La Balestra

JulieHolm
JulieHolm
First Reviewer
3 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
3
Reviews

The Biggest Tourist Trap in Rome

  • March 23, 2009
  • Rated 1 of 5 by Liron from ., United Kingdom
This was the first time in Rome where I was very disappointed with the food. The bruschetta was just a slice of dry bread with 2 slices of fresh tomatoes on it (No seasoning or taste whatsoever, not even some olive oil) We ordered Ravioli filled with spinach and Ricotta- 2 large raviolli filled with alot of spinach that wasn't properly drained from water, and hardly any cheese, with a tomato sauce that felt like they had just taken a few tomatoes, skin seeds and all, mashed them up and just dumped them on the ravioli. The spaghetti bolognese was pretty bad as well- very little sauce with very dry, gray meat and hardly no taste. We ordered the fritto misto for starters, and even though we made it clear that we don't eat fish, there was some fried fish in it. Now ends the fun part of the evening. After a while, the owner just brought us the bill, even though we hadn't asked for it, and there we saw they had charged us 2 euros for tap water! The nerve! Not only that, but they had charged another 4 euros (which was more than 20% of the whole bill) for service. I'm sure they would never have had the nerve to do this stunt with Italians. We left and left 4 euros less than the bill- only 10% for service, and obviously no paying for tap water

Good Meal at La Balestra in Rome

  • March 28, 2008
  • Rated 4 of 5 by JUGL11 from Phila, Pennsylvania
March 2008
We were staying at the Albani & asked for a dinner recommendation. The concierge suggested La Balestra & phoned to reserve a table for us. Good thing he did, as people without reservations were being turned away. La Balestra was just around the corner from our hotel. They attract many local residents & foreign diplomats. Deservedly so, because the meal was very worthwhile. I had risotto to start, followed by grilled lamb (served "ben cotto", well done, as ordered).
La Balestra is situated far from the center of Rome, near the northeast corner of Villa Borghese. However, if you're staying on that side of town, it's a good choice.

La Balestra

  • October 5, 2004
  • Rated 5 of 5 by JulieHolm from Vienna, Virginia
We ate here our first evening in Rome. As we sat we had friends who were traveling with us wander in and join us. Our table for two ended up expanding to a table for eight! Our waiter, I think the owner, took it all in stride, and let us, the first to arrive, hang around until the latecomers were done.

We ordered a bottle of red wine. We had olive brochette to start (it was one large slice, which Mark and I cut and shared and was just delicious. Mark had veal, scallopinied and rolled around mozzarella that was then baked. He also had asparagus. I had risotto with mushrooms and a mixed salad. It was 9pm when they finally showed up to the restaurant. We ate dessert largely to hang out with friends. I had creme caramel and Mark can't remember what he had for dessert. But it was quite delicious.

From journal Roman Pilgrimage

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