Branca Pasticceria Ristorante — Restaurant in Rome

Complaining about italian service, disinterested and rude waiters is a bit ridiculous. We all know in advance it is going to be terrible. That’s amore. Also, I don’t like complaining about prices, since we can all see them on the menu before we order.

However, when your prices are already double those of the rest of the market, it is unnecessary to play games and bring tourists over-expensive bottles of water with their espresso. They even asked me if i wanted still or sparkling water with my espresso, knowing full well it is Italian custom to offer a glass of still or sparkling water for free with each espresso. And then they pretended they didn’t know and thought I had ordered a bottle of water with my espresso. We weren’t born yesterday.

These kinds of games erode trust and prevent people from returning.

Nice space on a good corner. The design feels like a posh hotel lobby. Except there is no water in the bathroom, and the owners are fully aware and don’t seem much preoccupied.

It is a pity they choose to run the space this way. The kitchen is well run and i was very happy with my overly expensive omelette - it was large and perfectly done, with simple tomatoes and salad both perfectly dressed and seasoned.

But the vibes, man, the bad vibes. They’ll kill ya. Just give people a glass of water with their espresso. Or, if you want to sell bottles, communicate to the customers in advance asking if they want their own bottle. This tiny effort would avoid confusion and disappointment.

Of course they know this. They just prefer to make a few extra euros taking advantage of people instead of building trust with new...

Not the kind of place we were expecting: My mum and I were very tired and thirsty after a long day at university. We found this place by chance and decided to ask for sparkling and mineral water, one of each. The waiter told us we could not sit at the place with just two bottles of water. He wanted us to additionally order a sweet or a cocktail in order to be eligible to sit and drink. We refused to leave the place and he came with the two bottles of water we ordered. When we asked him whether this situation was normal (we’d been drinking bottles of water all over Rome) he told us quite aggressively that the reason why we couldn’t ask for water there was that Rome is full of water fountains. The woman who charged us at the counter was pretty unpleasant too.

Waiters and waitresses at Branca: First of all, if you are finally bringing water bottles to the table, why start this uncomfortable argument with a customer? Second of all, Rome being full of water fountains is not a logically correct argument to use in this situation because you sell bottles of water. Then, I can order a bottle of water.

Maybe tourism is the reason why Romans are so burnt out. But we were not that kind of tourists. I’m sad we’ve been treated like this in my favorite...

We came here twice during our short visit to Rome. At first sight the establishment looked exclusive, but as we were on a 'dolci hunt' and eager to find the one gem, well this is it. The venue has on the left side a fine dining restaurant and on the right a pastry display with a full spirits bar. First of all the staff were very professional, in particular the waiter dressed by hotel etiquette, who treated us extremely kind, in stark contrast with most 'nice' restaurants we visited. It is placed a bit out of the center, positively distanced from the crowd and overly stressed restaurant personnel, much more pleasant and tranquil. So we tried some millefeuille, tiramisu, cheesecake and a very nice light white creamy tart, which I don't know the name of. I ordered an Old fashioned on the first and a generously poured 'Ron Zacapa 23yrs' on the second day. The atmosphere was 5 star hotel level and the comfortable couches felt like home. Staff were all attentive and not loud or in a hurry like in most touristic places. Prices were very decent for the quality you get and they deserve much more attention. We were sad we had dinner somewhere else as the menu looked very interesting both on paper and on the table of the...