Felice a Testaccio

This restaurant is well worth this visit. Be sure to go more than once, but on different days: they have a great variety of dishes. Reasonable prices and good service.

Like the last couple reviews that came in a couple weeks back, I have to down-​vote this place.
Disclaimer: we didn’t actually get a seat so this review is purely about my abrupt experience and some comments. If you’re looking for a menu review, please move on.
When I walked into the place to ask for a seat for two, the old man at the counter said what I believe was «we’re booked», in Italian. Funny thing is, there was at least ¹⁄₃ of the place that was wide open, and NO ONE standing outside waiting on their table to be ready. To be fair, as we chilled outside, trying to figure out what we were going to do as another lunch option, we did see two groups of around 2 – 3 people go in after us, and not come back out, indicating that they must’ve gotten a table. Those groups were both native Italians though, and again, there were at least 6 – 8 tables that were wide open as we waited there for 10 minutes trying to see where the mass of people that were waiting for their reservation. Super disappointing.
On to my comments. So I did a little research on the place (i.e. checked out their web site), and admittedly, this place has a gimmick to it, where even the original owner would reject bunches of people even as his tables sat empty. This, plus previous reviews, and the price tag as stated here on Unilocal (three €), lead me to believe this place is doing pretty well for itself, and therefore has every right to decide who/​who not to serve.
However, as it’s their right to decide who/​who not to serve so is it my right to let other’s know to avoid a place that perpetuates such a gimmick, which clearly places its own pride before customer service. Every other place in Rome so far has been accommodating to foreigners, and even appreciates that we try and speak what meager Italian we know.
Instead of wasting any more energy about this place, I would submit the uniqueness and friendliness of a place a few blocks away from here called Trapizzio. Their food and service are a hidden gem in this district of Rome. However, if you choose to proceed to Felice, just know you’re rolling the dice. Ciao!

Dear fellow travelers. This is the wrong place for a «true» Italian experience. I came here with very high hopes and was throughly let down. The service was below average with a sprinkle of I DGAF about you. No explanation of the menu, no informative info about the wine list. Nothing. Cold, mean servers that were not interested in helping you at all. Half of the items I ordered they were «out». Two pastas. Carbonara and cacio y Pepe. Carbonara was gummy and the sauce was «broken» cacio y Pepe was delicious but not worth the rest of the crap we had to put up with. Do yourself a favor and move on to other restaurants on your list.

If you want to be shouted at by a dour, humorless hostess that there are no tables (when there clearly are) definitely go eat here. Or don’t.

Oh my god. The best Italian meal I ever had. The Caccio e Pepe pasta and the lamb shoulder with roast potatoes were just incredible! A great bottle of Chianti helped to wash it all down! Da Felice is on an unassuming corner in Testaccio since 1936 doing beautiful work. The people working there know what they have and make your meal an event to remember. Just go…

This place had such high reviews I was really excited to visit. Also I really liked the look and feel of it once we arrived, so that just doubled my pre-​meal excitement. On the plus side, our server was very nice and gracious. The two stars are mainly for the food. I’m a big fatty and was super excited to be in Italy, so I got 2 pastas! The cacio e pepe and the amatriciana. Both were just so so, nothing blew me over at all. My boyfriend ordered a different pasta dish (I can’t recall the name) and his was close to inedible, it was just drowning in oil. We did enjoy our wine and I thought my boyfriend’s breaded veal was pretty good, but again nothing that stood out. I was also disappointed that many things on the menu were not available that night, including Roman style artichokes, which I was dying to try in Rome! All in all I’ve had much better pasta here in NY sadly, but I will give 2 stars for very nice service and cute ambiance.

This was one of the best meals I had while in Italy. The restaurant is very popular, and rightfully so, so I highly suggest making reservations.
Everything we ordered was beyond delicious and the wines were inexpensive and our waiter was extremely helpful. If you do visit the restaurant, the cacio e pepe and the tiramisu is a MUST!

The pictures of meatballs, limoncello and Cacio e Pepe are steering you astray, as are the reviews, from misguided tourists. Here, finally, the secondi stands up to the pasta — especially, the lamb, served almost like Porchetta with plenty of rosemary and the saltimbocca. Skip the Cacio and try the amatricianna. Wine list was very nice without being too overwhelming. Perhaps the best trattoria in Rome.

Best cacio e pepe I’ve ever had. You cannot miss this place if you have the pleasure and luck of visiting Rome !

2.5 stars.
Despite the great reviews, DH and I thought Da Felice was just mediocre. We came on a Friday night but since we didn’t have a reservation and they were fully booked, we made a reservation for Saturday at 7PM. When we arrived, we were the first and only table, and were seated immediately. Service was neither great nor bad, but our waiter didn’t tell us they had any specials or we certainly would’ve ordered one of them. Also, when we inquired about the seasonal vegetables, he only told us there was one kind (and we heard from the table next to us, who had a different waiter, that there were 4 – 5 different vegetables). We ordered the popular cacio e pepe, which was essentially just pasta with cheese with minimal to no pepper taste. We also ordered the T-​bone steak which was pretty decent except that it was undercooked for medium. The redeeming factor was the tiramisu mousse which included bits of what tasted like shortcake/​biscotti. The mousse also had very rich chocolate fudge without being too sweet. Overall, it was an ok meal but definitely overrated and nothing to rave about.

This place is absolutely amazing! It’s pretty small so make sure you make a reservation (you can call or email). Make sure you order cacio e pepe (pasta with cheese and pepper) which I think comes as a side dish — I have yet to find another place that compares. Most importantly it’s not touristy at all which is a nice break after all day of sightseeing. If I could give 6 stars I would!

OMG. So good.
The mozzarella appetizer was possibly the best mozzarella we had in 5 days of culinary adventures.
The tonnarelli cacio e pepe (pepper and cheese) was amazing! It’s what earned them their Zagat review in 2014 — but more importantly, they’ve found a way to make pepper not so overwhelming and it’s delicious!
Highly recommended by locals.
You MUST make a reservation before going.

Experience parfaite! Diner tard sans reservation, ils ont reussi a nous trouver une table, un service impeccable, cuisine succulente, belle carte de vin, prix raisonnable, aucune arnaque! Belle soirée, le decors est superbe, moderne et authentique.

My husband and I were traveling through Rome a few weeks ago and decided to stop for one last nice Italian meal before our flight home. We stumbled upon his place because we were staying at a place across the street. We were glad they could seat us without a reservation, however, our experience was not pleasant.
First off, we were seated in what my husband called the «foreigner corner». The couples around us we could tell were also not from the area. Our waiter was incredibly rude and made us feel terrible so many times. My husband and I were so uncomfortable and anxious to get out of there from the minute we sat down. We weren’t very hungry so we each ordered the artichoke bacon fetticini and the waiter gave us a hard time about not ordering a «meat» with our pasta. I know that’s how Italians normally eat but we can’t eat that much and I hate wasting food! Then he gave us a hard time about not ordering a bottle of wine. He made us feel so bad that my husband agreed to order a glass of wine which we were still given a hard time about and he couldn’t believe that I just wanted water.
Then, I started getting full and was worried about not finishing my plate so I switched plates with my husband so he could work on my portion for a bit. Well, my plate was empty and my husband tried to finish mine but left maybe 1 or 2 bites and when he went up to pay the check the waiter came and asked me if my husband didn’t like his dish. I tried to explain that we were full and that it was good but he wasn’t listening.
The tiramisu sounded so good and I wanted to get it but we were both so anxious to get out of that horrible experience.
Overall, if you aren’t a native Italian I wouldn’t recommend wasting your time and money here because it wasn’t a fun experience at all!

Con otra aplicación parecida a Unilocal vi buenos comentarios de este lugar, cercano al hotel donde pernoctaba.
Es el mejor lugar para comer pasta que he probado en Roma. Recomiendo pedir un plato de pasta, bebida y postre. No recomiendo tomar la «escalopa» porque es muy cara y nos la sirvieron un poco seca.
Para el plato de pasta, recomiendo fervientemente que sea «cacio e pepe» y para el postre el tiramisú.
La atención del camarero, que había trabajado en Barcelona, un 10.

I was told this place was fab. Didn’t have a reservation and they turned us away. Sunday afternoon and we were on a scooter in the area. Its far from anything touristy and very residential. Turning away strangers is common in the area if you have no reservation. All tables at the time were open too.

It was very nice that the owner was able to squeeze us in without reservations.
We ordered 2 linguini, beef with tomato sauce and spaghetti. Food overall was ok. However, the waiter stated that several of the items on the menu were not available. My auntie wanted to order spaghetti with clams but was told that only shrimp was available. When her spaghetti with shrimp dish came out there was only 1 shrimp in the entire dish along with hair.
The waiter was aggressive and pushy in recommending an appetizer of fried and grilled fish for our table. The appetizer came out after our main course and was the best part of our meal. However, we felt mislead as the price of the appetizer was 60 euros and cost as much as our meal.
We would suggest going to Roman restaurants where the locals eat. Essenziale in the Travastere district was a homey authentic Italian experience with less tourists and more locals. Better value for your money then this restaurant.

J’ai connu ce restaurant du temps ou Felice himself assurait le service. Depuis, l’établissement a fait peau neuve avec succès voici quelques années déja. Dans la quartier du Testaccio, ancien quartier des abattoirs, loin du centre et des foules de touristes, ce restaurant fait partie de mes «cantines» a Rome. Chacune de mes visites dans la ville éternelle est obligatoirement ponctuée par un visite chez «Da Felice». Comme un pélerinage. La «coda alla vaccinara”(a la carte le jeudi) est une vraie tuerie, mais également les tonarelli cacio e pepe, spécialité de la maison, le stracotto di manzo et les mezzemaniche alla gricia. Les carciofi sont d’un fondant inégalé. Les suggestions varient tous les jours, consultez donc le site internet. Vu le succès, la réservation est obligatoire.

Throughout the dinner, the word «yum» was uttered several hundred times, and «mmm» a few more. The meal was an excuse for old friends to catch up and talk about life and life-​related things, but every other statement was interjected with a sentence about how tasty the pasta/​lamb/​dessert was.
I came for the pasta, as I was told I had not yet lived since I hadn’t experienced the cacio e pepe. It was good, very good. I found the artichoke and fettuccine to be even better — a fantastic blend of flavors with the pasta cooked to perfection. We then proceeded to the next phase of our journey of fried lamb/​fried zucchini and the roasted lamb with potatoes. Words cannot do justice how well the meat was prepared and how absolutely amazing the taste was. We decided to end the night with one of the enticing desserts on display. I chose the tiramisu and don’t mean to frighten you but it changed my life. I think I’m a better person now because of it.

Notre meilleure expérience culinaire Romaine!
Nous avons pu goûter la spécialité de la maison: les fameuses Cacio e pepe (spaghetti au pecorino et poivre noir) qui furent délicieuses ainsi que les ravioli à la Felice (ravioli garnies de ricotta et d’épinards avec une sauce à la menthe, origan, basilic, ail, tomates cerises et pecorino). Honnêtement je né pense pas avoir mangé meilleurs ravioli de toute ma vie !
Quant au dessert, une valeur sûre: le tiramisu, bien qu’un peu trop lourd fut très bon.
Le service fut agréable et attentif.

Make sure to make a stop here whenever you are in rome, this place has the best food ever. Pricey but worth it. Not your run of the mill touristy pasta and pizza place.
I loved the tiramisu.

Our first meal in Roma, it was packed with locals at 2pm and we waited only 20 min to get a seat. Was still nearly full at 330pm.
Generally food was 4.2 stars, slightly above 4.
Ordered the Cacio e Pepe. Absolutely delicious, we gobbled it down piping hot. So rich and creamy.
Amitriciana, Bacon and egg carbonara was average, nothing special.
Artichokes roman style. Mmmm delicious.
Fried lamb was pathetic. Waiter should have warned us. I mean it SUCKED. They has run out of roasted lamb.
Florentine t-​bone, well-​seasoned but slightly overdone for medium rare though.
Veal escalops, very good.
Involtini de manzo, beef rolls in tomato sauce were quite homey, nothing fancy. Decent quality though.
Go if you’re in the area.

Enfin un restaurant non touristique à Rome, on à mis du temps pour le trouver et on est vraiment pas déçu. Vous trouverez quasiment que des Romains ou Italiens autour de vous, c’est un bon signe ! Il faut réserver pour éviter d’attendre 1H voir plus devant la porte. Le service et relativement rapide, la cuisine gouteuse et de qualité. Un coup de cœur et c’est le seul sur une semaine passé à Rome.

The first time I really have no opinoin regarding imrovment. We tryed several maincourses but I strongly recomend Italian meatbolls, carbonara, melanzane, it will be a surprice. Make sure to save some room for dessert aswell. AND try Tiramisu its a mindblower.
Service is exellent a special thank you to Ceasar and crew. They go the extra mile even though english isnt their mother tounge its not a problem to ask question and get answers like in other places we visit during our stay in Roma.

There was nothing wrong with this meal, except that we kept eating until we were in pain.
Get the cacio e pepe and the lamb. The involtino al sugo was good but there wasn’t anything rolled inside it, and the ravioli were great but not as stunning as the cacio a pepe, which the waiters mix for you at the table so that the cheese, pepper, oil, and pasta water melt together immediately before you take your first bite. The panna cotta, strawberries, and berry torte were all solid. The wine list was huge and fairly reasonably priced
The service is good but a little on the obnoxious side, but in an entertaining enough way that it is kind of forgivable. For example, what appeared to be a female American study abroad student walked in and asked for a table in English. When the only somewhat-​Anglophone waiter came up to tell her it was full, she asked again, at which point he made his hands into fists under his eyes and pantomimed a crying baby for a few seconds until she left. I guess if she ever comes back she will know to have made a reservation.

Cacio e pepe walhalla