Hi everyone,

Our family of 4 (kids are 15 and 11) will be in Rome at the end of June. Our hotel, the Hotel Santa Maria, has recommended the following places:

Il Drappo , vicolo del Malpasso n. 9 Tel: 066877365 www.ildrappo.com

Paris , piazza San Calisto n. 7 tel.: 065815378

La Tana de Noantri , via della paglia tel: 06 5806404

Taverna Trilussa , via Politeama tel : 065818918

Checco er carettiere – Via Benedetta, n°10..Tel. 065817018
www.checcoercarettiere.it

Glass Hostaria , vicolo del cinque n. 58 Tel: 0658335903
www.glass-hostaria.com

Are there better restaurants in the area for families? We're looking for moderately priced restaurants.... maybe 20€ - 25€ per person for dinner.

Also, should I assume hotels in Rome get "kickbacks" from recommending restaurants (i.e., I should take these recommendations with a grain of salt)?

Thank you!

Carole

ttt

Does anyone know anything about the above listed restaurants?

Or, maybe there is something more appropriate for families?

Thank you!!

Carole

I've been to two. Paris is great but very sedate and over your per person budget. La Tana de Noantri is fun and has a nice outside dining area. The food isn't overly special but would be a good choice for families. Other fun family spots in Trastevere that I'd recommend are Augusto, da Lucia, Pizzeria Ivo and Pizzeria Marmi.

We spent 2 months in Trastevere in Jan/Feb 05 - we really liked Checco (there's the main restaurant, plus a cantina plus great takeaway gelato) and Glass - although I'm not sure the latter is that appropriate for kids...here's a link to 6 restaurant reviews (the Glass review link is broken - keep checking it as I'm going to fix it tonight).

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

Another restaurant (on the link above) in Trastevere that we really liked was Il Ciak which is very near Hotel Santa Maria - it's a good place for carnivores - lots of grilled meats.

Mario's on via del Moro is quite inexpensive and basic cuisine.

Pizza - we didn't go but a lot of people swear by Dar Poeta
Vicolo del Bologna 45, Rome, Italy - again very near your hotel

Hope this helps.

More suggestions and other info from my Trastevere notes that I just found!

“Take Away” Food

Forno La Renella.
Bread and pizza bakery located on Via del Moro (near the English Bookstore) Many different pizza, from the classic red sauce Marguerite to the sauceless bianco, (an “etto” or 100 grams is a good serving for one)

Snack Bar
Yes, that’s the name? On Via San Francesco a Ripa just metres before Viale Trastevere (it’s right after the side door to Oviesse/Standa on the right). We were only ever there around the lunch hour – takeaway pasta (changes daily), pizza, arancini (stuffed rice balls), roasted chicken – delicious!

Aristo Campo
Trastevere – Piazza della Scala (take away – there’s another one by the same name in Trastevere that’s sit down with a very different menu – assume it’s the same people)
DELICIOUS panini sandwiches – about 2 dozen suggestions (in Italian and English) or you can make your own. Like an upscale Subway sandwich store – the ingredients are wonderful (arugula, porchetta, hot peppers, buffalo mozzarella, etc) – if you choose one of the suggestions you can always add to it (I can’t turn down arugula!). They assemble your panini to order and then grill it – about 5 €

Other

The Almost the Corner Bookstore – great English bookstore on Vicollo de Moro (45?) – just past Via del Cinque

Newspaper stand and TIM cards – Piazza Trilussa and Piazza Santa Maria

Antica Caciara Via S. Francesco a Ripa 140
A wonderful cheese shop (and some salamis, etc) – the shopkeeper (Roberto) is lovely and helpful…..we don’t speak Italian and he doesn’t speak English – but we had no trouble communicating about cheese!
Be sure to try Burrata - A cow's milk cheese and mozzarella variety, Burrata has a thin spun casing and a soft and buttery center, which is made from fresh cream and unspun mozzarella curds. Wrapped in the protective blades of local Pugliese asfodelo (an herb-like plant similar to leeks), Burrata is an incurably creamy cheese with a delicate hint of sweetness in its flavour
Minimal hours – not open Sunday and always closed between 1:00pm and 4:30pm

Here's a link to our self indulgent blog - lots of food pix!

http://lizandrichardinrome.blogspot.com/

Granisa - Thank you very much! I've noted great information from some of your other posts as well!

Elizabeh S - Thanks for all the details and loved your pics. My husband is constantly on a high protein diet (well, temptation gets the best of him some of the time!) so he will love Il Ciak. Also, he'll love the bookstore you mention! Is Checco the only or best place to get gelato in Trastevere? We love gelato.

Lastly, are there any places in Trastevere to grab a bite to eat during the normally closed mid-afternoon hours (say between 3:00 and 7:30) or is everything closed at that time?

Thank you!!

Carole

Sorry... that would be Grinisa!!

Hi Carole - there are other gelato restaurants in Trastevere but I can't comment if Checcos is the best - we're not big gelato eaters. Having said that we did get into a nightly gelato run so it must be pretty good!

Regarding places to eat in the afternoon and early evening - while alot are closed our recollection is that a fair number of restaurants stay open given all the tourists in Trastevere......and we were there in January.

Still working on that Glass link - the food was spectacular there and it's a lovely looking restaurant as well.

Il Drappo is probably one of the best restaurants we ate at while in Rome. It specializes in Sardinian seafood and serves fairly large portions. Hwever, I am not sure it is a place I would dine with children. When we were there it was mostly romantic couples and some business diners.

The food and wine were excellent but the prices were not what I would call moderate unless you share a main course and appetizer. Which, once again, you could given their respective sizes. My husband and I definently look forward to visiting Is Drapo again upon our return to Rome. Enjoy your trip!

Elizabeth and Danielle - Thank you. I'll check out Glass and Il Drappo and see if they are appropriate for kids. The hotel should know.

(Elizabeth, I can't believe I had a typo in your name too previously... sorry!)

Carole

Carole - hadn't even noticed the typo!

The Glass link is now working - thanks for the motivation to retrain myself! It's been on my list of things to do and I had fun remembering the wonderful meal we had there!

I think you'll enjoy the Hotel Santa Maria - we toured it as we had friends visit us but it was full.....and subsequently other people have stayed there on our recommendation and loved it.

I want to go back to Rome RIGHT NOW!

Elizabeth - the menu items from Glass Hostaria that I saw on your Rome restaurant link look awesome! Very interesting cuisine.

Carole

Best gelato in Trastevere is the chocolate at Bar San Callisto in Piazza San Callisto near the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere. Also good is the large gelateria/bar in Piazza Cosimato across from the hospital. There is also a great hole in the wall place on Via San Dorotea but I forgot the name.

Grinisa - Thanks. We'll certainly be visiting Bar San Callisto... sounds like it's near our hotel too!

Carole