Trattoria Da Valentino — Restaurant in Rome

Well. I don't know why this restaurant has a score of 4.3 on Google Maps. We went there because of this score but the meal was quite a disappointment.

The restaurant was not busy, that was probably a sign. We probably also should not have ordered these two dishes: Piccatina di vitello al limone and Bistecca di lombo alla grilia. They are actually veal escalope with lemon sauce and a sirloin steak. As you can see, the portion is quite small even though the price looks fair. The sirloin steak was edible, but the veal escalope just tasted weird. The lemon sauce was bitter and it did not have any added value for this dish. We were also expecting the veal escalope to be a grilled or pan fried steak. But it turned out to be a boiled piece of beef covered in starch. Basically, I just don't understand why this dish even exists on our planet. The salad has no dressing, but that's probably an Italian thing? We don't really know.

Perhaps we were reading too much into it but even the other customers didn't look like they were enjoying their food, even though they ordered simple Italian food such as Bruschetta al pomdoro and some pasta. Everyone was eating in silence with a stoic look on their faces. The couple sitting next to our table were not able to finish their carbonara, and they looked like they gave up eating after merely a few bites.

The sad thing is, the owner actually looks quite nice and friendly. But problems can be easily spotted. For one, they have a menu way too big for a small restaurant like this. Even though they try to keep the price low, I can imagine that they cut down the portion because of the struggle with the expenses for the ingredients they need to prepare in advance. It appears to me that this restaurant can be a case for Gordon Ramsay for...

I have been coming here for 30 years and the restaurant been through different changes, but it seems to be back to its original self now. For many years, it was a local, rather unknown restaurant that was appreciated for having incredibly good food and low prices. Then, about eight years ago a food critic, from one of the Rome newspapers, declared that this was the best restaurant in Rome, and it probably was. After that review, the place became jammed with people. All the trendies and all the hipsters showed up there. And the food went way down as they redid the interior to a more modern white walled look. The hype died down and now it’s back to being its normal self without the white tablecloths and all the things that went with being the best restaurant in Rome. The food is excellent and very low prices for Rome. One of the few places you can still get a pasta appetizer and then the main course because the main course plates are small and only $11. I highly recommend this restaurant,...

Awful service 👎🏻

I was full when I decided to try aperol. I chose the nearest restaurant which turned out to be absolutely empty. I made an order and asked for Wi-Fi password. A young waiter brought a small half-empty glass with aperol and asked if I would order. I answered that I was not hungry. They he said that he wouldn’t give me Wi-Fi password. I was shocked with this pure impudence and rudeness and asked for the bill. He brought me a piece of paper where he wrote “8 euro” by hand. I paid without objections and demanded a true cash receipt. My good mood was ruined, I paid for a half-empty glass which wasn’t worth that much money and I faced with some kind of exaction like “You won’t get Wi-Fi password if you don’t order the main dish”. I’m against such a way of raising the average check. Now I understand why this restaurant was absolutely empty even on Sunday evening. P.S. I was there in...