Trattoria Da Enzo al 29 — Restaurant in Rome

When you find yourself standing in a long line just to get into a restaurant, you naturally expect the food to be worth the wait — something unique, unforgettable, something you can’t find anywhere else in the neighborhood, or maybe even in the entire city.

That was exactly the hopeful delusion I was under when, after visiting the Basilica of Santa Cecilia and strolling toward Tiber Island, I spotted a modest crowd forming outside a restaurant. Curious, I asked the last couple in line — lovely Italians — what the fuss was about. “A friend recommended it,” the man said. “She says they cook really well.” Ah yes, the famous una mia amica mi ha detto — the cornerstone of all culinary pilgrimages.

Now, I’m not one for marketing gimmicks or hype. I’ve been burned before — Dubai chocolate, anyone? Beautiful packaging, astronomical prices, and the taste of disappointment. But curiosity won this round, and I got in line like a good little tourist in search of la verità gastronomica.

Eventually, I was seated. The menu looked promising — short, focused, the kind that whispers “we know what we’re doing.” For a starter, I ordered FIORE DI ZUCCA courgette flower stuffed with mozzarella and premium quality Cantabrian anchovies, fried in high quality sunflower seed oil.. What I got was a deep-fried bundle of good intentions wrapped in dough. Unfortunately, the frying process had sucked every last drop of soul from the ingredients, leaving behind a salty anchovy core wrapped in a tasteless, textureless mess of something green and mozzarella that resembled neither this green nor mozzarella. But fine — it was only the beginning. Then came the pasta carbonara. And here, I must be honest: it was good. Really. Properly cooked, plenty of guanciale, rich in fat, generous with cheese, al dente pasta — no complaints. But let’s be real: I’ve had equally good carbonara at places where you don’t need a queue, a reservation, or a devotional chant to get seated. And lower price. Then came the crash. Tiramisu — that humble classic that even mediocre places manage to get right — arrived looking promising. The mascarpone was well-whipped, light, not overly sweet. So far, so good. Then the spoon hit the bottom. Or rather, didn’t. The biscuit layer, which should’ve been soaked in coffee and melt into a creamy dream, was... petrified. Rock hard. Fossilized. Either the dessert had been prepped during the Renaissance and never moistened, or someone simply forgot the coffee. Either way, at this price point, such an oversight is inexcusable. And now — the tragic final act: the coffee. A 40-euro-per-person restaurant, in the heart of Italy, serving capsule coffee. Not espresso. Not anything resembling actual coffee. No aroma. No crema. Just a bitter liquid with the personality of printer toner. That one cup singlehandedly wiped out whatever good impression I still had. So here’s my advice: if you’re thinking of going, think twice. There’s almost certainly a place just around the corner where you’ll eat as well or better, for less, and without the pre-meal pilgrimage. Yes, the ambiance was nice. The service was warm. But in the end, what stays with you is the food — and in this case, what stayed with...

Hello readers, hope you have time because this one is going to be a long one...

So, Didn't know about this place until we saw multiple time that queue in front of it ! As most people we thought "This place must be good right ?"

So we tried to book a table, they don't take reservations, so we read those Google reviews and decided it was worth a try ! We arrive 1h prior to opening, defo recommend doing that if you want to be among the first batch seated when it opens at 7pm.

The service is quick, and reasonably priced...

But let's talk about what we all want to know ?

Is it worth the queue ??? How is the food ?

Well it is ! The food is delicious, the raw products are of great quality and the recipes are mastered. They know what they are doing !

We had as starters : Ricota, fresh and tasty, served with niiiice honey Burata, best I've ever had, and I'm addicted to those so I've tried many many. The fresh basilic and the fresh tomatoes coming with it was the simple but perfect match. So tasty and delicious !

As Pasta course we had : Caccio E Pepe, a must try pasta in Italy, the fresh pasta were very good and the sauce was light but creamy, the pepper is so good, I didn't think a nice pepper could make such a difference. Again, quality ingredients does the trick ! -Carbonara, it's one of the most popular dish they have, every table had some, and we heard all night "those were the best carbonara I've ever tasted" from tables all around. No surprise, it was ! Pastas were amazing, sauce delicious, the permigiano and pepper were the perfecting touch. And that bacon, juicy and tasty, makes you think you missed on bacon your all life.

As Main course we had Abbachio Allo Scottadito, First time I had a that generous portion of lamb chops. Hard to describe how good it is but when you eat it, you just stay silent nodding your head, with an occasional "hmmmm" coming out. Quality meat and perfect cooking. I also think it is the best I ever had.

As deserts we had : Tiramisu, classic but unavoidable, small portions but very good, the mascarpone was most likely home made and delicious, definitely the right way to finish the meal. Mascarpone with wild strawberries, that same delicious home made mascarpone but on its own, tasted even better, the smalls wild strawberries were a blast in the mouth of intense flavour contrasting with the mascarpone. My personal favourite.

Must be one of the most memorable restaurant meal I've done from my many trips around the world. So much of the "best I've ever had" in just one place !

Also, the street is lovely !

No doubt, a must go, delicious and worth it on...

My sister and I were in Trastevere for a wander during our week long stay in Rome mid August. We'd passed Da Enzo Al 29 as we were walking amongst the back streets. As there was nowhere else to eat that seemed worth trying and the restaurant's overall rating was reasonable, we decided we'd give the place the benefit of the doubt. A decision we definitely regretted afterwards.

We approached the staff sculking outside the restaurant. They told us they had no available tables outside, despite these tables all being empty. Then we were ushered inside to a cramped table in a corner by an open window, only a few centimetres awat from another couple. The waiter brought the menus. My sister and I went through their dishes. She found nothing she felt like eating, but since I needed some food we agreed I'd eat and she'd have just a drink.

Ourwaiter came back we informed him politely of decision. He blurted out pushily that he couldn't spare a table for only one. (Note; The restaurant wasn't full at all whilst we were there..). My sister and I conferred together, with him lurking over us,.. impatiently. He then began man-splaining to the couple beside us that; "that he was a man." Some feable attempt to rationalise his absurd actions. The neighbouring couple seemed genuinely bewildered by his pushy attitude and unwelcoming behaviour. It was clear they felt uncomfortable.

We realised that we'd inadvertantly stumbled into a tourist trap. The waiter's only drive was to push us both to eat. We flatly refused his manipulative attempts to this end. I stated politely we'd pay for the bread and water he'd put on the table without asking us and we'd be leaving. He said uppitely we didn't have to pay for anything and marched off in a huff. We took our chance to escape.

A thoroughly unpleasant experience. We entered the place hoping for a good one and left feeling insulted, unwelcome and hungry. *(No the place didn't have a disclaimer saying single diners weren't welcome. Any place that is run in that manner should be avoided anyhow).

A small word of advice to the restaurant; If you dislike diners, non Italians, visitors to Rome, or whoever, so much that you don't wish to have anything to do with them, you shouldn't be running a restaurant since you livelyhood depends upon them. Maybe put a sign up over the door saying; "Don't eat here we're really unpleasant." Save both prospective diners and yourselves the song and dance routine.

Advice to prospective diners considering eating here;...