Trattoria da Paolo — Restaurant in Rome

VERY RUDE SERVICE, MOCK TOURISTS, CREDIT CARD SNATCHED FROM MY HAND TO OVERCHARGE US. PRICES ALL MADE UP ON SPOT. Do not visit here. Locals and Tourists treated poorly.

After visiting nearby flea market, i quickly googled for a restaurant however did not read reviews which i usually do and now wish i had. We were sat down, given no menu and served by a lady with blonde hair who only spoke italian, we told her we spoke no italian (side note ; we do use a online translator and try meet halfway with language barrier) she contined speaking italian and as other reviews say "barked at us" , asked if wanted water and we were then bought a open white wine bottle and water. (From other reviews, they do this a lot with the wine)

We didnt get to choose our meal, she said lasagane and ravioli repeatedly to us and thats what we got. We told them we dont want the wine and they said "no pay". And wouldnt take it away.

As we waited on our forced food options, we witnessed the same thing happen to a couple next to us who spoke english, the same waitress with blonde hair approached them saying the same thing and they struggled saying, No we dont want that food, we want to order our own thing.

Food arrived , ravioli very small portion and lasagne was cold. Also a portion of bread appeared when we had said no to antipasto or any of that.

I took in the lasagne to be warmed up (spoke to a different waiter) and they did so. The original waitress with blonde hair walked past our table and signalled to us to say where is lasagne gone.. i then said cold / freddo  (tried using italian) and she walked off laughing and we are 100% certain making fun of us to other customers as i heard her saying cold and looking at us.

We reluctantly finished meals, feeling very very uncomfortable. Walked inside and the blonde hair waitress comes in and meets us and we ask her if we can pay , she brings out a paper and pen and again  shouts at us our order and writes it down with other things we didnt have. Our meals were 9 euro each (only 2 meals) and it came to 30 euros.  I told her no and tried translating the issue, she started scoffing and throwing her hands up in the air , she took our credit card from my hand and walked to the cash register and put our card in the eftpos machine which i followed her and grabbed it out as we were not going to be charged that much. This seemed to upset her even though it was completley wrong of her to do that.

She calls out to another waiter who seemed to understand english a bit more  , he crossed off something from the "bill" and said 28 euros , i said no we didnt order wine or bread , as i was speaking to him the blonde hair lady pushes past me , more like shoves into my arm and storms outside. I should have left at this point.

We end up paying 22 euros.  4 euros extra on water i guess.... Absolutley terrible experience. Even without all of the unfair treatment, we have had much better food in other restaurants...

We were tempted by this restaurant located on a less touristy street corner. Surprised to see so many locals eating there, I expected a culinary experience worthy of Italy's reputation. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The service was somewhat pushy, strongly recommending the most expensive dish on the menu. The vegetables served were overcooked, reduced to a tasteless mush. Even the olive oil, which is supposed to be delightful in Italy, was bland. When we expressed our dissatisfaction to the waiter (who suddenly didn't understand English anymore), and then to the owner, our criticism was not well received.

The ricotta ravioli was another disappointment: watery and overly salty tomato sauce, and the ravioli edges were undercooked and dry. Although homemade, we ended up missing the ones from the supermarket. My partner chose the lamb, supposedly the best dish on the menu, but again, the cooking was poor, making the meat too tough.

In conclusion, we spent 44 euros for two glasses of white wine and a disappointing experience. After eating deliciously everywhere else during our trip, this first restaurant in Rome was a big letdown.

I do not recommend...

Severely underrated place. Appearances can be deceiving with empty tables and modest decor. The food, though, was the best we had in Rome after two days of frequenting 4.5+ star places. Delicious gnocci bolognaise and perfectly cooked fettuccine and artichoke. For desert, although a bit overpriced, we were recommended the tiramisu, which was at the same level of the main courses. Quantities are a bit less than usual but very satisfying, just the right ammount for a slim guy. Don't expect great looks, just top food and a service that makes you feel like you went back to your grandparets' house in the countryside.

After reading bad reviews talking about the pushy waiter Simone and the owner, i have to say: if you don't want to be surprised, ask the price before accepting. Deserts are a bit expensive (worth the price imo), but that's how restaurants make the biggest margins, just be aware of that. And what some call pushy, i'd call easy-going: they treat you like a person who can talk back if you are not comfortable, not a reviewer. And the meals are 11-14€, priced like medium-cheap but tasting like...