Il Tulipano Nero Esquilino — Restaurant in Rome

The restaurant is hidden away in a shady alley, and the waiter welcomed us warmly upon arrival. He recommended we sit outside, claiming it was too hot inside, but the outdoor seating turned out to be a mosquito haven.

I arrived at 7:20 pm, with only one other table occupied. They were asking about their pizzas, and the waiter kept assuring them it would be ready soon. After an hour of waiting for my order, I was informed that the meatball pasta was unavailable, which was shocking since my meal should have been ready. I learned there is only one chef, and since I had a 50% discount, I opted for another pasta dish. The waiter apologized and promised our fish would be ready in minutes. Yet, 30 minutes later, we still had no food. When I inquired, he became upset and yelled, “You have to wait!” He stormed off, leaving us confused. Later, he returned to explain that fish takes at least 45 minutes to cook. By then, we had already waited 1.5 hours, and our patience was gone. At 9 pm, starving, we asked to leave, but he insisted we wait. To top it off, he charged us 4 euros for still water (we ordered the 3 euro one), and after we paid, he said, “The fish will be ready in 3 minutes. You can’t have it because you’re impatient.” This behavior felt childish and unprofessional. In the end, we paid 4 euros for a bottle of water, spent two hours fending off mosquitoes, and dealt with a rude waiter. Thanks for...

Very disappointing experience.

Food: I had ordered lamb cooked in oven, with completely different thing in mind but turned out lamb-chop style cooked lamb. Only using completely wrong cut (large chunks with bones, lots of fat and bones). One may use that to make soup and thrn throuw away bones and fat.

Two small pieces were moatly fat and minimal meat, and one large piece was UNCOOKED MEAT meat inside.

Pork chop pasta was edible which we odered as experiment 🙄 turned out to be pasta with tomato sauce with 2 pieces of pork on the side dipped in tomato sauce.

Service: we ordered red wine but the waiter brought white wine. Though apologised and brought correct wine (hence 2 star for service). Asked about our food at which point i complained about raw lamb, which she accepted looking at it but said you had the other piece to eat. 🤨 even though it was mostly fat and inedible. The lamb that was served, should actually be BINNED, NOT SERVED TO CUSTOMERS.

Not...

Il Tulipano Nero Esquilino delivers exactly what you hope to find in Rome. The cooking is authentic and straightforward, executed exceptionally well. The flavors are bold but balanced and every dish stays true to its roots.

The carbonara is textbook Roman, rich without being heavy, while the pizza nails the perfect mix of charred crust and fresh toppings. The suppli is a standout, easily the best we had in Rome, crisp on the outside, gooey inside and full of flavor. They also offer gluten-free options, which is rare in Rome and a big plus.

It’s the kind of place that reminds you why Italian dining is as much about warmth and hospitality as it is...