente - almost on the undercooked end of the spectrum, but still enjoyable. My wife considered giving this place three stars, but that might just be because we were sitting in direct sunlight in the summer and she almost spontaneously combusted in front of my eyes. Great ambience if you like sitting outside in a "colorful" and busy alleyway. read more

Excellent food. We had the ravioli with octopus and the linguini with freshly shaved black truffle. Wow both dishes were absolutely delicious. I have never had shrimp which came with the truffle pasta like that b4. It was delicate and delicious read more

Lovely bright spot with mediocre food. Clean and stylish interior. Leads you to believe the food will be as carefully curated. Unfortunately the saltiness of most dishes was overpowering. If you have high blood pressure, do not eat here. read more

We had two Pinsas (similar to Pizza bug thicker dough base) that were ok. Nevertheless they were quite small and expensive. The antipasti mix we ordered was ok, too but nothing special and also very expensive. The location was loud and busy all the time so we had little chance to recharge ourselves. The service was discussible because they did not tell us that they are closing. They quickly removed our plates while we were still chewing and gave us the bill although we did not asked for it yet. They also tried to keep 6 € of change without asking. This is very cheeky because in Italy there normaly is no tip. read more

One of the best meals I had in Roma. The Carbonara is to die for. Service was great. A family-owned and run restaurant. Would definitely eat here again or recommend to anyone going to Rome and/or visiting the Vatican. read more

Arlu was right next to our rented apartment and the owner suggested we go there. Highly recommended - the amatriciana pasta was one of the best I've had and the bruschettas, which are seasonal, were very interesting (there was a chickpea and an olive one in addition to the traditional tomato). Not very touristy either. Great stop if you're in the Vatican read more

This place was excellent. I tried a squash/truffle lasagna which was excellent. The wine was a good value and the bread was the best we had in Rome. It is a short walk from the Vatican and I would recommend it. I had too many bad meals in Rome. But this place is refreshing. read more

Amazing food, and very cute space. Very tight, and not a lot of seating for large groups. Service very good, both pasta and pizza very good. Would definitely go again! read more

Great service. The carbonara were truly amazing. We came here after reading a few reviews on yelp and we were definitely not disappointed. Would recommend. read more

This restaurant was recommended by my brother in law who went twice when he was in Rome and it was a wonderful experience. This is the place to go if you are around the Vatican City Everyghing was fresh and they make their own bread. The red house wine is a Montelpuccano de Abruzzo called Moda that was delicious with our food. I had the special of the day that was a risotto with fruta de mare. read more

Amazing restaurant, close to the Vatican. The owners were so friendly and welcoming! We ordered the spinach gnocchi and the fettuccine with eggplant. They were both awesome! read more

One of the best pastas I've had in Rome. The vegetarian lasagna was amazing! The seating is limited and are very busy during lunch time but everything is homemade! Worth the wait. read more