Pasquale's Rulli

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904 Division St
Mishawaka, IN 46545

Phone: (574) 259-9959

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Neighborhood: Mishawaka

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Restaurant Description

Quaint Italian family restuarant, family atmosphere, wine bottles and vines just like an old fashioned place, great food like Nona used to make. Pizza is excellent and the best meatballs I have ever had.

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  4.1 stars - Based on 23 votes

#88 out of 235 restaurants in Mishawaka

#7 of 11 Italian in Mishawaka

5 star				9 votes	39%
4 star				9 votes	39%
3 star				4 votes	17%
2 star				0 votes	0%
1 star				1 votes	4%

Top Reviews of Pasquale's Rulli

02/20/2024 - MenuPix User

01/10/2024 - MenuPix User

12/16/2023 - MenuPix User

04/30/2021 - Leisha ortiz
Lasagna was amazing ...Truely enjoyed this neighborhood experience, and family owned restaurant suggested by my cousin who lives locally!

05/11/2012 - brianZUBIA
I must tell you I do not usually go out to eat Italian food at too many place because It is usually a disappointment. If I want good Italian food I will cook myself or eat at family’s home or go to place I know care about what the serve. That said I will tell you I went to Ruli’s the first time last year and again last night. On my first visit without even looking at the menu I asked do you have Carbonara? They server said, “Yes, and it is very good.” I ordered it and out came pasta in Alfredo sauce with salami and vegetables. First of I dislike Alfredo sauce. Traditional Carbonara is so simple and pretty hard to screw up. It was created in the middle of the 20th century and its names is given because the coal miners want to make a simple dish that could be made quickly in one pot over little heat. The true carbonara is so simple, yet so delicious, and has very simple ingredients eggs, cheese (Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano), Guanciale is the most traditional meat, but most common is pancetta, or local bacon can be used. The meat is cooked on the pan, then hot pasta is dropped into the pan to finish cooking for a few seconds and mixture of raw eggs, cheese, and a fat (butter or olive oil) is then combined with the hot pasta away from additional direct heat to avoid coagulating the egg, which must remain a semi liquid component of the sauce as it cooks. It is simple and delicious. But in today’s restaurant chains you can expect to find it with no egg and I have seen is instead with cream or Alfredo sauce… This is crime to mutilate a traditional and delicious pasta sauce. It is what I call Americanized which should not be called Carbonara. If any self-respecting Italian here or in Italy was given this dish with the Alfredo you will have fight or at least the full plate thrown in the kitchen as they yell at the cook that prepared it. Here you have Ruli’s own by Italians who I assume are at least few generations from the old country who have lost their roots or they just don’t care what the give the American “Ah they won’t know better.” I could not believe the Ruli family would serve this crap. They know damn well if the served this Alfredo carbonara to their grandparents or great grandparents they would disowned them maybe. Also if they are not that far removed from the old country than I know this family likely does not eat this crap themselves.
So on to my second visit. I know better than to order the carbonara. I see eggplant parmigana one of my favs (again my fav if it’s made the traditional way it resembles a lasagna; sauce, eggplant, cheese, and repeat… some families in Italy vary by adding hardboiled egg and/or mortadella. Place who don’t care just buys frozen pre-breaded eggplant sliced and deep fry and put on top of spaghetti and pour sauce and cheese on top. That is absolutely not eggplant parm and that is how they do it at Ruli’s, they serve explained. So I contemplated the veal parm. Again a simple dish, yet it can be made poorly by not selecting good quality veal. So I usually ask questions to avoid ordering at places that use the frozen processed TV dinner breaded “Salisbury steak” type veal patty. So I asked the waitress, do you make your own veal parm? “Yes, we do”, she replied. I then asked, do hand cut the scallops of veal. “No we buy them precut.” This is ok, precut is veal that is already sliced and vacuum sealed in single servings the opened and pound out and dipped in the egg and then seasoned bread crumbs… Simple, right? What I was served I was not expecting after what the waitress had answered… It was veal (sort of) patty where the meat was ground mixed with fillers, binders and shaped into a patty resembling exactly what I was trying to avoid, a frozen breaded veal Salisbury steak burger and tasted exactly like a Swanson or Banquet brand veal parm tv dinner for $4, that is what I was served. My mind was starting to go Chef Gordon Ramsey’esque but my mouth stayed very collected. I told the waitress you told me this was homemade… This is a frozen chopped and processed breaded veal patty, it is not even all veal, there are fillers! She said, “I tried to tell you, I said we don’t cut the veal ourselves.” But you told me you make it your own veal parm!” Apparently, the fact they top the frozen patty with sauce and mozzarella and bake there qualifies as homemade. I told her I didn’t want it and to please take it off the bill. She would not take if off the bill and said, “Well, you did order it and I tried to tell you.” I told her next time just be direct and say, No we don’t make it, we use a frozen or premade veal patty. She said, I can’t just say that.” If she is too embarrassed or has to hide this when people like me ask questions to avoid ordering it then they should be severing it.
This is the perfect example of why I do not eat out Italian food many places. There are some families capitalizing on the normal non-Italian or Italians who have been here so many generations that the lost knowledge of what true Italian cooking is, very simple. Its prepared with love for making people happy when they eat it. I have seen this many times in Italian family owned restaurants, these owners tell me, “the Americans don’t know any better so why waste the expensive good stuff on them, they’re happy with what we serve” and those owners know me and tell me, don’t eat this don’t eat that, “it’s not what we eat and what you eat at home.” This mentality is a true insult to me and to true Italians when places like this serve low quality food. The Ruli family must have given up preparing great traditional Italian food. I know the owner(s) would never have fed their grandparents this frozen veal patty or severed them carbonara with Alfredo sauce. Somebody’s “Nona” or Nona” has to be turning over in their grave. I should have known better when I saw the sign on the wall for desserts and saw “Tira Ma Sue” listed… I mean if they can’t even know how to spell Tiramisu or even care enough to look it up the correct spelling then that is red flag to the care and pride for the food in general that come out of the kitchen.
I will share with you places where you will find true prepared veal parmigana and others restaurants that serve traditional food in the area. Parisi’s pounds out their own veal and chicken so if you have a taste for good parm go there. Other place that serve true homemade is Camella’s at Marci’s Bakery in South Bend (Their red clam sauce…umm) Rocco’s (pasta with their homeade sausage patty outstanding), Bruno’s (only the original on Prairie Ave), Sunny Italy (The chicken is a must) and I am sure there may be others I just haven’t gone to eat there to be able vouch for them and whoever you are keep up the good cooking. As for Ruli’s all I can say is you should be embarrassed to make the food I was served. To your customers I will say, wake up and find out what you are missing out on. True Italian food is not just any food product with topped tomato or Alfredo sauce, find some place that takes pride and has passion in what come out of the kitchen.

01/22/2011 - Matt
Best pizza in the South Bend/Mishawaka area! They use the best ingredients they can find and make a crust that you could eat without toppings. The meals are authentic, old world recepies. The atmosphere is perfect. I've taken every first date to this restaurant since I was in High School! Works like a charm. :) Good family atmosphere too.