L'Osteria dell'Orologio — Restaurant in Fiumicino

I’m being generous with this one star. Here is proof to read the reviews before you make reservations. To start, no one answered the phone when we sought to make reservations. My husband was eager to have a dish of sea urchin. So, he booked through their website’s reservation service. Shortly after, we received a phonecall from the restaurant. We were able to confirm they did not have it because it was out of season. Oddly, it is precisely the season and we suspect there may be a national ban. So, tell us that or whatever the real truth is. Let me insert here that it was not my choice to come to this restaurant or I would have read the reviews before. We arrived and were the only patrons for a good thirty minutes. It was extremely warm and stagnant of air in their dining room. My husband wanted to order Campari on the rocks. No. You can only order cocktails that were on the menu. So I ordered a Gin and Tonic. I had a choice of which tonic water, they brought the wrong one. The waitress was lovely and patient, but she kept referring to a fellow fussing behind her. Did we have any food allergies or conditions, she asked. My husband had throat cancer and has difficulty swallowing. He requested the pasta cooked soft, not al dente. Away she went to the kitchen. Then came an onslaught of numerous appetizers which we didn’t order, presented by a third fellow. Okay, that’s nice. But when the orders came, my husband’s pasta was al dente. The place began to fill up and we were ignored for a good thirty minutes before the woman came to clear away our dishes. She asked how was everything and my husband informed her the pasta was too al dente and he couldn’t eat it. We waited for a dessert menu. Instead, the fussy guy came over with the bill. He said he took it my husband’s pasta off our bill and proceeded to ring us out. I guess they were done with us. Bottom line, the food was good the service terrible. It makes me wonder after reading these reviews if this business changed hands. We will not go back...

Booked a month in advance for a romantic last-night-in-Italy dinner. When we arrived (early, 7:30), they seated us right outside the busy doorway (similar to being seated right next to the kitchen door in a restaurant). Even worse, it was right across (3 feet) from a very loud speaker blaring Green Day music. Strange musical choice aside for this “romantic” meal, I immediately asked that we be moved to a different table. After some grousing amongst the waiters, they begrudgingly moved us to the other side of the speaker—which was only slightly better. We ordered entrees instead of the tasting menu, and were confused when they kept bringing out small dishes ahead of our entrees. I asked about these-just to confirm that we hadn’t ordered the tasting menu-and they confirmed that these are just “gifts” ahead of our meal. That was nice, though in all honesty, they were very bland and unremarkable (I know there’s a twist on “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” in there somewhere). Haha…by now the music was changed to Bob Dylan’s greatest hits for the next hour (I guess that was to complement the “serious dining” phase of the evening), but at least it wasn’t as loud. Finally, entrees arrived, which were just good, and an inexpensive bottle of wine we ordered was good too. Restaurant was attractive and seemed to be popular. Other than the initial blaring speaker issue, it could have worked for us. Overall, the restaurant...

I feel terrible because I have been meaning to do this review for a while. My husband and I visited Italy in October 2024 prior to a cruise and this restaurant was the highlight of the trip. We made reservations for our first night in the country and I don't know how we got so lucky. They had amazing food, wine, and service. I cannot thank the chef enough for giving us a 5 star experience. The waitstaff was just as amazing. This is Italy. When you think of Italian food and hospitality this is what you are envisioning. I felt at home although we were clearly from the US. They made us feel like VIP, we literally lost count of how many courses we had and made the very American mistake of eating too much (delicious) bread early on! This place will always hold a special place in my heart. I long for the next time I get to visit. Thank you so much for a...