I’m traveling to Rome in a couple of weeks with several friends to see Ireland play Italy in Rugby. I haven’t been to Rome since 1977 and need some restaurant recommendations. If you have any Michelin star restaurants in mind I’m all ears. This is a “foodie” crowd.
La Pergola was f’ing amazing. Not killer expensive either for a 3***. What an unbelievable view also. It might be too late to get a reservation but I would definitely give them a call.
George
i suggest you do a search for the prior recommendations as this question comes up often.
For the view alone and decent food (although not sure it’s michelin star quality), you should try the top floor restaurant at the hotel Eden and/or the Sofitel just round the corner. Both are on the hill above the spanish steps, near the villa Borghese and have spectacular views across rome.
For a completely down to Earth, authentically Roman (ie not touristy) restaurant, try the Ragno d’oro near St Peters.
2 weeks ago, we very much enjoyed our meal at Roscioli (the trattoria) near Campo di Fiori. Also had a grand time drinking many wines by the glass and eating very good shared plates at Enoteca Culdesac which is off of a side street in Piazza Navona.
This is good stuff, thanks and I’ll do a Search here on Rome.
Roscioli is excellent too… It’s a board favorite. Not super high end but a a good place. Love Piazza Navona for just hanging out.
George
If I can assume that a “foodie crowd” like yours would be happy with the truly locals dishes, especially offering roasted/broiled/braised all cuts of meat, including offals, intestines, veal testicles, etc., plus terrific pasta dishes, then you should try and make it to the Testaccio neighborhood to a restaurant called Checchino Dal 1887. The wine list is also robust enough to include some old/mature bottles from Piedmont and Tuscany. Advance reservation is a definite must.
We much enjoyed our dinner at that restaurant 2 weeks to the day today.
It’s now on the list, thanks!
I secured reservations for La Pergola for those of us arriving the first night. The rest of the trip we’ll have to wing it. Planning for a group of that many guys is damn near impossible with each having different tastes, budgets etc.
Dave
before the game I recommend you do lunch at Pizzarium, great pizza by the slice and good beers about 15 minutes walk from the stadium.
After the game the Scholars Lounge is the best place to go watch the other match and have a few beers. Also another thing you could do is go to Romeo for an early lunch on saturday and then take a taxi to the stadium http://www.romeo.roma.it
Thank you Riccardo! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
We loved ad hoc http://www.ristoranteadhoc.com/en/default.html. Not Michelin but was amazing. They also let us buy some olive oil. My sister was living there at the time and told us they dont sell the good stuff at the shops. A cafe we had lunch at twice was sophias Via di Capo le Case, 51, 00187 Rome, Italy --above the spanish steps. Reasonably priced and very good. We also ate at La Pergola and Mirabelle both wonderful but more expensive. I loved our trip to Rome, hope you have an amazing time!
Yes. When we went to Rome a couple of years ago, we found a wonderful thread on this board. Highly recommend following recommendations of Michel Abood.
OMG…late to the game here but I can’t believe anyone else knows about Ragno D’Oro!!! I go there EVERY time I’m in Rome. Totally authentic, in a neighborhood, no tourists. Not much english either. God I love this place. How did YOU hear about it?? A local brought me the first time…
We had a local guide for our tour of the colisseum and St Peters. At the end of the St Peters tour I asked him to recommend a good non-touristy place in walking distance. He recommended Ragno d’Oro. Loved the place. Essential just to go with what they tell you to have. They served us a selection of Roman appetisers that was superb. Only problem was we were so stuffed after that we hardly made a dent on our pasta main courses!
I will be in Rome later this year and have been following this and other related links. I found this blog during my searches. I am not sure how “accurate” her recommendations are but they make fun reading. I think I will try a few of these places.
I like her ideas on carbonara, pizza and the “best” Roman restaurants. Great pictures and she tells how to get to these places.
Cheers!
Marshall
The thread:
Hello:
I cannot tell if you have searched this forum, so in the interest of convenience, here are our 2010 Rome dining notes, which I believe, from comments recently received, remain useful:
Rome – Al Ceppo – Our first night in Rome and our dear local friend wanted our first dinner to be here. Wow, we were pleased with the choice. Warm, elegant, slightly formal yet friendly atmosphere with a surprisingly located open grill in the front room. Our friend dines here often, so perhaps we were treated better than average, but the service seemed quite fine as I looked around the rooms filed with happy and apparently affluent clientele. Dishes were traditional yet prepared in a sophisticated manner and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. Fantastic pastas; in fact, Al Ceppo is the winner of the prestigious and never before awarded “best pasta dish Andrew ever had” award, with an absolutely sublime carbonara made with perfectly prepared eggy tagliatelle (rather than the usual spaghetti) with an amazingly yellow egg yolk, crunchy quanciale, creamy pecorino, a touch of pepper, and topped with white truffles. Decadent? Si. I must tell you, it was insanely good. The stuff dreams are made of, if one dreams of pasta. The other dishes shined as well: delicious puntarelle and porcini; tubular paccheri filled with tuna; perfectly prepared fish and grilled lamb; and the first tiramisu I ever truly enjoyed. Along with this first rate dinner we had a wonderful 2004 Le Pergola Torte. We would definitely return.
Rome – Al Moro – Our second night’s dinner, also chosen by our friend. This is, to my mind, an “old school Roman” place, somewhat hard to find, crowded, and complete with waiters who have been working there for ages. It has been around since 1929 and even has its own unfriendly looking owner, and it seems they place the tourists in their own room (perhaps with the better English-speaking waiters). Regardless, the food is very good, the atmosphere is loud and jovial and bustling with large tables filled with families and smaller tables crowded side-by-side, and the menu is filled with local favorites, including fantastic artichokes (prepared several different ways), delicious fried vegetables, a very good spaghetti alla carbonara, and excellent dishes of oxtail stew and tripe (not together). A fun evening. We might return.
Rome – Nonna Betta – A cleverly named tiny and very friendly Kosher eatery in the Jewish Quarter. We had a very nice little lunch, comprised of artichokes alla Giudia, artichokes baked in cheese, and of course a pizza bianco with artichokes and mushrooms.
Rome – Salumeria Roscioli – Okay, if we lived in Rome, we would eat here … a lot. From what I read, “450 different kinds of cheese, more than 100 different types of cured meat, a wine list of 2200 labels, 20 different homemade breads.” I believe it. Crowded, popular, and an immediate sensory overload of sights and smells, let alone tastes once you are seated and served. This is probably the most expensive deli we’ve been in, but we believe it is worth it. We walked through the shop in front and past the few tables located nearby and headed downstairs to the wine cellar and our table. Here, amongst a staggering collection of Italian and French wine bottles, I had the single greatest plate of cheese in my life, a huge serving of burrata, probably intended for a group to share. And not just any luscious, creamy, delicious burrata, no! This was “Burrata from Andria with Black Pepper from Malesia and semi-dried cherry tomatoes from Pachino,” with some drops of amazing EVOO. It was fantastic, and I am not embarrassed to say I killed it. Roscioli also is famed for its pasta dishes, called some of the finest in Rome. I do not disagree. Here, I had simply fabulous spaghetti alla carbonara, with an egg yolk and guanciale to make you weep; followed by the unanimous winner of “the second greatest pasta in my life” award, tonnarello al sugo di coda vaccinara (a slightly thick, squarish spaghetti with an oxtail ragu). So good, we came back on our final day in Rome for another plate for lunch, along with an insanely good linguine porri e gambero (leeks and shrimp). With our dinner, another 2006 Le Trame Chianti Classico; with lunch a very nice 2009 Conte Zandotti Rumon Malvasia del Lazio. If we return to Rome, we will return, several times. (Related to the famed and wonderful Antico Forno Roscioli bakery down the street and across the Campo dei Fiore.)
Rome – Ristorante “La Taverna degli Amici, a Tormargana” – This, to me, represents the magic of Rome. After we finished our tour of Ancient Rome at the Colosseum, we were walking towards “our neighborhood” (Campo dei Fiore, Piazza Farnese) and found ourselves in an alleyway, and then we entered a small, pretty piazza (Piazza Margana) and facing a nice looking restaurant with lots of well-dressed folks enjoying lunch outdoors. We looked at the menu and sat down. Mama mia, we were happy we did! We started with salmon crudo and spigola (sea bass) carpaccio, a plate of sautéed porcini, a perfect plate of bombolotti all’amatriciana (that quintessential Roman sauce of tomato, chili pepper, guanciale, and pecorino cheese), followed by an absolutely scrumptious pear tart. We also had a fine Puiatti Pinot Grigio Collio “Ruttars.” (“Save a tree, drink no oak aged wine!”) We would definitely return and I’d love to try dinner there.
Rome – Ristorante l’Arcangelo – Our last dinner in Rome, accompanied by our local friend, was at this highly regarded, small restaurant. It is famed for its perfect ingredients, precise flavors, and elegant dishes including perfect pastas. I had a very good plate of paccheri alla carbonara. We drank a wonderful 2008 Tenuta Terre Nere Etna Rosso. The food here was creative and lovely, but something was “off.” I have read complaints of less than warm service, and that was certainly part of the problem; it just was not inviting and friendly, in fact, it was as if we were intruding into some special club. (There also was a group of small fruit flies buzzing us about which the staff seemed to have little concern.) There are many other places in Rome to eat, including many we still have not visited, so we will not return.
Enjoy, Andrew
We hosted a dinner for five at Ristorante La Rosetta this past April–the meal was superb, if pricey. The place specializes in seafood and is not far from the Pantheon. It has an excellent wine list.