Sugo — Restaurant in Rome

Food is meh and service is horrible. Only redeeming quality about this restaurant: central location Food: carbonara is fine, not out of the world but edible. Our tour guide recommended this place for its seafood so we ordered two seafood dishes, both are a disaster. Seafood pizza - good pizza and sauce, seafood is not fresh at all and you can taste it. We also ordered seafood salad that we had to return. The salad had mussels, shrimp, and calamari, and none of those were fresh. I told the server to please return this or at least ask the chef if they had fresher ones. The server responded along the lines of “we serve this dish everyday to lots of people, why are you the only one complaining”. We had to return this after what he said. Service: horrendous. The server reluctantly returned our dish and brought the bill to us. He then told us the bill did not include tip and asked how much we’d like to tip him in a very aggressive tone. He then suggested that I tip “3 euro” according to the menu so I said fine I’ll tip three euro (although I was never asked to tip in Europe as it’s not customary). The server was visibly not happy. He brought back the bill and THERW our card onto the table. I was appalled. He then told me very loudly he did not charge the tip as I seemed unhappy but he doesn’t understand why, in a raised voice and other tables started looking over. He doesn’t understand why we were unhappy?

As we were walking out, he was still going on about why I was unhappy and didn’t tip him. So I told him that by his way of acting, he should know why I didn’t feel happy about his service. He literally chased us across the street to continue harassing us about why we did not tip him. He didn’t stop until his colleague came out to check on the situation.

Extremely unhinged server with disappointing food. Don’t come unless you want to be forced to tip and get chased...

Location: Steps away from the famed Spanish Steps, convenient for tourists exploring Rome.

Food: • Pizza: While serviceable, the pizza leaned on the disappointing side. The sauce pooled into soupy patches, and the dough was rubbery and overly chewy. Flavor-wise, it came across as bland. • Pasta: A far more enjoyable dish. The clam pasta carried a bold, briny depth, with a thick and satisfying base that left a more lasting impression.

Service: Polite on the surface, but marred by an uncomfortable insistence on tipping. The waiter not only highlighted the absence of gratuity on the bill but also followed the guest inside to ensure a tip was added. The pressure was palpable, and the approach seemed disproportionately directed at English-speaking (and particularly American) patrons.

Pros: • Convenient location for tourists in central Rome. • Pasta dish exceeded expectations with authentic flavors. • Service time was prompt, with dishes arriving in a reasonable window.

Cons: • Heavy-handed pressure on tipping created an unwelcome atmosphere. • Pizza execution fell short in both texture and flavor. • Inconsistent treatment among guests, with English speakers singled out.

Verdict: This trattoria fulfills the role of a tourist-friendly stop: decent food, efficient service, and unbeatable location. Yet, the forced gratuity dance leaves a bitter aftertaste, overshadowing what could have been a straightforward dining experience. If you’re nearby and craving pasta, it’s worth a visit—but pizza lovers, and those averse to awkward tipping encounters, may want to...

IF YOU ARE BY A MIRACLE READING THIS REVIEW BEFORE DECIDING TO EAT THERE - DO NOT. That is going to save your time and money.

First - My pizza was jest pre-heated up because I got it literally 3 minutes after making an order. The person I went there with got her order after 15 minutes so we were waiting there whole time just to start eating together. But when we finally got it - horrible is least I can say. Calozne pizza looked worse than anything. Half of it was just stale pizza dough without any ingredients. What's more - it was burnt. We were not satsfied with this and told the waiter we won't pay for it and to make another one. He started literally yelling at us (while of course trying to hide it due to many people around which was just making it worse). After like ten minutes they took it away. We though that it's gone but of course they put it in a take away without telling us just so we had to pay for it. I went to speak with manager about it. The waiter started to speak with manager in italian just so I could not fully understand which is just pathetic. I told them to speak in engilsh while we are all here. The manager put that calzone down in payment and that was the only good thing about this place. The manager seemed to be not okay with it after telling him that we are absolutely not satisfied with this order. Leaving this place was a pleasure. Atmosphere itself was not bad but this place does not deserve anything more than 1 star. Drinks came...