Hosteria Grappolo D'Oro

So, the Hosteria Grappolo D'Oro. Prime location, just a stone's throw from Campo dei Fiori and Piazza Navona, featured in Slow Food and Gambero Rosso guides, cited for having Rome's best carbonara and amatriciana. We had high expectations, to be honest.

The place is nice enough, rustic with exposed beams, but outside they've got this plastic covering that looks pretty tacky, whatever.

Mixed appetizer: a little taste of everything. The bollito meatball with green sauce was good, the rest meh. Menu descriptions that promised a lot, but nothing special when it arrived.

And here comes the real letdown. The carbonara, which according to the rankings should be among Rome's finest, for us it's a no-go. Too dry, not enough cream, and most importantly—and this is serious—you couldn't taste the pecorino at all. Zero. Maybe they're afraid of scaring off the tourists? The guanciale, which was quality stuff, was mushy, no crispiness whatsoever. And the pepper ground way too coarse, almost annoying. With all that creaminess missing, the guanciale just didn't stick to the pasta.

The amatriciana was better, but still. Soft guanciale there too, tomato too acidic and pecorino served like it costs a fortune. Let's say it beats the carbonara, but it's not guide-worthy material.

The tiramisù, though—that was good. Slab-shaped, well-balanced between sweet and bitter. That one hits.

One small gripe: three euros for bread that was just plain basic. Too much.

In the end, 28 euros per person for a run-of-the-mill experience. The problem is, with that location, those guides and that reputation, you expect something more. There are other places in Rome with less fanfare that do better for less. Disappointed.