"DOC" EnoBistrot - Cucina & Vineria — Restaurant in Rome

Don’t be put off by this one-star review — the food is amazing and definitely worth trying if you’re in the area while travelling.

This review is about the appalling service from their waiter Daniele — or the bald guy, if I’ve mistaken the identity.

First of all, thank you for fitting us in, as I saw a staff member turn away some customers just after we walked in.

After we were served the Leggenda and risotto (which were all the dishes I ordered), the friendliest waiter of the night brought us focaccia. I quickly told him I hadn’t ordered it and thought that was the end of it.

Then Daniele appeared — and the nightmare began. He “friendly” asked us if the food was good, then abruptly asked, “Do you want focaccia?” I was really confused, as this dish is a starter and we were already halfway through our meal. I genuinely thought it was a kind gesture on the house, hesitated, but eventually said yes.

Daniele returned and angrily punched the POS machine at the counter. That’s when I realised he was charging us for the focaccia. I signaled to the team just seconds after seeing Daniele’s impatient face and clarified that I didn’t want it if it wasn’t complimentary. Despite that, Daniele brought the focaccia out a few minutes later anyway. He got really upset and questioned me: “But I asked you if you wanted it, and you said yes!”

I told him I was confused and had already cancelled it. He gave me the most fake, disgusting smile, waved his hand impatiently, and said, “That’s fine,” before walking away.

I don’t understand why he got so irritated — it wasn’t him who took my order, and he kind of pressured me into taking the dish.

I truly hope this wasn’t a case of discrimination against Asian customers. I’d like to believe Daniele just had a bad day. I sincerely wish him happiness — and perhaps the means to see a therapist to work on his anger issues.

:) Right back at ya.

——————————————

Update after the owner’s response. I’m glad you’re the owner and I can assure you that you have a dedicated team to provide your customers with superior service. Except you.

Your colleague removed the focaccia on the spot when I asked for the bill at the counter without me asking. So what you said was untrue.

You didn’t clarify it was complimentary and your colleague confirmed that you were charging me when I called him over.

I never said it was discrimination, I simply hope not.

If it was indeed complimentary, you would have clarified it when you dropped it off the second time. Instead, you chose to argue with me, walk away and insisted that it was a misunderstanding now. NOW.

I refuse to remove or edit my response any more because of your attitude. You know how you talked me and behaved. You should consider changes. It’s...

Having decided to pass New Year's Eve in Rome, we had to choose a restaurant where to eat, and after reading various restaurants reviews and menus, we agreed on this. I have to say that as soon as we booked (on "The Fork" app), we specified that a person disliked truffle, and suddenly we received a message confirming our request, saying there was no problem dealing with that. Once arrived at the place, they warmly received us, providing the welcome glass of Prosecco already specified on the menu.

After the wine was brought to us, the starter arrived immediately (I mean before bread or focaccia arrived): a really great raw ham from South Lazio, along with a SOLID (and I think old) mozzarella... But let's continue the journey: the first course was a tris of coloured panini (they were made with Turmeric, Beetroot, and Spinach, but only the Turmeric one had some flavor), each one with a different filling... Ok that they were a little bit late with the schedule, but I think it is not a good reason for removing a plate while you still have the last bite in your mouth... But let's continue again: we already said that we specified one person disliked truffle, and as we arrived we mentioned it again to the staff... Guess what? The person received anyway the dish with Truffle... Of course, as we pointed it out, they suddenly changed the plate... Ah, while expecting a completely different dish, because in the message they sent to us it was specified that a completely free of charge dish variation would have been made, the only difference was the removal of the truffle oil in the tartar... (The quality of the meat was actually really good, but not worth the price we paid for). Finally the dessert: Tiramisù Espresso, Chef's Fantasy! Beside the fact that it arrived immediately after the main dish was removed (we knew we had to leave due to the fact a following turn had to be seated, but five minutes more cost nothing), too bad it was served on a paper plate (at least the fork was made of steel)... Great Tiramisù, but not what from the name it was expected to be. We asked for a bottle of water and two espresso, then we went to pay... We were aware the beverage was not included in the menu, but we got surprised when they asked us to pay for the water, because when you have a medium - high price for a menu like this, I think the water should be already included. The staff, at least, was really nice to us, as well as the focaccia was a pleasure for the mouth.

P. S. This is only the humble opinion from someone who works in the hospitality industry, and just something for trying to help you to improve. Of course, after all, feel free to do whatever you think is better for...

It’s rare for me to visit the same restaurant twice while on vacation, but during our recent trip to Rome, I made an exception for this place. On our first night, we started with hot, homemade focaccia and a tasting platter of cold cuts and cheeses. For our mains, we had rigatoni amatriciana, tonnarella cacio e pepe with beef tartare and black truffle, grilled beef entrecôte steak, an ortolana salad, and a Mediterranean salad. We finished with the best tiramisu we've ever had in all of Italy. Every dish was outstanding, and it was by far the best meal of our trip. It was so good that we returned for a late dinner on our last day, ordering double the focaccia, double the cold cuts and cheeses, the viaggio al sud beef tartare, more tiramisu, and two kinds of pannacotta—one with pistachio and one with strawberry. Once again, they absolutely nailed it. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to end our trip.

The food wasn’t the only highlight; the staff were incredible as well. They were attentive, friendly, and their service was second to none. On our second night, our waiter Matteo and bartender Patrizio even recognized us from our first visit! While we didn’t catch everyone’s name, they all provided exceptional service. As we were leaving, they even offered us complimentary limoncello shots!

Speaking of drinks, the Tullipan Kingdom cocktail was a standout. On our last night, everyone else ordered cocktails (since they weren’t running a marathon the next day), and we got to try a variety of spritzes and mixed drinks.

If I ever find myself in Rome again, I’ll definitely make sure to visit this restaurant once more. 10/10, highly...