La Pesceria Barberini — Restaurant in Rome

It had been raining hard all day and it literally dampened our spirits. Attempting to seek shelter at the Capuchin catacombs nearby I advised we grab some lunch here as it was packed.

I was so glad i researched this place. Stepping in we felt like the fish beautifully displayed in ice..i.e cold and wet.

The decor was amazing with ship parts and marine colours. Gladly we took a seat and browsed the menu. As to be expected it was all fish dishes..I asked for sea urchins for starters but they we sold out. Instead we went for the mains..i had the seafood pasta with courgette flowers and my mum clams in spaghetti..

Food did take awhile considering there were just two of us in the restaurant however I took this as a good sign. Eventually after sipping our white wine it arrived

It was presented beautifully and the prawns were so big and sweet. My mums spaghetti tasted freshly made too with the biggest clams I'd seen in a while.

The only negative was my pasta was a little under done and was a little chewy and some more seafood would have been nice but the flavours were incredible.

We also shared a tasty tiramisu..well my mum gobbled most of it..anyway they did sneak €3 water on to the bill which i stated we had only the wine..she apologised and removed this and reduced our bill again to and even €40..beautiful food in a lovely setting. ...

Fresh fish, yes. Everything else, no. • Food: Fresh fish was the clear positive. Unfortunately, most dishes were bland and heavily under-seasoned. No salt and pepper on the table, and when we requested cheese, it was refused. • Service: Among the worst customer service my family has experienced globally. One female server was exceptionally rude and patronizing throughout the meal. • Water policy: We asked to take the bottled water we had purchased with us when leaving and were told it wasn’t possible. While some Rome restaurants have a custom of not allowing opened glass bottles to-go, the way it was handled was unacceptable. As we exited, the server chased us outside and practically threw the bottles at my mother; I had to step in to take them. Completely unprofessional. • Choice rationale: We chose the place for fresh fish; on that metric they delivered. But seasoning, hospitality, and basic courtesy were severely lacking. • Bottom line: Fresh seafood overshadowed by bland flavors and shockingly poor service. Avoid if seeking a pleasant meal where servers know how to treat...

Been there for dinner tonight in hope for some decent seafood for expectations for a middle range price restaurant given it’s a 4.4 star review in general. However we left there disappointed, annoyed and hungry.

The food was very bland. I asked for salt and pepper, and olive oil. The first waitress simply gave me pepper and olive oil, without telling me anything. So I asked again for an other waitress for salt, she simply replied me that they had no salt. That’s quite shocking, a restaurant without salt, an absurdity like lack of cutlery. Would kitchen have some salt for example?

It’s really not about that, but the attitude of the waitress was just not acceptable. If a restaurant doesn’t have any salt available, it should really be closed. We were actually wanting to order some more dishes but we decided not to because we didn’t want to be disappointed any further.

Ar the same time, the greatest issue probably is not the bland food, poor and unattended service, but the misguiding ratings - and it is difficult to blame the...