Ristorante Sant'Anna — Restaurant in Rome

We chose this restaurant because it was off the main/ more touristy street, and were not disappointed. We arrived just after they reopened for dinner (we didn't know that, as there was no signage) so the owner & servers were still trying to get everything ready. The owner even came by to tell us that their kitchen was just warming up so pastas would take longer, but any antipasto would come on time. Their Melanzane all parmigiana (eggplant parmigiana) I think was on the antipasto menu. It was better than what I got from a different restaurant as a Primo (first course) which disappointed me (their cheese was more burnt). I also got Alici Fritta (fried anchovies -- it came as the 2nd course and was a huge portion for 14Euros. Husband got Polipetti Napoletana (stewed baby octopus) and Abbacchio Scottadit (grilled lamb ribs). All were very tasty. As you notice, we're not pasta people. We prefer seafood, which was plentiful...

Sant'Anna, located on a quiet street with the same name, even from the outside looks like a restaurant with some history, and it's exactly that. As we sit and wait for the food to arrive, we're observing hoards of locals of all sizes, shapes and ages to come in, all greeted warmly by the owner, and the experienced waiters moving around between tables like busy bees that know exactly what they're doing. The food is lovely - Roman cuisine is not exactly known for the pizzas but they are great here, delicate yet bursting with distinct, buttery mozarella flavors. The deserts are also magnificent, and perhaps the only thing that wasn't up to our liking was the vino della casa, which simply wasn't our flavor. But it didn't matter one bit. This is the authentic cuisine and warm Italian welcome you come to Italy for, and this is a restaurant that must be preserved, not the tourist...

We were directed here by our hotel. Starters were ok. Prawn cocktail was small prawns but nice enough. Eggplant Parma starter was hot on one side and frozen on other side. Mains were again just ok. Veal saltimboca was ok. But bland. They forgot the sides we ordered. But the kicker was the lasagne that turned up frozen. Literally frozen in the middle. Upon complaining we had a frosty response. Do we want another? Yes my son hasn’t eaten his main. Ok. 35 mins later we got his meal. Hot. But they then tried to charge us for both frozen meals. No customer service. The response when we asked to have both removed from the bill was “difficult table”! I wouldn’t go back. Mainly because of how they handled their poor service. Avoid unless you like your meal frozen or your don’t want...