I Mascelloni Osteria Pizzeria — Restaurant in Genzano di Roma

This is the second time we have visited as we visited last week and just had to go back. We have been in italy for a few weeks (including in central Rome) but nothing has come close to comparing to this restaurant! We cannot put into words just how much you MUST visit. We have travelled the world eating great food and this is BY FAR the best steak we have had the fortune of eating. To give you an idea - Eating in NZ, Australia, the pacific, the US, Asia, and Europe - I have eaten steak in all of them and none have come close to how good this was. This dish was just perfect - the perfect cooking, perfect seasoning, perfect temperature and perfect flavour. Finding this amazing restaurant, in this tiny town, has just been so fortunate. My husband had the papperdelle specials both times (wild pork the first time and rabbit the second time) but I couldn’t resist ordering the steak a second time. To start our meal we had the hummus. Genzano (and Italy in general) doesn’t have hummus. Even supermarkets (and other restaurants) don’t have hummus like we have everywere in New Zealand. So having fresh hummus on offer (with homemade crisp bread) was a lovely surprise and one of the best we have had anywhere. We have since ordered this hummus to have in our holiday home just for snacking. This visit my husband ordered a dessert (we were way too full last time) and he has assured me that the tiramisu - handmade by nonna - was to die for. Light, creamy, fresh, just really tasty and not too heavy. If you are anywhere near Genzano you absolutely have to...

STOP whatever you are doing and go straight to Mascelloni Osteria Pizzeria. We have dined here twice in the last seven days and both times the food has been outstanding! The first night, we ordered the hummus starter, and mains of wild boar pappardelle with a white sauce and a grilled steak. The second night, while I intended to have a pizza (there is a steady stream of takeaway pizza, always a good indication), I opted for the special of the evening of rabbit pappardelle in a tomato based sauce. WOW! The flavours were incredible, balanced, full of flavour but at the same time, light and delicate. The steak was so good the first night, we had to order it again. Beautifully seasoned, with flavours from the grill allowing the steak to shine. The hummus was so good we ordered an extra serving to take away. Homemade Tiramisu to finish, again full of flavour while remaining light. Clearly the food is made with love and care. The service was brilliant, polite, helpful at every stage. If you are passing through Genzano make this...

"I Mascelloni"! Ci torno sempre molto volentieri, d'altronde è il mio ristorante preferito e ogni volta, credeteci, riescono a superarsi! Vi racconto che l'ultima volta che ci sono stato, parlo di qualche giorno fa, ho assaggiato l'unico primo che mi era rimasto da assaggiare: le pappardelle al sugo di lepre. Non esistono aggettivi che riescano a descrivere la prelibatezza di questo piatto, l'unica cosa da fare è provarlo! Non crederete al vostro palato! Volevo, inoltre, sottolineare che non conoscerete mai un posto in cui tanta qualità venga servita con altrettanta signorilità e gentilezza, visibili nei modi estremamente garbati e nei sorrisi stampati sulle facce dei simpatici Antonio e Stefano, coloro che nel servirvi ci metteranno tutta la loro passione. Prezzi come sempre onestissimi, pensate che non sono cambiati di una virgola in tutti questi anni di mia, ahimè, non proprio assidua frequentazione del locale. Vi assicuro, però, che ogni qualvolta io ci torni è come se fosse una festa, mi fanno sentire a casa e lo stesso vale, ho notato, per qualunque altro cliente, che sia nuovo o di vecchia data. Sono serio, una volta provato non vedrete l'ora di tornarci, non potrete più farne a meno! 5 stelle sono troppo poche, ce ne vorrebbero mille!

Un caloroso saluto a Stefano, Antonio, al proprietario ed a sua moglie, nonché cuoca dalle mani fatate, da un "mascellone"...