Ristorante Mazzè — Restaurant in Rome

I really can’t recommend Mazze enough!!! We traveled around Italy for 10 days and Mazze was BY FAR the best, most authentic experience we had, and could ever ask for. Yes, the food was amazing, we loved it so much we came back a second night. But the thing that truly drew us in, the driving force behind this review was neither the food, nor the (absolutely gorgeous) atmosphere, but the people. Giovanni, our waiter, gave us the most memorable and most stand out experience of our entire trip. We have been all over Southern Italy, and while every moment has been special in its own way, Giovanni truly embodied what we (as foreigners) always wished for, someone who would meet us where we were at, and take the time to provide us with an experience that enriches and satisfies not just our pallets, but our souls. After the second night walking away from this establishment, I couldn’t help but ruminate on a time in the states, when I had an experience such as I had on my last two nights in Italy at Mazze, and the answer is, I never have. There is something truly special about the experience me and my family had, and it is one that you don’t get in your home country, it is one completely born out of nothing but kindness. A choice that the server makes to treat you to something magical, an investment into your (the diners) happiness, despite your cultural differences and the fact that you may never get to return. They make a choice, to treat you like family. Giovanni and the entire staff at Mazze showed us the kind of love that Italy is known for, but that is often illusive in a city where rude tourists and rushed encounters make it difficult to forge true connection. Instead, they take their time, they show you love, and respect and hospitality, and all you need to do, is sit back and enjoy, savor the special moments and be grateful. Please do yourself the favor of going to Mazze, ask for Giovanni, tell him that Erin sent you (it may make him smile) and then prepare yourself for one of those meals, where you walk away already thinking about what you need to do to make it happen again, and being so thankful that you read a review and...

Let me start by saying that it saddens me to leave this review, as we were recommended this restaurant by a lovely woman who worked at an amazing hotel we stayed at in Tuscany. And I rarely (if ever) leave negative reviews. But I have to be honest and say that this was the worst restaurant experience I’ve had in Italy, having been to almost a dozen cities now.

To be fair, the food was OK (note: not great, but OK). So if you’re looking for a not terrible meal, and don’t mind waiting for up to an hour for your food, I guess this place is still an option.

But for us, waiting 45 minutes for 2 plates of Pasta alla Gricia is simply unacceptable. I can make it myself at home from scratch in about 20-25 minutes. However, this wasn’t the only – or worst – part of the experience. The worst part was the service. We did not have a reservation, but the place was at ~50% capacity when we got there and didn’t fill up by the time we left, so I don’t really see that as a reason for the rude attitude we were met with. We were treated like an inconvenience, not offered any bread (other tables were given chips/bread upon arrival) despite our long wait, and the few times that the waiter paid us any attention he was sulky and rude. When I finally asked about the status of our food – after about 30 minutes – he said it would be out in a few minutes (it wasn’t!), and that we would be given a special price because of the long wait (we weren’t!). But he did pour some extra wine in my partner’s glass, as he looked away and then handed us the bill.

The only nice treatment we were met with was when the maître – Luca/Lucca (who the person that recommended us this restaurant had told us about) – finally brought out our food after 45 minutes, with a smile. Unfortunately, this didn’t make up for the otherwise dreadful experience at Mazzè. But we love Italy, and Rome, so we’re choosing to put this sad experience behind us and continue visiting all the other amazing restaurants that this city has to offer. In Trastevere, I can recommend Otello and Tonnarello, who both make amazing pasta – in a timely manner, and with...

First I should point out that the food was very good. We had a very negative service experience. First, we ordered two appetizers and two pasta dishes. Our waiter came back once to double check on what we ordered. The pasta showed up promptly, but no appetizer. Then, we ordered a bottle of Chianti Classico, but the waiter delivered a bottle of Chianti, and his hand was covering part of the label so we did not realize this until it was poured. We thought the wine was fine, even though it was not what we ordered, so just pointed this out and asked for an adjustment so we were not billed for something we did not receive. When we pointed out that we had ordered appetizers but didn’t receive them, the waiter offered to bring them-after our main course. We declined. The pasta we were served was very good- Cacio y Pepe and lasagne. We decided dessert would be too complicated for our service staff, so we just asked for the bill. The bill properly credited us on the wine, but also included one of the appetizers we never received. It also included a cover charge of 2 euro each, which the menu said was for “bread and cover.” But we never received or were offered any bread. We pointed out both of these things and the waiter did not remove the cover, and also brought us back a “revised” bill that still included the missing appetizer. Finally after the second revision it was correct so we could pay and get out of there. I can definitely see that if the service were adequate this would have been a very different situation with a much...