La Forchetta d´Oro — Restaurant in Rome

I cannot stress this enough – this is legitimately one of the worst restaurants I have ever been to, maybe one of the worst restaurants on planet earth, and I am so utterly appalled that I am 99.9% sure it is not a restaurant at all but a front for something else.

The ambience: a completely non-air conditioned space in 92 degree weather – positively sweltering – with table oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper that is greasy and grimy to the touch, and a singular terrifyingly unfriendly waiter who is just barely holding onto his composure.

The food: carbonara that is nothing more than boiled boxed pasta mixed with scrambled eggs and soggy pieces of haphazardly cut bacon (not guancale). Please do not ignore the warnings like we did. It is literally exactly that and nothing more, and an offensive excuse for pasta, regardless of whether you're in Italy, but obviously especially egregious while here. Also, a variety of salads which all ultimately ended up being the same salad upon arrival – packaged romaine lettuce with cut up tomatoes, a full sprig of basil (stem and all), and absolutely no form of dressing or seasoning whatsoever, necessitating touching the grimy table condiments for a semblance of normalcy. And best of all – the most disgusting risotto I've ever encountered, so deeply inedible that I could not even finish one bite.

The service: obviously horrendous – left me feeling sub-human even! When we asked for the check after a few miserable bites, the waiter angrily said, "Why didn't you eat?!" and aggressively removed the dishes when we said we just did not enjoy the food. His anger was palpable, which was shocking given the lack of passion he seemed to have about serving otherwise. Then, when we tried to pay, they insisted they only took cash because "the internet was down" and the single terrifying angry waiter WALKED US TO AN ATM and watched us remove cash to pay, and walked us back. Full grown adults being supervised and chaperoned by a terrifying waiter, who arguably should be inside serving the rest of the diners, but maybe thats just me.

Overall, kind of felt like I was being mugged? This was an abomination of a dining experience, and one that will leave me questioning Rome for the rest of time. Truly and utterly shocking. La Forchetta...

This dining experience was nothing short of an absolute NIGHTMARE. From the moment we stepped inside, we were met with hostility. The waiter was not only rude but also seemed completely clueless, stumbling around as if he had no idea what he was supposed to be doing. The owner, who was apparently also the chef and manager, was a walking disaster—sprinting around the place, screaming at his staff, and treating customers like an inconvenience.

The level of unprofessionalism was astonishing. THEY ONLY TAKE CASH, but of course, this wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the restaurant or by anyone when we sat down. We witnessed several diners being marched to a nearby ATM like schoolchildren being sent to the principal’s office. The fact that this place doesn't even have the decency to inform customers of their absurd payment policy in advance is beyond ridiculous—it's downright deceptive.

As if the chaos and rudeness weren't enough, the service was excruciatingly slow. The owner was a one-man circus, trying to take orders, cook, plate dishes, and handle payments all by himself, with predictably disastrous results. It was a complete train wreck. We were eventually thrown a couple of complimentary dishes (a pathetic eggplant entrée and a lackluster tiramisu), but this felt more like a desperate attempt to cover up the sheer incompetence rather than a genuine gesture.

The staff looked utterly defeated, like they were just waiting for the end of their shift to escape this madhouse. It’s clear they’ve had no real training and are left to fend for themselves under the tyrannical watch of a manager who seems to thrive on chaos. The whole operation is a sinking ship, and it's obvious why so many others have left scathing 1-star reviews.

This place is an utter disaster, and it’s clear they have no interest in improving. Spare yourself the misery and avoid this place at all costs.** The combination of shocking service, a rude and incompetent owner, and a miserable atmosphere makes this place a...

Holy mother of Christ. Do not go. DO NOT GO. DO NOT GO. DO NOT GO. DO NOT GO. This was a terrifyingly bad experience. Firstly no AC- fine it’s Italy I don’t mind. Then no music- again fine but the ambiance was terrible. The server had the most foul attitude. Gave me a face when I placed my order. I tried continuously smiling at him- nothing. Then our mixed salad and tomato salad came. They were the same salad. Undressed mixed greens with huge slices of raw tomato on top. He kindly handed me an oil and vinegar set that was filthy and slipping out of my fingers. Then our Risotto Milanese and Carbonara came. The carbonara was exactly as another reviewer said.. boxed pasta with scrambled eggs. The risotto was inedible. Oily and wet with no flavor even though it was neon yellow from the ‘saffron’. We took a couple bites and could not eat. It was inedible. We asked immediately for the check. The rude (and only) waiter asked why and gave us a crazy attitude when we said we didn’t like it. Like he was mad and insulted. No follow up questions. Then he had the gall to ask if we wanted dessert. We said ‘just the check!’. Then it comes time to pay. Called for him 3 times and was ignored (it’s a small place) then finally someone at the table next to us said maybe stand up? At the register the chef/owner gave us the check. Over priced of course. Went to pay with card and ‘the internet was down’. Was it?? He beckoned the ONLY SERVER to walk us down the block to the ATM. He then watched me and another guest take out money. Texting. Until we were done. We paid and left. Honestly not worthy of payment but I am considering this a charity expense. Maybe they can keep the lights on for a few months longer to traumatize more patrons. Unbelievable. Please believe the...