Avis GLASS HOSTARIA Rome

Probably my worst experience in a Michelin-starred restaurant, their tasting menu costs over €300 for 2 pax, serving plain pasta, dried taco, frozen ravioli with no flavours and tons of breads (..?)

The only acceptable dish would be the quail (at least got some flavours of the bbq sauce), but the waiter came to clean up the table even I haven’t finished my dish yet. It really upsets me!! (still got half of the quail leg on the plate..)

It only deserves a 1-star on Google reviews, but not a Michelin one..

Stella Michelin meritatissima

Service, ambience: 5/5
Food: 0/5 (Tasting menu)

In 70 years, of all the meals out I have had costing more than, say, £30, this was by far the worst, as well as among the most expensive. Almost all courses were underseasoned, varying from flavourless to nauseous, with unpleasant textures.

An aperitif consisting of a mouthful of Mai Tai sealed in a bubble of sugar was a genuine miracle, but lacked the expected flavour rush; some hors d’oeuvres appeared but failed to stir the taste buds, especially a chickpea lozenge that collapsed into a tooth-clogging, mealy mess. What followed that was truly hideous. I would not have chosen shellfish tartare from an a la carte menu, and now I know I never will. Gobbets of raw scallop and shrimp in a watery liquid provided a listless jelly-like and vaguely fishy chew, topped with scallop coral ice-cream that delivered nothing but an extra dimension of fishiness. Truly horrid.

Next, a veal heart taco: a floury little tortilla with some salad and pink strips of rubbery meat. Rolled up it was only about 3 inches long but after the first bite was no more than a taste-free mastication endurance test. Worse was to follow: cold green spaghetti in a supposed beurre blanc (I have made better myself), topped with orange sea urchin. I had often wondered what was so special about echinoid go nads. A fellow diner likened it to rancid jockstr@p scratchings. Even then it didn’t have the temerity to be the longed-for flavourbomb - it was just mildly sickening.

The worst was now over. Some mutton ravioli in yogurt were standard Turkish fare made slightly unpleasant by raw curry powder sprinkles; quail was not too bad, with the strong iron flavour of the liver and heart stuffing, but overwhelmed by the sticky sweetness of umeboshi potato. A strawberry dessert was simply unmemorable; of the petits fours that followed, I quite liked a raspberry fruit pastille. The staff were lovely throughout, but have they actually tasted this stuff? Where did that Michelin star come from? If the tyre company man had eaten what we had, it would surely have been rescinded lickety-split.

disappointed.
I had hoped for five star food and paid a five star price, but this is not what I got. the tasting menu consisted of a succession of horrible dishes either without taste or with a vile taste. They seemed to be trying to surprise, but the surprise was unwelcome. the pasta and sea urchin dish made me feel as if someone had spread something very brown and unpleasant all over my pasta. the bread was rock hard enough to make my dentist smile at the treatment he was going to have to do.
one course was a soup which reminded me of a bowl that has just been used for washing up; a most unsavoury tang of chemical cleaner left a bitter aftertaste.
In the toilets, you will find rolls of rich red toilet paper. yeah.
the service was exceptional and I wish I could say it was better food. I wish I had gone to one of the many other eateries in the area which would have cost me far less and fed me happily.
afterwards, I had to go to a shot bar and rinse out my mouth with grappa to rid it of the vile tastes.
folks; if you charge a big price, you better deliver big. this does not.

The risotto was really impressive and my partner loved beef tartar part of the meal. Also chickpea peanut bite appetiser and soup with scallop was nice. I had veggie gluten free set menu, my partner did meat one. The wine pairing was average.
Really liked the restaurant vibes. I would go back only if I am craving for a perfect risotto.

Delicious food. We all opted for the veg tasting menu. Everyone at the table has to opt in , if you decide to do a tasting.

Some things were just amazing and some were a miss. The chef travels to experience other cultures and get inspired. The truffles with pasta , as such a rich and decadent dish. The risotto like dish had a mix of peppercorns from around the world.

The wine prices could have been lower to better match other restaurants. The mark up on them was unreasonable.
A new creative experience. We enjoyed it !

Cena e servizio di livello, come sempre!
4 stelle come segno di protesta per due motivi inerenti la prenotazione: la richiesta della carta di credito in fase di inserimento e l'e-mail, 4 ore prima della cena, con il testo "Se non riceviamo una conferma da parte tua, ci riserviamo il diritto di cancellare la prenotazione.". Giustifico la richiesta della carta come contromisura alla superficialità di alcuni clienti, ma non riesco proprio a comprendere la pretesa che un cliente confermi la prenotazione cliccando su un link di un'e-mail ricevuta a metà pomeriggio: non dando molta rilevanza all'e-mail personale durante la giornata, il rischio di ritrovarsi senza prenotazione effettuata con largo anticipo è altissimo e inaccettabile. Mi auguro che per la prossima occasione venga trovata una soluzione meno penalizzante.

Lovely experience, unique interpretations of traditional Italian dishes...the cacia di pepe was exceptional. We ended up having the vegetarian tasting menu which sounded nicer than the non-vegetarian option, although I wish we could have mixed and matched a little between the 2 menus. Service was excellent and friendly,my only complaint was that while it was an extensive wine list, it was too overpriced..with wines marked up atleast 4 to 5 times what you would pay in a shop( that too italian wines, I think that's unfair)

Molto nome poca sostanza, la chef usa ingredienti di qualità contornati da un contesto eccessivo, ma i sapori non mi entusiasmano, ho il sentore costante della preparazione non espressa. Torno a casa con niente di speciale.
Mi sarei aspettato quantomeno abbinamento di bevande nel prezzo di 150€ a persona per esaltare alcune portate e forse per la sufficienza per un livello guida Michelin.
Non torneremo.

Un'esperienza unica. Un'immersione totale nei sapori più ricercati. Il gusto si sublima in una dimensione assoluta,.
I tortellini in brodo di piccione ed il petto di piccione con castagne e zucca sono chicche davvero eccezionali. La cortesia e la raffinata accoglienza della chef Cristina Bowerman, completano splendidamente l'esperienza.

Cristina Bowerman è una chef senza pari. I suoi piatti giocano su dei sottili equilibri fatti di sapori concentrati e consistenze eteree. Magnifico il menù vegetariano che consiglierei a tutti carnivori o meno con una menzione d'onore al cavolfiore alla brace (con una zuppa di miso infusa della fermentazione stessa del cavolfiore), ai ravioli liquidi di parmigiano 60 mesi e agli spaghetti di cime di rapa. Ma ancora più interessanti alcune aggiunte al menù (chieste da noi o pensate dalla chef) con il sashimi di ricciola che si distingue anche grazie ad uno zenzero lavorato in maniera eccelsa e le linguine miso e tartufo che fanno saltare sulla sedia. Per contro i prodotti da forno giocano sulle consistenze e sulla masticabilità eccellenti ma in stile diverso dal menù. Ottima la carta dei vini e molto buono anche il servizio. L'architettura del locale è interessante. Torneremo certamente. Ritornati confermiamo il giudizio e aggiungiamo alla menzione le linguine con funghi croccanti e l'oyster mushroom. Ormai habitué del pranzo del primo gennaio da Glass torniamo ancora e fra classici riconfermati, nuovi piatti e il tartufo siamo sempre più soddisfatti. La nuova menzione va al fungo glassato alla soia con gelato di nocciola e tartufo che chiude alla grande il menù vegetariano cui siamo felicemente fedeli di anno in anno.

Une belle expérience culinaire

This was our first Michelin star experience and perhaps we expected too much but we felt quite let down by the end of it. We ordered the tasting menu each.
The food: creative, most were mind blowing; although some were just mediocre. The dessert was to die for - I’m still dreaming about the passion fruit cream.
The ambiance: dimly lit, was quiet when we walked in at 7pm but became lively from 8:30pm. We were sat on second floor so it was more private and dark compared to ground floor.
The service: very formal but quite soulless. Towards the end we felt as if we were forgotten because our last 2 courses took half an hour to come out, whereas other tables had gotten theirs before us and we were there first. No explanation, no apologies.
Would I recommend? Maybe. Would we come back? Maybe not anytime soon.

Tutto perfetto stella meritatissima

Reality didn't meet expectations. Stars deducted for wine and incomplete balance of flavors and textures.

We selected the vegetarian tasting menu. Glass Hosteria was listed as 1 of 7 in the Rome list of "Discovery" from the 50 Best. We were excited having never been disappointed by any top 50 or 100 Best Restaurants or those on their Discovery lists. We chose the vegetarian option as how a chef treats non-meat dishes can showcase their ability. Unfortunately the menu we received seemed like an afterthought, often feeling like the dishes just removed the meat rather than coming from their own conception.

Wine - We also selected the wine pairing - 4 wines across 8 courses (each wine covering two courses). While the wines themselves were probably fine and paired well with the dishes, the issue was the amount. Each pour was ~1.5 oz, meant to be "savored" over 2 courses. We've had many tasting menus with wine pairings - 1.5-2 oz may be typical for 1 course, however dividing over 2 means guests receive 1-2 small sips per course. Overall leaving very little wine for the 2nd of the intended paired courses. With 6 oz of wine over 3.5 hours, by the end we just wanted to leave and put the whole thing behind us.

Food - With a tasting menu, the guest trusts it will be a complete meal experience - most plates should (with small exception) be composed of textural interest and balance of flavor. Throughout the meal, the general theme was soft texture and lack of acidity.

After some promising amuse bouches, the dishes started with Palak with paneer spheres - while this was our favorite dish for flavor, there was a soft texture throughout. Texture interest could easily be added by including 1 of the crisps or crackers provided at other separate points in the meal during this dish instead.

The next was salsify with chard black garlic - this again had pretty good flavor but could add another textural component.

The next dish unfortunately really hastened the decline of our experience, orzotto cacio e pepi with candied lemon and orange peel. Half our table choked this dish down out of politeness while the other half was unable to finish it. This was a full bowl (1 or 2 bites could be palatable, but a bowl became over-powering very quickly). Texturally it was all the same - soft with the exception of the al dente pasta and the diced lemon and orange peel that was the same size and texture as the pasta. Flavor - while the name says cacio e pepi, the only thing we could taste was salt - yes, aged parmesan is salty, but this tasted like the water to cook the pasta had been double salted and then added to the sauce in addition to the cheese. While you would expect pepper to have some heat, there was no heat, only salt. Wine would have helped to cut some of the salt, but unfortunately being the 2nd of the 2 courses to share the wine pairing, hardly any wine was left to wash away this dish. Many things could be done to help save this dish - acid, bitter, texture diversity - but weren't.

The ravioli with 60-month aged parmesan was technically perfect, pillowy soft ravioli with delicious cheese and truffle, but after the orzotto and other soft dishes it was starting to feel very boring.

The roasted cauliflower - texture getting somewhat better, however based on the named spices, more flavor could have been present but wasn't. I appreciated the addition of kefir which did add acid to this dish, however the ratio overpowered the rest of the ingredients leaving the dish unbalanced.

The chocolate, hazelnut, and porcini dessert FINALLY had some textural contract and was perfect as is.

To finish the evening the petit fours also left room for improvement - it was only sweet across the board. While the raspberry gel was an opportunity to let the tartness of raspberry shine, it was unfortunately just sweet and lacking in interest to compete against the 2 other sweets.

2-stars due to wine (skip the pairing) and so many missed opportunities for balanced, complete dishes.

Trionfo di sapori…abbiamo preso il menu degustazione e devo dire che siamo rimasti super soddisfatti. Tutti gli ingredienti sono legati tra loro in modo da esaltarne i sapori, le portate sono giuste e l’attenzione al cliente davvero top. Mai mangiato cosi in un ristorante…davvero consigliato

Fantastic food very good traditional Asian twist, service was phenomenal don't read the bad comments on here made me worried for nothing

Lovely dining experience with innovative dishes. We also did the wine pairing, which was well worth it - pours are not too heavy.

Amazing food and service. Incredible taste. I didn't get the menu, so I should choose 2 dishes. The cauliflower was spectacular !
I really recommend it!

Piacevole sorpresa! Tutto ottimo

A Glass fully empty

Following the Michelin Guide‘s recommendation, my husband and I dined at Glass Hostaria on 5 November 2023; I was in charge of the booking and had read some of the bad reviews on Google prior to booking, but assumed that the Michelin Guide couldn’t be that wrong. Unfortunately, I was the one who was wrong. This review reflects my personal taste but this restaurant is as far from a Michelin star as the sun is from Neptune. If you are interested in why, I kindly invite you to read the rest of my review.

On the positive side, the staff were very friendly and the interior design is, albeit being a bit outdated, appealing. However, when we asked our super friendly waiter for a recommendation for a crisp, light bottle of white he served a 14.5% alcohol bottle which we unfortunately noticed only after he had poured the glasses.

Which brings us to the food and I am sorry to say that we did not like ANY of our Glass Tasting Menu courses:
The chef‘s hors d‘oeuvre were some of the blandest I ever had in my entire life. Next was the chicken soup, which, no offense to chef Bowerman, tasted like tinned Campbell‘s soup. Dining in the world‘s capital of pasta, it was shocking how overcooked the shrimp taglioglini were. Next up were gyoza which appeared to have been sitting on the plate for hours before being served - they looked super dry and were super dry.
The pork neck was also not to our liking; we love Sous-vide but the meat was simply not cooked enough. The semi-ok dessert could not change the fact that our visit to Glass Hostaria was the culinary disappointment of the year and quality and price are, in our view, entirely outbid proportion.

Cena per 12
Perfetto tutto
Il cibo e l’abbinamento con i vini
Il servizio ineccepibile
La chef Bowerman attenta e premurosa con ogni commensale
Esperienza unica

Se volete fare un "viaggio" nel gusto, nella ricerca delle materie prime, nell'equilibrio dei sapori, nel sapiente gioco delle consistenze.. questo è il posto giusto. Abbiamo provato il percorso "Glass", scandito attraverso 6 portate principali (e altre 3 prelibatezze), di dimensioni giustamente contenute, ma che in più di un'occasione ci ha fatto esprimere il desiderato.. wow! Il locale è bellissimo, di design, con richiami "industrial", luci soffuse e musica lounge in sottofondo. Nota di merito per la giusta distanza tra i tavoli, per il rispetto della riservatezza (cosa alquanto rara a Trastevere!). Servizio impeccabile, sommelier professionale e simpatica. A conclusione del pasto, abbiamo anche avuto il piacere di conoscere e conversare con la chef Bowerman, attenta al rapporto e alla cura dei clienti. Esperienza stupenda.. non solo enogastronomica.. come dovrebbe essere di norma in ristoranti stellati, o aspiranti tali. Da provare!

Super!!

è uscito l articolo della chef capelli rossi che vole 75 euro se non te presenti e non disdici entro 48 ore prima! Assurdo! E se muoio? Ahahahah
pe me poi pure diventà co i capelli blu ma da me nun vedi n'euro!! ;)
E poi pe magnatte che? Niente!
Se prima volevo provallo.. adesso lo sconsiglio vivamente

Beau décor, jolie carte et excellente cuisine fusion. Glass Hostaria est à ne pas louper lorsque vous êtes à Rome.