Hi all
My husband and I are travelling to Rome in July for a 10th wedding anniversary trip minus kids...yippee. We are staying at the Ponte Sisto hotel found thanks to reviews/info on this forum. The food is one of the things I am most looking forward to and I would like some recommendations for a great restaurant for our wedding anniverary evening. I've read that Rome rooftop dining is an experience so recommendations for restaurants with that would be good but all others considered. Any other recommendations for good meals on Rome appreciated for our other nights. Thank you

Myhusband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in Rome and after a lot of research on this site selected La Pergola as the restaurant, especially for the view. We had a wonderful time, the meal was fantastic and the view would have been great if it had not been a very cloudy/rainy evening. I still talk about the meal we had there......

Thanks Billruth I will check it out. Also what is the policy for restaurant reservations in Rome? I'm sure I need a reservation if I want to go to a specific restaurant but how far in advance do I need to do this. Can I do it the day before I want it once we get to Rome.
Any other restaurant recommendations. Thanks

Hi caitd, and congrats on your 10th anniversary.

As for reservations, if you want someplace as sought after as La Pergola, you might want to try a few weeks in advance. I don't think I would try to get in one of Rome's most expensive and touted places the day before.

If you would like something quite nice, on the expensive side, but not as exclusive as La Pergola, and not on a roof top, let me recommend Vecchia Roma. It would be a gorgeous and easy stroll from your hotel, and IMO, is very romantic with good food and service. There is a fairly chic and sophisticated clientele.

This is a well known restaurant, but not a destination restaurant. Im not sure how much you want to spend... This would probably be my choice for a romantic and dress up evening for a special occasion. Do know that as much as I love the very best and most expensive, I can't afford a few hundred dollars (US) or more for dinner, so would go someplace that costs a bit less, and where there is still a great dining experience.

Another roof-garden restaurant that is very highly rated is the one at the Eden Hotel. It's near Via Veneto, not half out of town like the Cavalieri Hilton.

I think you would have to reserve at least a few days in advance at either La Pergola or the Eden.

A lovely restaurant on Piazza Farnese, very close to the Hotel Ponte Sisto, is Camponeschi. You might glance at its menu - I think it's posted - one day when going by. Very nice in the evening, with the Palazzo Farnese and the fountains lit and candles on the tables. Camponeschi is probably more "traditional" than La Pergola or the roof-garden at the Eden.

For traditional Roman cuisine, I like La Campana (just north of Piazza Navona; better - less crowded - at lunch; reserve for evenings and Sunday lunch) and Da Polese (a trattoria off Corso Vittorio Emanuele that is also a pizzeria but still does very good Roman cuisine).

You can also try Roman-Jewish specialties in the Ghetto area (just on the other side of Via Arenula). There are a number of restaurants there: Da Giggetto (grumpy waiters but lovely view of the Portica d'Ottavia), Al Pompiere, Da Piperno and the fanciest one of them all, Vecchia Roma on Piazza Campitelli.

Here's a link to 6 restaurant reviews from our trip to Rome last Jan/Feb......we stayed in Trastevere right by Ponte Sisto - 3 of the restaurants are very close to your hotel.

http://www.geocities.com/richardandl...s_in_Rome.html

One of them - Glass - is a lovely restaurant (modern) that would be appropriate for a special occasion. We also ate at La Terraza at the Eden Hotel - lots of pix from there. Very good but quite expensive.

We looked at the Hotel Ponte Sisto for a friend - it looks very nice.

Thanks all for your replies I think I've got a good list to make decisions from. In regard to making reservations; are they needed at all restaurants even for a normal dinner out and if so how far in advance. Also if this is not the case when is the best time to go out to eat and more easily get a table ie ahead of the rush. For example I noted Elizabeth-S that you arrived at one restaurant at 1:00pm and were the first ones there but by 1:15 it was packed! Loved your pictures and reviews by the way..a true foodie! Also I know Italy tends to have extensive menu courses; how many of these courses are you expected to order? not really being able to eat more than 2-3.
Thanks again everyone

All excellent recommendations.
My wife and I chose La Pergola for her 40th birthday, and it didn't disappoint.
As has been hinted at, if you want a meal and experience that you'll talk about into old age this is the one for you.
We were there in early April so the terrace outside wasn't open, but they did seat us at a window table with fabulous views over Rome. In July the terrace will be open and if you decide to go I'd reserve as far in advance as possible and request a table on the edge of the terrace.
As I said, I'm sure all the restaurants recommended here are fabulous and you won't be disappointed...but our personal experience was wonderful.
Good luck and happy anniversary !

Congratulations! We just celebrated our 10th in May... we spent the weekend in NYC and had dinner at Bouley, where I worked 10 years ago.

I recently took my mother to the rooftop at Hotel Eden for drinks to celebrate her 70th birthday... this was followed by dinner at Armando's al Pantheon. Both were memorable. The drinks, view & service of Hotel Eden were fantastic... the dinner was excellent traditional food, served in a warm, fun atmosphere.

Armando's is run by 2 brothers... one the host and one the chef. The host is funny, and had the entire restaurant smiling and enjoying themselves. They made a big deal out of my mother's birthday, which she truly enjoyed. I can't wait to return to this place.

Having said that, I also think La Pergola would be an excellent choice for a special occasion.

Another choice would be L'altro Mastai, http://www.laltromastai.it. The chef spent several years with Heinz Beck, the chef from La Pergola, and he still is somehow associated with Heinz. The night we went, he was working at La Pergola. The food was fantastic, and the service was professional yet warm.