My husband and I will be spending 3 nights in Rome in the spring. We have been to Rome before. We are staying in the Spanish steps area.
Does anyone have recommendations for interesting restaurants (can be in this area and in others, we don't mind exploring),. We are foodies, looking for great restaurants that are not touristy. We don't mind paying more for great food and experiences.

Very close to you is my favorite most dependable restaurant in Rome, La Campana on Via Campana. I'm not sure it's what you might call "interesting." It's very good for Roman dishes, which I love.

La Campana is good!

One of my favorites is just south of the Villa Borghese Park, a short walk from Piazza di Spagna. Good food and nice ambiance

AlVeroGirarrostoToscano.com

We loved Glass which I think is located in Trastavere. We went twice and still talk about how good the beef tartar and the semi-freddo was.

We love Salumeria Roscioli - have visited a couple times over the years and its a favorite for cacio e pepe. Reservations are a must.

Thank you for the recommendations. It helps to reduce my overwhelmedness.
I will look up each one and make decisions. I am confident that we will be enjoying our Rome dining experiences.

Matricianella is near the Spanish Steps. It is always crowded. That last time I had lunch there, an absolutely sweet waiter took care of me. He was the nicest waiter in Italy!

Go to the Hassler bar for a drink. There are always batshit crazy people in there, like dowagers in Louis Vuitton miniskirts. The gay waiters are a riot.

Thin🍷

There are very few restaurants in Rome that are highly regarded and that do not attract tourists. That does not mean that they are touristy, though. I was there for a week last fall and my favorite meals were at Emma Pizzeria,which is so much more than a pizzeria as you might know it. We ate there twice.

If you love seafood and are willing to take a taxi, Pascucci is superb.

We had the best carbonara of our lives at Il Moro but the restaurant is not for everyone. It is expensive by local standards. Da Cesare was closed during our stay.

Do you want Michelin-starred places,or trattorie focusing on Roman food?

I had the best hamburger in memory at the JK Place cafe. Fassona beef from Piemonte.

I enjoyed Retrobottega and Antico Arco (go to this one each time I'm in Rome if I can squeeze it in--for me it's relaxing). Emma is good too, but can be crazy busy. Note: I haven't been to Rome since summer 2017 so highly likely the dining scene has evolved. In 2015, I liked Da Cesare al Casaletto but service was very slow. Emma was better for me solo in 2017 than when I went with family members in 2016. L'Arcangelo was good for lunch and Il Sorpasso near the Vatican for dinner or just some wine.

I forgot to mention Trattoria Monti.

There is also Perilli, but only go there if you are in the neighbourhood, visiting the Protestant Cemetery to see Keats' grave for example.

There is also Ciampini, which is in between the Hassler and the Pincio @Borghese Gardens. Not the best food, but great views. You see lots of Prada bags here. The rich have their chauffeurs wait curbside whilst they have lunch inside.

Thin😎

I also like L'Arcangelo; it leans more to the "interesting" side of your request. I've developed a taste for more traditional Roman dishes, but my husband really likes L'Arcangelo.

I recommend L'Orso 80, located at Via dell'Orso 33. Excellent food, very friendly, very authentic and local place when we were there. Suggest the anti pasti, they just keep bringing more food and you get a good variety of things to try.

Thanks for some more great suggestions--- We did have dinner at Antico Arco last time we were there and will most likely try it again.
Michelin stars are not a must---

Yes, Maccharoni is very popular and crowded.

Another popular, crowded restaurant is Armando Al Pantheon.

Thin

Oh, Leely, Retrobottega was on my list and I had a booking for my last night in Rome. We ended up changing that reservation for a second one at Emma. So RetroB will be top of my list for next time. We also cancelled Santo Palato cause there was a huge rainstorm the night we had the table, and it was to be a long taxi ride from the hotel. . Ended up eating that night across from hotel at Arancio d'Oro (part of that little Arancio group) which I do NOT recommend.

I have come up with the following restaurants:
Retrobottega--looks creative and fun
Antico Arco--good food, upscale dining
For the third, I thought I would do more traditional Roman. Debating between Matricianella and L'orso 80.

I was advised that Matricianella had gone downhill since I last ate there about 8 years ago. La Campana is true Roman; so is Piperno. Or the places in Testaccio. Al Moro, too. And Santo Palato is "new" traditional Roman.

I think L'Orso80 is a tourist place...the reviews on TA are mostly in foreign languages, not in Italian, which gives you an idea...might be great, I don't know.

L'Orso 80 is very popular but can't think any traditional especially Roman dishes I've had there. La Campana and the other places ekscrunchy lists are much more Roman.