i will be in rome in late march and am looking for some interesting, even out of the way, places to dine. we don't ordinarily do lunch so i'm looking more for supper spots.

there are no real budget restrictions but i'd like to balance quality with value. we have eight nights and a range of both food and fare would be nice.

thank you in advance for your help (and not telling me to try the search engine which i've already done to little avail).

If you are near the Hotel Beverly Hills (north of city center, and east of via Veneto), try this place:

. Trattoria Al Simeto, on via Simeto around the corner from Hotel Beverly Hills. –Rick Steves BB (Note: we ate at this little place a few times on our recent trip, and we could not find better pasta anywhere in Italy! It was fabulous, and very reasonable in price, for Rome! The waiters were great – sister-in-law even fell in love with “Giovanni” [we don’t really know his name]. It is near the Beverly Hills hotel. When leaving the hotel, turn left, then right at the corner [via Simeto], then go about a black and a half, and cross the street.

For gelato, try this place:

Gelateria Della Palma, via della Maddalena 20, a block or so north of the Pantheon. Big brash place with over 100 flavors of ice cream. Fabulous!

Again near the Pantheon, try this place:

Quinzi e Gabrieli, via delle Coppelle 6. Tel: 06 687 9389. Reservations essential. A couple of streets north of the Piazza della Rotunda where the Pantheon is. Open evenings except Sunday from 1930 (7:30 PM). This is a Michelin-starred restaurant reputed to be the best seafood restaurant in Rome and possibly all of Italy. Spaghetti with lobster is exquisite, as is the sea bass, shrimp, etc. Very expensive, but exquisite quality and service.

or this place:

Trattoria Da Vito, on via delle Colonelle, one block north of the Pantheon. The street is really a small ally that run parallel to the Pantheon Look for the green neon “Trattoria” sign. Small inside and a few tables outside. Grandma cooks in the kitchen. Outstanding home cooking of high quality. Fixed price menu available and are of terrific value. The saltambocca Romana (veal with prosciutto) is excellent.

Not too far from Piazza Navona, try this place:

La Campana, Vicolo della Campana 18. A quarter mile (400 meters) north of Piazza Navona, near the river. Tel: 06 686 7820. Closed Mondays and in August. Traditional Roman cuisine. One of the oldest restaurants in the heart of Rome. Delicious food. Inexpensive to moderate

Not far from Spanish Steps, then try this place:

Otello, via della Croce 81. Closed Mondays. A little bit north then turn west from the Piazza di Spagna. Dine in an enclosed garden under the grape vines or inside. Locals love the place. Fried artichokes, delicious baked chicken, large menu. –Moderate

Again near the Spanish Steps, try this place:

Ristorante Birreria Viennese, via della Croce 20/21. It is across the street and up a little from the Otello. This place has excellent pasta, but also has a variety of dishes, to include some Austrian/German style foods. What we had was great. Inside seating only, to include a nice upstairs area (a couple tables outside are for drinks only).

If you are near the Trevi, then you MUST try this place:

Piccolo Aranico, Vicolo Scanderbeg 112, a block east of the Trevi Fountain, on a very small street. Closed Mondays. Charming trattoria with “Rome” written all over it. Try the pasta with eggplant, but all is good. We had lunch at this place during our recent trip. It is charming, down a very narrow alley. You really have to look for the street, as it is little more than a footpath just big enough for a small car to traverse. Food was great. We sat at an outdoor table squeezed in, but there is also seating inside. I would say it is more moderate in price than inexpensive.

That will get you started. Cannot say that some of the places I mention above have not changed or are not out of business (that happens a lot in the restaurant business). I am sure you will get lots of other comments, and somebody (hopefully) can give you a link to a thread on here that discusses places.

Also be sure to check out the www.SlowTrav.com website. Once there, click on "Italy" in the bar near the top, then click on "Food/Restaurants" and you will find a ton of reviews.

--Marv

thanks, marv...

that was exactly what i was looking for!

Hi
this isn't just a suggestion to use the search function, but a referral to an Italy superthread. It is quite long, but if you scroll through you will find several links to previous threads on Rome restaurants

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34443340

On my most recent trip to Rome I discovered one I returned to a couple of times; Da Mario alla Chiesa Nuova, on vicola Chiesa Nuova, adjacent to the tiny piazza next to the Church of that name on Vittore Emanuelle. It was smallish, friendly and full of locals. Be sure to try the antipasti platter. It was delicious!

We ate at several fairly inexpensive places last spring in Rome. Two restaurants in Trastevere that we liked were San Michele...we ate outside and had good pasta and grilled food (Lungotevere Ripa 7). My favorite pasta of the trip was at Osteria Le mani in pasta (Via dei Genovesi, 37). We went there for lunch and it was full of Romans including the priest. The waiters were very friendly and I ate the best gnochichetti with fave beans and a great salad of wild greens. We ate twice at Da Gino's. It is located on a small alley Vicola Rosini 4 close to Piazza d Parlamento. It gets crowded so we stopped by earlier in the day for reservations. It had a changing set menu which the waiter would rattle off. It was reasonably priced . We had good pizza at da Baffetto.

thanks, elaine...

i found the thread you were referring to oddly enough entitled "favorite restaurants in rome". i wonder why the search engine didn't pull it up.

and thanks to grasshopper and cparris. those sound like good suggestions