Trattoria Da Enzo al 29 is an authentic Roman trattoria located in the charming Trastevere neighborhood. It is renowned for its traditional Roman dishes and a strict 'no reservations' policy, which often leads to long queues of eager diners. The atmosphere is lively and bustling, offering a genuine local dining experience.
Customer Perception
Customers consistently praise Da Enzo al 29 for its authentic Roman food, with many highlighting dishes like carbonara, fried artichoke, burrata, and meatballs. The restaurant is extremely popular, resulting in significant wait times (often 1-2 hours), but patrons appreciate the attentive service, including servers offering drinks and samples to those in line. The ambiance is described as bustling and lively, and the owner is often seen ensuring smooth operations. Despite the wait, the experience is generally considered worth it for the quality and value of the food.
Additional Details
The trattoria is situated in a more quiet part of the Trastevere neighborhood. The staff is noted for being friendly and some waiters can speak common words in several languages, enhancing the experience for international visitors. Cash is preferred for drinks ordered while waiting in line.
No specific dietary options (e.g., vegan, gluten-free) are explicitly mentioned in the provided information.
Best Times to Visit
To minimize wait times, it is highly recommended to arrive well before opening hours (e.g., 30-60 minutes prior to 12:30 pm for lunch or 7:30 pm for dinner), as lines form quickly and reservations are not accepted. The restaurant is open Monday to Saturday for both lunch and dinner, and closed on Sundays.
Best dinner we’ve had during our Rome trip. We got in line at 5:30pm (17:30) and were 3rd in line. They DO NOT take reservations so get in line with plenty of time before they open at 6:30 (18:30). We were able to order drinks at the register while waiting in line which was amazing. Once seated, we were told to order everything we wanted (drinks, starters and entrees) all at once within 45 seconds of sitting down with no menus offered in line which was a little disappointing because we felt rushed but also we knew to get in line early so I guess pick your battles but be prepared. We got the zucchini and artichoke starter (seasonal can’t remember the name but it was great and NOT fried) served cold and refreshing after the wait. Wine bottle we ordered was Capolemole, great vino easy drinking. Entrees were carbonara and lamb ribs, so frickin good I’d have every time over!!!!! Then for dessert we had tiramisu and wild strawberry pudding of some sort. Everything was amazing and we’d definitely go again and every time we come to Rome in the future. Bread basket was placed on our table with no request and was around 3€ so I’m assuming if you don’t want it say no respectfully. The service was amazing and there were local food tours coming in the entire hour prior to opening so you know this place is worth the hype.
Got there 15 mins before open on a Saturday for a party of 2, was a few parties away from being able to sit in the first round… so ended up waiting 75 mins before being seated in the second round.
Cacio e Pepe and the oxtail rigatoni both had great texture and taste. The cocoa powder on the rigatoni was interesting but probably unnecessary.
Got the veal scallopini special (ok) and the fava beans special of the night (also ok, a bit too salty).
Tiramisu was made with Nutella which was an interesting twist that I personally liked.
There’s a lot of outdoor seating and some indoor seating.
4
4⭐️
Da Enzo is definitely one of those places where the hype is real — and so is the line. Be prepared to wait (a long time), so it’s best to arrive early.
Overall, it’s a solid trattoria with good, honest Roman food. The service was perfectly fine — nothing exceptional, but efficient given how busy it gets. While it’s not a mind-blowing experience, it’s still worth visiting at least once.
We tried a few dishes:
* The famous burrata with cherry tomatoes was excellent — fresh, creamy, and absolutely worth ordering.
* Another burrata with anchovies and breadcrumbs was decent, but not something I’d go for again.
* We wanted fried artichokes, and ended up trying both fried zucchini and artichokes separately — I wouldn’t recommend the zucchini at all. The artichoke, on the other hand, was very good, but quite small (just one piece for €7.50 feels a bit steep).
For pasta:
* The amatriciana was definitely the better dish — rich and flavorful, though it had quite a lot of fatty pork pieces. I understand that fat adds flavor, but this leaned a bit too heavy on it.
* The cacio e pepe was okay — very simple, but lacked depth and punch compared to what you’d expect.
Dessert:
* The prosecco was nice, and the tiramisu was decent, though I wasn’t a fan of the chocolate addition — it made it overly sweet and took away from the classic balance.
All in all, a good experience, but slightly overhyped for what it delivers. Worth trying — just manage your expectations (and your timing).
5
I ate here 10 years ago and dreamt about having the the food again. My husband and I went here on our recent trip to Rome and it was everything I remembered.
I will say the most notable change is the popularity due to social media. We got there about 30mins before opening for dinner and we waited about 50mins total for a table, worth the wait to me.
Every food item we hod was delicious. The burrata they have is the best we had on our entire trip to Italy and was the thing I was most excited to eat again. My husband said he really enjoyed the meatballs
Worth the wait and sooo good!!
5
Is the line long? Yes. Can you eat better food at a better value somewhere else in Rome WITHOUT a reservation? Definitely not.
I came here during my honeymoon a few years ago on the recommendation of a few different friends and we loved it enough to come back this year with my family. I would recommend arriving before they open to avoid waiting a long time. While we were unable to do that this time and did wait nearly two hours, we were able to order drinks while waiting in line and enjoyed passing the time talking together. Everything was cooked to perfection from the cacio e pepe to the lamb ribs. Nothing was too salty, everything simply prepared and delicious. I can tell by the texture of the sauce that each cacio e pepe is made to order the traditional way, not using a pre-made sauce to work around the difficulty of melting the cheese at the appropriate temperature. I could eat this cacio e pepe every day. Tiramisu and mascarpone with wild strawberries was a perfect end to the meal.
