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The Best in Rome
Rome Restaurants: SPANISH STEPS to PIAZZA DEL POPOLO
La Luna d'Oro
Finally, the perfect place to stop for lunch when you're out shopping or museum hopping near Piazza del Popolo. This new Rome restaurant has the feeling of a covered patio, yet we found it cozy even on a chilly, rainy day. The menu centers around a good selection of light salads, with seafood, greens and the like. Daily specials include a small sampling soup, meat, fish and pasta dishes.
Via dei Greci 24 tel 06.3600 1716 Closed Sunday
Ciampini
Just across from the Palazzo Medici, atop the Pincio hill on the Trinità dei Monti, with a view of the Roman rooftops, this pleasant café-restaurant is open continuously from first coffee of the morning till the last nightcap of the night. In warmer weather, find a table in the lovely garden. A wide selection of coffee specialties, ice creams, and wines is available. There’s a full menu at lunch and dinner and the food is fine, but the story here is the outstanding location and atmosphere. €€
Viale Trinità dei Monti tel. 06.678 5678
Dal Bolognese
For decades this classically chic Rome restaurant has been a favorite of the famous and those who follow them, so don’t expect a table front and center unless you have “star” credentials. With dark-wood furnishings, white linens and paintings of the buon salotto era, the atmosphere has the effect of still-life perfection. The proprietors, from the Emilia Romagna region, offer a menu noted more for its consistency than its novelty. Favorites include the tortellini in brodo, duck ragù over pappardelle pasta, and their much-applauded pasta Bolognese, or from the sea, the mazzancolle al curry (shellfish), the moscardini (tiny octopus) breaded and fried in vinegar seasoned with red pepper, or the salmon tartar. Finish with one of the home-made desserts or a scoop of their gelato Lancusi. €€€
Piazza del Popolo, 1-2 tel. 06.361 1426 Closed Monday.
‘Gusto
A true gastronomic center, occupying a square block, 'Gusto comprises an osteria, a cookware and cookbook shop, a wine bar and a restaurant. The name is a play on the ancient tomb of Augusto Imperatore, which faces it, and the Italian gusto, meaning flavor. It was one of the first Rome restaurants to break with tradition, using ultra-modern interior design, and introducing a cornucopious buffet in place of the usual three-course lunch. The osteria is reminiscent of a cozy bistro, with dark polished wainscoting, soft lighting and tables so close to one another you become possessive of your conversation. The cuisine follows the savory tradition of popular Roman cooking: abbacchio (roast lamb), pecorino cheeses, and zuppa di ceci (a soup of plump chick peas). in the restaurant, star chef Marco Gullot and his staff explore Mediterranean and international cuisine, creating an outstanding fusion of tastes: tonno scottato (roast tuna in a crust of sesame seeds; fusili pasta with cured ham); a porcini mushroom and onion fondue in port wine sauce; orange tart with white chocolate and vanilla sauce; gelato made in-house. The wine bar, a comfortable meeting place, stays open late and offers live jazz on Thursday nights. Brunch buffet on Sundays. Year-round outdoor dining is available under the piazza’s colonnaded arcade. €€ to €€€
Piazza Augusto Imperatore , 9 tel. 06. 322 6273
Hamasei
The menu displayed outside is in Japanese, and the tables inside are populated by natives of Japan, all proof of the authenticity of this restaurant, an offshoot of its Tokyo counterpart. Way beyond the usual sushi bar, this is perhaps the best Japanese restaurant in Rome, served in a pleasant atmosphere. €€ to €€€
Via della Mercede 35/36 tel.06.679 2134 Closed Monday.
Nino
This traditional Rome restaurant serves beautifully prepared Tuscan cuisine in an elegant setting. Since 1934, it has fed a firmament of politicians and celebrities from Judy Garland to Brad Pitt. The fish dishes are excellent, the Tuscan bean specialties exquisite. Not to be missed: the Tuscan ribolita, a stew made with black cabbage and bread. The desserts are made in-house. Try the marvelous castagnaccioa chestnut cake. €€€
Via Borgognona, 11 tel. 06.678 6752 Closed Monday
Otello alla Concordia
Never missing from guide books, this Rome restaurant is still a favorite among tourists and locals who want to escape the bustling crowd. Owners the Caporicci sisters offer professional service and quality food in a setting of rural simplicity. The menu includes a hearty combo of Roman classics such as orecchiette pasta in vegetable sauce, pasta amatriciana, tripe Roman style and coda alla vaccinara (using cow’s tail to add flavor to tomato sauce). Other menu favorites originating from the poor man’s kitchen: cacio e pepe (pasta with pecorino cheese and black pepper tossed over steaming hot spaghetti or short pasta), and a dish no Roman menu would be without — roasted lamb and potatoes. Daily specials vary according to season and market availability. For dessert, try the lemon tart or tiramisu. €€
Via della Croce, 81 tel. 06.679 1178 Closed Sundays and part of January.
Recafe
A favorite of young Romans, this casual restaurant in the shadow of Emperor Augusto’s Mauseoleum brings the taste of Naples to the Capital. An easy, quick menu offers pizza, bufala mozzarella, eggplant parmigiana, tasty seafoood salad with timballetto, basmati rice and fresh vegetables, pasta recipes and other Neapolitan specialties. Tiramisu, cassata Napoletana and homemade ice cream are among the desserts. If you reserve ahead, request a table outdoors under the covered arcade. €€
Piazza Augusto Imperatore, 36 tel. 06 681 34730 Open daily until 1 am
Reef
In contrast with the building’s Mussolini-era exterior, architects Marco and Gianluigi Giammetta have created a high tech interior with a nautical-aquatic theme for this Rome restaurant, paying homage to the imporant Roman port which rose just meters away at Via Ripetta. The dining room reinforces the theme with the accoutrements of a ship and a glass floor displaying a sandy, watery bottom. Fish is the speciality here, particularly sushi and sashimi. A pleasant terrace, with a view of Augusto’s Mausoleum, is open in warmer months. €€€
Piazza Augusto Imperatore, 42-48 tel. 06.683 01430 Dinner only. Closed Monday.
Tad Café
Inside Tad Concept Store, this little restaurant is a pleasant place to break for coffee and an American breakfast. Would you believe scrambled eggs, waffles, even muffins? Or pause for what we call a “shopper’s lunch” menu of quichè, salads, a bit of fish, soup or vegetables. Afternoon shoppers can choose from among 60 teas, best taken with biscuits or homemade pastry tarts. Relaxing atmosphere. Pleasant service. Covered patio open all year. €€
Via del Babuino, 55a tel. 06 326 5123 Closed Monday morning.
Tullio
One of Rome's tried and true restaurants, Tullio has been serving classic grilled meats and fresh fish since 1950. The kitchen's Tuscan roots are evident in its famous bistecca fiorentina and its excellent selection of Tuscan wines. €€€
Via San Nicola da Tolentino, 26 tel. 06.474 5560 Open for lunch and dinner. Closed Sunday
In Rome Now Travel Guide: Restaurants Rome, Italy Spanish Steps