Felice A Testaccio

This place was recommended by an Uber driver when I asked him where to get cacio e pepe. Man, this is the best meal I had so far in Rome. The server Joppy recommended the beef roll and the artichoke. They don't look much, but the first bite will put you in paradise. The umami from the beef roll and the tomato sauce is incredible. Then, the artichoke is a good pair to the strong flavor of the beef roll. The artichoke in extra olive oil was light but equally flavorful. I came here for the cacio e pepe, which was very good, but I was surprised with two very amazing dishes. This meal was amazing! The server Joppy is very friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this place!

We had lunch here on the terrace, which is very charming, welcoming, and beautifully arranged. The staff was kind and spoke English very well, which made the experience even more pleasant. Starting with the olive oil, which you can enjoy with bread as a starter, you can immediately feel the quality of the ingredients. We had puntarelle with a distinctive anchovy-flavored dressing, very fresh and well-cooked asparagus, and for the main course cacio e pepe and amatriciana. Both pasta dishes were excellent, with rich flavor and perfectly al dente texture. A very enjoyable experience overall, and definitely a place worth coming back to.

Definitely a place to avoid. We came here with a group of 7 based on a recommendation from an Italian friend, but honestly the experience was pretty disappointing. The service was the biggest issue. The restaurant wasn’t even busy when we arrived, yet it took around 30 minutes before anyone came to take our order. Then the food came out completely unevenly: 4 people were served first (after 30min which is fine), then about 10 minutes later the other 3 started getting plates. In my case, they completely forgot my dish until I reminded them after waiting another 20 minutes while everyone else was already eating. I am quite surprised because they saw I had nothing in front of me. In a restaurant like this, forgetting a guest’s meal at a table of 7 is just unacceptable. As for the food, it was mixed. The carbonara sauce was very good and the oxtail dish was probably the highlight of the meal. My pasta itself was decent, though slightly under what I personally prefer. The gnocchi were disappointing and a bit overcooked. The artichoke was okay, nothing memorable. Overall, definitely not bad food, but nowhere near memorable enough to make up for the service. Another thing that felt excessive: they charge for absolutely everything. €4 for each botthe of water (you can'thave tap water), €4 for bread that just appears on the table without being asked for, and the bread itself was dry and overcooked. At least, give some butter or else to go with the bread, especially if we pay for it. Atmosphere-wise, nothing special. The setup inside feels cramped and awkward (like covid time), and the bathroom was tiny with a door that barely closed properly. In the end, for €130 total, I expected much better hospitality and organization. Definitely not the experience I was hoping for after hearing good recommendations.

We visited this restaurant based on a friend's recommendation. When we arrived, the waiter gave us a hard time for not having a reservation. Yet, he still managed to find us a table very quickly and easily. Barely after we sat down, they brought us a bottle of water and a bread basket (the bread was hard and overcooked, by the way) without mentioning that it would add €8 to our final bill. I find this to be a very dishonest business practice. Clearly, it's their standard practice, as EVERY table had a bottle and bread on it. Later, while I was looking at the menu, a waitress asked if we'd be ordering wine. When I said no, she instantly snatched the menu right out of my hands even though I was still reading. After ordering, we waited a good 20 minutes just for two plates of carbonara and a salad. The food was very good (though nothing exceptional), but the portion sizes were quite small. Overall, the food is good, but the service is really lacking. We even had to ask for the bill multiple times before they finally brought it.