My husband and I recently dined at da Enzo, a popular "word of mouth" restaurant in Rome that had quite a bit of hype. We arrived at 18:15, hoping to secure a table when they opened at 19:00. Unfortunately, we faced a long wait of about two hours and were seated at 20:17.
While waiting, we appreciated the option to order Aperol Spritz, which was a nice touch. However, the service during our wait left much to be desired. Despite informing the staff multiple times that they had skipped over us, we found ourselves overlooked repeatedly. Just 20 minutes before our seating, the staff mentioned we could order drinks only when seated, which felt frustrating given the long wait.
Once seated, we faced additional inconveniences. The burrata, part of the special, came without bread, which was a letdown. We ordered bread separately. Additionally, we were surprised to find that tap water cost €2.50. The restroom, which had a leaky water basin, was another small disappointment, please beware of it dripping on your hair.
Now, onto the food. We were seated inside, which was actually fun as it allowed us to continue our conversation from the line with the people who were seated in front of us in the line. My husband ordered the amatriciana, and I chose the special, a spicy spaghetti pasta. The burrata was enjoyable, though not quite worth the €14 price. The amatriciana was decent, similar to other pasta dishes we've had in Rome. However, the special was a major letdown. It tasted like canned spaghetti, think chef boyardee, and did not meet our expectations. I had to send it back, and commendably, the staff replaced it without charge. I then opted for the amatriciana, which was a better choice.
Our experience was marred by a mix of poor service before hand, high expectations, and mediocre food. We also overheard complaints from neighboring tables, who had similarly disappointing experiences. Overall, da Enzo did not live up to its reputation and, despite the hype, might not be worth the lengthy wait. While not the worst dining experience in Rome, there are definitely better options available. read more