Cjar

suze

{I have older teens who always seem to be hungry.} Then assign them the task. Seriously Have them be on the outlook for bakeries, delis, green grocers, street markets, casual cafes, anything that looks good as you are walking around doing all the other things on your list.

Hopefully others with actual experience to your specific areas will chime in with their favorite restaurants, but generally I don't try to have every single place I'm going to have a glass of wine planned out in advance! And it's not hard to avoid "tourist fare", that's pretty easy to spot as you already mentioned.

sugarmaple

bvlenci

No restaurant in central Rome could survive without tourists, and almost every restaurant has menus in both Italian and English, and sometimes other languages.
That's not the sign of a mediocre restaurant. I sometimes read in a trip report or restaurant review, "This restaurant was full of locals." It's rarely true. The majority of tourists in Rome is Italian, from other parts of Italy. They often know less about the restaurant scene than you do. Those "locals" you see enjoying their pizza may well be a bus tour group from Umbria, whose leader took them to a cheap restaurant with plenty of seats. Imagine walking into a restaurant near the Mall in Washington D.C. Would you see mostly native D.C. residents enjoying dinner at a favorite neighborhood restaurant? No, mostly you'd see foot-weary tourists from Omaha who stopped at the nearest restaurant when they got hungry and are now wondering if the crab cakes will give them indigestion. That's about the situation in central Rome.

There are, of course, high end and top-notch restaurants in Rome, but it didn't sound as though that's what you're looking for. There are also many, many decent restaurants that serve traditional Roman specialties to one and all, including tourists. I suggest that you read up on the traditional Roman cuisine. Most guide books have a run-down on this. Look for restaurants where the menu isn't as long as your arm, and where the diners look as though they're enjoying their meal.

When I travel, like a typical Italian, which I am by adoption, I look for a decent meal at a reasonable price: In other words, I'm not a foodie. Here, then, are my few ideas for a meal in the areas where you'll be.

I've never eaten at Navona Notte, but it gets fairly good reviews on Italian TripAdvisor. It's not just a pizzeria, but a trattoria, where you can order a full meal. The pizzas are the Roman-style thin crust pizza.

On the road leading to the Villa Borghese from the top of the Spanish Steps, at Piazza della Trinità dei Monti, there is the Caffé Ciampini, which is famous for its ice cream They also serve meals. It's on the expensive side, and you'd need to reserve. Maybe you should just make a meal of the gelato, but that's probably expensive, too. Eat it slowly and tell yourself you're paying for the view. There's also a little café inside the Villa Borghese gallery; I've never eaten there.

Trastevere is wall-to-wall restaurants. It's also a big area, so I would just find something where you happen to be when it's time to eat. Dar Poeta is a well-known pizza restaurant, which also serves pasta.

There are lots of rip-off restaurants in the Vatican area. I liked the Pancia Felice, in Borgo PIo, not far from the Tiber. However, I haven't eaten there in a good while, so I can't say if it's changed or not.

There are several restaurants in the Ghetto area, which serve typical Roman Jewish cuisine. I can't recommend any of them from personal experience. The one place I ate was overcrowded, with extremely slow service. Nonna Betta is often recommended.

Near the Colosseum, I've eaten a number of times at the Taverna degli Amici, in Piazza Margana, a delightful little piazza with a tower. I looked it up, and it seems as though the name has changed to Trattoria Angelino, but it gets good reviews, and was recommended by the Italian newspaper, Il Giornale, as one of the best places to eat in central Rome.

The Testaccio area has many good restaurants. It doesn't seem that you'll be in the vicinity.

bvlenci

I wouldn't make that a hard and fast rule. There are some quite decent restaurants and pizzerie with pictures on the menu.

I just remembered another few suggestions. There is a chain in Rome called the Insalata Ricca, which specializes in full-meal salads, although they offer other choices. They have place in Piazza del Risorgimento, near the Vatican Museums, which might not be a bad idea for a light meal that won't rip you off.

There is also a pizza chain called Rosso Pomodoro, which specializes in Sicilian pizzas. They also have other offerings, again with an emphasis on Sicilian dishes. They have a restaurant in Largo Argentina, not far from the Pantheon.

By the way, on your day 1, I hope you'll also go to the Pantheon, which is in between Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona, and just around the corner from Santa Maria sopra Minerva. To me, it's more impressive than the Colosseum. It's the most intact ancient Roman building in central Rome. Its massive dome was for over 1000 years the world's largest dome, and it's still the largest dome made of unreinforced concrete. Some of the kings of Italy are buried here. Its only light comes from the oculus in the center of the dome, through which rain and snow also fall. A drain in the floor carries away the water. If you put your camera on time-release for a few seconds. and lay it in the center of the drain, you'll get a great photo of the dome from the inside.

Jean

I'm another one who doesn't pre-plan where to eat. Over several trips to Rome, and dozens of meals, I can count the disappointments on one hand. And the meals were merely disappointing, not inedible.

Considering the number of people who take photos of their meals with their phones, it seems almost logical that restaurants would do the same. I figure photos on the menus posted outside of a restaurant are at least partly the result of the (huge) increase in Chinese and other Asian tourists.

shelemm

Eating well is not just about success vs disappointment. Just like you travel to experience new places, randomly choosing menus without forethought can easily lead you to ordering the exact same things you'd eat back home or eating without variety or any real mind expansion. That doesn't mean you should plan out every meal, but certainly keep a list of different eating experiences you'd like to have and places you can have them.

Near the Colosseum, Hostaria da Nerone is highly praised.

Traveler_Nick

What are you looking for? Just subsistence? Or a fancy restaurant?

Unless something has changed to the west of Trevi fountain is a traditional deli/bakery type shop. They sell premade sandwiches of various types for fair prices and good quality.

Basically across the street from the Campidoglio so not far from the Colosseum there is a Carrefour with a deli section that will make you sandwiches to order. Last time I checked they even had tables. Mostly used by local office workers.

During the day you'll pass countless pizza al taglio basically pizza by the slice but it's sold by weight. Stick your head in look at the pizza. If you like it order some. Prices are fairly similar in all the places. Just remember you pay by weight and by variety. If you have an insane desire for a large portion of truffle pizza it's going to be expensive.

Most places won't have the oven lit for normal pizza during the day. You'll need to wait until evening. Pizza al taglio isn't exactly like a whole pizza. Everything from the dough to the baking is different.

marvelousmouse

I look at places that have smaller menus, smaller spaces where you’re not going to find bus tours. Sometimes I ask the hotel for recommendations. Sometimes I read blogger reviews, or eater lists and see what catches my eye. Sometimes that’s the food, or building, or drink menu. Then I look at reviews on the fork or just google. I really recommend reservations at the dinner restaurants even if it’s just day before.

i don’t know if the location works for any of your plans, but I LOVED this place:

https://m.thefork.it/ristorante/host...6?cc=15075-219

Not “Italian” but one of the better meals I chanced upon in Trastevere

https://www.trapizzino.it/trapizzino...ink_home_gmaps

This might work for lunch: (someone here recommended it and it was very good)

https://www.trapizzino.it/trapizzino...ink_home_gmaps

bvlenci

Trapizzino are as Roman as you can get! Also supplì, which is the other specialty of that chain.

Your third recommendation is the same as the second. I think you had a copy-and-paste error.

Paqngo

marvelousmouse

Cowboy1968

SusanP

I agree that the idea that you shouldn't eat anywhere with an English menu is outdated. Lots of places now have either a separate English menu or, more often, a translation right under each item on the Italian menu. Doesn't mean the food isn't local. I don't research so much for lunch, just usually pick a place when I'm ready to eat. Can't always know that ahead of time. Some suggestions:

Trastavere: Aristo Campo, Via della Lungaretta 75. Beef strips w/arugula & tomatoes was terrific.

On the way towards the center from Galleria Borghese: Il Pomodorino on the corner of Via Toscana. Large place, lots of businessmen having lunch. Haven't been to this one recently, but food was good. Also, I love Limoncello, and they have wonderful Mousse Limoncello.

Right off Piazza d. Rotondo, to the left of the Pantheon: Taverna del Seminario, Via d. Seminario. Pasta al'amitriciano was delicious.

Near Piazza Navona, west of it: Hostaria Danesina, Via d. Governo Vecchio. Meats are better than pastas here. They also have a wonderful Terrine Pomodoro, delicious thick homemade tomato soup with slices of fresh Buffalo Mozarrella floating on top.
Osteria del Pegno, Vicolo di Montevecchio. Lots of good things.

Leely2

General rec:
Since it sounds as if you'll be on the go and not doing a lot of destination dining, consider downloading an app and finding places a bit more on the fly or have a few in your target area selected as possibilities. I have Minchilli's Eat Rome, Katie Parla's Rome and Slow Food's Osteria d'Italia (in Italian--maybe there's an English version? but if you can manage some basic Italian, you would be able to understand). You could have your kids deal with the food apps.

I have been to Rome many times, but was last there in 2017, and the dining scene seems to change more rapidly than it used to. I'm not sure how frequently these apps are updated. Personally, I tend to reserve, especially for popular restaurants.

Specifics:
I don't remember ever eating by the Trevi Fountain.

Near the Colosseum, Nerone is good if you stick with cucina romana. Terre e Domus Provincia Romana, near the Trajan's Column was good, but again, I haven't been to Rome in two years and this place seemed in flux to me when I was last there.

Piperno in the Ghetto is reportedly good. I've never managed to eat there, but my family did and they loved it! It is more elegant.

Are you looking for someplace near the Vatican? It's not clear to me from your post.

Buon appetito!

fmpden

....that those with a menu in English in the window. .... That is just silly and another one of the many smart traveler's myths. We recently ate in a Michelin starred restaurant in Rome (outstandingly good and expensive). As we walked through the front door notices the menu was in both Italian and English. Should have turned around a left. It would have saved a lot of euro. But we were suckers.

Cjar

Cjar

Cjar

Leely2

Near Vatican:

Pizzarium for pizza al taglio (stand-up; this is not a leisurely spot but it's good).

Il Sorpasso, wine bar and restaurant in the evenings, but serves lunch, and open all day (for something.

More towards Castel Sant'Angelo if you're walking towards Piazza del Popolo, a bit more formal, stick to Roman classics in season: l'Arcangelo.