Taverna Bacchus — Restaurant in Rome

I tried this place on the advice of an American friend who swore it was like his mother’s cooking. I live here so have eaten at many restaurant in the Prati area. Not particularly nicely decorated, could use some updating. Tables outside simply placed on the sidewalk next to the cars.with no dedicated deck. We ordered gnocchi - on a Thursday night which is gnocchi night in Rome. I ordered classic, with tomato sauce - like my Italian grandmother used to make, so I know my gnocchi. My nephew asked if he could have his gnocchi with one of the other sauces they offered for other types of pasta. I ordered - clearly in Italian, which I speak quite well. And red wine by the glass. When the food arrived, the gnocchi appeared to be the brand sold by our corner supermarket just 70 feet away and the tomato sauce tasted out of a jar. For my nephew’s plate, they brought the pasta that came with the sauce and no gnocchi. I asked the server to please change it and to kindly bring what I ordered and she argued with me that I had ordered the dish she brought and she could not change it. So much for customer service. The red wine was barely drinkable and we left just about full glasses as well as most of the food. I have both wine certifications and a diploma from an Italian culinary school, and had two Italian grandmothers, so can safely say that I’m a decent judge of Italian food and wine. I would not go back to this restaurant from a perspective of service, food or ambiance. There’s so many better places nearby and I can cook far...

Yes. Yes. Yes. Make the stop. We walked into the restaurant shortly after opening and the kind gentleman who treated us immediately walked back to the kitchen to cook for us, we knew we’d found a gem. The very kind woman who took our orders and served us was so patiently and helpful through our language barrier. We started with bruschetta and mozzarella with pomodoros; it had the perfect amount of herbs and salt to bring out the full flavor of the cheese and tomatoes. My brother and I order the gnocchi with was pillowy soft, it sauce was fresh with a complimentary consistency. My son had the meatballs and is still raving about them to everyone he talks about. The limoncello seemed homemade and was the best we had on our trip.

DO NOT SKIP DESSERT - who ever made them did so with love. The lemon cake was perfectly moist and was amazing. The lemon sorbet to was easily the best I have ever had in my entire life. We order four different options, one for each of us, and I honestly couldn’t tell you which was better. The cannoli cream fluffy and light but rich. The tiramisu was the best in Italy. I repeat, do not...

Let's start with the elephant in the room 🐘: The place is very small and quite quaint. It's very clean though.

The food is very good. Is it the best Italian food in Rome? Probably not. But it's good, despite what some of the reviews are saying. Everything my wife and I had, we enjoyed. Would a larger wine menu be good? ABSOLUTELY.

One negative review mentioned price. I considered it fair based on our economy. Can you get more for the same price at a larger restaurant? Yes. Larger businesses always get volume discounts. That's basic business math. I got exactly what I expected.

Here's where Tavern Bacchus shines: SERVICE! In my limited time in Rome, I received mostly indifferent service. Not the case here. Everyone here treats every customer with kindness and respect. It was BY FAR the best service I've received in Italy!

Summary: if you want good food, at a fair price, with GREAT SERVICE, come here. If you want a ton of food at a cheap price with a long wine list and bad service,...