Osteria Allegro Pachino

I was surprised to see so many bad reviews. Being so close to the Trevi, i thought this place was very reasonably priced. My hubby and I split the assortment platter for brushetta– so amazing! The cacio de pepe was simple, yet very tasty. In my opinion, I thought the spaghetti carbonara was really delicious. The spaghetti was cooked el dente, the sauce was creamy, and the meat provided a perfect amount of salt to the dish.
The portions were well-​sized and I recall the staff being very attentive. We came a little before the lunch rush hour began, so maybe it helped that the restaurant wasn’t busy when we went.

Great place, honest price and a friendly staff. Our meals were delivered really fast, we ordered a pasta, a beef and a pizza and everything was really beyond expected. Try the red beer, it’s great :)

This place has great food and a very friendly staff. In our week in Rome it is has been a rarity to find friendly and personable staff when dining out. This place has an all beef lasagna that was to die for. the top layer had a slightly burnt crisp taste with pasta that simply melts in your mouth. We also ordered their pizza, which had a very flavorful sauce and and excellent light crust. There may be a bit of a wait when there are big crowds but the price is right and so is the food so it’s worth the wait. I would highly recommend this little spot.

Honestly, this place is pretty horrible. We were pretty upset once we got our food. Probably the worst type of tourist trap, from the outside you’d think it was decent — they had a trip advisor 4 star sticker on their window and the décor seemed legit. We were very very very wrong.
Carbonara was overcooked, eggs were practically scrambled, and there was not enough Parmesan in the sauce. The pancetta also was very thick and fatty. I know this because I love carbonara and make it at home a lot.
Wouldn’t be surprised if they served frozen dinners here. Please just stay away at all costs.
They also don’t let you order tap water which is just BS.
A couple seated next to us actually left after sitting down once they looked around. And we also told a group outside not to go in. I think we prob saved them from a horrible experience.
I would leave negative stars if that was possible.

Reviews are always a challenge to decipher, especially those that are outside the curve. If there are several mediocre reviews and then a few fantastic ones, did the establishment change something or are they contrived reviews? The same holds true for negative reviews. Do they accurately depict the restaurant or are they posted out of spite?
My belief is a negative review is often more beneficial than a positive one, especially if there are plenty of other establishments to support. I do believe that those who rely on peer reviews such as those found on Unilocal owe it to themselves to perform some due diligence. I like to look at other recent reviews by the same person when I am using Unilocal to help me decide where to eat. Sometimes though (as in this time) I had used up all of my phone data so we winged it. Bad decision! Full disclosure-​I still haven’t read any of the other reviews for this place.
I knew we should have walked just a few streets farther as eating by a touristy site (Trevi Fountain) usually means high prices and less than stellar food and service, but the situation dictated we stop sooner than later, so in we went. From the outside it is very quaint looking (posted a picture) and the wait staff was very friendly — almost too friendly, which can be a sign of things to come. So to is an asterisk by a couple of cheese plates to note they were frozen — seriously, frozen mozzarella in an Italian restaurant??? (Remember this note for the end). Regardless, There are times when one can’t just get up and leave because the vibes were bad and something didn’t feel right.
So on to the review. As I previously stated, the staff was overly friendly, as one guy bordered on being a pest. He was nice but I really wasn’t into being an American geography lesson. No, I’m not the ugly American, but there are limits.
We were able to order quick enough and we had the house red. It was ok, a bit too vinegarish for me, but drinkable. The bruschetta plate was just toasted bread with olive paste, some sort of bland artichoke spread, and tomatoes on top. They got soggy very quickly and were similar to what I imagine cardboard to taste like. I really think this is how they get rid of the bread they foist on unsuspecting diners.
I ordered the spaghetti carbonara (posted a picture). I will confess as I began this review I did glance at a picture someone else posted of the carbonara. I so wished I could have had theirs. Mine tasted exactly like Kraft mac and cheese with some bacon fat mixed in. Seriously, check out my picture! One of my daughter’s had the spaghetti with clams and that was rather tasty. Both of these dishes had very tough noodles. If there is one thing I can’t tolerate are underdone noodles! And in Italy — shameful!
The two things that really turned me off though. First were the flies. It wasn’t an infestation but there were several of them and nothing wrecks a meal quicker than bugs (in my world anyway). The proverbial straw was the € 1,50 per person charge for, ready for this? SERVICE. I questioned this and the manager smugly pointed to the very bottom of the menu to show where this charge was noted. First, it is not on the menu posted outside; and second as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I saw the asterisked note concerning the use of frozen mozzarella and still missed this service charge. I don’t have any qualms or issues with a business charging whatever they want, but don’t hide it; it smells of a con or some sort of bait and switch.
So if this reads bitter or resentful, so be it. I paid the bill but if one person can have a better experience because of me, then this has served its purpose.

Close to Trevi Fountain. This small joint had a friendly wait staff, fantastic food, and very good house wine. Highly recommend if you’re in the area.

Excellent food and service

Ahm, our spaghetti was microwaved a minute before serving. I think you can try something else

Food is average, the pizza and fried were undercooked, service charge, its expensive for what it is and the staff are rude.

Excellent brick oven thin pizza, oso buco, ox tail. The food was simply good. Prices are reasonable. A great find right next to the trevi.

My fiancé and I ate here twice on our trip to Rome. The food is amazing and the staff is great! If we ever go back to Rome, this would be our first stop!