OSTERIA DA SAMU — Restaurant in Rome

Dear Readers!

The recent dining experience at the Osteria da Samu in Rome was profoundly disappointing and calls for a critical evaluation.

Atmosphere and Service While the general atmosphere of the establishment was acceptable, the service was a significant point of failure. The staff's demeanor suggested a palpable sense of annoyance, as if our presence was an inconvenience. The genuine warmth and hospitality that are cornerstones of Italian culinary culture were conspicuously absent, leaving guests feeling anything but welcome.

The only exception was the one person outside the restaurant who was friendly and engaging, presumably to attract customers. Their demeanor stood in stark contrast to the rest of the staff, highlighting the overall lack of hospitality inside.

The Culinary Disappointment Despite the remarkably swift arrival of our food, the haste did little to redeem the considerable deficiencies in quality. Our party of eight sampled a range of pizzas and pastas.

Pizzas: The pizzas (Margherita and one with mackerel) were adequate but marred by charred crusts, a clear sign of poor execution.

Bruschetta: The bruschetta was decidedly mediocre. The olive oil lacked flavor, and the overall taste profile was unbalanced. The bread itself was also of subpar quality.

Pastas: The pasta dishes were the primary source of disappointment. The pasta with meatballs had an acceptable sauce, but the meatballs themselves were rubbery in texture and flavorless. The Cacio e Pepe was merely passable, a dish devoid of the rich, peppery bite it should possess. My Carbonara was particularly egregious, tasting almost exclusively of fat with a shocking lack of seasoning.

The value proposition was poor, as the prices were not commensurate with the dismal quality of the food.

Sanitation and Final Impression Adding to the culinary failings, the state of the restrooms was a complete disaster. Broken toilet seats and standing water on the floor are inexcusable and reflect a severe lack of attention to basic hygiene. The overall impression was one of deep disillusionment. It was apparent from the expressions of other patrons that our experience was not an isolated incident, with many guests appearing visibly disappointed with their meals.

Given these pervasive issues, I cannot in good conscience recommend a visit to the Osteria da Samu. The positive reviews this establishment has received are, to my mind, utterly inexplicable.

With frustrated and disappointed...

It was definitely a tourist trap. Starting from the watered down OJ

The waiter tried to force a 10% service charge on us as an extra. I took my card back and asked why, and he started getting aggressive, claiming it was mandatory. I called his bluff and doubled down on the aggression until he backed off.

It was simple: “If there’s a mandatory 10% surcharge for service, show me where it’s posted, and I’ll gladly pay it.!” He kept responding with “because” so i kept responding “why?!!” And we each kept raising our voices lol🤣😭🤦🏻

Suddenly, his coworker came out and asked where we were from and if we tip where we’re from. I replied, “A tip is a courtesy for good service, not mandatory. If it’s mandatory, it needs to be posted. Show me where it’s posted or show me where you have it listed on the menu!”

At that point, apparently there was a huge miscommunication. The coworker (the one who originally said the tip was mandatory) didn’t actually mean to demand a tip; he was simply asking. So, I accepted the explanation.

However, after reading other reviews, it seems that "Mr. Mandatory Tip" has made quite an impression on other customers as well. So, it wasn’t just a miscommunication—they just didn’t like the scene I was making, especially since other patrons started tuning in to our not-so-subtle exchange. I may not like to raise my voice but I wont hesitate to do so when I’m being yelled at for no good reason. I would have accepted the 10% surcharge if they had it posted and I simply missed it, Spoiler Alert it wasn’t posted.

The sad part is, had he simply asked (instead of demanding) if we wanted to leave a tip, the answer would have been yes. The food was Mid. I would have came back for the chicken, but...

I’ve already seen a couple of complaints that are similar to mine. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. The only reason we went there was because one of are favorites restaurants nearby was to busy and the line was bigger than usual. The waitress are calling people from the street to go in and are very friendly in the beginning to make you feel like you want to go there but when you’re already inside they’re just doing their job without any interest or good service. We ordered a bruschetta, one pizza and a beef steak. Bruschetta there is the worst one I’ve ever eaten: old, difficult to bite bread with tasteless tomatoes. Pizza Marinara was okay but nothing special. The beef steak was the biggest disappointment I’ve ever had. You’re paying a normal price for it but it’s only salad and a piece of meat (no potatoes or anything else). The salad is literally a couple of lettuce leaves, tasteless tomatoes, onion and corn. Without any sauce, spices or anything that suits a good steak. The meat was just terrible. I ordered a medium one and got an uneven piece that was raw from inside. When I tried to explain to the waitress why I didn’t say anything earlier (the first bites were ok because the meat was thinner there) he only said sorry and didn’t offer any other solution for me. I barely touched the food and considering that it’s one of the most expensive dishes on the menu I was expecting so much better. The feeling I had was they just didn’t care and wanted me out of there. I didn’t want to argue or anything so just paid and left. There are a lot of better restaurants and places where you can enjoy the food and a good service. Rome is a city with kind and friendly people and amazing food. But this place...