Review Trattoria Renato - Johannesburg

This restaurant has been going for over 30 years. They make one of the best pizzas in Joburg. Thin base and delicious toppings.

Nice little Italian restaurant. Have wanted to come here many times, just based on what it looks like from outside and the food and ambiance certainly met my expectations. It does feel a little cramped (if this is a problem to some) and the service could be a tad more responsive. We could also not make a reservation, as the phone just kept on ringing.

One of the best pizzas we’ve had in a long time! Service was super and all in all an authentic Italian restaurant experience! Bravo and thank you!

Great little restaurant. I have been coming here for at least 20 years and the food is still as good as ever. Mario, the chef, has been here since he started the restaurant in 1987!

Good old wholesome, Italian cooking. Back to basics. Nothing pretentious. Checkerd Italian tablecloths as it should be. Family dining. Renato's you are the best.

What a lovely gem of an Italian family run restaurant in Greenside! Great atmosphere, great service, great food! Best Tiramisu we have ever tasted! Loved the background music! Could just see and feel that a lot of the patrons are regulars by the way the owners and staff greeted each other. It's not a big restaurant, but they pay attention to their customers, their needs and the little things - like real table cloths and the music, not too loud but just adding to the experience! Do yourself a favour and visit this special place for a meal, you won't regret it!

A small, cosy, family-owned restaurant with some of the best Italian food I've eaten.

Good, classic, no frills, Italian cuisine. Definitely reccomended.

My absolute favorite local family Italian restaurant! My family’s favorite too! Fantastic pastas and pizzas, the best Italian salad you’ll ever have, tasty specials like the Norwegian salmon dish. Honestly I have a hard time choosing what to eat every time I go there, because there are so many delicious choices! The food feels very authentically Italian. And the prices are very good! There are also vegetarian options. The staff are friendly and attentive, very good service! The owner is a lovely, welcoming lady and the whole restaurant has a warm, cozy, ‘second home’ atmosphere. PS I can highly recommend the salmon pasta, absolutely delicious!

This is the best Italian restaurant I've been to. Authentic Italian food with an authentic feel. The staff are friendly and very helpful. My wife and I had such a good time. I'm new in the area and a soon-to-be regular! Must try....

A real neighbourhood gem that goes above and beyond. My dad recently had his 60th birthday and unfortunately none of us 'kids' could be there to celebrate with my parents. We phoned the restaurant from Cape Town a few minutes prior to my parents' arrival for a unique request. The restaurant met my parents with a bottle of prosecco on ice, a lovely table and sweet birthday note. They made my dad feel super special and made the occasion festive on what might have otherwise been a more lonely night without us. Thank you very much for your effort and especially for the lady called Memory who helped us set it all up! Besides that, both my parents mentioned their delicious meals!

July 2023: Still the Best ravioli arrabiata - the house salad is always crisp and fresh. Sheila and the team run the best kept secret in Jozi. It is always a pleasure

So glad we found this jewel of a restaurant. Bound to become regulars! We were 3 people, all ordered pizzas and all three pizzas were fantastic. Warm friendly staff who all went out of their way to make us feel welcome.

Excellent food and good value for money. Traditional Italian food, cooked to perfection. The place does need a stronger fan and preferably an air conditioning unit during summer, as it can become extremely hot inside (with the wood-burning pizza oven close by).

Went there last night with family. Really good Italian food with very good service. There were several very nice specials to go with a complete menu. The creme brûlée dessert was a nice finish. The best finish was the price, which was quite reasonable.

The best Italian food in the country. No wonder it's been going since the 50's. Love the atmosphere and the friendly staff

A hidden gem! Best Italian food in the area. We met the owners and they were so welcoming and warm. Think we will become regulars from now on.

There seems to be a daily menu which are items that aren't on the normal menu. Ordered the lasagna and it was really good, decent portion size. Decent amount of meat and sauce. Than ordered the tiramisu, it's enough for two people to share and it's good.

Really very good value for money! This Friday we had the Prince Prawns - DELICIOUS, yummy, yummy, yummy! Hope to see this on the menu OFTEN in the future. Started with the salad, it was (as always) lovely and fresh. The creme caramel was so good. One of the best restaurants around!

Top class authentic Italian restaurant. You cannot go wrong with a pizza or pasta (I suggest penne gorgonzola). A warm and welcoming atmosphere. It is certainly a hidden gem.

Always great to go, food great, ambience good all are friendly

Simple, fresh, superb food. No gimmicks. No reservations. Turn up. Get a table. Make funny little snuffling contented noises in between your conversation. Still one of my top 2 restaurants in Jozi, along with Chaplin's Grill.

It's really good food with a great ambience.

Can't wait to go to Renato's tonight! Stomach's already grumbling.

Love the Chicken with Blue Cheese sauce! I could eat it every day!!

Renato's doesn't change much, and I like that. Good was good and good value. Nice to see you again.

If you have visited Italy, this will bring back many memories. Great value for money! European approach to cooking, portions and service. If you want substitutions, suffer from food intolerances or want portions that can feed a family of four, go to a chain like Panarotti's.

Homely and comfortable. A great spot for a casual dins or take away. Weekend evenings can be busy so factor in if a large party. Recommend the Gnocchi and delish Mexican pizza.

Very chilled little place. Doors were open at 11:00, and when we sat down were told that the pizza ovens were not yet ready - but the pasta and meat dishes were available. Not a difficult choice - fillet steak with a pepper sauce!<br/><br/>Delicious piece of meat, really tasty sauce, and very nicely prepared vegetables as well.

Excellent authentic simple Italian food. Well done chef!!! Best Italian meal in a long time. Forgot how good it was. Some people just looking for a freebie posted a bad review. Their problem. Chef is highly commendable.

The Trattoria refused to honour a voucher purchased online from Hyperli, despite the fact that it was still valid. The manager said that they have had problems getting payment from Hyperli so have decided not to honour the voucher. She said I must contact Hyperli to try get a refund.<br/><br/>This is unnaceptable business practice and contravenes the Consumer Protection Act, a business cannot simply decide to not honour a voucher that has been purchased through an approved channel. It is not the customer's problem that there are, as she said "technical difficulties" in the business relationship between Hyperli and the Trattoria - they chose to use Hyperli as a sales partner.<br/><br/>I got the impression that they wanted to serve us at full price and that the voucher was simply bait to get people to the restaurant.<br/><br/>I do not think you can trust these people, I think they will try and rip you off.

I have been going to this little restaurant for about 30 years. It used to be really good but a few years ago went through a bit of a bad patch and I stopped frequenting it. I heard that there are new owners so decided to try it again and it is great. The food was delicious, with the original Mario still heading up the kitchen, prices very reasonable and service pleasant. The menu is small but adequate and there is always a board with good specials. They are licensed, but have no problem with BYO at a very reasonable R35 corkage (compared with R85 at certain places). I shall again become a regular, especially on Sunday nights.<br/>P.S. Don't bother looking at the Zomato menu which, as always, is years out of date.

Solid, unassuming italian food. Good pizzas, but the pastas are better. The house salad is fantastic: fresh and served at room temperature. Best salad I've ever had in a restaurant. Good value and very popular. Take your own wine if you like.

I really enjoy stopping in at Trattoria Renato - it's a classic, cosy spot to have comfort food. The folk running it are great people, and the pizzas are really good. The value for money is also a big plus, making it the perfect "I don't feel like cooking let's go out" on random Tuesday. Plus they have an adorable cat who evidently owns the place!

Ordered pizza take away for the first time there. Poor quality. Didn't taste nice at all and freshness of ingredients really questionable....<br/>

Theyve always served great pizza but this particular one is in a nice cosy location, almost feels like youre enjoying lunch at the comfort of your own home. Coffee is great too.

I'm not totally in love with the look of this pizzeria but I also don't hate it. You'll be greeted but friendly staff who offer a good service throughout. <br/><br/>I had a margarita with extra chilli as I love a simple pizza. It wasn't the best I've ever had but it was quite good, the taste of the wood oven came through so well. <br/> <br/>Overall a lovely little place. <br/>

A marvelous traditional family-style Italian Restaurant. My wife and I have been "regulars" for the past 30 years and have never been disapointed.

Wow, what below average pizza. I had heard good things, but I question those. Awful awful. No attention paid to this whatsoever. All toppings chucked in the middle, not even cut. Horrible. Won't recommend to anyone <br/>

I set out looking for a homey and authentic pizzeria when a friend recommended Trattoria Renato to me. It is located in a little side street in emmarentia and on arrival I already knew I had found what I was looking for - Cosy and unpretentious. The waitress was friendly and every table was full. They do not take reservations so we were lucky to get a table! We shared a salad for starters which was simple and delicious. Our pizzas were freshly made in their wood fired oven and again just simply delicious, homemade and authentic food. We shared the Italian kisses, cassata and Bon cheri for dessert. I will definitely recommend this place to anyone - so refreshing to be reminded how good simplistic and unpretentious food is. Thank you for a fantastic evening- we will definitely be back.

Such a cute little spot with a homely and authentic Italian feel. The restaurant is small so seating is limited but it has a charm to it. The wine list is tiny so you can bring your own drinks. I'd suggest that you do. Service is friendly. <br/><br/>For mains we had a pizza - it was nice, on the thicker side and a bit small. We also ordered their panzerotti which has spinach and cheese, drenched in a creamy tomato sauce. The actual panzerotti was average but I enjoyed the sauce a lot. The portion size was also a bit small. <br/><br/>Overall, cute Italian spot with a warm feeling. Definitely bring your own drinks. Would recommend the pizza and trying the creamy tomato sauce with a normal pasta dish.

This has been one of my favourite restaurants for years! Simple, delicious dishes and quintessential Italian cafe decor makes for a very enjoyable experience. From the outside you may not look twice, but once inside you'll be charmed by the sweet old Italian men that serve customers and do the cooking, and amazing food. I recommend the house salad and everything else on the menu. 😊

Bets Italian restaurant in Johannesburg. Menu and decor has been the same for years and it offers a cosy environment perfectly suited for a delicious Italian dish with a glass of wine

This was my favourite restaurant when I lived in the area. We as a family called it Sunday night, as that is when we usually frequented it. I have come back after 4 years and it is still the same. The chef is the same and so is the food. A consistent experience for 20 years. <br/>I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for unpretentious food.<br/>Well done once again.

Dinner at Renatos is guaranteed to be an enjoyable experience. This quaint little trattoria is a neighbourhood favourite, having been here longer than most residents! Whoever said the only constant was change has obviously never been here! Besides for a recent outside deck addition and a new splash of paint, nothing has changed at Renatos in the past 20 years since I've been going there with my family. The food is delicious and the atmosphere light and filled with the chatter of the regulars. Get there early, though there's never too long a wait for a table otherwise. We recommend the Capricciosa pizza and Ravioli Arrabiata pasta.

What a lovely little restaurant - it's easy to see why it's been around for decades. <br/><br/>For mains we had the ravioli which was alright (to be honest I think I ordered badly), and the veal which was to die for. The manager suggested a delicious wine to accompany our meal which I really appreciated. <br/><br/>After we had ordered we saw there was a chalkboard with the daily specials on. It was a bit disappointing that the waitress didn't tell us about it before we ordered as there were plenty of dishes I would have liked to try. One of which was their famous tiramisu which was unfortunately sold out. <br/><br/>I will definitely be back to try some of their other pastas, mains and pizzas, and of course the tiramisu - which I have on good authority is really only a guarantee on Wednesday and Thursday nights. By the look of things they would be amazing! <br/><br/>Definitely worth a try!

I've been visiting this place since I was a toddler. Yes, a toddler. And it may just be my favourite restaurant, ever. About two (or three?) years ago it was sold to a new owner, and while I was sad to see Walter go, the new owner has kept the homey, traditional Italian vibe going, and most importantly, retained the chef. Do yourself a favour and get your butt over to this place for the most amazing Italian food you'll taste. <br/><br/>Things to deeeeefinitely try:<br/><br/>1. Their salad - I don't know what they do with it, but it's DIVINE. Try it.<br/><br/>2. Focaccia - your classic, thin and crispy focaccia 😍<br/><br/>3. Spaghetti Aglio e Olio - trust me, while it sounds simple and tasteless, this will be your go-to meal (it's been mine for yeaaaars!) I can't even emphasise how much I love this pasta in particular. <br/><br/>4. The calamari livornese - not available for take-away, but it's definitely worth sitting in for. My dad still salivates :P<br/><br/>5. Panzerotti Cremolati - if you don't want to try number 3 (please try it though -.-), this is a great alternative pasta! It's a spinach-filled ricotta with a creamy tomato based sauce. To die for.<br/><br/>*revised*<br/><br/>6. The alfredo with ham - had it last night, OHMYGOD. So good.

I've been here many times and even gone so far to buy take away on a weekendly basis at one stage. Best authentic Italian pizza and pasta..<br/>The vibe the restaurant gives off will transport you to old Italy with the dawning lights and sweet service, definitely a #HiddenGem.<br/><br/>#HiddenGem #ZomatoSa

Came back to trattoria after about a year to see that nothing has changed. A bit disappointed that the food is the same, the decor is the same, even the broken lino floor tiles are the same. I think the place could do with a face lift and a menu revamp because with nothing new to excite people, the food is not good enough to bring people back. Will wait another year to return. Hopefully things improve. Besides the wonderful waitress, not too much to return for :(<br/>

We really love <br/>Trattoria Renato, it's like finding a little treasure around the corner you really should have noticed earlier. They make delicious pizza's, I highly recommend the Quattro Stagioni, (AKA a four seasons). I have no idea what it is but I can tell you the dough they use is some how different than the average pizzeria. Inside feels like a little piece of Italy, not over the top décor just nice enough to feel comfortable and relaxed while in a softly lit ambiance heated by an old school oven.<br/>Oh before I forget as a strange but cool quirk if you do take-away they don't cut the pizza it some how helps for transport apparently, so if you'd like it pre cut as I do you must ask.

Renato's is one of those great neighborhood italian restaurants. Nothing fancy in terms of decor but really good value for money. The food is always fast, fresh and delicious. The restaurant has been around since the 80's so its clear they doing something right!!!

This tiny Italian restaurant is a dream! Nothing pretentious about it. Straight-forward Italian cuisine, like mama would make it! The pizzas are delish! It feels like your tastebuds have been transported to Napoli! The Napoletana pizza is my favourite! And I'm not usually a big fan of anchovies, but this just works! I found the pastas to be quite rich. The veal is tender and packed with flavour. Another cute trait is they have Italian house wine - a bottle of white and a bottle of red! What more do you need?! <br/>In conclusion, a quaint, authentic gem.

We moved to the area about two years ago and decided to keep it local when searching for a dinner spot one evening. We ended up at this cute Trattoria and were totally disappointed with the food. <br/><br/>As I believe every spot deserves a second chance, we somehow ended up @ Renato for dinner this evening and the experience was much the same. Bland food, cheap ingredients, no fresh herbs, no imagination, unauthentic. I had the Tagliatelle Alfredo with chicken, such a simple dish to prepare - tasteless!<br/><br/>It reminded me of student cuisine (on a budget of course). <br/><br/>It's such a pity as this little Trattoria could be so much more, but unfortunately has past it's sell-by-date.

An absolute gem for the locals, where you bring your own wine (free corkage!), slot into one of the few tables packed into the little establishment that's been around since 1987, and enjoy food that's so authentically, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in Italy!<br/><br/>Nothing about this little spot is fancy, rather cheap and cheerful but always tasty. A simple selection of pizzas, pastas and mains never range over R80, and it’s simple decor just makes you wonder why we spend so much money at other restaurants! <br/><br/>Get there early to get a table as they don't take reservations!

I felt as though I were stepping back into 1973, or perhaps 1943. This restaurant shouts "neighborhood Italian" which is OK if you're in the mood for straightforward pasta, garlic bread, and salad that equals romaine, black olives, a sliced onion, and a tomato. They're big on predictability rather than innovation or "cuisine." Therefore, this is really not my kind of place, but it might be right for you.

Nice, quaint, but tables are too close together. Didn't know they were not licensed. No bottle store nearby. PAIN!!! Being Italian, had pizza; burnt, dry! Had better at fast food Italian. Atmosphere very good though.

My Favourite little Neighbourhood Italian. Go early on a week night or expect to queue. Very simple menu with daily specials. The Greek salad is delicious and the Alfredo is amazing. The owner is very personable. You feel like you are eating in their home kitchen. Tables are very close together so be warned. Can bring your own wines.