Antica Roma 🇮🇹 Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

Antica Roma was a lovely Italian restaurant near downtown temple square in SLC. Very authentic feeling atmosphere, with darling little tables for two in the front and family sized seating in the back. The decor was cozy, with a large screen tv highlighting beautiful videography and photography of famous Italian sites, which I personally loved as it brought back memories of Italia. The restaurant itself felt like an evening in Italy, especially when complimented with romantic music and Italian accents coming from the kitchen. 🌟 In my opinion, when the cheerful boisterous chef speaks better Italian than English and welcomes you to his country personally as you sit down to dine, you know the food is going to be good... And it was! Toasted Bruschetta with freshly diced tomatoes was first served as a free starter, and later came buttery garlic bread with vinegar and olive oil for dipping, which was refilled plentifully. As our appetizer, we enjoyed a delectable Caprese, with thick tomato slices layered with soft creamy homemade goat cheese drizzled in dark vinaigrette served over crisp salad greens. 🌟 Chef Roberto welcomed us personally and highlighted menu favorites, delighting us with his Italian family history and love of cooking. He grew up only a few miles from the creation of Pesto itself and recommended his homemade PESTO Sauce, a family tradition. Upon request, He even created a custom seafood dish, combining gently seared mussles and shrimp complemented with a spicy Pescatora white wine sauce. I appreciated that it was easy to mix a choice of sauces with a variety of pasta options to customize a favorite dish. I especially enjoyed the various selections of homemade ravioli, including: cheese, spinach, butternut squash, mushroom, lobster and more! 🌟 Our favorite dishes, however, were the two highly recommended homemade sauces- the famous family green PESTO Sauce poured over cheesy tortellini and an incredibly authentic thick and creamy Red Sauce called BUCATINI AMATRICIANA! This unique red sauce is a culmination of blended cheeses, tomato and savory herbs, poured over pasta made to perfection: a true Italian favorite! The Pesto Sauce was my personal favorite, with flavorful cheeses blended in a harmonious bliss of creamy herbs. These two dishes were by far the most delectable and enticing meals of the evening! Both Absolutely Delicious and a delight to enjoy! 🌟 The friendly environment and genuine nature of chef Roberto and his staff created a Family Friendly dining atmosphere. One could pay much more per plate in search of the perfect Italian Caprese, and if you prefer fine dining in dim lights for a romantic evening of expense, this restaurant is not for you, although the quality of the food itself is delicious. We chose this restaurant in search of a more relaxed Italian experience, delicious dining, and a price range feasible enough to share with the whole family and we were not disappointed! In fact, I would say Antica Roma is the perfect True Italian dining experience for families to enjoy together. The friendly relaxed atmosphere, genuine dishes and favorable price point created a wonderful dining experience that we felt comfortable brining our children along to enjoy! I may also mention the dessert we tried, which was a COFFEE- FREE version of Tiramisu! Again, making this restaurant a wonderful experience for the whole family. I will say if this restaurant can get the Gelato available again, the menu will be more well rounded for dessert options, making a more complete Italian experience possible... But maybe that's just me. I always adore a good Gelato! :) If you are in search of delicious food, or authentic Italian dining on a family friendly price point, this restaurant can't be missed! I know we will return again for the delectable homemade lobster ravioli, fresh pesto sauce and true...

Disappointed despite the great reviews

We went to Antica Roma based on its strong Google reviews, but honestly, the experience left us disappointed.

We ordered the antipasti plate, and what we got didn’t look anything like the picture on the menu. That already threw us off. But then, while we were still eating it, the main dish arrived. I flagged this to the waiter who, to be fair, was polite and professional throughout.

The manager came over to ask for feedback, which I appreciated… at first. I started by mentioning the mismatch between the antipasti plate and the menu photo, and that I wasn’t happy with the timing of the courses. But before I could even explain, he jumped in, saying all his food comes from Italy. I never questioned that. He went on a long rant about supply issues, his 20 years of experience in Italy, and so on — none of which had anything to do with my actual concern. It felt like he just wasn’t open to hearing any feedback.

For context, I’m European and spend a lot of time in Italy. There, you eat your antipasti, and only after that comes the main. That was my main complaint, which I struggled to even get across because of how defensive he was.

The main dish itself was okay, nothing memorable. At the end of the meal, the waiter told us we didn’t have to pay because we were unhappy. A generous gesture but to be honest, I would’ve preferred just being listened to and treated with a bit more respect. The manager never told us the meal was comped, we only found out at the end, and insisted on paying for everything except the antipasti.

Some smaller things also stood out: • No prosecco on the menu, which surprised me (we asked for prosecco as aperitif) • No sign of an Italian espresso machine (maybe it was there, but not visible). • We ordered San Pellegrino Aranciata Rossa, and it came in a glass with no can or bottle , looked like it came from a soda gun, which is not how it’s served in Italy.

Lastly, I felt the prices were really high for what we got. Sure, it’s Main Street, but the ambiance and quality didn’t justify it.

Overall, the food wasn’t terrible, but the experience was uncomfortable and disappointing. Based on everything, I don’t think it deserves the rating it currently has.

update I believe the response from the owner is a good example that he is not open for any criticism. I won’t go in details on the lies and inconsistencies but where I thought a 2-star was still in place, I downgraded it now to a 1-star review. Recommendation for all, read the lowest...

We saw the reviews and were excited to share a dinner here, but the experience was extremely bad. Highlights of how bad include: the waiter spilled about a quarter cup of steaming hot sauce on a guest while delivering a dinner; an exclusion due to allergies was initially overlooked; and one guest’s dinner arrived about an hour after everyone else’s. The menu is relatively small (pastas with various sauce options plus maybe 6 entrees), so one might think they focus on what works and deliver great food. Not so. Everything was overcooked and over-sauced. Noodles were mushy and sticking together, swimming in a soup of sauce. Chicken nuggets with kids meals were inedible hockey pucks, difficult even to cut with a knife, let alone chew. The aforementioned sauce spilled on a guest came from a meat/mushroom dish where the meager meat portion was almost impossible to find in a sea of brown sauce overflowing a plate of mushrooms. The late-arriving dinner (which came well after 9 for our table seated at 7:30, with no appetizers) was particularly frustrating, and there was no attempt at an explanation for what could be going on despite many inquiries.

On top of all of the above, the food was overpriced. Lackluster, over-sauced Italian entrées mostly priced around $35 and up. The place was mostly empty on a Friday night despite apparently positive reviews, and I can see why.

To our server’s credit, he did comp the entree that came an hour later than the others and the salad that was delivered 30 minutes after all of the entrées (other than that super-late entrée). And he seemed to be trying. On the other hand, he didn’t seem to know the difference between spaghetti and fettuccine at an Italian restaurant whose menu is about 80% pasta.

I would not return for...