Hostaria Farnese — Restaurant in Rome

I wish I could give this place 10 out of 5. Was not crowded on Friday evening. Our company of 4 spent total of 147eur as of August 2023 including appetizers, main dishes, soft drinks, wine and deserts - ok for the area. Bruschetta (con burrata e pomodorini) was in a good balance - the bread was roasted to be crunchy both from outside and inside, but the crunch was perfectly balanced with oil, garlick and tomatoes. Pizza (con salami) was delicious, just the perfect balance between soft & crunchy, dry & oily. Steak melted in the mouth. Then melanzana alla parmigiana I didn't try personally, but my friend gave it 10/10. Also their pasta dish cannelloni al forno is to die for - the taste was so rich in flavor I thought I'm in heaven already, chef's kiss (each bite was a new shade of taste). Delicious house wine (definitely consider taking the whole bottle for 2 people). For deserts we took tiramisu, panna cotta and frutini gelato. Tiramisu was average delicious tiramisu, nothing spectacular - I wished a bit more rum flavour, but for my friend it was perfect. The presentation of frutini was a bit exotic and taste was amazing.

Service is as good as you would expect it - fast, caring, attentive. We didn't wait our dishes for too long. Luca (our waiter) is an example of an amazing employee, who approaches the customers with a positive, humorous and knowledgeable attitude (this man deserves a raise for sure👀). P.S. be prepared to pay service fee for the table (10% of the total order amount I think) - for us it was 13eur, which is a bit high, but keeping in mind all the previously mentioned, we didn't mind it, it was worth it. P.P.S. The toilets here are probably the cleanest we've seen in Rome during our 6 days trip.

Thank you for amazing dinner on our last day of Roma trip, I'm sure we would return if ever visited...

*10% service fee + 3 euro for 2 slices of supermarket bread *

If you're going to eat here due to the high review score, don't. The staff do a good job but the food is well below average and overpriced, the house wines are undrinkable and the mark up on the unenthused wine list is exorbitant. In addition to this they charge 3 euro for 2 slices of supermarket bread and sting you with 10% service fee without any warning whatsoever. Beware of this overpriced tourist trap rather than think "wow this has such a high rating we have to go there" and you will be ok. Capeesh?

House white wine was so bad we couldn't drink it after tasting so the waiter offered to and opened a bottle not on the menu. Same as the red wine, so bad when taster, and strangely, it was also kept refrigerated, so I had a beer. This was the first night I was in Rome out of 4. We also had a pasta each. 5 small pieces of bacon in the carbonara... Below average? Yes the worst carbonara I had out of 7 in Rome? Yes. Was the bread bad? Yes. I sent it back after we each had half a slice

By the way Luca, I queried the bread cost on the bill and your waiter said "the menu shows this bread price" your waiter also said "I just work here" and took no responsibility for it. At this moment he had the same embarrassed look on his face as when neither of us could stomach the red and white wine we tasted. I also said why am I paying for this bread when nobody else in Italy has charged for bread in 3 weeks in 7 other cities? This was bad, having to pay 8.50 Euro for the service (are the waiters getting that or you pocket?) of this below average drink and food with no warning was worse, but the rewriting of events that took place with your own deranged narrative beggars belief. Good...

The Penne Arrabbiata is the best I’ve ever had, with a full-bodied sweet tomato flavor that was a refreshing start to every bite, and just when I started to wonder if I had gotten pomodoro by accident, the chili kicked me right in the mouth and I couldn’t wait for the next forkful. I love penne arrabbiata and have already ordered it at several restaurants during my trip to Rome, and Hostaria Farnese has the best in the world. For my main, I ordered the fillet with roasted potatoes and the owner didn’t even ask how I would like it cooked, so I was excited that meant he knew the right way to cook it and I was not disappointed. The fillet was seasoned and seared to perfection (only about an 1/8” inch on each side) with a perfectly rare center. It was the juiciest, most flavorful fillet I’ve ever had and each bite practically melted in my mouth as soon as I tasted it. My wife also ordered the Tiramisu for dessert and though I’m not particularly a fan of tiramisu, she had to fight me to keep me from eating it all. Beyond the food, the prices are exceptionally fair and the owner and staff were delightful, friendly, and accommodating. I wish I could give this restaurant more than five stars. I can’t wait to plan our next trip to Italy, just so we can...