Hostaria la Scalinata — Restaurant in Rome

It was a National holiday in Italy and our first restaurant choice for the night we found out was closed. Left us searching and calling for reservations to find one open.

We called this restaurant and were able to get a reservation, so we jumped at it. The person on the phone said he would have a table for us in the back and to be sure when we got there to tell them our table was set up in the back.

We arrived at the restaurant walked in and informed the first guy we saw that we had a reservation and were told it was in the back, he said no worries and created a table for 6 for us right in the front. We again reminded him we were told there was already a table set for us in the back and he said its ok sit here so we did. A few minutes later, a waiter from the back comes out and says hey you guys are supposed to be in the back, we tell him we told the first guy but he insisted we sit here. He mumbled that the first guy is the devil and left. In hindsight, I now assume because we were North American the waiters assumed we were going to tip and they were trying to make sure we sat in their section. I may be wrong but that was the vibe I was getting.

Our waiter was very enthusiastic and over the top in an almost creepy way. At one point one lady in our party swears she heard him mumble something about the size of her breasts.

We ordered our food and besides the bruschetta, which was very good, the rest of it was horrible. I had the veal, and it was the most bland, tasteless meal I had eaten while in Italy. Everyone else in our party agreed the food was not good.

At the end of our meal, I asked for our check, 10 minutes goes by, I ask again, at least another 10 minutes goes by, and I must ask yet again. Every time being told it will be right there. Almost 30 minutes elapsed between the time I asked for the check, and we got it. Then he brings it over all crumbled up, playing a game asking me to choose a hand that it is in.

My friend was paying the bill so the rest of us got up and waited outside while she paid as we all needed to stand up and get moving. When she comes outside, she tells us the waiter asked her point blank where his tip was.

Tipping in Italy is not expected or required like it is in North America, for a waiter to blatantly say hey where is my tip is ridiculous. Don't get me wrong we tipped at every other restaurant we went to on our trip. The service at this restaurant was horrible and the food was...

We read the reviews, we also had experience from other restaurants and we chose to go to this particular one to see it. We sat in the small hall. The waiter was in a state of tension in general and was in a hurry while there were no people or was it rush hour. We keep to have good vibes and order food

The food came very quickly. The food in general was ok but nothing special . The carbonara I ordered seemed to have been made some time ago and not at that moment (carmonara with eggs needs attention, I know how to cook it and recognize the mistakes) other small restaurants in town manage to serve better carbonaras (actualy they made sauces with some pre work or when you order )so i think they can do the same . Another dish it was at a different temperature internally as a result of reheating maybe by microwave . There's no excuse not to have a Bain Marie to keep food warm all off the restaurants small or large have this tool to keep the quality in a level isnt possible to make a pan food every order ok but you can keep it warm .

The big problem was the service and i dont like to speak about it because is a job for someone but it was terrible, as i said before they was hurry. We stay 30 minutes in total and when one plate was empty the waiter came quickly and take the plate fast , is like the waiter (or the restaurant policy) want just to take our money and make us to leave, not polite at all, i dont care if you dont want to speak or ask just be polite, for example they offered a plate with some slices of bread they try to take the plate with the bread without asking because my company have eated their foods but me not i have still food on my plate . We pay the bill and leave .

We dont recommend the restaurant , we respect the culture of Italians but we want to respect us as customers . Other restaurants like this in rome have better experience to give so isnt...

As in the old saying "All roads lead to Rome", if you are in Rome, your roads should lead you to this place. Very conveniently located, just minutes from Spanish steps and Trevi Fountain, Hostaria la Scalinata is a true hidden gem! Don't waste your time trying to find anything else, the place offers the most amazing, authentic Italian food you can only dream of! We ended up coming back almost every night we spent in Rome. Our server, Amedeo, was absolutely incredible, he made us feel so welcome every time, it truly felt like we were are visiting our family. The food is incredible, every bite is like a symphony in your mouth. Everything in their menu is fantastic, but their burrata appetizer, carbonara, lasagna, pizza, meatballs, and grilled meats are simply incredible! The desserts are amazing too! Not to mention their house wine and their limoncello, hands down the best in Rome! If you live in Rome and can visit them any time, I envy you. If you are in Rome for a short visit, then you only have a limited amount of days to try amazing, true Italian cusine - don't waste these days on other places! Come to Hostaria la Scalinata, you will not leave disappointed! Can't wait for our next trip to Rome to visit them again! Thank you so much to Amedeo and to their chef for making our experience so...