Il Convivio Troiani — Restaurant in Rome

Having visited numerous Michelin-starred establishments globally, we approached Il Convivio Troiani in Rome with high expectations. Unfortunately, the experience was deeply underwhelming and raised serious questions about the standards upheld by the Michelin Guide.

The setting lacked vitality and sophistication. The décor was minimal, with one decorated wall being the only notable design element, leaving the rest of the space feeling bare and uninspired. A visible mobile AC unit and exposed pipes detracted significantly from the aesthetics. The design choices—or lack thereof—felt incongruous with the high expectations attached to a Michelin-starred establishment. The space lacked the warmth and elegance expected of a fine dining experience.

Service, which should elevate the experience, was mechanical and devoid of warmth or engagement. The waitstaff made little effort to connect with diners; interactions were transactional rather than conversational. When presenting dishes, waiters merely recited ingredients without offering context or insights into inspiration or techniques. This rote approach was especially disappointing given the restaurant’s intimate size, which should have allowed for personalized attention.

The nine-course tasting menu had moments of creativity but was marred by inconsistent execution. The amuse-bouche—a delicate macaron paired with a shot glass of liquid blends—was conceptually intriguing but faltered in balance. The foie gras component overwhelmed the flavors, leaving the dish heavy instead of harmonious. Bread, an essential part of any fine dining experience, was served warm but soggy, and the butter shockingly seemed like a store-bought product rather than an elevated house-made creation.

A pasta course—a hallmark of Italian cuisine—was competently cooked but surprisingly bland, offering little to distinguish it as a Michelin-worthy dish. The flavors lacked depth, leaving us wondering how a trattoria meal from earlier in the day managed to deliver more satisfaction. Another dish, a grilled skewer paired with a coconut milk-based dipping sauce, showcased some originality but fell short on refinement. Instead of a cohesive culinary creation, it felt more like an experimental concept that missed the mark.

Two courses were outright failures. A fried artichoke dish, which could have been a celebration of Roman cuisine, was excessively oily and poorly executed. The dish lacked any sense of finesse, tasting as though it had been hurriedly prepared. The pork head dish was even worse—over-fried, greasy, and unpleasantly fatty. The overwhelming oiliness and unbalanced flavors made it nearly inedible, with three out of four diners unable to finish it. Serving dishes of this poor quality at a Michelin-starred restaurant is indefensible.

Desserts stood out as the highlight of the evening. One dessert—a clever reinterpretation of a traditional Italian savory dish as a sweet course—showcased the kind of creativity one expects at this level. Unfortunately, even this bright moment was undercut by the final amuse-bouche. A salty, artichoke-based bite was served as the concluding flavor, leaving the meal on an unappealing and discordant note. Such a choice demonstrated a lack of attention to the overall dining experience.

While a few moments of creativity were present, the glaring missteps in execution, uninspired service, and lackluster ambiance made this experience deeply disappointing. Il Convivio Troiani failed to live up to the Michelin standard, and I would hesitate to recommend it to anyone seeking a memorable culinary...

Beware, got sick after eating at this restaurant

I don't even know where to start. I have no idea how this place got a Michelin star. From the moment we walked in, we were surprised that this place was empty. That should have been our first clue. There were two other tables with diners besides us the entire night. The waiter gave us attitude about ordering anything off the ala carte menu instead of the tasting menu and made us very uncomfortable. My husband ordered a beer, which was brought to him in a dirty glass with lipstick still on the rim. When I brought this to the waiters attention, he said "I don't see anything". He resentfully brought us a new glass. Next, there were little flies buzzing around our table the entire dinner! One landed in my husband's beer, but of course at that point we were too nervous to say anything based on previous reactions. I will say one positive thing, the food was presented beautifully. I really wished our experience matched that. The taste was just OK. Not bad necessarily, but not Michelin star good. My husband also pre-paid a 15 euro extra charge for them to bring us a special dessert for our anniversary, they never did. We said something to the waiter, and he told us he will bring it out and refund our 15 euros. Well, that never happened. To make matters even worse, both of our stomachs started to feel sick a few hours after leaving the restaurant and returning to our hotel. I won't get into details but we got food poisoning.

I contacted the restaurant and let them know for the safety of others. Not only did they shame us and call us liars, they made rude comments about how unfortunate it was to have us as guests. The manager blamed us for things that never happened. It was horrifying that a place would make customers feel this way. I politely asked for a refund. However, the manager just stopped responding to me. I must inform others of our experience of this place and how sick we got after, and let the public know about the danger of this food. If I would have seen a review like this, I would not have came here and ruined our anniversary dinner (plus the next few days of our trip). I am sure they will respond to this post and say more condescending untrue things to try and defend themselves, it's just too bad this couldn't have been handled privately via email. Hopefully they can treat customers better...

I was on the fence when deciding to make reservations here but decided that I wanted to take the wife and kids (12 & 16) out to a fine dining experience while in Rome.

First, I was never told that you need to ring the bell to get in the door. We waited (with another cover) for almost 10 minutes before they opened the door to see if anyone was waiting.

The restaurant is small and has a beige feel/tone to it. Tables are lit from above and highlight a floating grapevine stalk that holds potato chips/crisp snack. This was a clever and tasty touch.

My wife doesn't drink so I could only order by the glass. There were some interesting selections.

The servering team was quite reserved and sterile. I know this is a high end place but after all the lively hospitality that we had been experiencing across Italy, this interaction was disappointing. Nothing was bad, it just had zero personality or warmth. Rather than being warm and personable (showcasing the wonderful Italian hospitality we discovered everywhere), it was professional, clerical and formal. This was my biggest issue with Il Covivio. I will add that the somm made my kids some cocktail drinks. He did this table side and put in a great mixing show for them. They loved it and it was the most (only) personable moment of the night. There was an English fellow who did add in a bit of personality for us. No one was rude nor did anyone do anything wrong. It was just soul that was missing.

The food was good. Unfortunately, nothing stood out to me as spectacular as I expected for the 500€ bill. There were some starting and ending amuse bouche that just did not work and it felt like the chef was trying to stretch the limits too far

Platings were beautiful and artistic.

Unfortunately, the meal was just not up to par with the high price and that, along with the blandness of the service will keep me...