JJ127

This may be a really stupid question, but was just wondering if people order meals from restaurants in Rome "to go" or "take away". I did a search but could find no info on the subject - and since what's acceptable in one country may not be in another, I thought I'd check here to see if anyone can answer the question.

LoveItaly

Hello JJ127, I can't answer if it is normal but one day in Rome I was not feeling well and my husband went back to a restaurant we had been to a few nights before as I stayed in the hotel room. They asked him where I was and he explained. They asked if I would like some soup and bread etc., and he said I would and consequently they sent some food back with him. The sweet thing was that it was in their china, not take out type of containers. He returned them the next day along with the silverwear and napkins they sent with him. And another time the same thing happened in Milan..I had fallen right before getting to a restaurant and hurt my knee. When my husband and daughter went to the same restaurant that night they sent him back to the hotel with pasta and some kind of meat, a salad etc. Again in their china along with flatware and napkins.

But I have never tried to order food to go but all you can do is ask and it does not cost anything to ask (as a friend in Italy always says). They certainly have styrofoam containers in Italy, that I know as I have had a friend pack food for me in them to take on my flight home so I think you have a good possibility of getting food to go, perhaps depending on the restaurant.

flanneruk

It's unusual, because the restaurant is going to charge you restaurant prices - and Rome's not famous for cheap restaurants. And, as the previous poster points out, restaurants aren't set up for take-away food: it actually costs them a great deal more to send you food on china than to serve it on their owen premises.

What Romans do, if they can't be bothered cooking, is buy food from rosticcerie (singular: rosticceria), which are a great deal cheaper. Each town in Italy often also has its own local terms for places that specialise in take-away. Typically roast chicken, slices of pizza and some ready-made pasta dishes

MiniVip

Hi JJ127,
usually the majority of Chinese restaurants in rome lets you order to take away your meals, and lots of Pizza's do the same too.
Sometimes this is not even publicized, so you must ask for.
I'm agree with flanneruk that it's unusual for traditional italian restaurants, but this is not matter of charging restaurants price or not.. they are simply not set up to do that.
About Rosticcerie, they are usually open up to early evening, so you may have substantial problems looking for one of them open at diner time.
Again, in rome is very easy to find Pizza al Taglio shops (which means slices of Pizza) which are again usually open 9.30am - 7.30pm, but this is some kind of commercial activity not so much spread on the rest of italy (not even in Neaples!)

Feel at home in rome.
www.romepower.com

Nlingenfel

I did see people pick up pizza to go, while we were eating in Italy. That was about the only take out I saw happen.

Travelnut

There are places for this - I believe the term is "tavola calda". You can choose various dishes (pasta, meat, vegetables) and pizza by the slice. It will be heated up then boxed up. Kind of a deli-style glass case where you can see the food. We did this twice in Rome.

I wouldn't expect a restaurant to offer take-away though.

mike1728

I was in Rome in September 07...."take away" is definitely not a problem at local trattoria's...not sure at high end restaurants....mikek

JJ127

Thanks so much to all of you for all the helpful responses. It will probably be a non-issue for us, but was just thinking we might have a long day of sightseeing and just want to pick up something to take back to the apartment. If that happens, I'll now know what to do. Thanks again!