Ristorante Cotto - Dharma Group — Restaurant in Rome

Came to Rome looking for a good place to eat and found it. Thus far in my trip to Italy I have learned what to expect out of restaurants. Mediocre servers at best and poor food at overpriced restaurants. This place blew me away. Classy and elegant I sat down wary of the quality of the food. A jovial waiter came by and took my order. So far this had been one of the nicest servers I’d had in all Italy. When my food arrived (duck in orange sauce with exotic fruit salad and mango foam, along with a side of roast potatoes) I was blown away. Beginning with the duck it was unbelievable. Each flavor was strong and vibrant yet not overpowering. The sweetness of the mango foam and orange sauce paired with the savory flavor of the duck created a delicately balanced dance of taste that took me by surprise. The immediate quality difference between this dish and every other one in Italy shocked me. Not to mention the roast potatoes. Perfectly soft, and cooked with rosemary and red wine they went exceptionally well with the duck as a side dish. A touch of salt was necessary but as it was at the table for me to add as I liked, it was no problem. Finishing the meal off with a dessert after the bliss of the main course was a must at this point. Pear soaked in wine with a scoop of chocolate ice cream. Acidity and sweetness, both in just the right amounts. Acidic and soft, the pear tasted quite strongly of wine yet paired with a rich and dark chocolate ice cream, that mellowed the acidity and added another layer of sweetness, it fitted the meal perfectly in terms of elegance and flavor. Never have I enjoyed a meal quite so thoroughly as I have at Cotto Ristorante and look forward to my next visit to Rome just for another taste of their food. Simply...

Food presentation receives a 5/5, however taste and texture suffered for my meal. The lamb was deep fried which I either failed to read or it was miss translated. It would have been so much better roasted. The apples were over cooked and lacked flavor, Granny Smith apples would have been much needed as the tartness would compliment the deep fried breading of the lamb. This dish definitely needed something to "pop" for flavor. It has full potential, but lacked depth. My friends had the carbonara which I tasted and it was very typical for carbonara in Roma, except the bacon was still crunchy and on top, verses mixed in. The pasta was of course perfectly al dente. Portions were extremely satisfying, however Americans may complain it is under whelming. The wine was over priced for the low end wines, so pick something more expensive above 30€ where you will get a much better vintage. Service was on point, very attentive to customers, however this is Europe you still need to flag them down when you need something otherwise they will let you enjoy your meal. One criticism was they forgot to bring fresh bread to our table as they did with all other customers. Chocolate Creme desert was delicious. Creamy and rich, it's perfectly delivered to melt easily when you cut into it. I would recommend this desert and get it again. Lastly, this is a touristy location, it's conveniently located so don't expect to find many locals dining here.

Presentation 5/5 Flavor 3/5 lamb; 5/5 carbonara Atmosphere 5/5 Wine...

Worst service ever. Felt really discriminated by the caucasian man server with quite a belly, responsible for the outdoor area at dinner time. Sadly I forgot to take a picture of him. Never have I experience this level of discrimination at an expensive restaurant.

Im sure there are many other asians feeling the same way. I hope they speak up too.

Very not recommend for asians to dine here, esp when this waiter is around. Its very hard to get this server's attention when there were only some tables occupied. This caucasian waiter he keeps on chatting will all the other tables with caucasians customers and when we called him to order, he was very rude in tone. When taking order, I wanted to order tiramisu and he said its for later (so he didnt take my order). After my dinner, I called him to order the dessert. He said he'll be back but what he did was chatting for 15mins to the caucasians at the table literally at the back of us. What kind of professionalism is that! He just lost another order for the restaurant for purposely neglecting us as customer. He would have remembered.

For the food, taste wise was just okay.

I hope that caucasian waiter can be trained better to not discriminate customers. We all pay the same price for food and service afterall!

Visited the restaurant two weeks ago on 19/4/23.

For caucasians customers, do not worry you'll be...