Is Osteria da Fortunata a Tourist Trap?
Osteria da Fortunata has become extremely popular through viral social media attention and if you decide to spend your time and money here during your Italian trip, you can expect to see a formidable list of traditional Roman cuisine. At Fortunata, you won’t find a menu that stretches outside the box or contemporary takes on classic Italian dishes— and for the majority of people who patronize Fortunata, that’s quite alright!
Crowds gather and lines form for artisanal, fresh handcrafted pasta that is all made with carefully selected, certified organic ingredients.
The Food - Rome
Location: Via del Pellegrino, 11/12, 00186 Roma
Cacio e Pepe
Cacio e Pepe is such a simple dish, but oh so good. Just these hearty noodles tossed with a healthy amount of pecorino romano and some fresh ground pepper is enough to make you say Mama Mia!
Pesto
The Pesto was perfect! The basil tasted fresh with high quality olive oil, delicious parmesan and pecorino cheeses as well as pine nuts and garlic - it was all that I could ask for in a pesto sauce served with these great hefty noodles.
Tiramisu
The Tiramisu at Fortunata is the best we had in Italy. We had this dessert 5 times across 4 different cities - check out our story to see how they all stacked up!
If you are averse to pasta with a firm texture, then this might not be the place for you, however, even if you don’t like the noodles, there are many other dishes worth your attention– you can always go with the Gnocchi or Ravioli. You can also request how you would like your pasta to be cooked if you have different preferences.
The Food - Milan
Location: 13 Via dei Fiori Chiari, 20121 – Milan
Gnocchi
This Gnocchi is fresh and handmade tossed in a ragu meat sauce. It is perfectly tender and delicious. Everything I had hoped real Italian Gnocchi would be.
Ravioli all'uovo
Ravioli stuffed with sheep’s milk ricotta and a lemon zest with basil, salt and plenty of butter.
This meal was incredible - the main courses of Gnocchi and Ravioli all'uovo were absolutely phenomenal!
I actually remember thinking,
“I can’t believe that I am in Italy eating fresh handmade Gnocchi! This was exactly what I was hoping to experience”.
Mozzarella di Bufala
The appetizer, Mozzarella di Bufala, had a firm texture on the outside that gave way to a delicious and tender center.
If you decide to give Fortunata a go, do not miss out on dessert - out of the 5 Tiramisus that we tried in 4 different cities, this was easily the best. We even tried it in both the Milan and Rome locations just to see if there was a difference and they were both flawless.
The Torta di Ricotta e Cioccolato is like a ricotta cheesecake, but with sambuca and a decadent chocolate poured over the top. It was incredible and I would highly recommend it.
Are The Negative Reviews True?
There are some nay-sayers and bad reviews that commonly refer to Osteria da Fortunata as a “Tourist Trap”–and they all share very similar complaints. The most common complaint is that the noodles are undercooked, tough or too chewy.
Oddly enough, for our first time at Fortunata in Milan, we didn’t actually order any noodles. As previously mentioned I had the Gnocchi and Genevieve ordered the Ravioli. However, for our second visit to Fortunata, we decided to try the noodles that some have complained about.
For our two entrees, we chose the ever popular Cacio e Pepe and the Pesto. I’ve never had pasta quite like this before– though many claim that they are cooked “al dente”, that is a term reserved for dry pasta while this is fresh handmade pasta also known as “pasta fresca”. The texture is quite dense and the noodles are thick with a squared shape. The size and texture lends to the feeling of a hearty meal rather than a side dish. It’s understandable how someone might perceive these to be undercooked, and while the fresh, robust pasta is not everyone’s cup of tea, Genevieve and I both loved them.
Other Common Complaints
The second most common complaint I came across as I was pouring through reviews is the service. This seems to vary from person to person and all I can say is that we had excellent wait staff in both locations. More than one person complained that they saw staff joking around and talking with each other instead of helping customers. I also saw a bit of this happening, but I didn’t mind, because I usually see it as a good sign if the staff are enjoying themselves. It creates a better atmosphere when the person serving you feels jovial in the midst of a constant flood of demanding people.
Another complaint is the wait times– people have reported waiting in line anywhere from 30 to 80 minutes. I think we had to wait about 40 minutes in Milan, but I’m not sure I’ve ever been to a busy and popular restaurant where I didn’t have to wait at least 30 minutes for a table.
Price Point
We paid somewhere around €86 for our first meal. That may seem a bit pricey, but consider that we completely feasted to our heart’s content. We ordered an exceptional glass of wine, an appetizer (Mozzarella di Bufala), two entrees and two desserts, which were tiramisù and Torta di Ricotta e Cioccolato.
The price for this meal seems more than fair and a higher quality than what we would get in the U.S. at a similar price point. However, there are several restaurants that have similar offerings to Fortunata at a lower price– this is likely the reason why Osteria da Fortunata receives complaints about their prices. They are not outrageous in my opinion.
What You Can Expect
It’s hard for me to see Osteria da Fortunata as a tourist trap because, well, I absolutely love it and can’t wait to go back!
However, I think it’s good to have some understanding of what to expect, so to summarize the complaints - you may experience:
Firm noodles in a sauce that people have complained is both too rich and flavorless
Servers that you think are rude
Small spaces
Spending 50 to 100 € depending on how much food you order
30 minutes to 1 hour wait times
Staff enjoying each other’s company
If you’re worried about the wait times, you can always get a reservation, however, not all locations offer reservations.
If you find this list of complaints to be suspect as I do, you might want to give it a shot!
Check out our YouTube channel that includes out full video review below!
