FIVE STAR DINING
La Terrazza Dell'Eden
Via Ludovisi 49
Tel: 06 4781 2752
Part of the 5 star Eden Hotel. Rooft top dining at it's best. Always on the prowl for superior fresh ingredients, chef Enrico Derflingher once the Chef for Prince Charles and Princess Diana) has taken the search to a new level: how many other restaurants have their own fishing boat that reserves the best of the day's catch for the chef? In addition to the ever-changing à la carte selections, there are always set romano and macrobiotic menus. Reservations a must.
Minerva Roof Garden
Piazza della Minerva 69
Tel: 06 69 5201
Part of the 5 star Minerva Grand Hotel. Wonderful roof top views and excellent 5 star dining. Homemade strips of pasta with herbs in a pepper and crab ragu, filet with Colonnata lard and radicchio, duck breast with chestnut honey and cherry confit. Reservations a must.
Harry's Bar
Via V. Veneto 150
Tel: 06 484 643
An elegant intimate restaurant with excellent food and service. Live piano music every evening. Excellent wine cellar. Try the strudel di carciofi all romana (Roman style artichoke strudel) and the pennette with asparagus tips and chestunut mouse. Reservations a must
Hassler Roof Restaurant
Part of the Hassler 5 star hotel.
The first roof top restaurant in Rome with an amazing view of the heart of the Eternal City. Located at the top of the Spanish Steps it has a refined atmosphere with excellent Mediterranean cuisine. Reservations a must.
MEDIUM RANGE DINING
Gusto
Piazza Augusto Imperatore 9
Tel: 06 322 6273
Gusto is a modern, multi-purpose, split-level pizzeria, restaurant and wine bar, with a cook's shop and bookshop next door. The kitchen offers international influences with Italian traditions, such as wok-tossed spaghetti with vegetables and ginger, and eggplant and chickpea strudel with a sesame-goat cheese sauce. Probably the best is the wine bar out back - buzzing, stylish, and with an extensive wine list of more than 800 labels. Always busy so reservations a must.
L'Insalata Ricca
Largo dei Chiavari 85
Tel: 06 6880 3656
L'Insalata Ricca is a good answer to that classic Roman dilemma - where to go when you're dying for a decent salad. The Anglo-Italian menu lists over 30 different types, from baires (walnuts, apple and melted gorgonzola) to speck (with ham, fontina cheese and croutons). The success of L'Insalata Ricca has led to a rash of lookalikes scattered around the city; the mothership remains the best.
L'Angoletto
Piazza Rondanini 51
Tel: 06 686 8019
Nice restaurant tucked out of the way in a little piazza near the Pantheon. Serves excellent range of pastas and good house wine. The owners are friendly and provide wonderful service. Try the Vin Santo after lunch or dinner.
Ponte & Parione
Via S. Maria Dell'Anima 62
Tel: 06 6830 8780
Wonderful local restaurant with outdoor eating area with heat lamps for the winter and indoor section. Serves good range of pizza and pasta and tucked away off the main drag of Piazza Navona. Prices reflect the location. Typical Italian and serves good inexpensive meals and house wine.
De Otello In Trastevere
Via della Pelliccia 57, Piazza S., Egidio
A good range of fresh fish and meat served in a typical Italian restaurant that is popular with locals and tourists alike. Great atmosphere with good food and local wines.
Le Maschere
Via Monte della Farina 29
Tel: 06 687 9444
For a taste of southern Italian (Calabrian) fare, try this informal cellar restaurant hidden away between Largo Argentina and Piazza Campo dei Fiori - in summer, look for the planters and the few outdoor tables. Dark rustic walls are hung with everything from paper garlands to old utensils; there are pottery wine jugs and rush-seat chairs. To start order spicy Calabria salami or hit the expansive antipasto table, and then go on to pizza or pasta with broccoli or with tomato and eggplant sauce. Grilled meat and seafood make up the list of second courses. Try one of the local Calabrian labels on the wine list.
Le Naumachie
Via Celimontana, 7
Phone 06 7002 764
Join Alfredo and Roberto Micheli and this busy local Ristorante - Pizzeria close by the Colosseum. Try the Mozeralla di Buffala and enjoy the friendly service. Always busy so reservations are recommended. Open for lunch and dinner.
VERY INEXPENSIVE DINING
Trattoria
Via dei Banchi Nuovi 8
Tel: no phone
For a true Roman experience try this, No name, no menus restaurant - simply come in, sit down (go early to find a table), and wait for the mother-and-daughter team to start bringing out the food. Basic pastas with amatriciana sauce (with tomato, bacon, and pecorino), tomato sauce, or meat sauce; tripe; sausage; beef rolls simmered in tomato and onions; hearty cannellini beans; garlicky spinach - it's like eating at Grandma's. No credit cards. Closed weekends.
Antonio al Pantheon
Via dei Pastini 12
Tel: 06 679 0798
Nice family run restaurant where Pietro and his family will take good care of you. Try the homemade pasta rolled in a huge slab of Parmesan cheese. Always busy.
Hostaria del Mora da Toni
(Tony's Restaurant)
Vicolo del Moro
Trastevere
Tel: 06 580 9165
Italian restaurant with good food at reasonable prices. It has an indoor section and a nice outside dining area where you can sit and enjoy your meal whilst watching the passing parade. Trastevere is a great area to wander around after dinner with many shops open till late and lots of stalls that sell hand made items.
La Fraschetta (Ristorante - Pizzeria
Via S. Francesco a Ripa, 134
Sundays closed
Tel 06 581 6012
A wonderful typical Italian restaurant with excellent food at great prices. Soak up the true Italian atmosphere and in particular on Thursdays nights for their famous Gnocchi! Always busy so reservations would be a good idea but not necessary.
WINE BARS AND CAFES
Antico Caffè della Pace
Via della Pace 5
Close to Piazza Navona this famous café attracts locals, the rich and famous and tourists who can afford the prices. The cosy interior is adorned with antiques, while the ivy-clad façade looks onto a notoriously popular summer terrace. A great place for star watching.
L'Enoteca Antica di Via della Croce
Via della Croce 76/b
Tel: 06 679 0896
This wine bar is always crowded, and for good reason. Its location near the Spanish Steps makes it a great stop for an aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) before hitting the area's restaurants. Alternatively a wonderful antipasti menu includes cured meats, pickled vegetables, sundried tomatoes as well as a great selection of cheese. Sit at the bar and order as it is better than the restaurant itself. Makes it a good getaway after exercising your credit card in the neighborhood's boutiques.
Cul de Sac
Piazza Pasquino 73
Tel: 06 6880 1094
This popular enoteca (wine bar) near Piazza Navona with a ringside view of the 'talking statue' of Pasquino is among the city's oldest and offers a large selection of wines from all over the world. Food is eclectic, ranging from Italian meats and cheeses to several vegetarian options, a fantastic onion soup and delicious desserts. Outside tables get crowded fast, and Cul de Sac does not accept reservations, so get there early.
Lo Zozzone
Via del Teatro Pace 32
Tel: 06 6880 8575
Now in new, more spacious premises with outside tables, the 'dirty old man' (an affectionate Roman nickname that became official with the move) serves up Rome's best pizza bianca ripiena - which, as a sign explains, is 'White Pizza With Any Thing You Like Inside' - a variety of hams, cheeses, fresh figs, dried tomatoes and other delights. Pay at the till for a regular (€2), large (€2.50) or huge (€3) piece; then join the receipt-waving hordes to get served. There are plans to open on Sundays too.
Il Fico
Piazza del Fico 25
Tel: 06 687 5568
Next to the bar of the same name but no longer under the same management, the 'Fig Tree' specialises in seafood but in winter can have as many meat dishes as fish piatti. A southern influence is evident in dishes like Sicilian-style pesce spada (swordfish in a tomato, caper and olive sauce) and caponata, a vegetable ratatouille. The seafood lasagna is tasty, if a bit heavy and oversauced. Outdoor seating on a lovely piazza in the summer is a plus. Otherwise, try the very back room to avoid the neglected suburban trattoria-style front room.
La Tartaruga
Via del Monte della Farina 53
Tel: 06 686 9473
This wine bar has less of a rustic atmosphere than most and feels like a small, elegant restaurant. The food matches the atmosphere, and offerings include risotto with asparagus, vitello tonnato (veal in a cold tuna sauce), and an excellent selection of cheeses and cold meats from all over Italy.
The Vineria
Campo di Fiori
Right in the middle of Campo de' Fiori, is still very 'in' and makes a perfect rendezvous for an early evening drink. Outside tables all year long with free unshelled peanuts that you can just throw on the floor. Customers range from well-known actors to local winos, although lately the atmosphere has become a little more "wannabe".
Casa Bleve
Via Santa Maria del Pianto, 9A-11
Phone 06 6819 2210
Mon - Sat 10.30 - 3pm and 4pm - 8pm Closed Sunday and Monday
A elegant Enoteca with excellent plates of antipasti and a fantastic range of regional wines. Take their recommendation for the day and choice of wine and you will not be disappointed. A little more pricey than some but well worth it.
Sant'Eustachio Cafe
Piazza Sant'Eustachio, 82
Phone 06 6880 2048
Sant'Eustachio is famous for it's wonderful coffee made quite secretly behind screens. Probably the best coffee in Rome and even the world!! Enjoy sitting outside as you sip your coffee watching the passing parade. A great range of local products for sale inside as well.
