Da Luisu, at Via di Boccea 724 in Rome, is a restaurant and pizzeria where Sardinian cooking meets Roman. The menu is wide, and this article helps you find your way around it, using only the restaurant's official menu as its source.
How the menu is organised
The menu opens with starters, divided into land starters, seafood starters and fried food and bruschetta. Then come the first courses, land and sea, the mains, land and sea, with side dishes, the pizzeria (red pizzas, white pizzas, focacce and calzoni), desserts and the wine list, white and red. Some products are marked with an asterisk because they may be frozen.
Starters: where to begin
Among the land starters you will find bresaola, rocket and grana, cured ham and buffalo mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella alone, cured ham and grilled vegetables. Among the seafood ones, listed among the most requested are the seafood salad and the sautéed mussels; there are also prawn tails alla catalana, octopus and potato salad, sautéed clams and the celery and bottarga salad, with Sardinian mullet bottarga. The fried dishes, from homemade supplì to olive ascolane, work as a Roman opening.
First courses: the two souls of the restaurant
Among the land first courses is the most Sardinian part of the menu: potato and ricotta culurgiones, malloreddus alla campidanese or with ricotta and saffron, spaghetti alla vernaccia di Oristano, Cannonau risotto. Alongside, the great Roman ones: carbonara, amatriciana, cacio e pepe. Among the seafood first courses, the fregola with arselle, the spaghetti with clams and bottarga and the seafood spaghetti stand out.
Mains: the most requested dish
The most requested dish, according to the menu, is Sardinian suckling pig with roast potatoes. Among the land mains there are also beef tagliata (with rocket and grana, with porcini, with truffle or with rosemary), veal escalopes with Cannonau or lemon and saltimbocca alla romana. Among the seafood mains, the sea bream in a potato crust and the sea bream alla vernaccia are listed among the most requested; there are also king prawns, scampi, squid, sea bass, turbot and the mixed grill.
The pizzeria
The pizza is cooked in a wood-fired oven. Among the white pizzas is the Luisu, "our Special", with mozzarella, sautéed calamari and bottarga; among the most requested are the caprese and the rustica. The red pizzas range from the rossa and the marinara to the capricciosa and the 4 stagioni; then there are focacce and calzoni.
Desserts and wine
To finish, the seada with honey is presented as "a true delight"; tiramisu and panna cotta are also available with myrtle, in the Sardinian version. The wine list has white wines, mostly Vermentino, and red wines, including several Cannonau di Sardegna, with a short pairing note for each.
Three ways to order
- Sardinian route: culurgiones or malloreddus, Sardinian suckling pig with roast potatoes, seada, a Cannonau.
- Seafood route: seafood salad or sautéed mussels, fregola with arselle, sea bream alla vernaccia, a Vermentino.
- Pizzeria route: supplì and fried food, a pizza (red, white or the Luisu), a dessert.
For families and groups
According to the Google listing, the restaurant offers outdoor tables and a private dining room, and also hosts live-music evenings; the Instagram profile has a highlighted story dedicated to the children's area and in reviews several guests mention the playground. The listing also shows entrance, restroom, tables and parking as wheelchair accessible. For groups, birthdays and celebrations it is best to book in advance and ask about availability and menu proposals on 06 6156 4012.
Practical information
To book you can use the form on the site or call 06 6156 4012. According to the information published by the restaurant it is open every day except Tuesday, with lunch service on Sundays. For allergens and intolerances, always ask your server for confirmation before ordering.
