Aventina — Restaurant in Rome

I made reservations some 6 months ago to eat at this restaurant. When we did on Thu 20 october 2 days after flying into rome we were not disappointed. Our table of 4 comprised me, my wife and a german and italian couple. We were given a novice waiter to attend to our table but the restaurant manager/owner ? came over and after finding out our needs selected as a starter an excellent cold cuts and cheeze selection platter a perfect start to our meal and for our main a prized irish hereford loin which was sized for 4 of us to devour. I selected a local wine from the Lazio area which was a perfect fit for both the starter and the main course. We finished our meals with an array of desserts but the dessert to die for is their tiramisu.... die die must try !!!!!!!!!! During our service we also had a 'bald waiter come over to our table and I struck up a very good banter with this very knowledgeable man which made dining at Aventina much more than about their excellent food. And because at their cheese counter they also sold fresh milk and their steak display is so appealing with the show of excellent blood red raw meat I have to give this restaurant nothing less...

I love this place! We went here on our last night in Rome on a whim after reading about it in the New York Times. It was was really special. The outdoor patio is lovely and in a quieter neighborhood about a 30 minute stroll from Trastevere. The food was spectacular, as was the service.

The meat and cheese plate was beautiful - and each item was explained to us upon serving. (The experience was also wildly superior compared to the disastrous lunch we had at a very popular Rome restaurant that requires reservation - which shall not be named.) I know they’re not known for their pasta, but the pici was the best pasta we had in Rome. A perfect bite. The steak was amazing and we tried a new to us Roman vegetable called agreti. If you’re looking to treat yourselves, go here! I cannot overstate how lovely the staff was. Dreaming of this lovely night

In the afternoon, I went into the city with my friends. We came across a nice-looking café and decided to stop for some coffee. Unfortunately, it took quite a long time before the staff even acknowledged us. When someone finally came to take our order, the waitress gave me a strange look when I asked for a cappuccino.

Overall, the service was very poor, and the atmosphere felt uncomfortable. The waitress spoke in Italian with her colleagues clearly about us, because we heard her say in English, in an irritated tone, that we didn’t order any food. They seemed to be gossiping, and we kept getting strange looks from them. It felt like we weren’t welcome, which made the whole experience quite unpleasant. Would not...