A while ago my cousin Susan Katzman asked me to guest blog on her site Sweet Leisure. My contribution was my current Top Ten list of Roman restaurants. My friend Jane just phoned to complain (rightly) that it should also be on my own blog, so people could find it easily. So…here it is Jane!
It’s always hard choosing ‘the best’ of anything. While a lot of people complain about food in Rome, I find it’s hard to go wrong when going out to dinner here. In Florence and Venice it’s almost impossible to avoid tourist traps, but in Rome, it’s just not that hard to get a good plate of pasta. That said, I definitely have my favorites. The following are the places I go regularly, not in any particular order. I’ve tried to include a few in different neighborhoods since I imagine you’ll be touring around. For more Roman tips for visit my web site. buy my app Eat Italy
Piazza della Gensola 15
Tel: 06 581 6312
One of the best places to eat the freshest seafood in Rome. The other night we were there and the fish was delivered fresh from the boat, as we sat down at 8:30. By 8:45 we were dining on barely cooked sea scallops drizzled with aged balsamic and pasta tossed with chunks of fresh tuna and pine nuts. Dishes include such hard to find, and artisanal ingredients as saba from Emilia Romagna, collatura from Campania and small white beans from the hills of Lazio.
Via Urbana 47
06 478 84006
It’s not a coincidence that one of the most successful restaurant openings of the past few years happened in the ever-hipper Monti neighborhood. Walk past a handful of outside tables, to be welcomed by big over stuffed velvet armchairs. Mismatched tables and chairs are scattered over several loft-like rooms, including one that is completely open to the kitchen. There is something for everyone here, since service starts with breakfast and goes into the wee hours. Ingredients are organic and sourced locally, a forerunner of the “Zero Kilometro” or locavore movement in Rome. The menu changes seasonally, but this past fall we enjoyed pumpkin stuffed ravioli and vegetable ‘meatballs’ in a yogurt and pecorino sauce. Don’t miss their lunch buffet, a real bargain at 8 euros.
Via Madonna dei Monti 9
06 679 8643
Although it looks very touristy from the outside – red checked table clothes, dripping candle in Chianti bottle, etc.- this is actually a well-hidden secret. Don’t be fooled by the ordinary sounding menu posted by the front door. Chef Alessio always offers about a dozen specials, which are hard to choose from since they all sound so good! My favorite new addition is Fettuccine alla Romana, a pasta take on the venerable saltimboca. Homemade fettucine are tossed with prosciutto, pine nuts and sage. While the clientele is usually an assortment of locals and some tourists, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro dropped in during the film festival and New York Times critic Frank Bruni and San Francisco chef Gary Danko both recently ordered Alessio’s famous meatloaf.
Via Luigi Settembrini 25
06 323 2617
When head sommelier Luca Boccoli left Casa Bleve last year, he was quickly nabbed by this new restaurant, and many regulars followed him there. The softly lit dining room is mostly taken up by the food-laden counter, topped with cheeses, hams, salamis and a chilled bucket of half a dozen champagnes and proseccos. Known for its extensive wine list, the food is innovative, but simple, based on the best ingredients. Although you can make a meal of their artisanal cheeses, hams and salamis, save room for the fish. As a first course try papperdelle tossed with grouper – both raw and cooked. A fillet of ricciolo – a Mediterranean fish – was perfectly cooked with crispy skin, atop a bed of puréed zucchini and topped with fried zucchini strips. If you are too full for dessert share the selection of artisanal chocolates.
Perilli
Via Marmorata 39
06 574 4215
Closed Wed.
One of my all time favorite roman restaurants. Located in the Testaccio neighborhood, this is a real old fashioned roman restaurant, complete with old grumpy waiters. Extraordinary carbornara, amatricana and pagliata (a pasta made with unborn calf intenstines). Meat is also great, including whatever roasts they have that day, as well as various innards. A typical Roman experience.
Trattoria Monti
Via San Vito 13/a
06 4466 573
On of my favorites in Rome, although the place has been there for 30 years. Excellent food and wonderful friendly service. Look at the menu, but the specials (which are many) are what you should concentrate on. They usually do pigeon some way, which is always good. Do try the parmesan flan with lettuce sauce (listed under vegetarian dishes) as a antipasto. Also, their big tortolloni with a runny egg yolk inside is fantastic. Don’t miss their apple cake, a sort of pudding, for dessert.
Edy
Vicolo del Babuino 4
06 36 00 17 38
Closed Sunday
I only recently discovered this place, located on a small street not far from the Spanish steps. A very old fashioned trattoria that hasn’t been touched since the days of the Dolce Vita. It’s filled mostly with locals, including lots of antique dealers from the area. This is the place to try Roman specialties. I had a vitello tonnato that was great, not so easy to find these days in Rome. There are a few outside tables, but the wood panelled interior felt cool and shady on a summer day.
Ristorante Nerone
Via Delle Terme Di Tito, 96
06 4817952
You can’t come to Rome without visiting the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. Nerone is one of the handful of truly Roman trattoria that haven’t changed their interiors or their menu in the last thirty years. Offering the classics such as Spaghetti alla Carbonara and Vitello Saltimboca as well as a delicious array of antipasti. If you are lucky, nab a table with a view of the Coliseum, which looms a block away. Start with the self serve antipasti buffet which includes classics like grilled zucchini and frittata.
Via Benedetta 23 Trastevere
06 589 4016
This pizzeria is one of the hottest spots in Rome at the moment. The owner is one of the more highly regarded artisan beer makers in Italy and has a wide and very interesting selection. You can also order a ‘tasting’ menu of 5 beers. Pizzas are fantastic, made with top notch ingredients, but better yet are the other items which change daily. These include ‘fritti’, bruschette and things like suppli which are EXCELLENT! It does get noisy and crowded. To avoid that, get there on the early side, 7:30.
UPDATE DEC 2012: So much has changed since I first wrote this post. For a complete update on my favorites in Rome, download my app, Eat Italy, from iTunes.
Thank you for the suggestions. I will try some when I return to Rome in September – on my way to Bagni di Lucca, where I have an apartment.
It’s really nice list of restaurants. It’s very specific.I like the fod in Rom. The food is certainly its main strength. The fish menu presents many tasty interesting combination.
My husband and I were just in Rome and this post as well as the one on Monti were so helpful! We went to 5 of the places you recommended, 3 of them in Monti and really loved the food.
Thank you! So glad the list was helpful!
My wife and I will be living in Rome for 3 months next fall (we are foodies) and your web site and app are wonderful as a preliminary exploration of the city and places to try. But one frustrating thing is the need to look up the location of the restaurant we are reading about. If you had a map with the location of all the restaurants on your web page and app that would be a huge help! Please!
Thanks so much for your kind words. The app actually does have the sort button, to be able to sort by neighborhood. Hopefully the next edition of the app will have the type of map you are describing.