Delicious Roman Fare and other Rome, Italy Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Vineria il Chianti

Thanks to a tip that I read on VT before our latest trip to Rome, we popped to Vineria il Chianti one evening and had a fabulous night.

We were lucky enough to get a seat out the front in a small courtyard, and settled back to enjoy a glass or 3 of some delicious Italian wines and one of the best meals of our trip

There is an extensive wine list and also a fabulous food menu.

Service was friendly and efficent, and a great night was had by all - I highly recommend this place!

Favorite Dish: I had the most delicious Roast Lamb and potato dish - Y.U.M, others had a Wild Boar dish that was equally tasty.

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Theme: Italian
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 06 678 7550
Address: Via del Lavatore 81-82, Rome
Directions: Just off Piazza di Trevi

Restaurant Name: Ristorante La Scalinata

Ristorante La Scalinata is a small local feeling restaurant, located just away from the tourist mecca of the Spanish Steps.

It came highly recommended by my mother-in-law, who had been there a few months ago, so thought we would give it a go.

We had a great lunch here, we squeezed into the last available table, ordered a litre of vino rosso and practiced our rusty Italian.

Favorite Dish: We just had pasta for lunch. I had the most delicious cannelloni and Alex had a fab macaroni with spicy sausage, eggplant and pecorino.

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Theme: Italian
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 06 6994 2067
Address: Via Sant'Andrea delle Fratte 32, Roma
Directions: Close to the bottom of the Spanish Steps, towards the Trevi Fountain

Restaurant Name: Ristorante 34

Starving after a full morning of walking and site seeing, we stumbled upon Ristorante 34 and happily pulled up a seat on the street for some refreshments.

We soon found out that we weren't sitting in the best place - the cars driving down this narrow street were passing close enough for us to touch, and we were in the prime position for the elderly beggar/singer lady who kept stopping to serenade us.

Besides all that we had a relaxing lunch, and did a bit of people watching too.

Favorite Dish: I had a seafood risotto that wasn't that nice - it was ok, but nothing special. A glass or two of wine helped to wash it down ; ))

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 06/67.95.091
Address: Via Mario de' Fiori, 34
Directions: Very close to Piazza di Spagna (bottom of the Spanish Steps)
Website: http://www.webeco.it/al34/

Restaurant Name: Tre Scalini

Tre Scalini is a grand old cafe/restaurant located in the heart of Piazza Navona.

It is one of those expensive cafes that you pay a fortune to sit in the Piazza and watch the world go by.

While it is not the friendliest of places, and you get the feeling that you are being churned in and out in a hurry, it is certainly a great place for some people watching.

Favorite Dish: The speciality of Tre Scalini is their Tartufo - a type of chocolate ice cream ball (refer to the photo).

It is evil. In a good way.

Their coffee is average.

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 39 066879148
Address: Piazza Navona 30
Directions: In Piazza Navona

Restaurant Name: La Scaletta Degli Artisti

After a few drinks at Jonathan's Angels one night, we stopped off at La Scaletta Degli Artisti for a pizza and some more drinks.

La Scaletta Degli Artisti is a friendly restaurant/pizzeria located close to Piazza Navona.

We sat in the outside at the front of the restaurant and ordered pizzas and house red wine.

Favorite Dish: We had 4 different pizzas that were all good -Salami, Prosciuto, Quattro Formaggio and one with a bit of everything.

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Theme: Pizza
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 06 - 68 80 18 72
Address: Via di Santa Maria dell'Anima 56, Roma
Directions: A block back from Piazza Navona

Restaurant Name: Pizzeria Da Baffetto

I had read all about Pizzeria Da Baffetto having the best pizza in Rome, so of course we had to go there to see if it was true!

Pizzeria Da Baffetto has been around for more than 40 years. It appears that any Italian celebrity that goes to Rome has dinner there and is photographed with the owner - the walls are covered in photos of famous people that have dined there.

We went early to avoid the queues, and only had a short wait before being seated.

Our experience was not that great though.....they got my order wrong, and presented me with an onion pizza - and since I can't eat onion I was horrified and asked them to bring me what I had ordered (obviously they mis-understood my original order due to my dodgy Italian!!).

Anyway, they whisked my replacement pizza out in record time, but it wasn't cooked properly and was swimming in cheese and oil....

So, it turned out to be one of the worst pizza's I have eaten : ((

But hopefully my experience was just a one off......would be interested to hear how others enjoyed their visit to Pizzeria Da Baffetto.


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Theme: Pizza
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 06-68-61-617
Address: Via del Governo Vecchio 11, Rome
Directions: Close to Piazza Navona

Restaurant Name: Cul de Sac

We had a great dinner at Cul de Sac back in 1999.

It is in a good location on the small Piazza Pasquino, close to the famous Pizzeria de Baffetto and very near to Piazza Navona.

We were lucky to get a table in the Piazza and settled down for a tasty dinner and some serious people watching.

Favorite Dish: Unfortunately I don't remember what we ate, but I remember that we had a great meal, and plenty of wine - there is a huge wine list.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 06/68801094
Address: Piazza Pasquino 73, Rome
Directions: Close to Piazza Navona

Restaurant Name: Tazza d'Oro

Tazza d'Oro is known as Rome's "house of coffee", and I have read that it is supposed to have the city's best coffee.

Located just across the Piazza from the Pantheon, it is the perfect place to stop off for a quick espresso mid site-seeing.

Favorite Dish: For a famous Roman institution, their coffee sure is cheap. If you have a espresso standing at the bar it is only costs 65 euro cents!

Just go and pay at the cash register first and then present your docket to the barista

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 39 06 6789792
Address: Via degli Orfani, 84 (Pantheon)
Directions: just off Piazza della Rotonda
Website: http://www.tazzadorocoffeeshop.com/homeeng.htm
Other Contact: email: info@tazzadorocoffeeshop

Restaurant Name: Gelateria della Palma

Gelateria della Palma is an ice cream lovers heaven!

Located just up from the Pantheon, there are 100 or so flavours of delicious gelato to choose from.

There is nothing better than buying a scoop or two and then wandering back to Piazza della Rotonda, taking a seat by the fountain and relaxing.

Favorite Dish: It is so hard to decide....hmmmm ..... I always love the coffee....and the hazelnut .... and the pistachio ..... and ..... and ....

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Theme: Ice Cream
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 06 688 06 752
Address: Via della Maddalena 20, Rome
Directions: Just off Piazza della Rotonda

Restaurant Name: Breakfast in Rome Termini station

If you are heading out of Rome early, or are staying near the station and need somewhere for breakfast, there is a great cafe/deli on the right, just as you walk into the station, off Via Marsala.

We stopped off here for a quick coffee and croissant before catching the metro. They also make good panini.

It also has a small deli and sells some great looking local products.


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Theme: Deli
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 06 42014301
Directions: In the Rome Termini complex, close to the Via Marsala entrance