La Trattoriola di Luca — Restaurant in Rome

The ambiance is nice, the layout of the terrasse is nice, the music is nice, the food and wine are ok. Unfortunately it stops there. The service was below anything acceptable. We came for dinner 1.5 hours before they close. There were only us + 2-3 other tables in the restaurant for 2 waiters. We were rushed from the beginning until the end. While eating the appetizers, both waiters came to us within 30 seconds of each others to ask if we were finished. I think it is common knowledge among waiters that when clients are eating and the plate is half full, they might not be finished? Also, when the time came for the main course to arrive, the waiter went to the table next to us to pickup two plates that he wrongly served there 2 minutes before and gave them to us… acting like it was totally normal. I couldn’t believe what was happening so I asked the waiter if the client next to us had begun eating in them… he said no while dropping the plates in front of us… well… then the other waitress brought the receipt to the table while we were not finished… just to come back 1 minutes later with the credit card terminal to make us pay… while we were sipping our wine… I ask if they were closing (about an hour before they actually close)… she said no but that she wanted to close the cashier… of course at that point, there was no doubt in our minds that we were not having dessert and coffee there but next door. Oh and by the way, they dropped a basket of bread on the table with the meal without us asking and guess what… they charge 2 euro for it on...

Popular local trattoria, but they need more staff. The food was decent, but heavy on the salt. I ordered a carbonara with rigatoni instead of the standard spaghetti and told by the waiter it will take 20 minutes as rigatoni will take longer; which I didn't mind as I was planning on an appetizer. I started with seasonal vegetables with thin rustic bread and some bufala mozzarella. The veggies (eggplant & zucchini) were lightly grilled and drenched in an acidic and tangy pesto like marinade. It was tasty, but heavy and the thin crisp bread was a bit uninspired as was the tasty and creamy, but lonely mozzarella. The carbonara arrived but it was spaghetti instead of the rigatoni I ordered. The waiter was apologetic and offered to get me my rigatoni, but it would take another 20 minutes - thanks, but no thanks. The flavor of the carbonara was rich and creamy and not light on the black truffle oil. The pasta was al dente and chewy and continued to soak up the sauce as I continued to eat. The portion is generous and I could only finish half. The house white wine was flat and dry and acidic and I couldn't finish it. There was only 1 waiter and 1 busser for about 10 tables so I don't really blame the waiter for missing my single rigatoni order. He was friendly, made suggestions and checked on me several times throughout the meal. I would give 3.5 stars if Google would allow half...

There were six Canadian family members here in Rome and went to this restaurant for a meal together. It was an enjoyable experience. The food was well prepared, our servers were helpful, and we had plenty of time to enjoy the meal. We sat in the outdoor patio. We asked for our meal in more of a “family” style service, with shared appetizers, mains and desserts. The restaurant was more than happy to accommodate our request.

Our waiter spoke English as a second language, but made every effort to make sure we understood what he was saying. There were a number of daily specials, which he reviewed and answered any questions we had about the menu. The food we had was delicious.

A note about the atmosphere. It is a nice little place, with an interesting decor. However, if you’re a North American and used to non-smoking food locations, there is smoking allowed, at least on the patio. It did not overwhelm the experience, but it is something you note as you eat. Another thing that might be different for North Americans, they don’t try and rush your through your meal, so they can get more customers in. The pace was leisurely, and the courses came with good timing. A pleasant change from restaurant meals in Canada.

All in all, a delightful evening. It would recommend visiting if you are in this...