Restaurant Reco's Needed - Rome
 

Looking for restaurant recommendations for Rome. Looking for at least one or two really good places for dinner, as well as any good lunch options convenient to the major sites.

We like both good, traditional cooking and more modern cuisine. If there is a great non-Italian place that is truly special, that is fine too. Mostly, it just has to be GOOD. Not overly

We have seen Baby, Chechinno, Antico Arco, and Trattoria Monti recommended elsewhere, so any insight you can offer into those, or others that you might think better would be appreciated.

Thanks for the help.

In no particular order:

Colline Emiliane
Restaurante Montevecchio
Armando al Pantheon
Navona Notte
La Bruschetta
Tullio
Al 34
Da Baffetto
Perluigi
Giggetto
Ditirambo
Dar Poeta
Antic Arco
Il Palazzetto
Antico Ristorante del Giglio
Da Giovanni
George's
Hosteria Guilio
Hosteria Da Nerone
La Carbonerra
Café Mancini
Paris in Trastevere
Da Toscana
Ai Tre Scalini
Largo del Pallaro
Les Etoiles
Il Forno
La Cicala e la Formica
Old Bridge
The Meeting
La Fraschetta
Antica Roma
Enteco Corsi
Il Cantuccio
Maccheroni or Da Francesco
Vecchia Roma
D'Augusto
La Maddalena
Cul De Sac

Wow! joannyc's list runs the gamut from very, very cheap (Augusto) to very expensive (Il Palazzetto).

Checchino is reliable for traditional Roman cuisine. Trattoria Monti features the cooking of Le Marche, and there have been reports recently that it has gone downhill and been overrun by American foodies. If you go, lunch is probably a safer bet than dinner (particularly Saturday dinner).

Our favorite is Vecchia Roma, beautiful setting and excellent food

The three I could recommend from our December trip are:

Colline Emiliane (reservations are a must)
Le Mani In Pasta (Trastevere) (reservations were a must when we were there)
Cul de Sac (near Campo di Fiore for an inexpensive lunch and very good wine selection)

((H))

Whoa, that is some long list above. I don't think every place listed is still in business. Do double check spellings, openings, and cross reference for recommendations.

Well, I'll point out two problems with that list. Cafe Mancini. I had recommended it on the previous thread (at my link) and came back later to report it has closed. Another one on the list is Al 34 which we enjoyed several years ago and hated on our last trip.

So, as tuscanlifeedit advises, you need to research that list to find out what's open and whether anyone else agrees with the recommendation.

OTOH, we manage to find great restaurants in Rome without carrying around a list.

On my last trip to Rome in 2007, I got a wonderful restaurant recommendation from a friend, who is close to the owners and family of La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali near the Colosseum. Aldo works the front and his parents were in the kitchen. Everything is straight from the family, and if you're interested in traditional, you would enjoy it.


La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali
Via Madonna dei Monti 16
Phone 06-679-8643
-closed on Tuesday

Well, I haven't been there since October so it may well be that some places have closed or not as good as they once were. I would assume the OP would take it upon his/herself to further investigate any recommendations. I certainly wouldn't take anyone's recommendation on blind faith.

Thank you all for the recommendations.

Certainly, I will be checking these out, so a few closures aren't a major issue. I'll probably be looking to make reservations for the dinners and I always try to have a few different options in my back pocket for drop-in lunches and the like.

I'm also fine with the fact that they run the gamut. Certainly, there are times when I will be looking for something simple and perhaps cheap, and other times when I'm willing to splash out. I meant to type that I wasn't really concerned about price (as long as it is good), but it looks like I hit post prior to finishing the thought.

To date, I've confirmed at Antico Arco for our Saturday dinner, so we have a Thursday and Friday dinner to reserve and need to find places for Friday-Sunday lunches.

From this list and elsewhere, I am thinking that Maccheroni would be a good choice for lunch one day - timing our visit to the Pantheon around it. For another day, I would think that Il Matriciano would be a good choice for lunch one day - timed around our visit to the Vatican. Finally, perhaps La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali, timed around the Colosseum? Any thoughts as to whether reservations would be needed at any of these? Or if any of these places wouldn't work well for lunch?

For dinner on Thursday, I am leaning toward Il Palazzetto, as it looks quite nice, and is around the corner from our hotel (Hotel Eden), and works well since that is our arrival day.

And for Friday? Perhaps Paris in Trastevere?

We are in Rome now and dined at Pierluigi the other night which I recommend. We are dining at Armando's this evening, and Paris later on this week.
Good meal at Cul de Sac with friendly servers, but my husband is 6'3" and we sat at the wee tables mid-way back, which was the only table available, we bumped knees while we ate.The place is long, narrow with people waiting around the door for a table. They have outside seating as well. Also enjoyed the dinner at La Fiamatta north of Piazza Navona. This is a good neighbourhood restaurant.
Il Fico was forgettable. We were told by 2 different people in Rome that it was closed, but I heard good things about it, and their website was still up, so made reservations. The meal was a disappointment, the bread was terrible(not the chewy, thick crusted bread that is the usual)and they forgot to bring us our bottle of wine until reminded.
In their defense, they offered a complimentary glass of proscecco and ended it with a lemoncello type of drink. The restaurant wasn't very busy that night, however, 2 nights later when we were walking back to our hotel this restaurant was packed inside and out, so who knows!

celticmoon: I have to say that our meal at Il Fico in May '08 wasn't anything special.

We will be in Rome for 4 dinners, and I am narrowing down my choices to

Colline Emilliane
Fiametta (had a good meal there in '08)
MAYBE
Antico Arco
Still looking for something delicious either in Popolo, Spagna, or north of Navona area for our first night.

I know Maitai liked his Le Mani in Pasta dinner, but I dragged out my receipt from '08, and couldn't remember anything we ate.

I want to have Carciofi Giudia once, at least, but I won't go to Giggetto, not wild about Piperno, and think they're rude at La Matricinella. Anyone have a suggestion?

I'm thinking Sora Margherita or Il Portico for lunch, but I would rather work my favorite food into a dinner.

When are you going travelgourmet? I'm going to Rome from the 16-24 and checking out a list of at least 14 restaurants. I usually post pretty detailed trip/food reports when I return, so if you can wait for that....

Hi travelgourmet - I think it would be good to have a reservation at La Taverna, You can tell Aldo that a 'friend of Joe's' sent you!

Thanks for all of the further information.

nnolen - we are heading there on the 30th for a long weekend. I will certainly keep an eye out for any recommendations you can offer.

My favorite meal in Rome was at Abruzzi. I looked it up because that was 12 years ago. It looks like it is still there (family owned for 40+ years) and it is in old Rome near Piazza Navona. It has mixed reviews, really going from many fantastic reviews (from within the past 6 months) to a few grumbling about bad service. It is very well priced. I loved the spaghetti carbonara I had there and the zuppa rustica but everything was delicious. I don't even remember the service, just the food. Here is a link:

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ci...BYiGiAOG0vmBCg

I am finally going back to Rome this June and will definitely try it again myself. Have a fabulous time, travelgourmet!

travelgourmet - i posted my trip report and there are recommendations, reviews, prices and everything in there.

We loved Taverna dei Fori Imperiali and returned for a second dinner there. Do make reservations since they fill up. Here's some more info on it:
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.c...pans-part-two/

I'm here to vouch for nnolen's trip report, tg..... it is terrific. I am taking notes from it myself for June.

Thanks nnolen. Lots of good stuff there. Definitely a few places that will crack the lunch rotation.