Restaurants & dining – All our local tips

433 Next Bar got its name from the owners’ passion for football and particularly for Czech manager Zdenek Zeman. Mister Zeman became very famous in Italy for his struggle against doping and against the view of football like a business and not like a sport. He’s famous particularly in Rome because he was S.S. Lazio’s coach for three seasons, and A.S. Roma’s for two seasons after that during the second part of 90’s.

Zeman is also famous for his line-up because he’s a fundamentalist of “433″, which is a very aggressive and brave line-up in football, and it can be considered as a way of life.

Starting from the line-up,here you are the restaurant/bar that was inaugurated last spring, with Zeman present as well. The “433 Next Bar” is located in the heart of the famous “triangolo delle bevute” in Via del Governo Vecchio, which has always been a destination for Roman paused and walking, passing foreigners and those seeking the right places in the streets of city center.

Furnishing and design are modern, following the latest international trends. The menu is a mix of Italian cooking and Mediterranean creativity. They have excellent appetizers, and some gems for connoisseurs like the carpaccio of duck, ham of lamb or amatriciana made with fish. There is also a good wine list and really good desserts. Reservation is required.

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433 next bar | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Italian) | Meal in bar € 10.00
Via Del Governo Vecchio 123 | City center | +390668308796
Mon – Wed 11:30 – 00:00, Thu – Sat 11:30 – 02:00, Sun 11:30 – 01:00

This winebar/bistro exists since 1895, so it is part of History. It is a tippler meeting point, a bohemian environment where youngsters and oldies who behave as teenagers meet for a drink or two or more.

But the reason why I come here, either for a drink or a bite, is because the host always welcomes me with a smile, his staff is pleasant and easily at your disposal. This is not common in typically Roman bars downtown.

Once, a friend of mine ordered a salad and she found it too salty and not exactly how she expected it to be, and the host did not include her salad in our bill. This is even less common to happen in Rome. Usually the attitude is: “You didn’t like it? Tough luck”.

The choice of wines is quite good and the food is simple and homemade-style. It is silent and comfortable, feels like home. The façade is stunning: it is covered with ivy, very attractive. It deserves a picture.

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Ai Tre Scalini | Bars, Restaurants (Mediterranean/Italian) | Average meal € 13.50
Via Panisperna 251 | City center | +390648907495
Mon – Fri 12:00 – 01:00, Sat – Sun 18:00 – 01:00

Al Ristoro degli Angeli is a good, ‘radical-chic’ restaurant in the heart of Garbatella. It serves intriguingly delicious dishes in a warm and cozy atmosphere. It is great for an intimate dinner with your partner or just a few friends. It is a bit over-priced by some standards but the quality of the ingredients used is superior.

I recommend: the focaccina al lardo di cinta senese (yes, it is lard and it IS delicious!) and the cheese platter for antipasto; the Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe in cialda di parmigiano croccante (spaghetti with cheese and black pepper served in a crunchy parmesan crust) for first course; the Tavolozza Vegetariana (a baked vegetable sampler) for second course; and, for dessert, the chocolate almond cake served with a glass of barolo chinato. These are just some of my favorites, but you can’t go wrong with anything you choose on the menu. Plus, don’t forget to consider the daily specials.

If undecided, the staff will be very helpful with advice. The wine list is also interesting, offering some excellent wines from the Lazio region. Try Mater Matuta.

The restaurant is small. So, while it expands in the summertime with a few outside tables, one absolutely must reserve to eat here. Some people find the tables inside in this tiny, two-room restaurant a bit too close to each other but, somehow, this supposed lack of privacy doesn’t bother me.

Finally the service is very kind, efficient, and accurate and the green hair of one of the co-owners makes an interesting piece of conversation.

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Al Ristoro degli Angeli | Restaurants (Creative Italian) | Meal € 35.00
Via Luigi Orlando 2 | Testaccio & Ostiense | +390651436020
Mon – Sat 20:00 – 23:00

Let’s say you want to impress your girlfriend, your friend, yourself and enjoy a fine dine in a lovely setting without going bankrupt…then Antico Arco is your choice (at least, it was mine on several occasion, and it never let me down!).

Hip, yet cozy, it is centrally located, up on the Gianicolo hill that rises above Trastevere, but far from the boasting crowd of the most popular tourist area; it’s sophisticated but without excess; it’s romantic, may you wish so.

It is, most of all, an authentic Italian restaurant whose popularity keeps growing (so don’t forget to make a reservation!) matched with a wine bar that allow you to just drink, should you feel so. Their risotto with Castelmagno cheese has been on the menu for ages but it’s still my favorite, so are the chocolate-based desserts (they do their best to keep chocolate on the menu even in the hot season, but don’t be disappointed if you won’t find any: attention to quality is high and if it cannot be guaranteed, dishes are replaced by something equally delicious!)

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Antico Arco | Restaurants (Gourmet Italian) | Meal about € 35.00
Piazzale Aurelio 7 | Trastevere | +39065815274
Mon – Sat 20:00 – 00:00

I had dinner here with my friend Dimitri on a tranquil day after one of our interesting political discussions and exchange of views. We thought we might end the day with a tasty dinner round the corner from where our usual hanging out places are.

It’s a pleasant Roman trattoria-restaurant. Good food. Fresh fish every day. Excellent wines and service. Average prices.

Look at the dessert in the picture!!! Don’t you feel like grabbing a spoon-full of it?! It’s frozen water melon with white chocolate and some other secret magical ingredients that make it delicious.

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Arancio d’Oro | Restaurants (Mediterranean) | Average meal 40.00
via Monte d’Oro 17 | City center | +39066865026
Mon – Sat 19:00 – 23:00

The “Bali Bar and Restaurant” is located in the heart of Trastevere. It’s an ethnic spot with a cocktail bar and a restaurant cooking South-East Asian food. The first thing that strikes you is the wooden furniture, bamboo paper, cushions, sofas, rugs, furniture, drawings and paintings that echo the East.

Once you sit, you tease the palate by many choices of tea, herbal tea and Ayurveda, sushi, sashimi: the ethnic cuisine is a very good alternative to a classic Italian dinner.

For lovers of cocktails, the menu offers a wide range: from the traditional crushed to original cocktails fruit cocktails with fresh tropical fruits.

The restaurant also has a room for smokers.

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Bali Bar | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (South East Asia) | Full meal € 30.00
Via del Mattonato 29 | Trastevere | +39065896089
Restaurant Tue – Sun 20:00 – 23:00 | Bar 21:30 – 02:00 daily

It overlooks piazzale Belle Arti where the Museum of Modern Art is, opposite Villa Borghese.

The cook is German, and this may make you laugh because Germans aren’t usually well-known as being good chefs. But this one, is probably married to an Italian lady or knows what the Italian palate is familiar with. Last time, I went there with my mother, I had a delicious provola cheese and champagne risotto as my first course. She took a risotto with asparagus and mollusks.

Then, we both went on with Rombo fish as a second course and potatoes and porcini mushrooms as a sidedish. Our lunch started at 13:00 and at 15:00 we were still half way.

The Italian siesta is particularly long on non-working days. So, we thought we could go on at least to half past three and pick a cherry-marmelade homemade pie to pave our way out from gastronomic Paradise towards relaxing Villa Borghese for a rest in the park.

By the way, you may happen to sit next to a TV or movie celebrity.

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Caffè delle Arti | Bars, Restaurants (Mediterranean) | Fish meal € 50.00
Via Gramsci 73 | Parioli & Flaminio | +390632651236
Sun – Mon 12:30 -15:00, Tue – Sat 12:30 – 15:00 & 19:30 – 23:30

It is renown for the patate al cartoccio, its speciality: crusty and crispy potatoes baked in a carton roll. I come to eat to this restaurant especially for this delicious side dish. The rest of the food is extremely good, including the pizza.

This restaurant is a little difficult to find because it is hidden behind the freeway (tangenziale) and it is on a narrow street parallel to a wide boulevard called Corso di Francia. On the same road where it is located there is a series of restaurants, one after the other on the same sidewalk, and by the way, they are all worth it.

The place, mainly frequented by the neighborhood inhabitants, is located in a residential area right at the other end of the famous Ponte delle aquile (bridge of the eagles), a white large bridge made of travertine marble, enormous statues, lamps and sculptures built in the Fascist period. It is an upper-class area of town. Indoors and outdoors.

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Cassamortaro | Restaurants (Pizzeria) | Pizza € 15.00
Via Flaminia vecchia 515 | Parioli & Flaminio
Tue- Sun 19:30 – 00:00

Ciao Bella is a typical phrase that a Roman man says to a pretty girl, but it is also one of my favorite restaurants where I’m sure to find courtesy and good food, two fundamental and most important characteristics I look for when choosing which place to go have lunch or dinner.

It’s a well-known restaurant and doesn’t need any publicity at all, but I want to make sure my friends that read me here go check it out because it is worth it. The pizza is good, the menu offers a wide range of Mediterranean recipes, including all the typical traditional Roman dishes.

As you can see in the picture above, there is a big copper cloated oven heated up with wooden logs, the only way how pizza is supposed to be made. I also like the checkered white and red table cloths, the homey atmosphere, and the several dining rooms located in different alcoves. Last but not least, the waiters are all good-looking, professional and they speak English.

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Ciao Bella | Restaurants (Roman) | Pizza meal € 15.00
via Vittorio Veneto 12 | City center | +39064824155
12:00 – 00:00 daily

Meat here is very good. Whether beef steak, filet or involtini, it is all imported from Argentina, one of the best meat producers in the world. I am pointing this out despite being a Vegetarian! But I’m not a diet fundamentalist, so I must be objective.

When the quality of the meat is really good God’s will is that a plate is meant to be the animal’s Nirvana and your bliss. Anyhow, this does not make me a meat eater. I eat here to go head over heels for their vegetable dishes, whether boiled, grilled, baked or roasted.

I like the pastas, the soups. And, the desserts. It is a good place where to dine. You will be right smack downtown, in the center of the city, close by Navona square and the Pantheon. An after dinner promenade will take you, and the beef steak you probably had, to earthly paradise.

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Ciccia Bomba | Restaurants (Argentinian meat) | average meal € 30.00
via del Governo Vecchio 76, 00186 | City center | +390668802108
12:00 – 15:00 & 19:30 – 23:00 daily

In times like these, when world capitalism is being questioned ever more so, an interesting place to visit is the Città dell’Altra Economia. This is an entire cultural center devoted to the promotion of an alternative type of economy: organic agriculture, fair trade, renewable energies, reuse and recycling, responsible tourism, and ethical finance.

CAE was inaugurated in September 2007 during the administration of Rome’s former mayor Walter Veltroni. It is located in a portion of Rome’s former slaughterhouse and cattle market in Testaccio. The buildings have been completely renovated so as to be eco-compatible and sustainable.

Within the center, you will find a “bio-restaurant” serving only organic food, a “bio-coffee shop” serving espresso, cappuccino and teas from fair trading partners, a fair-trade natural foods store as well as a reuse and recycle store selling objects and works of art made from recyclables.

There are also representatives from companies operating in the renewable energies, responsible tourism, and ethical finance sectors available to provide information and services. Last but not least, there is an “open communication” section focusing on the use of technologies and free-license software to foster the sharing of knowledge across peoples.

CAE offers a series of events, including book presentations, readings, concerts and fairs. Be sure to check CAE’s website regularly or subscribe to its newsletter. The bio-bar offers a Euro 5 after-hours “aperitivo” on Friday evenings from 19:30 – 21:30. The bio-restaurant offers a Euro 20 special three-course organic meal deal on Sundays at lunch.

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Citta’ dell’Altra Economia | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Shopping, Restaurants (Organic)
Largo Dino Frisullo | Testaccio & Ostiense | +393488059332
Tue -Sat 10:00 – 20:00, Sun 10:00 – 19:00

A fixed-price menu for a great Italian seafood experience. This is what this restaurant has to offer.

But here are two warnings: 1) to eat here, you absolutely must reserve 2) to best take advantage of it, you have to be as hungry as a bear!

The moment you sit down at your table, you will notice an ice bucket with some bottles of Vermentino wine (included in the price and replaced the moment they will be emptied). After a few moments, some rather zealous waiters will begin to cramp your table with loads of antipasto dishes: oysters, mussels, seafood salad, octopus & potato salad, baby octopus, salmon, zucchini au gratin. After a few minutes worth of a break -in which you will be able to reflect on the fact that you are already full- you will begin the first courses: risotto with scampi, spaghetti with clams, and some egg noodles with seafood in tomato sauce.

At this point, you would probably want to go to sleep or take a short 20km walk to digest, but you cannot resist the urge to take the challenge one notch further: a big platter of fried and grilled fish will be placed on your table, together with one-squared-meter of vegetable crudités (aka pinzimonio), surprisingly appreciated for its digestive properties.

Finally, you will be served lemon sorbet, grappa, mirto liquor and coffee. I am happy to have survived the evening so as to be able to tell you all about it on this blog!

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Costa Smeralda da Achille | Restaurants (Seafood) | Fixed menu € 35.00
Via Roberto Marcolongo 37 | Testaccio & Ostiense | +39065591245
Tue – Sun 20:00 – 00:00

When I invited my friend Brigida out to dinner, who is a classy lady with extremely good taste and is used to eating well, I was happy not to disappoint her. Rather, she liked the food and appreciated the atmosphere, as it is also well equipped with design furniture. As to say, two senses are satisfied: sight and taste.

I had a risotto with mushrooms and melt cheese, plus fresh crispy grilled vegetables and mozzarella. My friend had fish, a delicious sea bass with vegetables as a side dish. Pinot grigio to drink, an Italian gelato to end our girly chit-chat.

This place is one of the few that makes pizza also at lunchtime. Another good thing is that it is always open, non-stop, no siesta between the usual lunchtime and dinner time. So, if for instance you get hungry at 16:00 you know where to come.

The chef is young and clever. The owners are affable. And the service is excellent: my friend accidentally dropped her knife which fell on the floor, she bent to pick it up and when she stood up again the waiter had already put a clean knife back on the table. Amazing!

I also often have an aperitif with my dear friend Tariq who is a connoisseur of pizza. He loves it here.

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Cotto | Bars, Restaurants (Mediterranean) | Meal € 30.00
Via Torino 124 | City center | +390683511947
12:00 – 23:30 daily, happy hour 16:00 – 19:30 daily

It is like being in France. One of the best places for a tasty, inexpensive bite.

The wines are superb. 1500 wines, grappas and brandies, spumantes and champagnes, from basic red or whites to exclusive costly aged luxurious bottles of Italian and international wine.

On an ordinary day you may like to order, as I do, a Greek salad or a variety of cheeses. Or other tasty dishes like smoked salmon, or the lasagna, or the vine leaves rolled up and stuffed with meat. To tell you the truth, everything on the menu is extremely good.

Outdoors is quite nice, although the tables are too close to one another, there’s very little privacy. Indoors as well, the space is quite limited, so it could be suffocating for the tall and chubby ones. It is also difficult for me at times to fit in, as there is very little space between the bench and the table. No wonder it is called “cul de sac”.

But the waiters, all nice and professional sommeliers, make your night very pleasant, some of them are very charming. It may also occur that a band of gipsy musicians passes by and starts playing typical Eastern European tunes, accompanying your outdoor lunch or dinner with string instruments-violin, viola and cello. They deserve a tip just like the waiters do.

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Cul de Sac | Bars, Restaurants (French/Mediterranean) | Wine from € 5.00
Piazza Pasquino 73 | City center | +390668801094
12:00 – 16:00 & 18:00 – 00:30 daily

Da Gildo il Cacciatore, located in Rome’s Boccea neighborhood, is a favorite spot for dwellers of this scarcely touristy area.

It is an unpretentious restaurant, with moderate prices and a simple, Roman cuisine. People who eat in this place are typically groups of young people hungry for pizza, groups of not-so-young people looking for a way to spend the evening, families celebrating some event, or simply people who cannot be bothered to cook and who find at Gildo a good compromise between laziness and cost.

Although the name (il cacciatore= the hunter) might indicate a preference for meat, fish-based courses, pizzas, pastas and fried foods are equally delicious. As a result, I always end up ordering rather “unorthodox” meals composed for example of mussels antipasto, supplì rice balls, spaghetti all’amatriciana, fried calamari and shrimp, lamb ribs “alla scottadito” and puntarelle salad (raw chicory greens). I should say that besides my meal’s bizarre composition, I hardly manage to finish everything I order since portions are quite generous for Italian standards.

While the main hall, a former terrace that has been ‘encased’, will give you the chance to sit with the rowdy locals, the smaller room close to the kitchen will give you a chance to admire some old photographs featuring the restaurant forty years ago. You will be surprised by the fact that, at the time, it was a diner in the middle of the countryside.

Service is accurate and quick and there is no need to reserve on weekdays. On weekends, you may have some problems finding a table, especially if you are a large party.

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Da Gildo il cacciatore | Restaurants (Italian) | Meal € 25.00
Via di Boccea 348 | Vatican & Prati | +39066624800
Thu – Tue 20:00 – 23:00

To enjoy your meal in this trattoria, don’t think that you go in a restaurant, but think that you’re going to visit your Roman friend’s house. The owner Sergio and his colleagues are always kind and caring, but they manage the restaurant as if you are guests in their house, creating a friendly and easy going atmosphere.

The main feature of this restaurant is the authenticity of the ingredients used to prepare Roman dishes. The menu depends on the availability of some ingredients.

Before you order your meal, remember that in Sergio Carbonara is a must. As a Roman man that can cook it and that has tried it in many restaurants, I really really really recommend to taste Carbonara made by Sergio, it’s the best in the city and simply unforgettable! Also “Pasta alla Gricia” and “Cacio&Pepe” are good, but I think the Carbonara is best…

Besides pasta, there is also a big choice of meat, fish, side dishes and cakes. I suggest you to make a reservation, particularly during the weekend because it’s always full.

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Da Sergio alle Grotte | Restaurants (Roman dishes) | Meal & wine € 20.00
Vicolo delle Grotte 27 | City center
12:00 – 16:00 & 19:00 – 00:00 daily

Dal Bersagliere is your typical, local, ‘garden-variety’ Roman pizza parlor, established in the ’50s and frequented by Romans.

Here, in the evening, near the closed stalls of the adjacent market, you will find a highly informal environment frequented by couples, friends and families alike. Dal Bersagliere is renowned to serve excellent, thin-crusted pizzas ‘Roman-style’. These are preceded (as is the custom here in Rome) by equally excellent fried antipasti, which are never too greasy and always served piping hot.

So, if you’d like to have a pizza “as the Romans do”, try Dal Bersagliere. Sit at one of the wooden tables outside -warmer climate permitting- wait for the waiter to quickly set your table with a paper tablecloth and then order: supplì, fiori di zucca, olive ascolane, verdure fritte, some bruschette (either simple or more elaborate) followed by whichever pizza best suits your tastes.

Most Italians have beer to accompany their pizza meal. I am told they also serve good meat but I never tried it. Dal Bersagliere is very close to the subway. Also, while there might be a line at times, don’t be put off, waiting times are never too long.

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Dal Bersagliere | Restaurants (Pizza) | Pizza € 15.00
Via Gino Capponi 16/22 | Appio Tuscolano | +3906789909
19:00 – 00:00 daily

It’s a famous restaurant where celebrities, many politicians, parliament and government members, entrepreneurs and CEOs, like meeting and showing off their outfits and elegant partners and talk about business and money and power.

The food is good, no doubt. I often go for the pumpkin-stuffed ravioli, no tomato sauce just butter and salvia. My friends like having pasta and ragù which is unbeatable.

I can’t wait to get to the dessert: you must have the little fruit ice-creams: walnut shells filled with walnut ice-cream, carved out apricots filled up with apricot ice-cream, emptied out tangerines cut in half and stuffed with tangerine ice-cream, and many more fruits.

Anyhow, you will be sitting in one of Rome’s most beautiful squares. Make sure to book because it is always packed.

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Dal Bolognese | Restaurants (Italian/Mediterranean) | Full meal € 90.00
Piazza del Popolo 1-2 | City center | +39063611426
Tue – Sun 12:450 – 15:00 & 20:15 – 23:15 daily

In the heart of Trastevere there’s this pizzeria that opened about 20 years ago and quickly became famous in Rome because it is very cheap and very good!

The atmosphere is very familiar, with limited seating space. The food is excellent! The bruschette from the simple with tomato to the most tasty and varied, such as gorgonzola and honey, are good. The Roman pizza is crisp and low, not much consistency but cotta wood-cooked and overall good workmanship and quality.

If you go there for the first time and want to try something different from the usual pizza, the council strongly calzone filled with ricotta and nutella is simply wonderful (although many calories!!!).

The only flaw (but a sign of quality!) is the line we need to do stand in to eat, but it is really worth it! For this reason it is advisable to book and arrive punctually in time….

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Dar Poeta | Restaurants (Pizzeria) | Full meal € 15.00
Vicolo del bologna 45 | Trastevere | +39065880516
19:00 – 23:00 daily

Forget the glamorous Hollywood or the luxurious shopping Rodeo Drive and relax in peaceful and spacious West Coast vineyards like Napa Valley.

Duke’s is a California Bar & Restaurant. It’s in Rome’s snobby-snotty neighborhood. The atmosphere is elegant thus easy-going, and the wines are mostly from California. The food too, especially the thick and juicy beef steaks.

Unluckily you won’t be surrounded by any ranch-type kind of guy, no blond, tall studs and none of the Blondy Barbies you would meet strolling down LA. But whether you are a man or a woman you won’t be disappointed.

It’s a trendy high class place, the clientele is sophisticated, good-looking, well-dressed, the creme of the city. And the waiters are all very polite, professional, handsome, and they always smile. This makes my evening even more pleasant and relaxing. One must please not only the palate, but also the eye!

It is the perfect place for me to be, either for a drink or a bite, during warm and cold seasons: there are also tables outdoors, all year round, in a pebbled-paved garden warmed up by mushroom-shaped gas heaters.

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Duke’s | Bars, Restaurants (Californian) | Meal € 40.00
Viale Parioli 200 | Parioli & Flaminio | +390680662455
Tue – Sat 18:30 – 02:00

As a fan of Asian food and in particular Japanese food I picked this restaurant to enjoy a nice dinner with a few friends and I was pleasantly surprised.

The place has normal tables as well as tatami tables but it only gives you an illusion of sitting on the floor because you will sit down and there is a “hole” or space to place your legs.

We enjoyed some Asian beers and some Ume sushi which is a plate with different sushi’s and for my friends that were not sushi lovers they also had a Malayan side of the menu and so we ordered some Malayan beef.

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Enso Sushi Restaurant | Restaurants (Asian ) | Main meal € 10.00
Piazzale Ponte Milvio 33 | Parioli & Flaminio | +390633221175
11:00 – 15:00 & 18:00 – 00:00 daily

In the heart of Rome’s ‘drinking triangle’, this exclusive Provence-style wine bar draws its charm from a minimalist, fake shabby-chic (rather elegant!) décor and a palette of drinking and eating options.

Managed by two brothers who, in spite of their young age, are among the most experienced entrepreneurs of cool bars in Rome (sometimes you find them behind the bar), Etabli is a café, a restaurant and a wine bar, all in one.

It’s romantic, warm, and packed with locals (that will leave you with a desire of moving to Italy…..) It is so beautifully decorated, so well done you may have the impression of being in a rather plush living room with comfortable armchairs and sofas, rather than in a bar.
During the winter season, the fireplace is on but don’t worry…during the hot season the old building it is host into guarantee a cooler temperature!

From 19:00 daily aperitivo is served: wines and drinks are accompanied by delicious finger food (buffet-style), to warm you up before dinner.

Unfortunately, being located in the city center, there is no terrace, but its interiors are so nice you won’t regret it. If you wish to dine there, you’d better make a reservation!

P.S. A good place to take a date!

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Etabli | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Italian) | Drinks from € 6.00
Vicolo delle Vacche 9/a | City center | +390697616694
Restauramt 12:00 – 15:00 & 19:00 – 00:00 daily, Winebar 18:00 – 02:00 daily

This restaurant is known by all Romans and in Testaccio area it is an institution!

When you decide to go to Felice, the first thing you must do is to call during the afternoon and book your table for one of the two turns (21:00 or 22:30): in fact without booking you will rejected because the restaurant is always full….

Once you’re inside, you will notice 3 things. First, the “Gambero Rosso Award” at the entrance as one of the best restaurant in Rome. Also, there is nu menu (but the list of wine is available). The waiter announces this when you want to order. Sometimes you could see tables with a written “Occupato”(busy) on them: if this is the case, probably the Oscar awards Roberto Benigni and Nicola Piovani are coming up …..

About the food let me say that pasta is simply amazing, particularly “Pasta Cacio e Pepe”: it’s incredible that such as simple dish can be so gorgeous when you eat it in Felice’s!

I also suggest “Pasta alla Felice” (with ricotta cheese,tomatoes, mint and chilli) and “Gricia”, but whatever pasta you choose, you don’t get wrong!!!

Other dishes, as every good roman restaurant, depend on the ingredients available, so they change every night.

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Felice a Testaccio | Restaurants (Italian) | Dinner € 30.00
Via Mastro Giorgio 29 | Testaccio & Ostiense | +39065746800
Mon – Sat 12:30 – 15:00 & 20:00 – 23:30, Sun 12:30 – 15:00

The pizzeria is located in San Lorenzo and is always full. One of its features is the informal service. Once you enter you will be welcomed by a wooden table, tablecloths with the menu printed on them. in the end the bill is made up with characters almost Cyrillic on a piece of greased paper.

As for the menu, it offers 100 types of Roman pizza, bruschetta, salt cod fillets, apple pie and tiramisu of the house. Honestly, the pizza is nothing special but it’s the classic Roman, similar to the one you eat in the famous Baffetto, in the city center.

I think it’s great, because you can stroll to San Lorenzo easily, it’s cheap, you can eat well and is frequented by students who live in the area.

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Formula 1 | Restaurants (Roman) | Pizza € 15.00
Via degli Equi 13 | S.Lorenzo & Pigneto | +39064453866
Mon – Sat 19:00 – 00:00

Fratelli La Bufala (FLB) is a chain which has branches in all over the world. It’s famous because you can eat buffalo-based dishes: not only the classical mozzarella,but also the buffalo meat!

In Rome there are 3 restaurants which offer same food but have different prices due to their position: I suggest to go to restaurant in Via Velletri because it’s the best trade-off between price and location.

I like this place because of the quality of food which I think is very high: in fact both if you eat pizza or if you eat meat: your tastebuds will definitely be satisfied!

As buffalo mozzarella lover I suggest pizza, but also the grill cooked buffalo meat is good, especially when it’s accompanied with focaccia…

At the end of the meal order “tortino di cioccolato” (chocolate cake) – your taste will thank you for a long time…

Unfortunately the restaurant has 2 bad things: a long line if you don’t book in advance, and waiters are not very kind and too busy during rush hour.

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Fratelli La Bufala | Restaurants (Italian) | Main meal € 20.00
Via Velletri 22 | Parioli & Flaminio | +390685304696
12:00 – 15:00 & 19:00 – 00:00 daily

EnglishYellowPages staff regularly organizes seasonal events for its members and friends. A network of English-speaking professionals are invited to gather at a venue to spend and enjoy time together, talk about business, exchange views, eat and drink, like it occured on December 2 2008 at Galleria, a new hitech design restaurant located in the renowned Galleria Colonna, also known as Galleria Sordi.

In this refined yet informal atmosphere, I was struck by a room in particular with innovative “magic” glass doors: a private space where the most reserved guests can sit and decide whether they want to keep the doors open or shut. And if they want them shut, they can also opt to have the glasses go from transparent to opaque, isolating themselves completely from the rest of the diner.

Not only the design and architecture is avant-garde, but also the food. There are different selections chosen according to the different times of day and seasons. At lunchtime the menu offers light meals and more elaborate dishes at dinnertime. And sandwiches, salads and desserts for afternoon snacks.

You all know by now that I go for the vegetarian dishes, like zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta cheese with rice and light mint pesto sauce or the eggplant pie. The wines are carefully selected and they mainly come from northern Italy’s regions Tuscany, Piedmont and Veneto.

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Galleria | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Italian) | Lunch € 20.00
Galleria Alberto Sordi 53 | City center | +390685355431
12:00 – 23:00 daily

The best carciofi alla giudia in town. You must try this very special plate of artichokes, fried and pressed. They look flat and crispy. They are a typical Roman-Jewish plate. The meat is good too.

Everything on the menu, depending on your personal taste, is extremely of high quality. After all, it is very difficult to eat bad food in Rome, wherever you go.

The restaurant has also outdoor tables. Right next to it there is the famous Teatro Marcello, which looks like the Colosseum but it isn’t. And there is part of the Roman forum where during the Summer a series of concerts or little plays are held.

It is a good place to spend either lunch or dinner. It is in the Jewish ghetto, behind the main temple, the Synagogue, off the lungotevere opposite the Isola Tìberina.

After your meal you may want to take a walk along the Tiber’s banks. Just cross the main road (Lungotevere). walk across a little bridge and go down the steps. But before taking off, you must have your fried artichokes.

Do not be deceived, this is not a Kosher restaurant. There is one on the same sidewalk some twenty meters ahead.

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Giggetto | Restaurants (Roman) | Meal (excl. wine) € 40.00
Via Portico d’Ottavio 21/a- 22 | City center | +39066861105
Tue – Sun 13:00 – 15:00 & 20:00 – 23:00

A small glass door that opens on a sleek, chinese corner. Maybe the best in town. Elegant, quiet, intimate and…delicious!

Green T is very different from any other Chinese restaurant in town. Expensive too, for anyone used to stuff him/herself with just a couple of notes.

During lunchtime they have a fixed menu that ranges from 8 euro (quick meal) to 17 euro (fish menu), it also offer an “a la carte” menu, with deli from all around China.

It’s open at lunch & dinner time (12.30-15.00; 19.30-24.00), it also offer tea, Chinese design objects, books, clothing, and a very special experience.

P.S. perfect for a date!

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Green T | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Restaurants (Chinese) | Lunch from € 8.00
Via Piè di Marmo, 28 | City center | +39066798628
Mon – Sat 12:30 – 15:00 & 19:30 – 00:00

Classy, trendy and rich of “taste” like its name. Excellent cuisine, excellent wines, excellent service. I really enjoy spending time here, either at the bar for a drink or at the restaurant upstairs. At night, at times, there is also live music.

Next to the restaurant there is a shop where you can buy good wines, kitchen utensils and cuisine books. You can also find the waiters’ outfit on sale: I bought the apron. The only thing I have experienced is that the salespeople are stuck up and not fully polite, and most of all they often do not give you a receipt which is an obligation by the law.

Instead, the owner of the chain of restaurants is extremely nice and the staff is professional. There is also a sommelier that will help you choose the appropriate wine for your meal.

On the same square, there is also ‘Gusto Fish and vegetables (piazza Augustoi Imperatore 28) where I usually go at lunch time. What I usually pick is a salad, a sandwich or a variety of small bowls that you can choose among plenty different dishes to taste. The design and furniture of all the ‘Gusto chain spots is modern and newly restyled.

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Gusto | Bars, Restaurants (Mediterranean) | Pizza € 15.00
piazza Augusto Imperatore 9 | City center | +39063226273
12:30 15:30 & 19:30 – 00:00 daily

Right next to my house there is a cute little restaurant where I go on my lazy days since it is so close! And it is definitely a fusion of Bavarian and Italian culture. If you happen to stroll by on a Monday you will see it’s a pizzeria/pub. On other days you can try authentic Bavarian foods such as the Knoedel or pork cooked in Bavarian beer but do not shy away from their pizzas such as the Diavola or Margherita.

I like the atmosphere inside the place and the decoration with its wooden chairs with a hole carved in it and the tablecloths that give you a sense of being at home. It is also a good cozy place to watch sporting events while drinking one of their many choices of beer…Bavarian of course.

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Hofbrau Munchen Bermand | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants | Diavola Pizza € 7.00
Via di Grottarossa 123 | Cassia & Montemario | +390633253802
Mon – Sat 18:00 – 23:00

Once you arrive in Piazza Regina Margherita, probably you’ll get confused because you’ll find two restaurants named “I Butteri”, each on opposite sides of the street: don’t worry, you are not drunk!

The fact is that I Butteri had such as requests in the past years that the owners decided to buy another place in the same square!

I Butteri is obviously originated from Tuscany, so if you love the Maremma, this is the right place for you, and even the furniture, very distinctive, recalls those areas.
Due to it is a typical Tuscan restaurant, is the undisputed kingdom of the high quality “tagliata” and “fiorentina”, even if you can also order pizza, that however is always good; on the right side of the restaurant there’s a big window on the kitchen, where you can see the butchers who cut and prepare the meat to be cooked, and it’s funny to watch them while you wait for your order.

For the starters I really suggest “prosciutto toscano” and “salame di cinghiale”, but don’t forget to taste the typical local bread and focaccia. They are simply gorgeous!

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I Butteri | Restaurants (Tuscan) | Full meal € 30.00
Piazza Regina Margherita 28 | Parioli & Flaminio | +390644250904
12:30 – 15:00 & 19:30 – 03:00 daily

It’s one of my favorite places, because I know I’ll always eat well. An elegant family-run restaurant since 1959. A classic Italian place in an upper class neighborhood where you can have excellent food at a very good price. I dine here since I was a teenager and I have always eaten very well.

The other day, I went with my mother and had a zucchini strudel with provola cheese as an appetizer. It was delicious. My mom had Spinach rolls with Parmisan. Then we went for pasta: Amatriciana and Checca. We ended our dinner with a fruit salad, not the usual smooshed fruit cut in tiny pieces, but big juicy slices of fruit: kiwi, apple, melon, strawberry, pear, banana, grapes.

If you come by car there is a parking place right across the street, or you can leave it parked second row – loudspeakers will call out your name if you are blocking another vehicle. The staff is professional and elegantly dressed. Outdoors and Indoors, very spacious.

It’s always packed so make sure you book. You will not find a menu in English, but learning some Italian will not do you harm and can be fun. After all, this is not a typical touristic place.

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Il Caminetto | Restaurants (Mediterranean/Italian) | Full meal from € 25.00
Viale Parioli 89 | Parioli & Flaminio | +39068083946
Mon – Sun 12:30 – 15:00 & 19:30 – 23:30

Cesaretto wine bar is one of my favorite places in Rome and I am there so much that they know my name, and in fact a lot of the people that frequent the wine bar are regulars and it is in a side street off Via Del Corso. The environment is friendly and laid back but the food is upscale deliciousness.

I like going there year round, it is small but during the warmer months you can sit outside and watch people. Sometimes celebrities (national or international) pass by, and during the cooler months they have an area inside that is very cozy and warm.

My favorites to get there are the Carbonara pasta or the ravioli with a Fragolino wine to go with it, but most days they have a special that is not on the menu and go ahead and ask for it and most likely you will eat something delicious.

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Il Cesaretto | Bars, Restaurants (Ravioli) | € 10.00
Via Bocca di Leone 44a | City center | +390669380557
12:00 – 23:00 daily

The Cicalino, meaning “little grasshopper” is a well- known in North Rome, during the afternoons in fact it is often a place for high-school students to meet and chat while eating a pizza al taglio before deciding where to go.

In the evenings it can be a quiet place to sit out on their red tables and enjoy the pizza or arancini. If you are a sports fan, usually you can watch the games inside on their TV, with a beer to accompany your pizza.

These kind of pizza’s are not as thin as the ones that you will find in the restaurants. They serve square pizzas, with a variety of different toppings. One of my personal favorites is their potato topping pizza that I learned to love when I was one of those high-schoolers chatting away with friends.

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Il Cicalino | Bars, Restaurants (Pizza al taglio) | Piece of pizza € 2.50
Via Cassia 917/A | Cassia & Montemario | +390630362549
Tue – Sat 11:00 – 21:00

Tucked away below street level, hidden by the flashy light of a kebab store on via Massaia, Il Melograno is Garbatella’s only “enoteca”. ‘Enoteca’ is an odd term in Italian because it means both a wine retail shop and a place where you can sit down and drink some quality wine rightly combined with the appropriate foods.

Il Melograno is mainly this second type of enoteca. It is run by two brothers whose kind manners, together with the excellent wine they serve, will gently ease you into a relaxed mood for the evening. Both brothers have a degree from AIS (Italian Association of Sommelier) which would normally means that you are a stuck-up ?$%&$ who looks down on people who don’t know anything about wine. This is absolutely not the case with them. They will gladly suggest the best wines and explain subtle differences while never being condescending and while communicating their love for the subject matter.

You can opt to have dinner there or simply go after hours for a drink. Every day, there is a €20 special dinner menu. Otherwise, you can choose your dishes à la carte. Last time I went, I had bruschettine with mozzarella and bottarga, crostini ai pesti vegetali, and swordfish tartare. All this while enjoying an excellent glass of Vieris Sauvignon Vie de Romans. Il Melograno also has a good selection of home-made desserts and these are sublimely accompanied by great dessert wines. I had cantuccini with a Muffato Castello della Sala Antinori.

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Il Melograno | Bars, Restaurants (Italian) | Main Meal € 30.00
Via Guglielmo Massaia 9 | Testaccio & Ostiense | +39065115609
Mon – Fri 10:30 – 15:30 & 19:00 – 00:00, Sat 19:00 – 00:00

IL PAGLIACCIO KEEPS WINNING AWARDS…No wonder, it’s among the best gourmet restaurant in town!

Crisis, economical downturn, negative attitude…eventually, we are all very much into quality vs. money. So, should you feel like treating you (or your dearest) Il Pagliaccio won’t disappoint you. It may sound pricey compare to other restaurant in town, but its quality is undoubtedly excellent, and worth every penny.

Food, presentation, service, courtesy…every details is perfectly taken care of, to guarantee an unforgettable experience.  The atmosphere is made up by two welcoming halls and a smaller room for the aperitif and after-dinner entertainment. Some of the dishes that are, or have been on the menu are: rabbit salad with barley and vanilla with a fried oyster; broad bean broth with cappelletti and Roman broccoletti; Gragnano paccheri with bieta and ricotta cheese; ox tail with meatballs. Breads are home-made and their smell sometimes leaves the kitchen and reaches the lucky guests! The desserts are just spectacular, both in taste (soooo yummy!) and presentation, thanks the pastry-queen Marion Lichtle from Alsace…I wish I could try them all!

The menu changes seasonally, or according to special occasions or events, so expect to find a different cart every now and then. Of course, as its standard may suggest, Il Pagliaccio is also friendly to vegetarian, gluten-sensitive and allergic people, and it’s accessible to wheelchairs, too.

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Il Pagliaccio | Restaurants (Gourmet) | Meal € 75.00
Via dei Banchi Vecchi 129a | City center | +390668809595
Mon – Tue dinner, Wed – Sat lunch & dinner

Il Peperone is a nice little restaurant in Via Veneto, which is one of the most famous streets in Rome, but usually untouchable for the prices. When I first went to Il Peperone with a friend of mine who had come to visit me from the States, I was impressed with the prices because they were affordable compared to their competitors.

My friend wanted to have coffee in Via Veneto but I said “I have a better idea: lets have pizza!” and the food turned out to be great. The restaurant offers a variety of different dishes, mainly Roman typical foods but also a variety of general Italian ones. I like seating outside as you can sit and relax and people watch in the heart of Rome.

My friend and I had a great time and the service was great, we ordered some delicious Roman appetizers and a pizza each. The owner Antonietta is very friendly and laid-back, she even said OK to take a picture with me!

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Il Peperone restaurant | Snacks, Restaurants (Pizza) | Pizza Margheritia € 10,00
Via Veneto 97 | City center | +39064884593
Oct – Apr 12:00 – 16:00 & 18:00 – 00:00 daily | May – Sept 18:00 – 00:00 daily

Great cereal soups and pastas with chickpeas and other legumes. But the typical dish of this informal restaurant is food cooked and served on a hot stone brought to you directly from the kitchen stove, either vegetables, fish or meat, a healthy and ancient way to cook. Watch it, you could burn yourself severely.

Whatever you pick on the menu will be tasty. The chef calls it “creative” cuisine. What I like of this place is the environment, extremely friendly and cozy yet very professional. You will feel as if you were in a home.

Indoors and outdoors is pleasant, there is also a smoking area, a room totally isolated from the rest of the restaurant. If you sit outdoors you will expect to be interrupted continuously by street vendors, mainly Senegalese or Bangladeshi, selling all sorts of items, but you may find it picturesque and you could enjoy bargaining while waiting for your meal.

The neighborhood is bohemian, home of many artisans and artists.

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Il Pulcino Ballerino | Restaurants (Mediterranean) | Meal (incl. wine) € 20.00
Via degli Equi 66/68 | S.Lorenzo & Pigneto | +39064941255
20:00 – 00:00 daily

Maureen is an elegant and attractive English woman from Yorkshire who has been living in Rome for over 18 years. Together with her husband Carlo, she opened her first restaurant in 1990 and, by working hard, she has expanded her expertise becoming entrepreneurs in the food and beverage industry field in one of Rome’s most famous streets: the Dolce Vita via Veneto.

They managed overcoming numerous economic crisis (Gulf war, 9/11) without firing anyone of their professional and courteous staff, and are still surviving well the recent critical financial period.

On my birthday, April 4th, I spent part of the afternoon at one of the places Maureen owns and runs, drinking Ginger Ale on the rocks, munching tarts and pizza, chatting with my dear mother about our crazy shopping, sitting outdoors next to her exclusive restaurant Il Vineto.

Il Vineto offers a sophisticated menu: excellent fresh fish-you can see it exposed in a transparent fish tank as you enter the restaurant- Oysters, lobsters, turbot and many Mediterranean fish, cuisine, including classic Roman dishes such as Saltimbocca alla romana, the name literally translates as hopinthemouth, veal cutlets topped with prosciutto Italian ham) and sage.

It’s an intimate and quiet place, excellent for a romantic dinner, finely decorated, the dominant color is orange, which is said to be relaxing and appropriate for dining rooms. The choice of wines is extremely vast. The service is excellent. You’ll get smiles, something rare to find in a rowdy city like Rome.

Il Vineto is a mix between Mediterranean flavors and English courtesy. I recommend this restaurant, walking distance from Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and all the City Center’s trendy venues. Obviously, English is very well spoken here.

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Il Vineto | Restaurants (Mediterranean) | Average meal € 35.00
via Vittorio Veneto 6 | City center | +3906486617
12:00 – 00:00 daily

The Joia is one of the most popular clubs in the Testaccio area. The elegant and chic style, as demonstrated especially by the restaurant and lounge bar, where every evening we are likely to meet characters from the world of entertainment, footballers and celebrities.

The main colour of the club is white, but some small details of design and exotic plants scattered throughout the restaurant make the atmosphere very particular.

The club is on three floors: the lower hall is the largest room dedicated to the real disco for those who love dance.

The central hall, named “Vintage Room” is dedicated to all those who love the music of the years 70/80.

The upper room, called “Joiello” (a word game between Joia and Gioiello,which in Italian means gem), is dedicated mainly to the restaurant (15 euros with drinks and dinner buffet), opening at 21:00. After dinner at 00:00 it turns into a disco hall and becomes the coolest floor of the club, where only those who reserved the private room at the table or selected clients can enter.

This is the most beautiful room of the club: in fact the area reserved for piano is finely furnished with sofas and tables. The atmosphere is carefully guarded in all details, from the location of the air condition to sound, and wants to create a state of mental and physical relaxation, a fun necessary to clear the everyday working stress.

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Joia | Bars, Music, Relaxing, Restaurants (Oriental) | Drinks € 10.00
Via Galvani 20 | Testaccio & Ostiense | +39065740802
Tue – Sun 21:00 – 04:00

Non-Italian speakers must know that since the translation of the name of the restaurant is “Rich salad”. This is your chance to escape from the groove of pasta and pizza in Rome!

Although on the menu there is also a big choice of cheese, meat and fish (and pasta and pizza of course!) to satisfy many predilections, you can’t miss to taste a huge and amazing salad chosen from a list of more 45 kinds: my favorite’s are “Bufala” and “Gamberetti”, but because of such as big list,I didn’t taste all kinds.

Anyhow the salads can be ranked in 4 classes: vegan, with meat or fish, with exotic fruit, with dried fruit. And after you’ve ordered your salad,I really advise don’t eat bread with it, but order hot “focaccia” just oven baked, it’s much better!

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L’insalata ricca | Restaurants (Salads) | Dinner € 20.00
Largo dei chiavari 85 | City center | +390668803656
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 16:00 & 19:00 – 00:00, Sun 12:00 – 00:00

La Caraffa is a typical trattoria (that means it’s a simple restaurant with genuine food) for people with big stomachs who love generous portions (if you have weak stomach,you can get half-portions …), that like informal service and want to feel like at home.

The restaurant is famous for offering good fish at affordable prices. On the menu there are several starters, but I recommend the buffet, with a different gratin and grilled vegetables,several fish, fried food and buffalo mozzarella.

Among the first dishes,you should try “linguine all’astice”, “farfalle con amatriciana di mare” and “gnocchetti di patate with lobster cream”; as regards the second dishes, you must absolutely taste the crust turbot with potatoes and pachino tomatoes or the mixed grilled fish.

Obviously you need to accompany your meal with a good wine: you can choose from a list of about ten wines, but frankly I suggest home made wine, which, in spite of the name of the restaurant, is brought to you bottled and not in the jug.

As a desert you can also taste cakes like fruit tarts or ricotta cake with orange peel. After your meal, I really suggest to have a digestive walk in the neighbour Caffarella park!

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La Caraffa | Restaurants (Pizzeria) | Full meal € 20.00
Via Giovanni Villani 44 | Appio Tuscolano | +3906786513
12:00 -15:00 & 19:00 – 23:00 daily

If you want to get away from the noise and bustle of Piazza Navona, this is the place for you.

When you get in, the first thing that you see is the huge wood oven where pizzas are cooked in “Napoli’s way”; then, going downstairs, you’ll find four rooms with air conditioning.

During summer, sitting outside is simply delightful because you eat looking at “Chiostro del Bramante” in a peaceful and wonderful atmosphere. But the interior rooms downstairs are very charming too and if the outdoor tables are filled, you won’t mind to sit inside…

The main features of La Focaccia are reasonable prices, an incredibly extensive menu and wonderfully prepared fresh food.

Food of La Focaccia is simply amazing! I advice just my favorites, but you have a great choice: fried food (particulary “supplì with truffle”), “spicy panzerotto”, pizza with bufala and pachino tomato called “Sorrentina”, bruschetta and focaccia of course.

Another nice thing about the food is that you can create your own pizza and decide with which ingredients to top it. Also the waiters are helpful and kind, they speak English and the menu is translated in English too.

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La Focaccia | Restaurants (Italian) | Meal & wine € 25.00
Via della Pace 11 | City center | +390668803312
12:00 – 16:00 & 19:00 – 00:00 daily

If you are pizza-lover, you must know that there are two ways to make pizza: “Napoli’s way”, which means to eat thick and soft pizza, and “Roma’s way”, that means to eat thin and crusty pizza.

This is the kingdom of Roman pizza definitely! Here the “romanità” is the keyword, not only for the kind of pizza you eat, which is always well-stuffed and served on metallic plates, but also for the waiters that represent the roman “stereotype” of nice and joking man. They are the strength of the restaurant because their service is very fast, sometimes too fast, efficient and cured.

In addition to pizza, I really recommend the appetizers, particularly “Montecarlo bruschetta” and fried food.

Usually there’s always a huge line at the entrance, so not only I recommend to book a table, but I suggest you to show just in time too (and if you’re a group, all the members must show in time or you won’t get the table).

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La Montecarlo | Restaurants (Pasta, Pizza) | Meal € 15.00
Vicolo dei Savelli 13 | City center | +390644249600
Tue – Sun 12:00 – 14:30 & 19:00 – 01:00

In the heart of the posh Parioli area and just few meters far from Auditorium, there is this nice restaurant where, except of the fish, you can eat whatever kind of food you want.

After you taste the starters, choosing between fried food, hams and cheese, you can decide if you want to order just a pizza (my favorite is “Pizza La Pariolina”) cooked in “Napoli’s way” (thick) or “Roma’s way” (thin) as you prefer, get a pasta or taste one of the amazing steaks made with meat from Tuscany.

Here you can get wonderful steaks, and I really suggest large grilled beef steak or, if you want to share with people at your table or you are very hungry the grilled bison steak.

They also have a great selection of drinks: there are more than 90 kinds of Italian wines and beers from every part of Europe, particularly Italy, Germany and Belgium.

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La Pariolina | Restaurants (Italian) | Meal & drink € 30.00
Viale Parioli 93c/f | Parioli & Flaminio | +39068086002
12:30 – 15:00 & 19:00 – 01:00 daily

La Sorgente is a nice Chinese restaurant in a side street of the city center, right where Piazza di Spagna is (Spanish Steps). My friend who works downtown and knows pretty much every nook and canny of the city center brought me to this restaurant which has great Chinese food and a happy wait staff, plus there is rarely a line to be  seated.

I have been going there a few times when I am craving Chinese food and have sort of the usual every time: I start out with the steamed dumpling, the spring rolls and then get the duck entrée…I am having a craving right now, I am probably going to call some friends for dinner tomorrow!

I love the simple and elegant décor of the restaurant and how they made space in it like having tables on the hallway, or you can dine near the aquarium, and it is right around the corner from Piazza di Spagna where is perfect to take a walk after dinner.

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La Sorgente | Restaurants (Chinese) | Steamed Dumplings € 5.00
Via Dei Greci 5 | City center | +390645455011
11:00 – 23:30 daily

La Vecchia Roma is in the heart of Rione Monti area. As its name says, it’s a typical Roman restaurant where you can eat both meat or fish.

As every typical Roman restaurant, it’s not very big inside so big groups of people could have some difficult to find a table, and if you don’t want to wait for long time it’s better to call and book your table in advance.

The cool thing of being a roman restaurant is that the atmosphere is very friendly and easygoing and you can eat both pizza or roman dishes as “Pasta alla Carbonara” or “Pasta Cacio e Pepe”. If you want to try something different, there are some dishes made from ingredients mixed in an unusual way, like for example “Gnocchi con sugo di cozze e vongole”.

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La Vecchia Roma | Restaurants (Roman) | Meal € 25.00
Via Leonina 10 | City center | +39064745887
Mon – Sat 12:30 – 14:30 & 19:00 – 23:00

When I first moved to Garbatella, my curiosity was piqued by the restaurant named Le Bistro close to my house.

All any passer-by can see from the street is a green door, which doesn’t reveal anything about the interior. There is no menu posted outside and rarely does one see people come and go from this place. It was becoming one of those enigmas, those queries one has about some places, until one day, I decide to go there with a friend.

Unlike other restaurants where you simply have to push the door to go in, here you have to ring a bell. After seconds, a smiling face opens the door to an interesting underworld -the restaurant is below street level- composed of a only a few tables, seating about 30 people. The décor is a mixture of a 50’s style and baroque. The ambiance is soft.

The menu is composed of a long list of highly enticing, unusual, mostly vegetarian dishes: balls of spiced chickpeas, avocado in vinaigrette, polenta slices with nut sauce, balls of ricotta and sage, onion soup, chestnut crepes with fresh cheese, grilled pecorino with honey, lettuce rolls with potato cream and blue cheese.

The dishes we select are kindly served by Daniela or Barbara, two sisters who, we find out, are the owners, waitresses, and sommeliers of the place. Their mom and dad are the cooks in the kitchen and concoct dishes according to what the season has to offer. Great evening, great experience.

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Le Bistro | Restaurants (Vegetarian) | Meal € 35.00
Via delle Sette Chiese 170 | Testaccio & Ostiense | +39065128991
Mon – Sat 12:20 – 14:30,& 20:00 – 23:30

Lo Zodiaco is the highest spot of the city. I go up there to enjoy the largest and widest view Rome can offer. You get a 180 degrees view from this hill. It is breathtaking.

When I go there I make sure I don’t forget some coins for the monoculars (€0,50), because I never get tired of watching a close-up of the Tiber, the stadium, the zillion roof tops on the opposite end towards the heart of Rome, the obelisks, the churches, St.Peter’s and the Altare della Patria. I like swinging the monocular to the left and to the right and play child for a moment as if I were observing from a vedette.

The imaginary lasts a few minutes when it’s time for a snack, either in the small economic bar right in front of the marble meridian circle or the bigger one, also a restaurant, with tables and a view front. It’s always been a place for lovers and romancing, but it’s ideal even if you are a lone wolf or a group of friends.

Everytime I go up there I am glad to refresh my mind and ‘take shots’ with my eyes, clicking on one of the greatest live masterpieces in the world.

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Lo Zodiaco | Bars, Relaxing, Restaurants (International) | Sandwiches € 3.00
Via del Parco Mellini 88/92 | Cassia & Montemario
12:00 – 15:30 & 19:00 – 01:00 daily

Momart is the coolest place to have aperitivo around Piazza Bologna area and because it is close to university “La Sapienza” there is always full of people, particularly guys aged 18-25 years old.

The restaurant has 3 rooms inside and a covered garden which is heated during the winter, and because of there are often photographic exhibitions, the inside furniture is really nice and also the bathroom is very special!

The restaurant is open from early morning till 02:00 to cover every meal-time of the day (from September 2008), from breakfast till dinner. I think the best time to visit it is during “aperitivo time”, from 17:30 till 21:00.

Once inside you give your name to the girl at the entrance and she calls you and assigns a table. You choose your drink and go to fill your plate with as much food as you want: I really recommend pizza wooden oven cooked and “supplì” because they are cooked uninterruptedly, so they are always hot, but also pasta and little sandwiches are very good!

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Momart | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Lunch) | Lunch buffet € 10.00
Viale XXI Aprile 19 | S.Lorenzo & Pigneto | +390686391656
07:00 – 02:00 daily

Via Marcantonio Colonna seems to be a normal street of Rome located between Piazza del Popolo and the Vatican, but it should belong to Sicily: you smell and taste all Sicilian flavours if you eat at Mondo Arancina.

Mondo Arancina is composed by two take away shops

The first, called Gelarmony,is where you can eat ice-cream: it’s superfluous to say that it’s wonderful. If you want to taste something different take a hot brioche filled with ice-cream!

The second is Mondo Arancina. You can find pizza, but the real attraction is the so called “Arancini”.

Arancino is a typical Sicilian food: a ball made of rice and other food. It’s named after the fruit arancia (orange) it looks like. You can find 15 kinds of arancino here. You can also order them by phone and they will deliver it to your place!

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Mondo Arancina | Snacks, Restaurants (Take away) | Ice cream € 3.00
Via Marcantonio Colonna 38 | Vatican & Prati | +390697619213
10:00 – 00:00 daily

I know, I know. summer is here, you wanna look good in your bikini…eat healty, then! Enjoy Mozzarella!

Don’t be fooled by the “Japanese” name: the name means “here it is!” in the Neapolitan dialect – “it” being the mozzarella. It is Italy’s way on the Sushi Bar Concept, being, actually a research project based on Italian HQ products with top quality buffalo Mozzarella from the Campania region.

In this slick café, mozzarella in many forms – entwined, blobs, balls – is paired with an excellent – and extensive – choice of cold cuts, cured hams, salads, pasta dishes and other delicacies from all over the country. Very good Italian wines are on the list, too.

The first mozzarella bar in the city, and perhaps the world (other Obikà locations are Milan, Turin and London. NY coming soon), Obikà is a homage to this most versatile cheese. The setting is rather funky, too (

and that’s where the Japanese misunderstanding comes from…), with designer tables (rather cramped, to be honest), plenty of black & white and steel details.

It also enjoy a lovely terrace on the street, a good place for people watching, appreciated also by the rather hipster clientele. This may be the only down side: the vibe is a little posed and, sometimes, staff go with the flow and the service may be not enough attentive. But the mozzarella is so genuine, it beats it all!

Every day, from 19:30, there is aperitivo with mozzarella bites and small tasting. On Saturday and Sunday Italian brunch is served from 12:00 – 15:00

Buon Appetito!

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Obikà Mozzarella Bar | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Italian) | Lunch from € 15.00
Piazza di Firenze 28 | City center | +39066832630
08:00 – 00:00 daily

I came here with a guy called Gustavo. He was very nice, as nice as the place he picked to treat me dinner. Next to us sat an Italian politician with his wife. They were laughing when I told the waitress that the cook could have put a couple more ravioli in the plate and the restaurant would not have gone out of business.

Yes, I must say that the food is superb, but the portions are ‘minimalist’. However, the environment is pleasant and relaxing, and you really need that in a chaotic and noisy city like Rome.

It is located right in front of Adrian’s Temple, a step from the government headquarters and a few meters from the Pantheon.

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Osteria dell Ingegno | Restaurants (Mediterranean) | Average meal € 40.00
piazza di Pietra 45 | City center | +39066780662
Mon – Sat 12:30 – 23:00

Rome is definitely full of good pizzerie. Or rather, it is quite difficult to find a place where one doesn’t manage to eat at least reasonably.

The city is also full of peculiar places, where you can try all sorts of interesting, unusual dishes or dine while enjoying wonderful views. Why then go to eat at Panonto? My answer is simply for its absolute normality, a too often neglected quality lately.

First of all the name. It should be easy for a Roman to figure this out, but I took 6 months to decipher its etymology: “Pan-onto”, or “pane-unto” -oily bread or the classical bruschetta with oil, garlic and salt. One might be led into thinking that this is the place’s specialty, but since this is an absolutely normal place, it is free from the constraining concept of “specialty”.

Second benefit: no reservations. Even if you wanted, they don’t take reservations. It is obvious that a restaurant should democratically feed anyone who shows up, included those who have not made reservations ahead of time.

Third, there is an open-air terrace -not an exotic garden, not an archaeological park, but a simple and pleasant terrace which can contain the numerous people seeking respite from the summer heat. Fourth, the food is good and cheap.

Last, it is located in a pleasant neighbourhood, Garbatella, in which you can take a walk before or after having eaten. So now the question one could ask oneself is: why NOT go eat at Panonto?

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Panonto | Restaurants (Pizza) | Pizza € 15.00
Via Cravero 4 | Testaccio & Ostiense | +39065135022
Thu – Tue 19:30 – 23:30

Welcome in the best place of Rome for the rates price/quality and price/quantity!

Some advice before starting to describe “Piccolo Abruzzo”: you’ll eat more than you ever have. If you go for lunch, don’t plan any meeting in the afternoon, and if you go for dinner, have a very very light lunch!

The restaurant works very simply: there’s a fixed menu which includes starters, first, second and side dishes, cakes, spirits, water and red wine, and the prices is about 28-30 euros (it depends on how many bottles of wine and water you took).

Concerning the starters, they will satisfy your hunger for sure: in fact you’ll get buffalo mozzarella, carpaccio, eggs, hams, a basket with several kinds of salami that you can take as you like, mortadella, ricotta and much more….

When the cook will have prepared the first dishes (yes, dishes, because they will be 2), he will pass between the seats to show what he made and if you’re lucky you can also eat from the pot!

If your stomach will be still able to eat, you’ll get on your table a pan with the second and the side dish, and after that, you can choose the dessert from one of the enticing tarts on the table accompanying it with limoncello or other spirits….

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Piccolo Abruzzo | Restaurants (Abruzzi style) | Full meal & drinks € 25.00
Via Sicilia 237 | City center | +390642820176
12:30 – 14:30 & 19:00 – 23:00 daily

In one of the city center’s street there is a little restaurant called Porto di Ripetta. It is located in Via Ripetta which is a parallel street of Via del Corso. This street is not as busy as the more famous Via del Corso or even via del Babuino, and in fact it has fewer shops.

The restaurant has a real nice ambience to it and is particularly great for a dating evening, be it the first or fiftieth.

The restaurant is a little pricey but the food is delicious. One of my favorite dishes is an entrée: spaghetti with mussels and vegetables, definitely a must try. Or they have another great dish that is risotto with shrimp and apples (the apple gives it a a very interesting taste, perfect with the rice!) This plate is a little more expensive, about € 15.00, and since the portion is not too small I usually share the plate with someone.

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Porto di Ripetta | Restaurants (Italian) | Plate of spaghetti € 13.00
Via di Ripetta 250 | City center | +39063612376
Mon 20:00 – 23:00, Tue – Sat 12:00 – 23:00

TIP: every month, on the 4° Sunday, the Pigneto area boast its vintage market, a real must. Make sure you match it with a pit-stop at Primo!

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Sandwiched between via Casilina and via Prenestina, not far from the city center, the Pigneto is Rome’s new buzz-district. With its narrow streets and characteristic, low-rise houses it is laid-back but rough-edged.

” Primo” is the new Pigneto’s star, at least for me, as I happily come from another area to experience it!

Open from breakfast till late evening, Primo will feed you throughout the day.
Style and substance are perfectly blended here: the flair is warehouse-chic but relaxed, whilst the food – creative, respectful and delicious! – is served by a young crowd of waiters/waitresses in jeans and shirt. Ask their help to choose your wine: the list is arranged in alphabetical order and if you’re not an expert may get lost into it.
They’ll be also happy to inform you about any specialty out of the menu!

Make sure you’ll leave some space for the dessert: if you are crazy about them (I am!), Primo won’t disappoint you (semifreddo alla vaniglia being my favourite, but the menu is updated quite often).

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Primo | Restaurants (Creative) | Meal € 35.00
Via del Pigneto 46 | S.Lorenzo & Pigneto | +39067013827
Tue – Sun from breakfast till late evening

When there are good musical events in town the best program is at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, where acoustics mean something, whether classical or pop.

It’s relatively a new construction, designed by famous Italian architect Renzo Piano. It looks like three enormous cockroaches.

Next to it, under a portico, lies this elegant restaurant. I like it because it’s in an area surrounded by trees and gardens so the temperature in the Summer is cool. You can sit outdoors also during winter months thanks to mushroom-shaped gas heaters that keep it warm.

It’s stylish and you’ll feel like a Star and you’ll probably end up eating next to one of the musicians, singers or dancers that have just finished their show. The first time I went there, I met the cast of dancers and actors of the Montalvo-Hervieu company. Sitting next to me was one of the hip hop dancers, a smart French young man who, after performing for over two hours on stage, still had the energy to entertain us with his funky arm-leg-head movements.

Another special evening here was after seeing milestone Joe Jackson concert. That evening, I ate the best fried mozzarella and vegetable pie.

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ReD | Bars, Restaurants (Mediterranean) | Meal from € 25.00
Viale P. de Coubertin 12/16 | Parioli & Flaminio | +390680691630
13:00- 15:00 – 20:00 – 23:30 daily

This is also a popular venue in the North Rome area. It’s illuminated by candlelight, and has ethnic furniture, sofas and puffs. The atmosphere is warm and laid-back, where you can meet old friends and create new ones, where you can chat away in the corner seated on a puff or sofa.

It is more of a cocktail bar but they do have a Mediterranean kitchen too. They have a good wine list but the preferred drinks are martinis or even champagne.

But what makes this wine bar interesting is that a lot of the items that you see are actually for sale! If you like their leopard print dishes, you can take them home!

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Rere | Bars, Restaurants (Regional dishes) | Glass of wine € 5.00
Via Flaminia Vecchia 475 | Parioli & Flaminio | +39063340483
18:00 – 02:00 daily

The Roscioli’s are a real institution in town. Since three generations they have been backing one of the best “pizza” in town. Roman pizza: plain, thin, and slightly salted, it is the real traditional snack for any Roman.

The “Forno” has been there for ages. Lately, it has been “expanded” to include a deli shop and a wine risto-bar. Anything is absolutely excellent: from wines to cheese, from cold cuts to the creative finger food made out those ingredients.

Fresh bread, tasteful specialties and delicious wines are served every day in accordance with the best Roman traditions.

Service is usually quick (so it can represent a good option for a fast lunch) but may be, sometimes, too quick. Don’t take it personally, Romans may be like that, just let them know.

Should you wish to have dinner there, you’d better make a reservation a little in advance, as the place is pretty small and very popular. And if you are considering bringing home a few presents, this is the perfect place to buy some bottles or a selection of local cheeses.

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Roscioli | Bars, Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants (Lunch) | Wine & Snack € 18.00
Via dei Giubbonari | City center | +390668307895
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 15:00 & 20:15 – 00:00

I had a pizza the first time I ate here with a colleague from Saxa Rubra, the media center where I work. It is great! The pizza, naturally. The pizza is juicy, tasty, fresh, just what a pizza should taste like. And they know what “pizza” means. The chef and the staff are from southern Italy, where food has Sun in it, where food is colored, where nothing in your plate will be dull and pale.

Cross over the White Eagle bridge and right at the end of it you will find yourself in a high class area called Fleming. On the left hand side of the main boulevard you will find this restaurant, right under the overpass. I have never seen a tourist in this neighborhood, so this guarantees the quality of the food: why should the wealthy inhabitants of this neighborhood ever want to eat bad food. You wouldn’t either, right?

The area also offers ancient sites, such as the nearby Ponte Milvio, the marble stadium and the Flaminio stadium where rugby matches are usually held. But, good food is the main attraction of this part of town.

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Rossopomodoro | Restaurants (Pizza) | Pizza from € 15.00
via Flaminia 523 | Parioli & Flaminio | +390645433423
Mon -Sun 12:30 -15:00 & 19:30 – 23:30

For an easy going night out or a tasty lunch, not far from the US embassy and the Hotel Excelsior, a side street of the Dolce vita’s via Veneto. Filet mignon is what I usually pick. The pizza is very good too.

There is a variety of good wines-go for the white ones from the Campania region, they are my favourite. Outdoors and indoors. You can cross the street and have an after dinner drink at Harry’s bar-Although I feel post modern and progressive, I get nostalgic at times and I like going to places which were trendy in the 80s, but still remain an evergreen, a classic, a good gathering place to meet friends and co-workers. San Marco is trendy enough to join both styles, old and new, classic and modern, elegant and easy-going. And you don’t need to wear fancy clothes or a tie, just like in any restaurant in Rome.

You can also go there just for a drink, before or after meal times. For the evening cocktail, you’ll be served buffet food included in the price for the drink. A good thing here for the ladies are the restrooms. Toilets here match the restaurant’s design furniture and façade.

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San Marco | Bars, Restaurants (Italian) | Pizza € 15.00
Via Sardegna 38D | City center | +390642824893
13:00- 15:00 – 20:00 – 23:30 daily

I was amazed by the fish: tasted excellent and perfectly served with no bones annoying my pleasant and relaxing dinner. That’s the way you do it.

The environment is quite easy going, but the cuisine is excellent and the way they present the food is highly refined and decorative. Each plate a work of art. And the wines are good as well. Not to talk about the desserts, which are literally climaxing!

At lunch or at dinner, you could meet local television stars who work at the nearby Italian State-run TV RAI. But it is also regularly frequented by professionals, especially attorneys belonging to famous firms in the neighborhood.

If you happen to be in the northern part of Rome, not far from the Tiber, and not too far either from the Vatican area, take a cab and come here for a good meal. It’ll be a five minute ride, depending on traffic of course. On your way back, maybe towards the city center, you can take a walk across bridge Matteotti, cross the Lungotevere and take a road on the right, you’ll end up in spectacular piazza del Popolo.

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Settembrini | Restaurants (Mediterranean) | Average meal from € 30.00
via Luigi Settembrini 25 | Vatican & Prati | +39063232617
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 15:30 & 20:00 – 23:30

My adorable friend and colleague Eddie knows how to treat me well. He is one of the few classy journalists I know, cultured, stylish, very good taste for clothes and food.

When we meet he usually takes me here to have our favorite meal: Panelle (chickpea fritters) and mini arancini (fried riceballs with peas and a heart of melted cheese) as a starter. They are mouthwatering.

He often goes for a fish dish, while I prefer a pasta. Last time we had lunch together I had Spaghetti alla “pitipacchio” with small sweet red cherry tomatoes from Eolian islands (in the picture).

We both aren’t big wine drinkers, but the restaurant offers a huge variety of excellent Italian wines.

You have to try this place. You’ll feel like you’re in sunny Sicily even when it’s winter. Typical Sicilian ceramics and hand-made tiles decorate all the trattoria.

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Siciliainbocca | Restaurants (Sicilian ) | Average meal € 25.00
via E. Faà di Bruno 26 | Vatican & Prati | +390637358400
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 15:00 & 19:00 – 22:00

This restaurant is especially made for lovers of the Parthenopean cuisine in all its nuances, including high quality pizza. Spaccanapoli is an ideal place to enjoy traditional dishes of the Gulf of Naples.

The appetizers are really “sundries” (absolutely don’t miss the Neapolitan and fried mozzarella), Neapolitan pizza is simply excellent and varied, high and soft and seasoned with fresh ingredients and genuine and almost always accompanied by buffalo mozzarella, such as pizza “Aversana” with pachino, buffalo mozzarella and mussels.

The dishes range from pasta with seafood, fresh fish cooked in all ways possible and imaginable, and seafood soups are an invitation to rediscover the true Neapolitan cooking.

To finish your meal I suggest one of the amazing pastries all cooked according to tradition, particularly “pastiera”,a real must in a Parthenopean restaurant.

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Spaccanapoli | Restaurants (Naples style) | Full meal € 25.00
Via Eurialo 10D | Appio Tuscolano | +39067847174
11:30 – 00:00 daily

This is a pizzeria/restaurant located in North Rome, and it is a popular place for the younger crowd but you will also see families. I like to come here because it is close to my house and because the environment is really laid-back and fun, and if I decide to have dinner their Roman style pizzas are pretty good.

This is a modernly big restaurant an in fact it was established in only 2004, where you can either eat inside or outside in their enormous patio. You can start out with some appetizers such as “bruschette” or “crostini”, and then go with a pizza and beer.

On Sundays they have a special event (”Sunset time”) at 18;00 where you pay € 5.00 for the buffet and a drink.

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Sport Café | Restaurants (Pizza) | Spritz Drink € 7.00
Via Cassia 999 | Cassia & Montemario | +390630315041
Mon – Sat 20:00 – 01:00, Sun 18:00 – 00:00

When I crave fried sardines I go to this typical Roman trattoria. This is a quite ancient one right in front of the city’s main train track, that’s where it takes its name from.

All my friends actors love eating here, it’s well-known among the Roman jetset. It’s in the so-called students neighborhood, but very few of them come here. It’s a family-run restaurant. The furniture matches its name: you’ll be sitting on tram seats. The place is certainly very original.

Nothing like it in the entire city of Rome.

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Tram Tram | Restaurants (Roman) | Meal from € 30.00
Via dei Reti 44/46 | S.Lorenzo & Pigneto
Tue – Sun lunch from 12:30 & dinner from 22:30

One of Rome’s best kept secrets. A mix of period and recycled objects that inject vitality and energy to a 24hrs (almost) place: juicy breakfast, yummy lunch, gourmet dinner (reasonably priced!) and wine/drinks/deli all day around.

Located in one of the hippest area in town, the fashionable Rione Monti (together with the Pigneto area, the neighbourhoods that most recall an idea of a “Village”), it’s simply perfect for a quick break or for a longer chat with friends or a beloved one. Surrounded by art galleries, vintage shops and artists atelier, it also good for a stop during an intensive shopping session.

Service is discrete and relaxed, yet attentive and professional and food is absolutely respectful of the local tradition. Owners and chef try to keep it as organic as possible; all products are supplied from local farmers, and so is the wine list, that features lables selected among the many quality ones offered by the greater Rome area.

Lovely: all the furniture is on sale! Should you like the chair you’re sitting on, or that vintage side table…

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Urbana47 | Bars, Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants (Organic) | Meal from € 25.00
Via Urbana, 47 | City center | +390647884006
11:00 – 02:00 daily