An article in Corriere della Sera recounts a dinner a journalist had with a Cardinal who is in Rome for the Conclave to elect a Pope. In my experience, priests and bishops know all the best restaurants in any town. We were once looking for a restaurant for lunch in a little town in Tuscany. When we saw a small group of bishops leaving the church, I told my husband, "Surely they're going to lunch. Let's follow them." It was an excellent lunch.

A Cardinal in Rome should be an even better guide. The restaurant is La Taverna Lino Cucina Italiana. It's very near the Vatican Museums, and good restaurants in that area are hard to find. The journalist said the Carciofi all Giudia (artichokes Jewish style) were excellent; this is a classic Roman dish.

I checked some other reviews and it seems to be an excellent choice, a historic restaurant. The pasta cacio e pepe, another classic dish from this area, was also highly praised. (The restaurant owner politely corrected a reviewer about the kind of cheese used, which amused me.)

One reviewer said the lasagne wasn't great. That was a mistake on the part of the diner: don't order a specialty of Emilia Romagna when you're in Rome!!

The next time I'm in Rome, I'll try to get my husband to try this restaurant. He is s typical Italian who wants to find a nearby restaurant and thinks his eyes and nose are the best recommendation.

Great story and tip. Noting the restaurant as I hope to be in Rome next year.

Another restaurant said to be a favourite of cardinals is Al Passetto di Borgo.

The last time we were in Rome, we had a very nice meal at Osteria dei Capellari. It on the other side of the Tiber, not far from Piazza Navona.

Excellent thread! Many years ago, we got a tip from a Swiss Guard (we asked him in Swiss German.) Unfortunately I can no longer remember the name

Armando al Pantheon would be a great option, especially for those who like classic Roman dishes.

Totally agree with Osteria dei Cappellari, great food.
I have had dinner at Armando al Pantheon many times and always had a great meal, but be aware that things have drastically changed since they were featured both on Stanley Tucci's series on Italian food and a series done about Rome with Bobby Flay and Giada de Laurentis. You now have to book online (no phone calls) a month ahead, dates open up then, and give a credit card. If you don't show up, you will be charged 25 Euro per person. Not that I blame them for wanting people to show up, but I think most of the time they would fill that table. They will give it away anyway if you are 15 or more minutes late. You used to be able to stop in a day or two ahead and get a reservation.

I've never eaten there, but it's always been featured in multiple guidebooks, which made me consider it a tourist destination.

I checked out some reviews the other day when the name came up, and I saw that some Italians who had dined there recently weren't terribly impressed with the food (or the prices). One said that the amatriciana was just a plain tomato sauce with some pieces of guanciale on top. I don't put complete trust in online reviews, and, as I said, I've never eaten there, but that sounds like a restaurant that's got too busy and had to cut some corners.

Sure sounds as if they have gone downhill. Too bad, it used to be good. For example, they only made Coda alla Vaccinara on Thursday, and if you wanted it, you had to reserve that dish when you made your reservation.

So sorry to read that about ARMANDO AL PANTHEON. it's hard to imagine that you have to book one month ahead, on the dot. I thought it was a good solid place but (and I don't know enough about Rome to have much of an opinion) are there not dozens of restaurants that serve equally good renditions of the quintessential Roman dishes???The problem for us tourists is that we all have the same access to the blogs and sites that promise to lead us to the next "hidden gem' where all the diners are Roman etc etc etc.....

Goodness, I'm old enough to remember writing actual letters, with stamps (!!) to request a room in a hotel! And who even made reservations in a restaurant back then..you wanted to eat there, you showed up when you were hungry and that was that... And you certainly did not have any secret cheat sheet telling you what dishes you should order

As much a I love to gorge on those Italian food series on tv, like Tucci's they really have a negative impact on SO MANY restaurants and not only in Rome. Just one mention on some big influencer's page and boom.....look what's happened.

Take a look at this article from THE GUARDIAN about a tiny mountain village in Abruzzo, Rocarasso; not just one restaurant but an entire town!!!


https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...tiktok-tourism

Can you imagine the scene at, just to name one that comes to mind, PEPE IN GRANI(??). (I've never been there and sure, I'd love to try that pizza but I'll never head for there now....but, then, I never would have heard of the place if not for (I think) Katie Parla.

I think I mentioned this here before, but when we were in Matera in 2023, we ran into a young Australian couple at our hotel in that city who had just cut short their stay in Polignano. they had planned about week there but bailed after two nights, telling us that the streets were so crowded that they could hardly walk around, and that beach on all the Puglia travel posters was so jammed that you could not get near the water, even to stick a toe in for a minute. On top of it all, there was a RedBull-sponsored event taking place when they were there. And this was in mid September....

And I must really be out of the travel loop because another GUARDIAN article just named the "most over-touristed resort in Europe" and I've never heard of it: ZAKYTHNOS, in Greece.


https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/may/10/greek-island-of-zakynthos-named-most-crowded-resort-in-europe



But things are not all dire. I must say that there are delightful places in Spain that I've visited recently that still seem to be ignored by the Insta crowd (is that even the way to say it??)
And I know the same is true in Italy.....as long as you avoid the coastal stretches in high summer, I think.....

So where do you all think will become the new "it" town or region in Italy..the proverbial "next Tuscany...??? (I know this question is plain silly....I guess I should look at TikTok or do a search for "hidden gems of Italy..!!")

ek, yes, there are certainly plenty of restaurants in Rome with good food. I do have to wonder, though...it seems to me that, instead of the complicated online reservation system they now have, if Armando al Pantheon had just stopped taking reservations, they would probably easily fill the restaurant for two sittings (which is what they had before, I think at 6:30 and 9:00). It's not a big place. Then maybe they could have maintained their quality.

Some little towns are being overwhelmed by Italian tourists as well. Sirmione, on Lake Garda looked like this on Easter weekend.
https://api.gdb.atexcloud.io/image-s...olo-1-jpg.webp

These were mostly Italians. Some people couldn't leave the town for hours once they got in.

I have eaten there many times and think it is still an excellent restaurant, though booking is regimented. They open up their bookings one month in advance and available tables go quickly. As there are cancellations, new spots show up. I can understand being a small restaurant that no-shows can be a problem. I don’t care for the system, but try to book my meal exactly one month prior to the date that I want the reservation. If one does not have a reservation and lines up on that date/mealtime, they accept walk ons when people do not show up. i have managed a last minute meal there that way.

Rome has seen a sharp decline in the quality of its restaurants in the last 20 years. I know many Roman-born foodies that no longer eat out and opt to buy the best ingredients available at the local markets (which has also become a daunting task because good produce, meats and deli products are currently so scarce) and eat at home. Unfortunately, in Rome, very few Italian food restaurants still maintain the quality of the golden era (Dolce Vita). One of them that I am aware of is Osteria Da Vincenzo near Termini. I especially recommend their Amatriciana and they keep an excellent wine list. Otherwise, when Roman foodies really need to eat out, they'd rather go to a good Chinese place.
Naples and surroundings, Sicily and the Venetian hills (not in this particular order) are IMO the only regions where it is still easy to find top-notch restaurants, trattorias and street food.

I'm sure you are correct about the decline in quality of many Roman restaurants, but I can't believe that there are still not many really good ones serving typical Roman cuisine.
I wish I knew the names of these!

Have you been to SANTO PALATO?

What about all those classics in Testaccio, like FELICE??

There's some good food in Fiumicino, at least I think it's good, but surely a tourist does not have to trek so far to find great places to eat inn or around Rome.

I have tried all the famous Roman food classics on the Ghetto and, alas, in my head, the last experiences only reinforced what I've just described.

La Felice was quite a good place in the 2000s, and I liked it, but have not gone since. Maybe one day I will stop by and have a positive surprise? Nothing would make me happier because it has become so hard to find a good place. Sometimes, I prefer not to risk it and just go to Da Vincenzo. Disappointments and wasted money have become the norm, not the exception.

I don't know S. Palato, thank you for pointing it out. I will look into it.

Regarding Fiumicino, 30-40 years ago I hear it was a gourmet's paradise. Currently, alas, it is a place to run away from if you want to eat out.

I think PASCIUICCI is one of the best seafood eateries in Lazio, close to Rome. But that is very high end seafood.... I've had some good meals in that town, at a lower price point, as well.

I avoid the "Ghetto" now, as my meals in all those famous spots have been pretty mediocre in recent years...no sense of going back to that area for great eating.

This is an article about Pinsa Romana, a variation of pizza that we first tried in Molise and then, again, in the town of Fiumicino, last year:
The story lists some places in Rome that sound good for an inexpensive dinner.



https://italysegreta.com/it-looks-li...eid=e2b8f93014

I ate last week in Rome at both Osteria La Quercia and E’ Passatta La Moretta, both recommended to us by locals and both full of Italians eating there. Two excellent meals.