The Restaurant "Itinerary" in Rome

DAY 3 (Tuesday): For this night I had planned to try one of the top pizzerias, which can only be done in the evening, unfortunately. I have been considering da Ivo or da Baffetto. Do these places come highly recommended by people on these forums? I have heard incredibly mixed reviews on these, especially da Baffetto, which can be either the greatest pizzeria in all of Rome or a place that is now more concerned with quick turnaround than quality ("a bucket of grease on crust" I heard from one source). Should we try another great restaurant on this night? Or should I feel compelled to do the "pizza" thing? Is there a comparable pizzeria that is open earlier in the day? I just want to make sure we try some great Roman pizza. Just as all gelato is not created equal, I'm sure it's the same for pizza in Rome. Ha ha.

Unfortunately those are the only nights we will be able to have dinner in Rome. On Day 4 we will be on the way back from a day trip, and on Day 5 we are leaving Rome for our next destination in the late afternoon.

No restaurant advice for me? Surely someone here has a passion for FOOD, like I do! :-)

Ben, I think you are asking for such precision and such knowledge that folks here might be a bit intimidated.

I might have been able to comment on the service at Maticianella, but since my info is four weeks old, it's probably of little use ;)...

You need to find something equivalent to Yelp.com for Rome.

It was 8 years ago, but we absolutely loved Ciccia Bomba near Piazza Navona. A local recommended it to us. It was one of my two favorite restaurants in Italy (we were in the country for a month, so I had a lot to choose from). We even returned to it for a second night during our time in Rome. I loved the Pasta Carbonara and the Zucchini Flowers.

I will be returning to Italy in the Fall, but unfortunately won't be going to Rome.

Ciccia Bomba
via del Governo Vecchio. 76

Great info guys. I feel better about Osteria Gusto and da Baffetto now for sure.

Doug, you may be right... Still, I would value your Matricianella opinion greatly since 4 weeks ago is pretty recent compared to many other reviews I've read. Not just the service, I would appreciate your opinion of the food as well. Thanks.

And Laura, thanks for the Ciccia Bomba recommendation. I'll look into it for sure.

Hi Ben,

We just returned from our trip, and I can comment at least on Osteria Gusto. We are two relatively young couples (30 years old). The food at Osteria Gusto was very good. The only little hang up was the price of the mixed meat and cheese plate that we ordered (E32, and we were talked into two of them by the waiter). I take full responsibility for not inquiring about the price before hand. That said, this was some of the nicest ham and cheese that I have ever had (my wife and I are pretty big foodies). Just be warned of the price, and also that one is definitely enough as an appetizer for a group of four.

We also ate at Da Fortunato, one block north of the Pantheon on a recommendation from a local Italian couple that we met. The second plates there were very good (I had a filet of beef), but I didn't think much of the pasta. Definitely not homemade. Regardless, the service was borderline rude, definitely the only unfriendly service we had in all of Italy. I can't help but wonder if it was the way we were dressed (this was our last night there and we were basically down to jeans and casual shirts). However, they didn't hesitate to seat us right away when I inquired. Anyway, for that reason, I would not return there in the future.

Hope this helps. Good luck and have fun!

Went to Rome in April and ate at da Baffetto at a recommendation from a co-worker. My husband and I thought it was wonderful, and considered going there multiple times before we decided that we should really try something new!

We ate many varieties of Pizza in Rome, all good. If I had to pick just one for an evening in Rome, it would be Dar Poeta in the Trastevere. (No, it does not appear in Rick's book) They serve great wood fired pizzas, probably more variety than most places, and have a dessert calzone with Nutella and Ricotta that will leave you giddy. you can find some more info here: http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2785247-dar_poeta_rome-i

I will add that we also ate at da Ivo, very good, but I guess I would say that the total experience did not blow me away. We also had pizza at a number of small bakery/lunch places, most make pizza in large sheets, then heat pieces when you order; these are also very good, just different than a made to order pizza, great for a snack or lunch, not so much for dinner. We did not get around to eating at da Baffeto, amazing that in 10 days there is just too many places to hit .

Hi Ben,
I ate at Pizza d'Ivo last May. I had the most amazing pizza there.... so good that I went there twice in one week.The pizza was an apple gorgonzola pizza.... absolutely delicious. I cast my vote for Pizza d'Ivo!!

Ben,
One of my favorites is Osteria ar Galletto on the North/Northwest corner of Piazza Farnese (just south of the Campo Dei Fiori).
Have been there three times over the last couple of years -- one of the best carbonaras I've had.

Marco, I had actually been looking at that one a bit for the third night. It would definitely be an option if we skip the pizzeria evening. Rick says it's his favorite al fresco setting in Rome. Food quality comes first, of course, but what are your thoughts on the atmosphere of the restaurant?

Ben,
i have only been in the winter, so I cannot speak to the al fresco atmosphere. But indoors, it appears to be a typical "mom's in the kitchen" type restaurant. Definitely casual.. and always friendly and inviting.

In fact, the last time I was there was this past February -- there were 4 of us, and it started to rain - no, pour... it was still early (6:30pm) but we ducked in to the restaurant to get out of the rain. They were still closed (the waiters were having their dinner), but they invited us in and brought us some wine and antipasto to tide us over until everyone finished up their dinners.

There was a large group from the UK that came in later in the evening, and even though there was a language barrier (the waiter spoke very little english), they all seemed to have a great time.