Trattoria Roma Ristorante & Bar

Dinner for two. No single malt scotch available yet they claim a full bar, disappointing, out of the one they usually carry. Bruschetta was good, rolls fresh, but dipping sauce shaky, Caesar salad salty and first time I ever had a Caesar with no croutons, veal parmigiana very good. No management ever came by to say hello. Mixed emotions here maybe try it again but surprised as it is situated amongst some of the best restaurants in town. They need to step up their game.

A low key Italian restaurant among the bustling 6^th Street food corridor. I have been there three times and the prevailing theme is slow inattentive service. I have never been able to go for lunch and return to work on time, even when ordering from their limited lunch specials. The food itself is a mixed bag. The free rolls are clearly fresh baked for you when you order, although the olive oil blend for dipping is a bit bizarre and the butter is frozen. The calzones, when they’re available, have been delicious, better than LaRosas. However they rarely seem to have them.
The more traditional Italian dishes, however, leave a lot lacking. On the most recent visit I got the parmesan chicken. The breast meat was over-​cooked and dry, the breaking was soggy and the side pasta had unseasoned (though al dente) pasta and hardly any of the bland pasta sauce. For $ 18 I really wish I had stayed home and made it myself.
There are several great Italian options downtown, so unless you’re after a leisurely lunch dining experience (and getting pizza or a calzone) I would go elsewhere.

This place is seriously fantastic; we come here before every show. The eggplant and veal are out of this world and the pasta is just exquisite. I’ll be sure to continue coming back.

Fantastic service! Fantastic food! Fantastic everything! Definitely recommend. Love eating out and trying new places and I’ll def be back

Nice atmosphere, little Italy flavor, delicious Caprese salad, tomatoes fresh and ripe in November, mozzarella very tasty; sourdough rolls amazing, but dipping sauce was pure garlic with red pepper, ugh; wine glass had lipstick from previous use, waitress apologized profusely; vodka cocktail generous; penne pasta with cream hot, and perfectly seasoned; chocolate torte mile high with fresh crème, shaved chips, and much too much — should have shared; excellent server — can’t remember her name, but attentive and not overbearing; not too many people for a Saturday night, odd; would definitely return.

I took my mom out for dinner and musical at Aronoff Center. Made a reservation heer for dinner. Food just ok, we hadn’t even gotten half way through our salads and dinner arrived. Felt rushed, waiter not very knowledgeable about menu. The hostess staff very friendly, great atmosphere, just sub-​par food. There are so many better choices downtown.

What can I say about Trattoria Roma? Growing up italian household there are certain qualities we we admire in our food. As we get older we measure all food and traditions from that standard. Trattoria Roma meets or exceeds those standards. The food is amazing the stuffed manacotti is on the mark to what my Nonna made. The texture of the marinara is consistent and delightful. It starts with a slight of bitter and finishes cleanly, simple and tasteful. The canoli, is unique with a little more texture and a slight hint of lemon. The décor brings a feeling of new while keeping with the traditions of this legendary iconic establishment. An excellent lunch/​dinner decision!

Absolutely the BEST stuffed mushrooms I’ve ever had.
We had apps and drinks before our show at the Aronoff.
I can’t wait to come back for a full dining experience!

Food was very good. We had the filet and the seafood special, which was especially good. Tiramasu was wonderful. A little on the pricey side. Main knock was the service. The wait staff was understaffed and disorganized. All three tables near us had issues (long waits, requests gone unfulfilled, wrong credit cards returned to customers). We would probably try a new place before we want back, but overall it was good.

Really enjoy this restaurant! My fav is the linguine with mussels in a white sauce. Light and delicious! It comes with a salad — nothing special but fresh and basic. The waitress seemed a bit overwhelmed. It was a night with an Aronoff show and they were very busy. My hubby ordered a steak and enjoyed it very much — which says a lot since it is a traditional Italian restaurant, not a steak joint. Ambience was good. Not so loud that we could not carry on a conversation. Nice that they have coat racks here and there. Table was a bit tight.

Trattoria Roma was great! A gem right around the corner from the Aronoff Center. Our waiter, Guillermo, was prompt, polite, & knowledgeable of the entire menu. Our drinks, salads & entrees all arrived quickly & were delicious!!! Having lived in Italy for six years, I’m definitely a pasta snob, & the trattoria did not disappoint. Great for first dates or a girls night out.

My boyfriend and I took a weekend trip to Cincy for my birthday and ate here for dinner one night. I’d read reviews on Unilocal and thought it looked like a pretty great place to dine… and I was right!
The ambiance of the restaurant was great. Checkered red and white tablecloths, romantic candles… I studied abroad in Italy and I felt like I was back there. Awesome! They brought us some bread and dipping oil which is always amazing and we were both ravenous, so it was especially delightful.
Ordered a glass of Chianti — I’m by no means a wine expert, but I thought it was a standard yet good glass of Italian house wine. For our entrees, boyfriend ordered Chicken Parmigiana and I ordered Chicken alla Casareccia. I tried parmigiana and it was very good! My casareccia was also delicious, but pretty heavy. It was in a cream sauce, so be aware if you want something light, that’s definitely not the entrée to order. I thought it was delicious though and I quickly ate the whole thing!
The best part of the meal was my free birthday dessert — tiramisu! Yum yum yum. I love some tiramisu!
I’d say this was a solid dinner destination, especially if you’re craving some Italian-​inspired food in a romantic and quaint atmosphere. I’d come back for sure!

Not impressed one bit. I ordered a NY strip steak that was covered in spaghetti sauce. Why would you cover a steak in spaghetti sauce? This is the only thing I can think about since I left Trattoria. Did I know I was ordering a steak covered in spaghetti sauce. No, no I did not. I thought I was getting steak with a red wine reduction. Or what they called a Sicilian red win sauce. So maybe we are both confused? I see red wine and think reduction, they see sauce and make spaghetti sauce. Gah, it hurts my brain to think about it. Even if the blame is on me, why would you put spaghetti sauce on a steak? They claim that everything is made fresh on the premises but there is no way the pasta they served was fresh in any way shape or form. Unless there is a way? I’m questioning everything since I left Trattoria, so do yourself a favor and stay away. Or visit? No, don’t visit.

We had a 3:45pm reservation on the day before the Flying Pig Marathon. It was pretty dead when we came in because no one but us eats that early. The décor and the restaurant are nice, but the menu is very limited. The waitress was really awkward and introduced herself a few times and then got the soda orders wrong, and then got the salad orders wrong… and I was really worried about our meal.
Thankfully the food came out correct. The eggplant and the homemade lasagna was raved about, but the rest was mediocre at best. I got the linguine and it was good for a pre-​race meal in that it was basic carbs and not much else.

We discovered this restaurant on Unilocal after going to a concert at Horseshoe Casino. Dinner options weren’t good at the casino, so we checked Unilocal.We called just to verify they were still open, because it was just before 10pm.
Dustin answered and cheerfully told us that we had plenty of time. Our shuttle driver from the Cincinnatian Hotel also said it was very popular; we didn’t even realize it was so close to the hotel.
The service was exceptional, and the food was even better. Even though it was toward end of service, energy and enthusiasm was high. That’s rare for late diners.
Dustin was actually our server, and gave great recommendations. We both chose the veal Saltimboca, and it was the best I’ve ever had. To start, I had the potato soup, while my partner had salad. I’m glad I had the soup. It was delicious, but could have been a little warmer. The salad didn’t look special. Dustin offered grated Parmesan.
The wine menu was impressive, and the restaurant is quite charming. The décor is old world, and trattoria is a very good definition of the place.
Going to the restroom, one of the staff read my mind about where it was. She probably sees a lot of people with the same look on their face. She was friendly and engaged — and remember it was late.
Go to this restaurant for the great food, charm, and service. Prices are reasonable. I found myself trying to straighten the lamp shade beside to host stand. But just enjoy the ambiance.
Thank you to Unilocal for helping me find this restaurant!

Pros: Fast friendly service during the lunchtime rush. The restaurant was able to accommodate our party of 10 with no wait. Food was all moderately priced with nothing being too expensive. Everything was fresh and we were in and out of the restaurant in less than 45 minutes.
Cons: Not a destination meal and it lacks the charm of some of the other Italian restaurants in Cincinnati (Bella Luna). While fresh and served quickly, the food is lacks seasoning.
Three stars — would return for a lunch with work buddies but not for dinner or date night.

Was downtown for the auto show with my wife and another couple.
They Lacked traditional pasta dishes. All of our meals were ok. Not memorable at all. Bread was great.
Had better food at some of the national chains.
Nice looking restaurant and loved the candles!

*Review of the 6^th Street location, not the Walnut St location.
Went during restaurant week, usually the worst time to go to a restaurant, but Roma delivered and made me want to go back for more.
The Lasagna was hearty and came in a large portion that I almost couldn’t finish. I powered through and along the way I enjoyed a standard garden salad and of course some bread. The service was kind of odd, our server wasn’t the most professional and very relaxed in their conversation and demeanor. No biggie, I like a relaxed dining experience over a stuffy one. The cheesecake was yummy and made me want to hit the gym to repent for my sins. But I just waddled out with a full belly and smile on my face.
This place is a nice addition to restaurant row, and I hope to return again.

I always feel strange about writing a three-​star review, since it’s neither good nor bad. And yet, there are times when it’s absolutely called for. When something is down the line average on all levels — atmosphere, food, price. This is Trattoria to a tea.
I’d heard good things about this place so I went to check it out. Inside, the atmosphere is cute. It’s like their trying to recreate the feeling of a quaint restaurant somewhere along the shores of Italy, but maybe trying a bit too hard. Fake bricks painted into the wall, cute little figurines everywhere … eh. It also was much too bright — a little mood lighting would have been perfect for this spot.
They brought out warm bread, which I love, but with little pads of butter. I love some olive oil with bread at an Italian spot and it felt lacking to not have it here.
There menu is long and full of authentic Italian food (and all made from scratch.) I got the gnocchi with vodka sauce which was tasty, but again, nothing that blew my mind. My friend got the chicken parm and she felt the same way.
They have a nice selection of wine that’s reasonably priced. We each got a glass and it was the perfect accompaniment to the food.
We were the only ones there on a Sunday evening at 7pm and our waiter was just a little too eager to help us. It was nice he was so attentive but he kept reappearing asking us if we needed anything. No, we’re good. Thanks though.
There’s no parking lot but there are many garages around the area and street meters as well.
In the end, we spent about $ 50 for both our meals, which included our entrees and a glass of wine each. Not too expensive but not cheap either and I wasn’t blown away with what I got. Ah well. I would be willing to try it again and maybe be more impressed next time.

I actually had reservation at Boca and was sitting at their bar studying the menu and nothing was really appealing to me (love the place but sometimes I want simple, delicious food). We paid the bill and walked over and found a spot in the window to enjoy some people watching before heading over to the Taft for a show. The place is actually very cozy and next time I would choose the dining room which provides a little more ambiance than the bar. We didn’t want a big meal before the show so we split a few items starting with the Caprese salad. It was quite large but definitely nothing special for $ 12. The bread and olive dipping oil hit the spot and was delicious. We also split the Eggplant Parmigiana which was very, very good. It was thick and tender and even though it was breaded the eggplant was very flavorful. The pasta side was fine, nothing to right home about. I was surprised when the bill came that it was almost $ 80 bucks. We did have a couple of drinks that were as expensive as Boca and that was a bit of a shock. Overall though I enjoyed the place and will definitely give it a second try!