Mezcal
Freni E Frizioni

Freni E Frizioni

Via Del Politeama, 4, Rome, Italy

Barre • Caffè • Panini • Cocktail


"Ah Freni e Frizioni, the famed cocktail establishment with an impressive aperitivo spread. You've heard about it from every travel influencer out there and even if you haven't, you would very likely stumble onto it when strolling around Trastevere at aperitivo'clock. It's an impressive space with soaring ceilings and chandeliers. Huge outdoor patio. You would never pass it by because it's so cool. I've been twice, once during late COVID times when they couldn't have their famous spread out for people to help themselves (you were able to order some things but we didn't) and once in late February 2024. First time, we liked it enough, like I said, cool atmosphere, good drinks, not expensive. It didn't leave enough of an impression to leave a review so here we are now. Service is really nice, definitely rushed but hello, the place is packed so I hardly expect white glove service. As is typical in Italy, getting out of there took a while, so your best bet is to approach staff with your card ready to pay. They have hand-held devices. The aperitivo is crazy cheap. That said, don't expect what you see in Youtube videos. It ain't that. To be honest, I'd rather pay more that whatever it is (I think 3 Euro if you buy a drink) and get some quality items. The bread was so hard and stale, I almost spit it out and the hummus was just not good. Again, so cheap that you barely care but it's rare that I've had an aperitivo that I'd call inedible and many places offer complimentary bites that they bring to the table which I much prefer. I may be in the minority. This place gets very packed. I love how creative they are with cocktails (their menus are really fun) and my glass of wine was AOK."

Barril

Barril

Via Giuseppe Fiorelli, 11, Naples, Italy, Neapel

Barre • Caffè • Panini • Cocktail


"A pleasant evening, more for the company than anything else. The pleasant evening was mainly dictated by the close-knit group that we are, the rest to be reviewed. They seated us on time, having previously booked for eight people, but the service did not continue in the same way. The first unpleasant episode concerned the waitress who served us. Once seated, she overheard, albeit accidentally, one of our conversations and felt unfairly implicated, even though she was not the subject of the conversation, reserving us from that moment on with a surly and polemical service, despite our polite ways. In fact, the waitress showed this attitude from the moment in which, once the last two people had arrived, who among other things would have ordered both food and drink as four of the eight had already done, she pointed out the ordering of two bottles of water from the two who hadn't eaten because they were on a diet. Subsequently, since our table was next to the cash register, we politely asked to lower the music a little, a request which was promptly accepted by another waitress, except that it was suddenly raised again by another employee who, in following our new request, he replied verbatim almost as a mockery “Why?! The music is so beautiful!”, leaving us stunned. Finally, as the icing on the cake, we were given an incorrect bill: two bottles of wine totaling 60 euros (30 each) were charged instead of two glasses. Therefore, if it had not been for our attention and the professionalism of the other waitress who was able to accommodate our acceptable requests, the rest of the service was somewhat disappointing."