Not to create yet another food tour recommendation thread, but I didn't quite find my particular question in the search.
I've seen recommendations here for food tours in Rome, such as the Eating Europe Twilight Trastevere and Taste of Testaccio. However those tours are 4h long, and the times they start at makes planning difficult since we have other timed tickets planned and I want to leave some buffer time in between. Does anyone have shorter tours to recommend? We are looking more for a food focused tour (wine is ok, but don't want it to be focused on wine tasting), perhaps we should look for more of a tasting menu or group experience to be able to try more dishes instead of a food tour? Using the Twilight Trastevere tour as an example, maybe only stopping at one or two of the spots on their itinerary for a quick tasting (or foregoing those completely) and instead having a full meal at Da Enzo al 29 and being able to sample their appetizers, pastas and mains like a tasting course. Not traveling with a large group, so even though I hear the portion sizes will be smaller than stateside we're probably still limited in the variety we can try splitting dishes. I'm just using this as an example of what we're looking for, and it doesn't need to be this restaurant or neighborhood for recommendations. Ideally we're thinking of a pasta or pizza sampling (I know, lots of carbs! but hopefully at much smaller portions so we can try more variety in one setting) and learn about the different types of sauces, pasta/pizza, cooking techniques etc., walking to different stops is ok but not too stretched out due to time constraints. If not a tour, what about restaurants with tasting menus that's not a huge tourist trap? We had a few restaurants on our list from reading reviews here and in Rick Steve's book but I didn't see any having a tasting menu. If anyone has recommendations or could point me to types of experiences I should be searching for, that'd be much appreciated!
Posted by
Los Angeles by way of Providence and Rome
627 posts
Tasting menus are really not a thing in Italy. Tradition lives on in the approach to dining of aperitivo, then a first course, second course, main course and sides (contorni), followed by dessert. You are free to skip any of the courses and sharing the sides and dessert is common. If you want a sampling of pizza as you mentioned, go to one of the cut pizza shops where it is sold by weight and order a bunch of different toppings and then share them at table, this is quite normal to do.
Posted by
Los Angeles by way of Providence and Rome
627 posts
Tourists may eat gelato at cocktail hour in Rome, but aperitivo is still going strong, especially as the spritz has migrated south. It can also be a great way to sample some yummy free snacks, with olives and potato chips considered the bare minimum.
Posted by
Arcadia, CA
588 posts
I loved both the twilight in trastevere and testaccio food tours. They gave good samples of a variety of foods. Maybe you just have too much planned during your stay? I’m not sure when you’re going but remember there’s going to be a lot of people and you can’t necessarily just pop in, taste and go. At Da Enzo, there was a huge line but for our food tour, they had a reserved table for our tasting. Or if you want to limit it, you can look at the description of those tours and they usually say where they’re going. Typical foods of Rome not to miss are cacio e pepe, amatriciana, gricia, the wonderful pizza, both types of the forementioned artichokes, remember to get your gelato at places that have covered metal tubs, not those big piles of colored stuff. Another food tour you could consider is Sophieminchilli.com. A native who may or may not still have space for her shorter tour but has a wealth of knowledge! Have a great trip!
Posted by
Wisconsin
31 posts
Hello -
There is an app you can download called "EAT WITH" and it is like VRBO but it's for dinner. You go to someone's home in the area and they cook you dinner. 5 years ago we did this and we went to Home away from home at the Magic of Trastevere. It is with Barbara and is so awesome!!! Some friends of ours went last year and I am going again this year in October. She hosts up to 20 people so you meet people from all over the world. It is a 5 course meal and drinks are included. She lives in a very eclectic home and the experience was absolutely amazing. She was the perfect hostess! Check it out!
Posted by
Sapulpa, OK, USA
6552 posts
You might also consider hiring a private guide and explaining what it is you are looking for. They would probably be able to fix you up. There are some guides listed in Rick's Rome and Italy books.
I had a "tris" of bacalao in Venice by the way. It was a great way to sample a range of preparations.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thank you all! Amazed by the wealth of knowledge here.
Yes we got a little over ambitious this time, otherwise would've loved to sign up for the Twilight Trastevere food tour Thanks for the tip about Da Enzo al 29, we're planning to go line up before it opens for lunch to get in the first wave. Since they open at 12:15pm, I was thinking we'd get there by 11:45am. Does that sound safe enough for a Friday lunch? And also planning to swing by the gelato, biscotti, porchetta, and suppli places on our own (their website gave the exact stores and addresses) so I guess we'll create a little mini street food tour ourselves.