Ristorante Massenzio Ai Fori — Restaurant in Rome

The biggest rip-off in a 6 month's stay in Rome.

I never take the time to write an online review, even though my experience is extraordinary or when it's horrible, but I could not let my experience at Ristorante Massenzio Ai Fori be unmentioned.

We visited Ristorante Massenzio Ai Fori after a long day of sightseeing. Before we sat down, I respectfully asked if it was okay to sit down on the terrace if we would only order drinks. The waiter, who seemed to be the manager, was very charming and said it was okay but recommended the shared food platters. We agreed on having a little thing to eat while we could enjoy the drinks for which we came. The waiter said he would create a little platter just for us. For drinks, we ordered 2 cocktails, which we followed up with 2 glasses of their red house wine. After taking our order of the house wine, the waiter came back to our table to ask our wine preferences, to select the best house wine, which seemed to be very charming again in our first opinion.

Until we received the receipt of a total of 80 euros! The 'charming' waiter selected a food platter on the menu of 20 euros, with a lot of expensive frills for which we never asked. Extra mozzarella €8, extra artichoke €8, and extra bruschetta €8 etcetera. At our arrival we clearly stated, to have only some drinks with a little thing to eat. For which we eventually paid an exorbitant price. And instead of the house wine, he brought 2 expensive Chianti's.....

We came in June when it was 36 degrees. Staff were so welcoming and took us to our table, immediately getting us some water. One of our party had a negroni cocktail (which was fantastic) another had a "Hugo spritz" which was extremely refreshing. For food we had some fresh pasta which was fantastic. The local cheese selection was brilliant and when it came to dessert, the tiramisu, fresh fruit and panna cotta were amazing! No hesitation in full marks for the food. Staff were very attentive, friendly and professional easily full marks there. English spoken fluently but your attempts at Italian are appreciated! Prices were reasonable and online with most other places - slightly off the main drag so not premium prices but good quality food. 2 courses for 4 including drinks was just under €160 representing very good value. Overall this place is the best lunch restaurant we have found. It's close to the Colosseum and Forum but most of all, it's fantastic food, and brilliant service. Would certainly be back, and I whole heartedly...

"I had such a terrible experience at this restaurant that I feel compelled to write a review, which is something I don't usually do. I hope that by sharing my experience, I can help others avoid a similar situation. When we arrived, the waiter took a long time to take our order, which may have been due to the restaurant being busy. As vegetarians, we ordered two pizzas - one vegetarian and one burrata cheese pizza. Unfortunately, we didn't enjoy the vegetarian pizza and chose not to finish it. When the waiter asked why we didn't eat it, I was honest and said that I didn't like it. He took this very personally and became hostile towards us. He took 20 minutes to bring us the check and made a rude face when we asked for it. He then took another 20 minutes to bring us the check, even though he passed by our table several times. It seemed like he was trying to punish us for giving negative feedback about the pizza. While some people may have had a good experience at this restaurant, I would advise others to avoid it...