Rome restaurants

[larry_s_taco]

This is our first trip to Rome. We will be staying 3 days in Rome before our cruise in October. We were wondering what restaurants near the Termini that everyone would recommend. We are staying at the Hilton Doubletree Monti in that area. We would like to find some walkable places to eat. Preferably some traditional Italian places, not the tourist traps that I've been reading about. We are also interested in the best Gelato locations. 

 

[cruisemom42]

Termini isn't exactly ground zero for good restaurants. 

 

There's a thread at the top of the page with a lot of suggestions on places to consider dining in Rome -- maybe you'll find some possibilities there. Off the top of my head I can't really think of anything great. The one good restaurant I'd tried and could recommend in the area closed a few years ago...

 

[jerseygirl3]

On 7/14/2022 at 6:18 PM, larry_s_taco said:

This is our first trip to Rome. We will be staying 3 days in Rome before our cruise in October. We were wondering what restaurants near the Termini that everyone would recommend. We are staying at the Hilton Doubletree Monti in that area. We would like to find some walkable places to eat. Preferably some traditional Italian places, not the tourist traps that I've been reading about. We are also interested in the best Gelato locations. 

 

I'm assuming if you're spending 3 days in Rome, you will want to make a visit to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, etc.  If you are going to be in that location, I would highly suggest Armando Al Pantheon restaurant (about 50  yards away from the Pantheon, but tucked in a small street.)   It is very small, you must make a reservation for dinner at least a month in advance.  Lunch may be easier, but still need a reservation.  It's very small and family owned (they are closed on Sundays).  It's a little more difficult to get in since Stanley Tucci featured it on his CNN special "Searching for Italy", but it's not a touristy place.  The cacio e pepe is to die for, as is the carbonara.  

[slidergirl]

Armando has always been a hard ticket, even back in the mid2000s.  It’s small, family-run.  Every time I go, it’s a nice mix of locals and tourists.  
I can’t think of any place near Termini.  I’d maybe check Mercato Centrale at the Termini.  A food hall with choices.  Not like a food court, but good offerings.

Edited July 16, 2022 by slidergirl

[larry_s_taco]

On 7/16/2022 at 10:55 AM, jerseygirl3 said:

I'm assuming if you're spending 3 days in Rome, you will want to make a visit to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, etc.  If you are going to be in that location, I would highly suggest Armando Al Pantheon restaurant (about 50  yards away from the Pantheon, but tucked in a small street.)   It is very small, you must make a reservation for dinner at least a month in advance.  Lunch may be easier, but still need a reservation.  It's very small and family owned (they are closed on Sundays).  It's a little more difficult to get in since Stanley Tucci featured it on his CNN special "Searching for Italy", but it's not a touristy place.  The cacio e pepe is to die for, as is the carbonara.  

Yes, 

We will be walking to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and Colosseum, so we will be in that area. I'll try to get reservations. Thanks

[kelcey]

E will also be visiting Rome for a couple days before our cruise. I would love to know where you are staying that allows you to walk to all those sights?

[cruisemom42]

18 minutes ago, kelcey said:

E will also be visiting Rome for a couple days before our cruise. I would love to know where you are staying that allows you to walk to all those sights?

 

Rome is actually very walkable if you stay in a hotel in the historic centro (known in Italian as the Centro Storico).  There is a whole thread here on hotels in Rome that talks about the advantages/disadvantages of various locations and hotels.

[Maverick!]

On 7/16/2022 at 2:41 PM, slidergirl said:

Armando has always been a hard ticket, even back in the mid2000s.  It’s small, family-run.  Every time I go, it’s a nice mix of locals and tourists.  
I can’t think of any place near Termini.  I’d maybe check Mercato Centrale at the Termini.  A food hall with choices.  Not like a food court, but good offerings.

We just returned from Rome and ate at Armando this week.  The coda di bue (oxtail similar to osso buco) was also to die for, as for the pasta cacio e pepe, spaghetti with tartufo, and anything off their menu really.

I would agree with not limiting your dining choices to Termini, which I found attracted first-time visitors, students, and budget-conscious travellers.  Better restaurant options are available in the Trevi, Pantheon and Trastevere areas, all easily accessible by foot.

[seapad]

On 7/17/2022 at 2:19 PM, larry_s_taco said:

Yes, 

We will be walking to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and Colosseum, so we will be in that area. I'll try to get reservations. Thanks

Hi Larry_s_taco: We are also travelling to Rome (1st time) 3 days before our transatlantic cruise. We're also staying in the same hotel 🙂 
We are also researching for restaurants that are close by, would love to hear what you find out or leaning to. Thanks! 

Edited July 26, 2022 by seapad

[slidergirl]

Look at the “All things good & Wine” sticky at the top of the forum.  We’ve been putting down restaurants for awhile in there.  

[cruisemom42]

On 7/26/2022 at 5:49 PM, seapad said:

Hi Larry_s_taco: We are also travelling to Rome (1st time) 3 days before our transatlantic cruise. We're also staying in the same hotel 🙂 
We are also researching for restaurants that are close by, would love to hear what you find out or leaning to. Thanks! 

 

I'm going to be honest here. There is not much in the immediate vicinity of Termini other than very cheap and touristy Italian or kebob take-aways and that kind of thing.  

 

The mercato inside the station mentioned by slidergirl earlier may be your best bet if you want to eat in the area.

 

However, I also know that lots of hotels market themselves as being "near" Termini when they may be halfway to something else....so if you can give a specific location it would be easier.  For example, if you're nearer Monti, there are some reasonable and good Italian places. 

 

[seapad]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I'm going to be honest here. There is not much in the immediate vicinity of Termini other than very cheap and touristy Italian or kebob take-aways and that kind of thing.  

 

The mercato inside the station mentioned by slidergirl earlier may be your best bet if you want to eat in the area.

 

However, I also know that lots of hotels market themselves as being "near" Termini when they may be halfway to something else....so if you can give a specific location it would be easier.  For example, if you're nearer Monti, there are some reasonable and good Italian places. 

 

Our hotel is almost next (just a few min walk) to the Bascillica di Santa Maggiore. Any reasonable and good restaurants you can recommend? Thanks so much!  

[cruisemom42]

19 minutes ago, seapad said:

Our hotel is almost next (just a few min walk) to the Bascillica di Santa Maggiore. Any reasonable and good restaurants you can recommend? Thanks so much!  

 

Still nothing springs to mind in the IMMEDIATE area. If you walk down Via Cavour about 6-7 minutes from the piazza of Santa Maria Maggiore, there is an excellent local wine bar called Cavour 313 (which is actually its address) -- they specialize in wines and light food that is locally sourced. I've had several nice dinners there in the past -- pick from the daily specials if you go.

 

Down Via Panisperna there are some eateries, you can browse them -- just nothing I've tried so I can't recommend. 

 

The Taverna dei Fori Imperiali already mentioned in other threads on good eats in Rome is a bit further toward the Colosseum but would only be about a 12 minute walk along Via Cavour then a cutover to the restaurant. 

[Fishboy1947]

On 7/28/2022 at 11:39 AM, cruisemom42 said:

 

Still nothing springs to mind in the IMMEDIATE area. If you walk down Via Cavour about 6-7 minutes from the piazza of Santa Maria Maggiore, there is an excellent local wine bar called Cavour 313 (which is actually its address) -- they specialize in wines and light food that is locally sourced. I've had several nice dinners there in the past -- pick from the daily specials if you go.

 

Down Via Panisperna there are some eateries, you can browse them -- just nothing I've tried so I can't recommend. 

 

The Taverna dei Fori Imperiali already mentioned in other threads on good eats in Rome is a bit further toward the Colosseum but would only be about a 12 minute walk along Via Cavour then a cutover to the restaurant. 

I looked at their menu. Seemed most courses cost about 16 euro. Would this be typical for a nice restaurant? Not having taken a family to any restaurant in Italy, would it be typical for a family of five adults (grandparents with 20 yr olds) to order a few appetizers and let everyone try them or would this be inappropriate?

[cruisemom42]

10 minutes ago, Fishboy1947 said:

I looked at their menu. Seemed most courses cost about 16 euro. Would this be typical for a nice restaurant? Not having taken a family to any restaurant in Italy, would it be typical for a family of five adults (grandparents with 20 yr olds) to order a few appetizers and let everyone try them or would this be inappropriate?

 

Absolutely fine to share dishes in this restaurant. It's a place that lends itself to a "family style" approach.  I seem to recall a particular dinner there with euro cruiser and some others where we did just that -- shared a number of dishes. 

[Fishboy1947]

1 minute ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Absolutely fine to share dishes in this restaurant. It's a place that lends itself to a "family style" approach.  I seem to recall a particular dinner there with euro cruiser and some others where we did just that -- shared a number of dishes. 

Thinking well ahead, our two days in Rome will be a Saturday & Sunday. For Sunday I have read mixed info on the time to eat. Is noon to three best on Sunday or the regular later time, they are open for both

[cruisemom42]

Not sure I can really answer that.  If it were me I'd just plan whichever option fit best with my overall plans for the day. I wouldn't think one would be that markedly different than the other....

 

[wcook]

On 7/17/2022 at 5:19 PM, larry_s_taco said:

We will be walking to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and Colosseum, so we will be in that area. I'll try to get reservations. Thanks

Im not going to argue you shouldn’t go to those place. But I’d highly - highly - recommend you get away from “tourist Rome” and into Rome-Rome at least some of the time. Many great choices, though my personal answer for all things Rome is Trastevere. 

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, wcook said:

Im not going to argue you shouldn’t go to those place. But I’d highly - highly - recommend you get away from “tourist Rome” and into Rome-Rome at least some of the time. Many great choices, though my personal answer for all things Rome is Trastevere. 

 

.....and you think Trastevere is not touristy??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fact remains that there are good and bad restaurants in any area of any city. Some of those that have been frequently recommended are rated highly -- by locals, as well as by visitors.

[bennybear]

I agree with Cruise mom about Trastevere.    Years ago it was wonderful and we had a truly lovely experience.   Last time it was overcrowded and full of tourist traps and disappointing places to eat.   
 

I find the best places when I ask locals,  shopkeepers or sometimes at the hotel.  We’ve discovered some gems this way not far from the Trevi fountain.  And also near Campo di Fiori. 

[larry_s_taco]

On 7/28/2022 at 8:16 AM, cruisemom42 said:

 

I'm going to be honest here. There is not much in the immediate vicinity of Termini other than very cheap and touristy Italian or kebob take-aways and that kind of thing.  

 

The mercato inside the station mentioned by slidergirl earlier may be your best bet if you want to eat in the area.

 

However, I also know that lots of hotels market themselves as being "near" Termini when they may be halfway to something else....so if you can give a specific location it would be easier.  For example, if you're nearer Monti, there are some reasonable and good Italian places. 

 

Cruisemom, 

The address of the hotel we are staying at is: Piazza dell'Esquilino, 1
Rome, 00185, Italy   Are there any reasonable and good Italian places near there? 

Thanks for all of the interesting and informed information you provide on the boards. 

[marazul]

2 hours ago, larry_s_taco said:

Cruisemom, 

The address of the hotel we are staying at is: Piazza dell'Esquilino, 1
Rome, 00185, Italy   Are there any reasonable and good Italian places near there? 

Thanks for all of the interesting and informed information you provide on the boards. 

That is the train station (Termini) area.  Whatever you have read in this thread still applies.

[cruisemom42]

Yes, I'm sorry to say it, larry s. taco, but you really are close to Termini and there just isn't much to recommend there in terms of food that's more than average. There used to be one really great restaurant in the area, Agata e Romeo, but they closed several years back. 

 

Do not trust restaurant reviews on Tripadvisor, most of them have no idea. I don't have any additional personal recommendations, but I did find this list of a few restaurant recommendations near Termini and Monti from a local.  Mostly in Monti.  Unfortunately he begins with Hostaria Nerone which IS near Termini. I've heard it recommended by others too as a really traditional place. So I tried it one time when I was staying near Termini for a night before the start of a tour. It was nothing memorable and I felt like I was wiping dust off the table and the menu. (Figuratively AND literally.). Not crowded at all when I went, which also should've told me something....

 

However, on the positive side he also includes the Taverna dei Fori Imperiali on the list, so he's got SOME idea of what's good.

 

I've heard of Ai Tre Scalini for years but have never tried it; however it might be a good bet.  

 

https://theromanguy.com/italy-travel-blog/rome/places-to-eat-in-monti-rome/

 

Edited to add:  Would you consider changing your hotel reservation given that you want to dine well at somewhere close to where you're staying?

Edited August 1, 2022 by cruisemom42

[slidergirl]

Didn’t Stanley Tucci visit some restaurant near Termini that had some historical link to a pasta???

[cruisemom42]

4 hours ago, slidergirl said:

Didn’t Stanley Tucci visit some restaurant near Termini that had some historical link to a pasta???

 

Are you thinking of Trattoria Pommidoro?  

 

It's on the far side of Termini about four blocks further west, close to Sapienza University, so not super close, but a reasonable distance. 

 

I haven't been there but it seems like opinions are mixed. Some think it trades on its former glory and that non-regulars are not treated the same -- hence I would recommend it with caution having not been there.

 

A typical Roman dinner at Pommidoro: a must for film buffs in Rome - Foodie with Suitcase