Suggestions for Special Birthday Restaurant in Rome
 

So once again I ask for your suggestions. I will be celebrating a special milestone birthday in Rome next month with my two grown sons. I am looking for weeks already to find a special restaurant to celebrate and am really not sure which one to choose.

We are looking for :

1) NOT any Michelin star type restaurant, nor molecular gastronomy. But rather some good home cooking with proper portions and no high falutin' attitude

2) Both my boys are vegetarian but I can eat anything and I know THAT is not a problem in Rome or Italy for that matter

3) We are staying in the Monti area so first choice would be somewhere in that area but we are willing to go further if worthwhile

4) I know enough Italian to get around in a place where less English is spoken and I prefer a place where Italians attend rather than mostly tourists and tour groups.

Hoping for some great suggestions and thanks in advance !!!

Hi Flame
I have a few ideas but please check

http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome.com/

Tons of amazing ideas.

If it were me, I would head to Da Tonino or Maccheroni for some cacio e pepe and enjoy the ambiance and flavour of true Roman restaurants without the pretension or 'touristy' vibe.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/ro...lian/da-tonino

http://www.ristorantemaccheroni.com/

We also try to see out the non-touristy places for dinners. Our favorite is Mario's on Piazza Del Grillo. Its on the small side, has a nice outdoor seating area, white table cloths but no attitude. We also had good dinners out of the touristy areas at La Bruschetta on Via Sardegna (it has mixed reviews on TripAdvisor but we had two great meals there), Tempo Bacco just off Via Veneto, restaurante tempo perso just down the street from Pizza Poppolo and Al Vero Girarrosto Toscano just off Via Veneto. We were staying at the Westin on Via Veneto so many of our dinners were near there.

Thank you for the suggestions. I am checking them out. Anyone else? In the Monti area too?

In monti try trattoria monti

Tratorria Monti does not serve typical Roman food accoridng to what I read, but Le Marches typical food.

In addition to Elizabeth Minchilli, you could also look at Katie Parla's reccomendations. They both have food based apps also

http://katieparla.com/

Thanks for your replies. I am looking at so many different places. So hard to decide. Even those that have good reviews, have others that negate them. How does one decide which to choose? Anyone with recent good experience??

No matter how good a restaurant is, some will not like it and post a review that contradicts the good ones. I look for restaurants where a majority of reviews are very positive. I agree with the suggestions to check Elizabeth and Katie's apps. Have you considered asking your hotel to help you with a final decision once you have narrowed down the list?

We loved Glass in Trastavere when in Rome a few years ago. I see you got a rec from vinoroma and I would trust her judgement. She is local and hosts wonderful wine tastings. She knows the dining scene.

hi Flame,

as you will be staying in Monti, and i assume will have at least a day or two to do some research, I suggest that you look at some of the many restaurants in and around the Via dei Serpenti. our experience isn't that recent, [we rented an apartment there for a week a few years ago] but there are many restaurants round there one of which is bound to appeal to you.

the two that stand out for me are Sardo, on the Vicolo del Serpenti, [a tiny street running parallel with the big Via Nazionale at the top of Serpenti] where we were offered a fish antipasto [not on the menu] which turned out to be baby octopus done 6 different ways - i don't remember the rest of the meal but it was outstanding. And not expensive - the whole meal was about €90 for 4 of us, with wine, coffee, etc.

http://www.perdingianucroccoriga.com

the other was a slightly more upmarket place on Via del Boschetto [which runs parallel to Serpenti] but I can't find anywhere that resembles it now. it was unusual for having proper white tablecloths and stemmed wine glasses, but the food was still good, just a little more refined.

Even if you don't find a restaurant that suits you, the whole area is charming with tiny shops, workshops, restaurants, cafes, and a great gelateria on Serpenti, where the cops turned up every night for their gelati so we thought that was a pretty good recommendation.

Good luck, and happy birthday!!

We celebrated a birthday at the restaurant at the top of the Hotel Hassler. You have a panoramic view of the lighted antiquities from your table, very special.

Trattoria Monti is a Thumbs Up!

My photo is on the cash register in the Hassler bar, by the way.


Thin

Le Marche has the best cuisine in Italy! I've never tried Trattoria Monti, although someday I will. I can get great marchegiano food at home.

Thanks for your wishes ann. And bvlenci - yes I loved the food in Le Marche. But in Rome, I want Roman cuisine. So I am wondering if Trattoria Monti is my best choice. Any of you dined at either Sciue Sciue (what does that translate to from Italian?) or Osteria Maracuja which are both in Monti and get good reviews?

Yes I realize that there will always be some less than stellar reviews even among the highly recommended places. I read them to make sure they are not just balking about, for instance, having to pay for the bread, which I know is a given in Italy and not a big deal to me.

apparently Sciue Sciue means "hurry hurry" in Neapolitan dialect. it gets pretty good reviews on TA but I don't know how typically roman it is. Ditto your other choice.

The cover charge ["coperto"] should be shown on the menu and I agree - if it's only €1-2 pp, it's not a big deal.

Flame123, you are not relying on TA reviews for food, are you?
There are several threads going about this on Chowhound right now with very in depth considerations of very knowledgable people.

http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome....nti-rome-2016/

Pretty timely.

Blueeyedcod - fabulous list and just what I needed. Many thanks !!

Not in Monti, but your specification list immediately brought to mind a place we fell in love with last summer - Bella Napoli at Via Simone de Saint Bon #57. www.ristorantebellanapoli.it The menu and ambiance are exactly what you describe, and while we ate there (twice in a week) we saw several Italian families celebrating adult birthdays.

Sorry just coming back to this thread. Yes trattori monti is not roman food - but that was not in your detailed requirements list, so i went with that. In monti i wouldn't suggest any other trattoria at the moment, it is full of old and cheap and low quality places or new and flashy/hipster/in places with not so good food.
If you'd like roman food and trattoria, try la tavernaccia da bruno or cesare al casaletto.
Ps: Coperto: no coperto in rome, where it is illegal. There is a perfectly legal bread charge though, usually 1-2 euros per person.

vinorama - I thought that was the case about the coperto, but couldn't find it anywhere via google. when/how did it become illegal?

annhig, no date but here's a citation of the law

https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/ShowTo...ome_Lazio.html

I seem to remember that Rick Steves( of whom I am not a fan) has an explanation of the history of this.

Annhig, originally in 1995, later modified in 2006. The above link has a link to the regulation.

Thank you vinoroma for your continued suggestions. I am very surprised that you would not recommend other trattorias in the Monti area. But I will re-visit the idea of Trattoria Monti. And look into the other two you mention, thanks.

May I ask what do you think about La Carbonara, or where you might look for the best cacio e pepe presentation by a restaurant or trattoria, and also where can I find gnocchi alla romana? Grazie mille

Admittedly I have extremely high standards. Part of my work is related to food in Rome. I eat out half of my meals and a lot of them are/used to be in Monti as my winestudio is here. "Used to be" because i just can't stand the food in the area anymore, I just periodically check out new places and go back to old places to see if anything has changed. I like la Barrique on Boschetto but it is not a trattoria like you asked for. I like Cavour 313 but same. Aromaticus, ditto. Al vino Al vino, ditto. La Carbonara (the one on via Panisperna, I assume) is totally ok. Not a heartfelt recommendation but if you happen to be in the area, it is perfectly service-able. Best cacio e pepe is for me at Roscioli (which comes with disclaimers and warnings), I also like it at Cesare (mentioned earlier).Gnocchi alla Romana is difficult to find nowadays, last time I had it was at Piatto Romano in Testaccio, which is also another perfectly fine trattoria. I especially love their three different artichoke preparations, but next month they won't be, most probably....

Invaluable help vinoroma. I very much appreciate it. When we visited last year and stayed in the area, we were very close to La Barrique and liked it so much it became almost a nightly event for us. SOmetimes it was just a glass of wine, other times a light meal. Really excellent place indeed. Did not get to Aromaticus but plan to this time as well as Al vino Al vino. I have read other "reports" of Roscioli being very unfriendly and "rough around the edges" in terms of service and lack thereof. Is this what you mean? I prefer not to have to deal with those idiosyncracies and so ask what would be your SECOND choice for the best cacio e pepe?

Not in Monti but what about Armando al Pantheon?

Pastas are very good. I love the Spaghetti alla Gricia and the Straccetti di manzo there.

You will find a mix of tourists, Italian politicians and other regulars, depending when you go. Service is good. You need reservations, they are not open for dinner on Saturday.

IME - the service at Roscoli's is either brisk or neglectful. There is no in between. Since it is a special meal, I would stay away from Roscoli's for dinner. But do go to the Forno and check out the the Roscoli bar.

I am finding several restaurants / bars / coffee shops under the name Roscioli in various places also in Rome. Which is the one you recommend and which is the one (s) to stay clear of?

Roscioli bakery in via chiavari is the original and the best bread in rome. Roscioli deli & ristorante on via giubbonari is the place where food can be amazing and service as well - or not. Roscioli bar (ie cafe) three doors down from that is the newest addition and has the best coffee in town and great pastries, sandwiches etc. the cacio e pepe is at the deli & ristorante with the erratic service.
My other favorite, as already mentioned, is at cesare.

Thank you for the clarifications. And the one mentioned above by johnnyomalley is not even in that area and seems to be in Esquiline and close to us in Monti. Is that also affiliated with them and how do THEY rate?

The Roscioli Forno (bakery) and Roscioli Cafe (coffee bar), I was referring to are the ones that vinoroma explained.

Are you referring to Panificio Roscioli? near Vittorio Emmanuele? I think it is mostly a bakery.

Rhe roscioli in esquilino is a cousin of theirs and a bakery & tavola calda. Not comparable to the "real" roscioli bakery, though not bad if you need bread in the area.

Thank you. Can you believe that Roscoli on via giubbonari, to which I "braved up to" and wrote, answered me that they are already booked one month ahead for my requested date???? WOW.