Famiglia Mancini Trattoria — Restaurant in Região Imediata de São Paulo

The space is super neat, the service, not so great. We arrived right as they opened. Along with 3 other tables. We sat ourselves and waited for about 25 mins before I was finally able to grab someone's attention to order. The waiter apologized for forgetting us and all was forgotten. Until we tried to order. I asked about how the gin fizz is made and was immediately directed to the bartender for my question and to told to order my drink there. Greeted by a not do friendly bartender, I asked my question and settled on a pisco sour. Which was served watery with 5 small pieces of ice. Not ideal in a drink such as this. Little disappointed in spending 38R on a watery drink, but okay. Pizza came super quickly. It could've been warmer. Unfortunately they don't allow you to add anything to the pizzas your order and the only size you can order besides an individual size is large... extra large. So we ordered the mushrooms pizz and split between the 2 of us. 8 large slices. We asked to box the remaining pieces, unfortunately the half slice that remained on my plate must've ended up in the trash bc it wasn't in the to-go box... shame spending so much on pizza and some of it gets thrown away...

The worst part is, is that all of this could've been forgiven. We tipped the guy extra, bc hey, we don't know what his life is like and what do we get? Not even a thank you as he takes the cash. Not even a good night thanks for coming in as we pass him on our way out after checking out the restaurant. This guy was rude from the first minute to the last. Completely spoiling the experience. Maybe he saw us 2 young people and thought we'd be a cheap table and decided to spend his energy elsewhere... idk. Thankfully the manager was around and was always in good spirits. His cute personality definitely made up for the waiter's.

High expectations, slightly...

We decided to visit this restaurant because of its 27k+ positive reviews. Upon arrival, it became apparent that it was on the pricier side, with a seafood pasta costing around 80 USD. However, the receptionist mentioned that each dish could serve 2 to 3 people, so we decided to give it a try.

Based on the reviews, we chose one of the top-recommended dishes: filet mignon parmigiana with pasta, priced at approximately 41 USD. This seemed reasonable if shared between two people. I ordered a beer, and my partner had a bottle of water. The server also provided us with a basket of bread, which was quite disappointing—stale bread and rock-solid butter that was nearly impossible to spread.

Additionally, the restaurant offers a buffet with various cheese options, salads, and other items at 40 USD per kilogram. I picked up three small pieces of cheese, which ended up costing 5 USD.

When the pasta arrived, it was a large portion.

Verdict: The pasta was underwhelming, with a tomato sauce that tasted like it came straight from a can. The filet mignon was decent, topped with lots of melted cheese. Overall, the food was just okay. For 41 USD, I expected much more. Honestly, you can make better pasta at home with cheaper ingredients from the grocery store. I left feeling disappointed. While I don't mind paying for expensive food, it should at least be remarkable, and unfortunately, Famiglia Mancini was just "meh." I do not recommend it.

For reference, the total bill...

I did zero research when i visited the restaurant. All i knew was that a DJ from my hometown (who is a foodie) recommended this restaurant, and that i loved her recommendations having tried them from my other travels. So i knew i was in for a treat.

The interior of the restaurant had this unpretentious old school “charm” to it, and it may even be deemed as somewhat quirky; random stacks of cookery, and even a fountain in the middle of the restaurant. My interest was peaked.

Back to the food, we heard that the portions here could serve up to 4 individuals - they weren’t kidding. We ordered a seafood fettuccine, and it could feed the 3 of us, and we each had 2 plateful of pastas. As you can see, the restaurant was REALLY generous with the seafood. The pasta itself was very tasty, and it was on par with what i had in Rome, Italy. Is it the best seafood pasta that i’ve had? No, it wasn’t, BUT it’s pretty darn good plate of it. It’s not a must go restaurant, but it’s a really solid option for seafood pasta.

Desserts are just alright, and nothing to shout about - we had the cheesecake and tiramisu.

Bonus: Wines are...