Sabatini

Sabatini has a beautiful location on the piazza, but the food was only decent and terribly overpriced. The service was poor — our waiter brought the wrong dish (one of only three) after a lengthy discussion about said dish. The food delivery was incredibly slow. Don’t waste your time or money — there are so many other great options.

We had a lovely evening at Sabatini. The wine list is excellent and dinner was just what we wanted. Having dinner on the Piazza Santa Maria was lovely.

Delicious food in a beautiful and quaint piazza. Sit outside at night to see the church across the square lit up. Also a little less touristy than Piazza Navona which makes it a great place for a dinner date.

Great ambiance and a beautiful courtyard area with street musicians and the only shortcoming was our meal. Extremely sub par service– drop the food off and come back in 45 minutes if flagged down or physically grabbed and pulled to the table. They add %15 percent for «service» here which is on par with an 80 year old waitress with Parkinsons at a roadside Dennys on a dusty Oklahoma highway. The pasta was sub par as was everything else and priced way out of line– literally the most expensive meal we had at half the quality. Avoid if you can and patronize the real amazing delicious eateries that Trastevere has to offer.

The worst experience we’ve had in Rome so far. I just had dinner at Sabatini tonight with my husband and these people just handled everything poorly. It is our first trip to Italy and we are American, and so sometimes, things on Italian menus are difficult to understand. That being said, being in a highly trafficked touristy area, these people should know how to handle international restaurant patrons.
That beings said, I will give you all the following advice /​experience of ours and overall, I would say that there are so many restaurants in Rome — PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE!!!
1) Food was decent but horrible overpriced + 15% service fee that was not deserved (in comparison to other Roman restaurants whose service fees are already included in the tab).
2) Very rude and manipulative waitstaff. My husband and I pointed to a page on the menu that said 20 euro for a bottle of wine. They brought us a bottle of wine and gave us a taster. I didn’t like it much and we thought to send it back but the server said something to the effect of ‘But I just opened a whole bottle’ — which begs the question of why they would give us a sampler in the first place? :-/​
3) So we take the wine graciously even though it was not what I was looking for, and we do our best to drink it up, knowing that we were stuck paying for it. Then the bill comes and it says like 32 euro. Consequently I then try to correct the server. He accordingly brings me the menu and I point out what we had ordered. He says that 20 euro is for the half bottle and 32 is for the full bottle.
4) Long story short, SINCE THEY BROUGHT US THE WRONG BOTTLE OF WINE AND WE FAILED TO SEND IT AWAY BECAUSE WE DIDN’T KNOW ANY BETTER (which, mind you, the menu never said ‘half bottle’ — instead it said an ml measurement in small print — one that wasn’t honored anyway because they purposely brought us the wrong one) — we were told that we had to pay for it. And furthermore, they contended, we drank it, so why are we complaining?
5) Now I will take a pause to say that the waiter immediately got an attitude with me when I questioned the charge and when the manager came over, he did as well. I had initially tried to dispute this politely, but they chose to take the dishonorable route and not acknowledge their mistake (or maybe it was a scam on purpose, who knows?).
6) So it escalated into a semi-​dramatic argument that caught the attention of anyone in earshot. My husband and I ended up paying the 98,80 euro bill and leaving, knowing that we were being ganged-​up on and it was ultimately pointless to keep arguing.
7) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON’T RUIN YOUR NIGHT AND WASTE LOTS OF MONEY EATING HERE! Rome is full of better places.
Cheers and enjoy your time in Italy,
JR

Overpriced, under-​serviced and hyped by a concierge inner circle who you cannot help to question what may be in it for them. While the setting is nice, this destination’s food is mediocre at best given all the lovely options Rome presents. The staff seemed distracted almost the entire time between service and their marketing/​sales duties of pulling in the dinner seekers from the square. Trastevere is a beautiful place with incredible options… you can do better than this «option».

This was the worst meal we’ve had in Rome & we should’ve known immediately it would be so when we saw they added 15% «servicio» to the bill (clearly written on the menu). Obviously a place catering to tourists as Romans don’t tip.
I’ve had better pasta at the olive garden.
Disgusts me as the cost was more than double what our other meals have been.
But if you like shitty, overpriced food, by all means. Try this place!

Katastrophale Bedienung, schlecht gelaunt, unfreundlich, schlechtes englisch. Essen war überteuert und die Qualität maximal akzeptabel. Bisher das mit Abstand schlechteste Dinner waehrend eines 2-​woechigen Aufenthaltes in Rom.

We walked down the area from the top of Trastevere looking for a place to eat and ended up bit tired of looking (best way to find a good eating place in by looking at all the food being served in all the outdoor tables in Rome) so when we hit the square, we saw Sabatini and decided it looked like they have been around awhile so in we went. We were greeted by 81 Year old owner who took to us as we seemed like real willing diners and he and his 86 year old brother then proceeded to serve one of the most memorable meals ever. So simple yet so elegant and delicious! We had cocktails and then some Crostini amuse which I knew then this place was going to be great… the toasts were perfect and the tomatoes flavorful and plump with drizzle of fine olive oil that belie the simplicity of these 3 – 4 ingredients. We proceeded to have the San Daniele prosciutto shaved by the master himself, followed by a fresh Porcini pasta that blew my mind with another pasta of clams that had the the little bi-​valves singing in my mouth as the texture was sublime. Fresh sauteed Porcinis followed with touch of garlic and then the best leg of lamb maybe ever as the skin was crackling with just bits of salt and rosemary imbued into the succulent meat. Finished with tiny strawberries in some fresh cream and we were blissful. The elder brother even serenaded us and show us a pic of him and the Three Tenors (he is a baritone)! Wine chosen by younger brother (age 81), a fine Multipulciano was lush with good structure and paired with the food beautifully. This was an afternoon spend the way lives should be enjoyed. When you go… ask to see the Brothers… they are what great restaurateurs should be like!

Sabatini’s in Trastevere was the perfect place to end our vacation in Italy. The Sabatini brothers came over to our table several times throughout the meal. Once was to show my sister how to slice the prosciutto straight from the ham hock. Another time was to sing «Arrivederci Roma» which totally charmed my mama. When our meal came out, a Sabatini carved my parents T-​bone steak table side (as well they should for 85 Euro).
To start, we shared a plate of oysters and the seafood platter. Everything was so fresh and delicious. I kept my entrée on the lighter price side and opted for the spaghetti carbonara. Now I know what everyone was raving about: the crispy pancetta in creamy spaghetti was heavenly. We ended the meal with a perfectly prepared cappuccino.
With the appetizers, two bottles of wine, entrees, water, coffees, plus the 15% service charge — we ended up paying 75 euro per person. Sabatini’s was the most expensive meal we had the entire time we were in Italy, but you pay for the view of the fountain on the piazza, and for the pleasure of being with the Sabatini brothers. I’d recommend this restaurant to anyone who is starting or ending their Italian journey.

We ate dinner here our first night in Rome. Food was very good and the restaurant is very nice. The prices are a bit on the high side but the view of the piazza while dinning outside is worth every penny.

Unilocal, you are a marvel for leading me to Sabatini for dinner in Rome.
The atmosphere is lovely. The waitstaff is lovely. The owners, Sabatini brothers Sylvester (85 years old) and eek, I don’t think I caught the name of the other (80 years old) are lovely and have been running the place in the same location since 1958. Sylvester, by the by, has a lovely baritone voice with which he serenaded our table and then joked that the 3 Tenors have nothing on him, and THEN went to grab a picture of himself with the 3 Tenors in the restaurant. The Sabatini brothers visit and chat with every table, and it really makes you feel like you’re someplace special.
I had the prosciutto and melon for starter, Carbonara based on Maris’s review for a main (also I love Carbonara, and just had to try it in Italy), and the best dang tiramisu I’ve ever had in my life for dessert. No, seriously. I almost cried at how good this tiramisu was. We even took a picture of me shedding a fake tear over the tiramisu. The Carbonara was amazing. Just amazing. With crispy pancetta and lovely firm pasta. Like nothing I’ve ever had before. GAH! It was all so good.
Sabatini is a bit more expensive than the standard Roman place, but it’s not the standard. It far exceeds the standard, and is well worth the extra few euros. If I’m ever back in Rome, and I hope I am, I will return to Sabatini with a travel companion that hopefully enjoys eating as much as I do and we can get one of their lovely whole sea bass grilled and served tableside by an unnamed Sabatini brother (which we witnessed and was so interesting to see).
Bonus, Sylvester may take a liking to you and give you a giant kiss on the lips as you leave!

Owner is Sylvester who is an accomplished tenor. The resturant is situated in a lively location. Wine — white Frascati wine or the house Chianti, fun place with good food and good service.
Touristy and somewhat expensive. Main courses 16 €-30 €

I went to Sabatini (with a booking) on a bustling warm Saturday evening in Trastevere. It is a very convivial restaurant on the Piazza S. Maria in Trastevere and the street theater is intense. I would recommend sitting a bit farther back in the outdoor seating so as to avoid the more evident examples of the Human Comedy taking place on the square. I tried to keep it simple that evening with a starter of succulent asparagus in olive oil, followed by a perfect spaghetti carbonara with the pancetta bits cooked good and crunchy with maximum flavor. This Roman dish, as simple as it is, could not have been better. Had a side of green beans and a delicious bottle of Frascati Sant Teresa-​Fontina Candida. A nice leisurely long walk home and so to bed…

I have eaten at Sabatini many times over the past six years, slowly working my way through the menu. The food is very good. The ambiance is wonderful.
It is located on the Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor dining. I have never eaten inside (even in the winter). It is a wonderful place to have a leisurely dinner and enjoy the view of the piazza.
My favorite time to eat there is in the evening when Rome begins to cool and the piazza comes to life with street performers, locals and people who understand that much of Rome is best seen at night. The people watching is superb.
If you are lucky, you will get to witness the owner serenading a couple celebrating their anniversary. That makes the evening absolutely perfect.
As with all restaurants on a piazza, you are going to pay a little more but it is worth it! The wait staff never rushes you. You are not pressed to order all the courses at once nor do they push the bill at you before you are ready for it. You can enjoy that last glass of wine or limoncello in peace.
I recommend that you make a reservation and plan to make it an evening.

Incredible! I had a Carbonara that made me feel as if I’d never had one before. Like everything else that came before it was just the essence of a Carbonara. What a dream. Service was grade A and the location just inside the open square of the Piazza Santa Maria makes it a must!