Rome Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

[DaleJ]

I have one more. I have now eaten several times at 'Gusto, at the corner of via della Frezza and via del Corea, a few blocks northwest of Piazza Spagna. Its an ultramodern interior with a little bar, a sort of standup dining area for ciccheti and cheese plates and a sit down area for "real meals". I reminds me of Otto in NYC for its chic informality. A percentage of Rome's glitterati frequent the place nightly so reservations are probably needed for a sit down dinner. There's a nightly wine special for, as I remember, a euro a glass. And ordering a cheese plate for two with a jug of wine can put you in business for twenty five bucks. Its a fun place. Phone 063226273.

[divina]

I also adore Gusto.. it has several different dining options from pizza to winebar.. it is listed in the great gourmet issue on Rome

[pkeibel]

Ditto on 'Gusto we went there for lunch in October. We also went to one called Clemente near the Plazza Colonna. Cheap is going to be hard since we loose with the euro conversion, but everything is relative.

[heidihi]

Here are a few restaurant notes from a trip we took to Rome a couple years ago.

enoteca ferrara, (piazza triulussa 41, trastevere)

a slight splurge, but amazing food, massive wine binder displaying labels of hundreds of bottles. fruta del bosco, mini strawberries in balsamic for appetizer, cannelloni with asparagus and zucchini blossom for main course. delicious.

gli angeletti (via dell’angeletto 3), near the apartment we stayed in, ate here twice, good food, zucchini/pear salad good, strong pesto, great polenta with gorgonzola.

ristorante giubleo, across from the apartment we stayed in, great thin-crust pizzas, and an all you can eat pizza option for 10$, in case you want to try many types.

roma-pasta paradiso. one block from campo fiori (no address, but if you walk north on the street from the north-east side, it shouldn't be hard to find). If you are lucky enough to have access to your own kitchen. Some of the best fresh pasta we have ever had. We got tortellini and pasta crepes with zucchine blossoms to bring to the apartment and heat up in the oven, also a stuffed eggplant -- what a feast.

[calimero]

La matricianella (Roman traditional dishes)

Via del Leone 4 (tel: 066832100)

near piazza di spagna

Dar Moschino (Roman traditional dishes)

Piazza Benedetto Brin 5 (tel 065139473 )

Garbatella (2 tubes stops from Piramide)

Agustarello (Roman traditional dishes)

via G. Branca 98/100 (tel 065746585)

Testaccio

[pia]

I guess it's too late by now, but the advice could be helpful for someone else visiting Rome. Don't miss pizza at Gatta Mangiona (via Oznam 30 - ph. 06 5346702)! Definitely the best pizza in Rome (and a good wine list, too). It's opened only for dinner, and it closes on mondays (2 weeks for holidays in August).

Pia

[pia]

Other two addresses for a good pizza in Rome that I wish to share with you:

PIZZARIUM - Via della Meloria, 43 ph. 06 39745416 (opened daily from mon to sat, and from abt. 11:00 am till 8:00 pm). The Maestro here is Gabriele Bonci.

Don't expect a place where you can sit as well as the "round" pizza. At Pizzarium you buy pizza in pieces (usually nobody can resist and buy more than one, choosing from the wide choice of different tastes) and eat it while walking or bring it at home. It's super!!!! All made with biological flowers and natural yeast. They are light and delicious

and

PIANETA PIZZA - Via della Pineta Sacchetti, 432 (www.pianetapizza.it)

ph. 06 35501603

The Maestro is Francesco Etzi, awarded with the 3rd classification at Pizza's World Championship 1999

(Gabriele Bonci calls Etzi "mio maestro")

[vesnuccia]

if you want to eat a real carbonara with romans a no turist go to

Mozicone

Borgo Pio 180

Roma

+39066861500

if you go to 'Gusto its better if you eat at the WineBar

few dishes well made resnoble price and good service

much better than pizzeria and ristorante

[bobsdf]

I'll be in Rome over a Sunday in October and am wondering where to eat. It doesn't necessarilly have to be in town as we'll have a car and will be willing to travel to the countryside. This place l' Angolo d' Abruzzo is a possibility, but I'd love to hear other suggestions. Informal atmosphere with great traditonal food and a great wine list is the ideal.

Thanks!

[foolcontrol]

Vecchia Roma is a place where all of the locals eat. The food is among the best I had in Italy and the price is right. It is not on a main street and there are not a lot of foreigners that find it. It is between via nazionale and more south toward via cavour. I think it is on via Pozzuolo. I can't find a very good map. All of the locals know the restaurant and where it is located. Just ask someone. I think everyone in Rome speaks English. The portion sizes are large and you are served a complementary bruschetta with olive oil, tomatoes and basil for an appetizer. The wine is from Rome. Get there early. I would recommend waiting outside before the restaurant opens. After the restaurant fills up, the owner will tell you to come back tomorrow. The food is really good and the staff is very friendly to everyone and you will not feel rushed. They will not speak English to you at all. However, they understand English. My friend is a sommolier and he recommended drinking the house wines in Italy. The house wine at Vecchia Roma is $5 or $6 a bottle and tastes really good for a table wine. Almost all of the restaurants that I have been to in Rome serve the same house wine. The prices are drastically different depending on the restaurant. The food was some of the best I had in Rome.

The best Gelato place I found in Italy was on Via Serpenti between Via Nazionale and Via Cavour. When coming from Nazionale to Cavour is about a third of the way down on the right. I think it is the only gelato place on that strip. It is large (for a gelato place) and full of Italians and not tourists. I saw them making their own gelato there. Most of the other places that I found in Rome have their gelato delivered by a truck. I could really taste the difference.

Have a good time on your trip.

[albiston]

A quick tip for anyone who has to catch a train from Termini and has a little time to wait in the evening (from 18:30 onwards).

La Barrique Wine Bar

Via del Boschetto 41/B

(About 10-15 minutes walk from the railway station, less then 5 by bus, on a side street of via Nazionale.)

A nice wine selection, with some unusual and hard to find bottles, and a few nice nibbles to go with them. Also quite a few wines by the glass. If you feel like trying the regional wines of Latium ask the owner for some tips, there’s a good selection on offer.

[Cucina]

Ristorante Girarrosto Fiorentino

00187 Roma- Via Sicilia, 46

tel. 06 4288060

fax 06 42010078

I was in Rome over Thanksgiving 2003 and asked our concierge at the Hassler Hotel to make reservations for us at whatever he considered to be the best traditional place in town. This place lives up to the recommendation although you need to come very hungry and be prepared to order multiple courses (clearly, it's expected). They have for example, what is considered an appetizer that consists of multiple different selections ranging from a huge plate of prociutto, four large fresh buffalo mozerellas, olives and various types of vegetables both grilled and fried different ways. There were only two of us and we were full after that but felt compelled by the hovering owner to order more. The risotto with fresh white truffles was outstanding - the fish we ordered was equally good. I wish I had kept a food diary in Rome like I did in Florence so I would remember what I ate and where and how it was prepared - but alas, I did not. If exceptional food matters to you, trust your concierge to recommend where to go. We never had a disappointing meal and the concierge at our hotel was able to get us into places that were otherwise booked.

[Cucina]

GILDA

Via Mario de' Fiori 97

Piazza di Spagna

Phone 06-678-4838

FALL 2003

If you are single and in your 30's to 40's GILDA's is an all in one experience you don't want to miss. There is a piano bar on the first floor, a restaurant that serves good but not exceptional international cuisine (not necessarily Italian) on the second floor that opens at 9:30 and then there's a disco on the top floor that opens at midnight.

The real treat is honestly the disco and if you want to have a place to sit down, you have to have your concierge call and reserve a spot in advance (which I believe ran $20 euro for 2 but included one free drink)

This is where you will find all of the beautiful people in Rome. We met (and no ladies, I am not kidding) two of the most beautiful Italian men I've ever seen on the planet one of whom turned out to be an actor from some Italian Police television show and ended up having dates for the next night out. Ahhh, to be in Rome again!

[Freckles]

Hi. I leave this week for 5 days in Rome with my boyfriend. Please tell me; what are some good mid-priced restaurants that you like? And, what are some items that we can bring home to our friends in France and Canada: either food-related (what brand of olive oil? if parmesan cheese, then where to find the best? etc?) or not.

THANKS in advance!

Freckles

[divina]

look for NEWl in wine shops!

In Rome I enjoy winebars, lots of young people and lighter meals!

Try Cul de Sac Piazza del Pasquino, 73 and Hosteria dell’ Orso 80 via del Orso,33 for a fabulous Antipasto meal!

In January I ate at Ditirambo Piazza della Cancelleria, 74 and loved it, hear they also opened a new little pizza place across the road too!

Gusto,Piazza Augusto Imperatore, 9 loved eating here too, they ahve a bistro, or a buffet, or a restaurant.. lot's of locals.

WAnted to try this, but didn't get there the last time

Obiko mozzarella bar Piazza di Firenze, Angolo Via Dei Prefetti

[DaleJ]

Ate at 'Gusto again a couple of times last week. The bustling energy of the waitstaff is worth the trip. Plates of salumi and cheese and a liter of the house specialty makes for a great experience. Truly a fun place.

[calimero]

Crab .

It's a restaurant located near the colosseum, they cook sardinian cuisine, so if you're looking for roman cuisine this is the wrong place. Instead don't miss lobster ravioli, excellent!!

Their site:

http://www.aipiani.it/docs/default.html

Edited January 7, 2005 by calimero (log)

[RickBehl]

My girlfriend has planned a 5 night trip to Rome over Easter and I am really looking forward to it as this will be my first trip to Italy.

I'm sure the food there bears little resemblance to the Italian fare we get here in London (unless you pay a lot of money) so I'm really keen to try as many things as possible.

Can anyone provide suggestions on restaurants/dishes that should not be missed ?

I don't really like sticking to the tourist places as these are more often than not offering pretty 'standard' cuisine tailored to the foreign palate. I would really like to go to those 'local' Italian restaurants that only the locals know about.

Thanks in advance

Rick

[divina]

for a fun antipasto table.. Hosteria del Orso in Via del Orso.. only order the antipasto,and if you have room after, you can order more.. but they FILL your table with food!!!!

I also enjoyed Gusto, they have a Bistro, wine bar, pizza place.. filled with locals ( also a kitchen shop)

Check out the Campo dei Fiori market..

I have my list at home on my regular computer.. and if it stops snowing will be home this weekend and can send it to you.

[Kevin72]

Trastevere and Testaccio are two neighborhoods that supposedly have a high concentration of locals, though I'm hearing Trastevere has now been "discovered".

I'm going next week and when we get back I'll get a thread going of where we went and eating highlights.

[DaleJ]

Judy: The accepted name is Orso 80 and, indeed, the antipasti are staggering. One need order no more. However, since this place is so notorious it is tending to be "touristy".

I, too, wouldn't think of visiting Rome without dining at 'Gusto. It is, BTW, at the corner of via della Frezza and via del Corea, several blocks northwest of Piazza di Spagna (west of the Corso). The hyperactivity of the waitstaff and the assorted Roman glitterati are worth the stopping in. Everything from a plate of cheese and vat wine to high style dining in ultramodern surroundings. While I haven't been, they are reported to have an excellent sunday brunch. Perhaps will try same in April.

My vote for pizza is Pizzaria Remo in Testaccio. Some locals put me on to it a few years ago. Take the Metro to Piramide, walk west on via Marmorata past Volpetti, turn left into Testaccio and ask anyone for directions. Its a local institution. Great outdoors in the evening.

[RickBehl]

Wow, great advice !

I will defnitely try and make it to both Orso 80 and Gusto and hopefully the pizzeria that DaleJ mentioned. But we may actually spend one night (two days in Naples) so may leave the Pizza tasting for that location. On that note, does anyone have any recommendations on Pizza in Naples. I have heard that 'Da Michele' (?) is supposed to be good.

Rgds

Rick

[albiston]

Wow, great advice !

I will defnitely try and make it to both Orso 80 and Gusto and hopefully the pizzeria that DaleJ mentioned. But we may actually spend one night (two days in Naples) so may leave the Pizza tasting for that location. On that note, does anyone have any recommendations on Pizza in Naples. I have heard that 'Da Michele' (?) is supposed to be good.

Rgds

Rick

←

Rick, Da Michele makes a "minimalist" pizza, only margherita or marinara (i.e. tomato, garlic and oregano), which is IMO the best in Naples. Other good addresses are Trianon (of the two in town, I prefer the one opposite to Da Michele), Starita (via Materdei I believe), and Capasso (Via Porta S.Gennaro). I lived in Naples myself till 1999 so I'm a bit out of touch with the new openings, but heard very good opinions on Pizzeria del Presidente (Via Tribunali 121).

If you're interested in tasting good pizza, not Neapolitan style, in Rome there's one address I've been hearing wonders about: Pizzarium, in Via della Meloria 43. They make pizza al taglio, pizza baked in large rectangular trays and cut into sale-ready pieces. The Pizzaiolo, Gabriele Bonci, is considered a master of sourdough use in pizza. Never tried myself, but I'm dying to.

[bague25]

I had a wonderful meal at the DAL POMPIERE Via Santa Maria del Calderari, 38. Tel: 06.686.8377. It's in the Jewish quarter.

[divina]

I was just at Da michele.. very minimum.. you can have one there and then go across the street to Trianon and have one there too!

At Da Michele you need to walk up and tell them how many people.. they will give you a little paper with a number..stay near by so you know..

Very stark... was good, more funny than great.. as it was sort of uncomfortable eating at the little formica tables..

I would try Pizza in Rome as it is totally another thing..