Kelly Jo B.
Yelp
BEST MEAL OF MY LIFE.
I am not being hyperbolic.
It truly was.
If you want to be treated like a special tourist, with a special menu, and treated with kid gloves in a place, that in my opinion is the most passionate place in the world(Rome) this is not where you should eat. Pick a random restaurant with a sweet little tourist menu where they will take advantage of the fact that you know nothing about how to eat up the culture of a place.
If you want a truly Roman experience in every way, come here. YES, they might take locals before you, yes they might make you wait longer, YES, an Italian man might try and scare you away. Think of it as a Roman adventure. And really, WHO CARES!?! You are in Rome, look around you. Buy a beer from a bodega sit on the beautiful little stoop and wait it out. You won't be disappointed. You will earn some Roman street cred if you wait and are granted admission. Once you are inside you are treated like a member of the family.
We arrived on a Saturday night with no reservation at 9:00, we were seated by about 9:40. If you are really frightened, then make a reservation.
Atmosphere: It is what I picture the Roman festivals of thousands of years ago to look like: Laughter, Volume and Life. We watched as very exclusive looking Romans were escorted to private room downstairs each guest greeted by the lovely Roman man(the same one that tried to scared us away, the same man, that once we were seated said, "Thank you" ) we watched tray after tray of delicious food being served down and back up with completely empty plates.
We soaked in the laughter coming from every way around us. We were the only tourists in there(the other couple got scared away) it was bursting with life.
Food: You truly can't go wrong with anything on the menu. I do think that they were a bit behind in the kitchen and dealt with it in the best way possible: They gave us some free food while we waited, two delicious pasta dishes, One of some kind of heavenly pepper/squid pasta that made me ashamed that I thought that I knew what "al dente" actually meant, the other a light shrimp pasta. We ordered the artichoke salad which contained the freshest mushrooms I have ever eaten, the carbonara (I bet you think you know what this should taste like, you are wrong) and the sea bass( melted in my mouth as I ate it).
And yes don't worry frightful ones, they did give us an english menu.
My only regret was that we did not get dessert.
This place gives meaning to the phrase, "When in Rome."
So, in my opinion, when in Rome, do indeed do as the Romans and eat here.