Vlad V.
Yelp
Intro: I had to be up early the next day so I was looking for a dinner spot close to the apartment I was staying at. Ai Tre Scalini was a short walk away so my decision was made. Once I arrived, they were close to capacity but I was seated at the bar.
Ambiance (4/5): Located in a lively part of Rome, they have a nice outdoor patio and a trendy interior. It makes for a fun spot to have dinner, a drink, or both.
Drinks (4/5): Compared to other spots I visited, this bar/restaurant was at the top in terms of Italian craft beers on the menu. Which is exactly what I ordered. I love to try local beers whenever I'm traveling.
Service (2/5): Quite the snafu on the part of the bartender. I ordered an appetizer and a main dish by mentioning my order to the bartender while simultaneously pointing to the dish on the menu. My appetizer arrived so I chowed down on that for quite a while. A lot of time passed and I still hadn't received my entree. Eventually, I brought it up to the bartender. After some initial confusion, we realized that he had misheard my entree selection and thought that I had ordered a second appetizer instead. Since the appetizer was more of a snack, I had thought it was complimentary and it's common in Italy to receive snacks with your drink order. Once the air was cleared, they brought my entree out as fast as they could and they took the second appetizer off of my bill. Sometimes things are lost in translation. It was unfortunate on my part because I was in a hurry but they did their best to make things right which I appreciated.
Food (3/5): The starter or light bite that I ordered was some cheese croquettes. I was expecting the croquettes that you get at Spanish restaurants, for example. Instead, they were just cheese crisps. Like something you would get from a grocery store as a snack. Not something I would ever order at a restaurant. For my entree, I had the meatballs. They were tasty and served in a red sauce. While quite good, it was a small portion.
Overall: Some bad luck on my part here so maybe a second visit would fare better. Despite the mishap, Ai Tre Scalini seems overpriced for the portion sizes in my opinion.