Micalusi-Real Fish Restaurants — Restaurant in Rome

Food was great, but service and atmosphere were awful. (PLEASE READ BELOW, one of the first reviews I’ve ever posted). Our waiter was actually extremely helpful and super nice. The issue is the owner (or what seemed to be the owner) was extremely rude to not only us, but his staff.

I received 3 pieces of bread with the sticker/tag stuck on the outside of the piece of bread. One piece I ate and thought this doesn’t taste right, then proceeded to look further and found two more pieces of bread with the processing sticker stuck to the crust. The waiter called over the “manager” (found out by the pictures inside that it is actually the owner of the place), and proceeded to tell us that it is how the bakery gives the bread.

He was somewhat apologetic but basically said that’s how it is and a $100 per person dinner serves bread with a nutrition sticker stuck to the bread. I was not happy with his demeanor, as he seemed like he did not care (we are American tourists so I wouldn’t be surprised) and truthfully seemed under the influence of something as he was slurring his speech and aggressively yelling at staff the entire night.

We were sitting outside by the sidewalk and he continued to pace up and down the street yelling random things and just not making the environment a good place with the way he continuously berated everyone and everything. He later returned, asked us where we were from and said that a waitress also speaks Polish (as we do) and called her over. She was extremely nice and spoke with us for a couple of minutes, but he decided to walk by one last time and aggressively pushed the waitress in the neck/head region (mid conversation with our entire family, including children). He said something in Italian. which of course we didn’t understand, but I think he was trying to make a joke or laugh or something. We all stopped and paused as this was not just a friendly messing around, funny push, type of deal. It was truly terrible to see and disturbing during the engagement dinner we were trying to enjoy after the bread sticker hiccup.

I would not return to this restaurant simply due to this “manager”. He does not deserve the business they receive and the employees he has. I wish the best for the employees and staff involved as they are great, but the boss can respectfully __ himself (feel free to fill...

Avoid this place – overpriced and disappointing, with terrible service.

I arrived at the restaurant with high expectations based on its high rating and positive reviews. I was surprised to find available seating on a Friday when all the good restaurants were fully booked – and that should have been my first red flag.

We were the first to arrive and but the tables that arrived after us received their food before us. It turned out they had messed up our order, and no one bothered to apologize or update us—we simply waited for at least half an hour for our dishes.

The waiter recommended their "best dish," a pasta with clams, which we waited for almost an hour. When it finally arrived, the pasta was undercooked, nearly raw. I couldn't eat it. The waitress took the dish away without offering a replacement, and we were still charged for it. My friend ate half of hers only because she was starving after waiting so long.

Then came the lobster, which was supposed to be 700 grams but was barely 400, mostly consisting of a pile of cold, tasteless vegetables. The side dish of vegetables we ordered arrived only after we had already finished the lobster, so I couldn’t even cancel it. It was an insult—the waitress claimed it was broccoli, but it looked like leftovers, mixed with overcooked spinach. We didn’t touch it.

The entire experience was awful. The staff clearly didn’t care about the diners. No one checked in on us or asked if we needed anything. For an hour and a half, I felt like I had to chase the waiters constantly just to ask...

Fine dining at Johnny’s

Johnny Micalusi’s is located in a rather unassuming stretch along Viale Parioli, and with a fast-paced walk, you could certainly miss it. Despite its cached entry, the entryway welcomes you to a large and expansive restaurant, with walls adorned with photos of “who’s who” that have dined at Johnny’s- it is almost intimidating. That said, the waitstaff is warm, welcoming, and attentive to our needs - topping up wine, offering cocktails, or discretely clearing dishes, towards ensuring that you have a personalized experience. Our appetizer was an exquisite salmon tartare- divine, light and fresh. Mains included tagliolino with shrimps and langoustine and the salt-encrusted Sea-bass (an incredible amount! almost too much), and we finished with homemade desserts. Wow.

One can easily understand why this restaurant is sought after, and certainly many regulars come to this restaurant – as evidenced by the owner walking the aisles and chatting to patrons. It is worth experiencing Johnny’s as the meal was wonderful; my wish was for the owner to stop at our table to welcome us and ask about our meal – he was certainly doing it to every other table. A simple gesture and a missed opportunity, which would have enhanced our experience. That said, a wonderful menu, great service, innovative dishes, and we left...