Restaurant Recommendations in Rome
 

We are visiting Rome in July and need two dinner recommendations. I hope to be near Piazza Navona one night and in Trastevere the other. We are traveling with our nine-year-old so looking for family-friendly, casual experience but not the relaxing, drawn-out, wine-filled meal I would do without him! I doubt we'll make it until the traditional dinner hour so places we could eat on the earlier side would be great (I know this will mark us as tourists but so be it!). Thank you!

Any restaurant in the Jewish Ghetto will make you wonder why you have to leave Rome... ;)

topping

Near Trastavere, we loved La Gensola.

Ho early is early. You can probably find places open at 7 pm although they will be empty.

Your requirements are not terribly stringent, and there would be thousands of restaurants in Rome, including in those areas, that would suit a family looking for a casual meal on the early side. If I were you, I'd just look for a restaurant (among the many on every street near Piazza Navona and in Trastevere) that seem to be already open when you want to eat. It pays to do a little research first on Roman cuisine, because that on average will be better in Rome than dishes like lasagna or ravioli that are "foreign" to Rome, coming from northern Italy.

I look at the following when choosing a restaurant.

Read the menu, which is always posted outside. If there are too many dishes, you can be sure they're prepared ahead and reheated. Check to see if the cost of beverages is shown, and whether there's a service charge. (If there is, it has to be shown on the menu, along with the price of beverages.) Finally, does the restaurant serve typical Roman specialties or things like spaghetti bolognese or fettucine Alfredo, that only tourists would order?

Look at the other diners. Do they look cheerful or grumpy? Are most of them eating, or waiting for something to arrive?

Look at the plates being served. Do they appear appetizing, nicely presented and of a sufficient quantity?

<i> Any restaurant in the Jewish Ghetto will make you wonder why you have to leave Rome... </i>

This is not really true, or else I'm really picky. I've had more than one overpriced, mediocre meal in this area, including at one restaurant I had found in a reputable guide book.