Like most other big cities, you can find really disappointing food, as well as fantastic experiences!  If you can, try to stay away from the main squares and high traffic areas.  Generally speaking, these areas will have higher prices, and poorer quality cuisine.

Places like Piazza della Rotunda (location of the Pantheon) have multiple cafes and restaurants surrounding it on all sides, boasting of wonderful Italian food and outdoor seating.  While you can sit outside, people watch, and adore the beautiful surroundings, you will pay for it.  A single glass of wine at one of these places can be 9 euro or more, and the pasta will typically not be fresh.

Okay, okay.  Do it once.  Because there’s nothing like sitting with a glass of wine at your favorite site and just watching the world go by.  And it’s pretty hard to screw up pizza.

However, if you’re in the mood for some fresh pasta at better prices, walk a little farther and find a café or restaurant away from the major site on a side street somewhere.  More than likely, they’ll have English on their menu, so not a completely authentic experience, but way, way better than the previously frozen things found in the restaurants I previously mentioned.

The true Romans we’ve interacted with have all recommended the Jewish Quarter as the best area for food, which we’ll cover in a bit.  First up, though, our favorite place, is Giulio Passami L’Olio.

Giulio Passami L’Olio

Location: It’s a wine bar off the beaten path, between Piazza Navona, Vatican City, and Castel Sant’Angelo.

Dark, dingy, eclectic, incredibly charming dive bar with dusty bottles of wine piled on shelves near the ceiling inside, numbering in the 500s.  Fewer in quantity, but still numerous, you’ll also find multiple “tasteful nudes” on the walls, apparently circa the 50s.  This is a place to sit, relax, and watch the happenings around you.  Order a half (mezzo) or full liter of the house wine (only available at lunch, otherwise they have a bible sized menu for glasses and full bottles dinner), and start with the focaccia bianca, a warm flat bread drizzled with olive oil and rosemary.  Their noodles are the star of the first course – perfectly al dente, and very tasty.  Find the sauce or preparation you like most, carbonara, cacio e pepe, or my new favorite here, pomadoro e basilica, and you’ll be set!

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Don’t be startled if a tall, mischievous looking patron wanders over to the bar and fills his wine glass directly from the beer tap when no one’s looking.  Turns out, he’s the owner!  He will definitely approach you to chit chat.  His waitstaff are a mix of people who have been there for ages, who sit and eat with the patrons as well as the owner, and are the type of people who help correct your Italian if you’re nice about it.  If he puts the cell phone attached to his ear at all times away for a bit, he might introduce you to the friendly white shaggy dog that he calls “The White Carpet.”

Nonna Betta

Location: The Jewish Ghetto

Had my very first Jewish Roman Artichoke here, followed by tagliolini cacio e pepe.  The house wine is also very nice (both white and red), but only comes by the glass or the full bottle.  MM has had Carbonara di zucchine (spaghetti carbonara with zucchini), and tagliolini col ragu di nonna betta.  Good noodles here.

Ba’ Ghetto Milky

Location: The Jewish Ghetto

The first restaurant we discovered in this area, and it served us well the first few times we patronized it.  I’ve had ravioli ricotta e spinaci con burro e salvia (ricotta ravioli in butter and sage) as well as fettucine with four cheeses and truffle sauce.  They do not offer a house wine, but can suggest half bottles of Israeli vintages, which have been good.  The last two times we’ve been, though, left something to be desired, in both food and service.

Da Francesco

Location: Piazza Navona

This was a restaurant that was suggested by one of the chefs teaching a cooking class, and I’m glad that we got it from her!  It’s a fairly small place, so be prepared to sit really close to your neighbors.  It also seems to be quite popular, so you might want to investigate getting a reservation.  MM had fettuccine alla gricia, which is kind of like cacio e pepe with bacon.  He thought it was great.  I had ravioli di ricotta e spinaci al pomodoro.  I absolutely loved it.

Ristorante Archimede T. Eustachio

Location: Pantheon

This particular restaurant is a go-to for us when we don’t want to walk too far away from our hotel and our Gelato place.  Sitting outside is a must when you can.  We’ve had a couple of dishes here, and so far, they’ve been really good.  I love their ravioli ricotta e spinaci con burro e salvia (ricotta ravioli in butter and sage).  It’s one of my favorite dishes of all time.  MM has had a couple dishes here, including the tonnarelli ragu and the carbonara.  They’ve always had fresh pasta, which is a must for us.  Their house wine seems to vary, though.

Gelateria Giolitti

Location: Pantheon

This is by far our favorite place to get gelato.  They have a bunch of different flavors, and have never let us down.  When in Rome, we make it a point to stop here every night before heading back to our hotel.  My favorite is, of course, dark chocolate (cioccolato fondente).  I usually pair it with hazelnut (nocciola), but have been known to put it with other flavors.  MM likes the Oreo Cookie (biscotto oreo) flavor with black cherry (amarena).

You’ll need to purchase your gelato from the cashier by the front door before choosing the flavors you want at the case in the back.  Piccolo will get you two flavors on either a cone or in a cup.  If you know me, you know I LOVE chocolate and I LOVE ice cream.  There can never be too much.  But trust me when I say – Piccolo is the perfect amount.  And if you want to get truly decadent, agree to the Panna (whipped cream).  It’s awesome!

The Unknown…

The last time we went to Rome, we received a list of other restaurants that might be of interest from a Roman cooking class.  While we’ve not visited them all, we wanted to provide them to you, just in case you were interested.  In parenthesis are what we were told they were good at.  We’ve broken the restaurants we like up into general areas, so that you can figure out what you’d like depending on where you are.  (If you’ve tried one or more of these, please let me know how you found them!)

Jewish Ghetto

This is where we were told the best food would be, and for the most part, the person that told me was correct!

• Sora Margherita (artichokes and pasta)

Piazza Navona

Avoid the restaurants in the actual Piazza.  We have yet to find a restaurant that’s worth it there.  If you expand your radius a bit, you’ll find something better.

• Lilli (Pasta)
• Emma (Pizza)

Vatican

• Ragno D’Oro

Campo De Fiori

• Da Fortunata (Pasta)
• Viola (Cold cuts)
• Cisternino (Cheese)
• Roscioli (Bakery)
• Supplizio (Suppli)

Trastavere

We have been told time and again that we should really check this neighborhood out for food, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.  It’s a bit outside of our normal walking radius.  I hope to visit there soon!

• Ai Marmi (Pizza, Suppli)
• Da Ivo (Pizza, Pasta)
• Da Enzo Al 29 (Cacio e Pepe)
• Eggs (Carbonara, Tiramisu)
• Pompi (Tiramisu)
• Da Teo (Roman Cuisine)
• Trapizzino (Street Food)

Testaccio

This area is to the south and east of Trastavere, so we have definitely not been here.  Still, we have suggestions from a friend, so thought we’d share!

• Da Felice (Best Cacio e Pepe)

Gelato

• Carona (Largo Arenula)
• Gracchi (North of Castel San’Angelo)

Final Thoughts

If you want truly authentic Italian food, you’re going to have to look hard for it.  We were told on our first trip that in order to get good food, you have to travel to the outskirts of the city.  Without a car, that’s difficult.  So I say, find yourself some good food (to you), and stick with it!