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Rome Again: Restaurants worth seeking out

Eating our way through Rome was the plan after an 8-year absence. These places are worth seeking out and less frequented by tourists than many,

• Da Remo Pizzeria in Testaccio — not unknown but way off the path beat by most tourists. Only a 30-minute walk from Campo de’ Fiori, just about enough to justify the pizza eating. Thin, Roman style pizza, great suppli, fast service. The servers are practically a floor show. €32.50 for two pizzas, half-liter of house red, two suppli, water, and espresso.

• La Pratolina Pizzeria in Prati — only go if you have made a reservation because the chances of being turned away are about 99.999%. This is pinsa, a particular style with thicker crust. The crust is so delicious it is a sin not to eat every morsel. They have other menu items, but the pies are why people come here over-and-over. €59.00 for two pizzas, a bottle of red, and a liter of water.

• Taverna Rossini in Parioli — our old neighborhood place is still fabulous. We ate here about twice a month and managed to squeeze in twice during this one week. From morning coffee through midday pastas and on to evening pizza or a fancy dinner in the pescheria, Rossini never disappoints. Reservations highly advised for evenings and Sunday lunch. It is a €15 taxi ride from the Centro Storico, or about an hour’s walk. We did both — twice — for the local experience. You’ll feel like a real modern Roman. If you go, ask for the Baci di Cioccolato con Ripieno di Nutella (Chocolate covered balls of Nutella gelato served with whipped cream, hazelnuts, and chocolate drizzle). You can thank me later. This was a bit of a splurge but commensurate with what we would spend on a decent dinner at home with a modest bottle of wine.

• Osteria La Quercia — a stone’s throw from Campo de’ Fiori and a world apart. I found this place thanks to a posting on the Forum about a year ago. (Thanks to Michael from Bakersfield.) I heard a few words of English, but I think only from the waitstaff. This place was all Italian. Roman classics but creative. Things not usually on a touristic menu like bone marrow and sweetbreads. We were not that adventurous, but the moscardini were divine and you are not going to find that in Portland, OR. Another splurge meal, although after Switzerland it seemed not-all-that-bad.

• Siciliainbocca — also in Prati, you will not get food this authentically Sicilian without going to Sicily. We feasted on grilled calamari, octopus, and couscous alla pesce washed down with a favorite Sicilian wine by Donna Fugata. I had almost forgotten how good the wine is for the price. The biggest splurge of the entire trip.

• AI Pompiere — for classic cucina Romana this hostaria cannot be beat! It is at the edge of the Ghetto, a few steps off Via Arenula near Largo Argentina. In a peaceful area, run by the proprietor and a cast of assistants. Many Italian diners, always a good sign. We were lucky to be in Rome for the start of carciofi season and also to find puntarelle starting to appear on menus. I had not had that in 8 years. Roast pork and lamb for us with three antipasti plus dessert. Hey! It was our last night! Who knows when we will get to eat this way again. Reservations a must!

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We noticed a couple of new trends since our departure in 2016.

  • There are pancakes with maple syrup everywhere in bars and cafes. Even at our hotel breakfast, they make them on request. Salads are getting more creative and more places have them, a pleasant change from pasta and pizza and main dishes that we prefer at night.
  • Insalata Ricca has been around awhile, but salad menus are elsewhere, too.
  • We ate at a new sandwich shop called Cabullo near Campo de’Fiori. It was 3 days old when we ate there and we enjoyed their creative and fresh approach. There is a great fritti menu, too, so might be a good aperitivo stop.
  • Molly’s Garden on Via del Governo Vecchio deserves a shout-out for doing eggs well, avocado toast of many varieties, wraps, and more. The cannoli looked amazing!

Yes, our food budget was outlandish, but this week was to be a culinary tour. We do not eat in restaurants much in Switzerland, where we spent more than a month this year, just pizza once a week and some lunches while hiking. I cooked in our apartments in Lauterbrunnen and Locarno for 4.5 weeks as well as during 8-out-of-10 nights in Ortisei.

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Laurel - I am stunned to see Taverna Rossini! We stayed in Parioli on our 2010 trip to Rome and really enjoyed Rossini. I will never forget Larry using his elementary Italian to the waiter, commenting on his pasta course: "Con questa salsa si potrebbero mangiare le scarpe." I don't think the waiter expected something like that to come out of the mouth of an American customer. Larry had been waiting for years for the appropriate time to use the line from The Unsinkable Molly Brown regarding escargot: "With this sauce you could eat erasers." So he really amused himself getting that line out! I'm sure I was rolling my eyes. Thanks for the memory.

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Janet, That is a wonderful story! Good for Larry! So few tourist stay in Parioli but it is an interesting place, a more “real”neighborhood experience.

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bookmarked! Haven't been to a single one of these places nor have I been to Parioli yet. Thanks Laurel!