2012 Rome Restaurant Reviews

Reviewer: Foodnut.com

CA

Coliseum Rome Italy

We recently finished up our culinary tour of Rome in the Summer of 2012. It was interesting to see how authentic Italian food and restaurants in Rome compare to the ones we have in the San Francisco Bay Area. Below are several Roman restaurants we dined at.

Il Convivio Troiani

This one Michelin Star fine dining restaurant is located not far from the awesome Piazza Navona. We picked it due to its proximity and positive reviews. The food and service here are excellent. Portion sizes are on the high side, so try to split portions or order one course at a time. They have no concept of doggie bags in Rome! This quiet, romantic restaurant was a nice oasis away from all the tourists.

Hits:

Four kinds of excellent homemade bread. Better than we could purchase outside.

Fried zucchini flowers with buffalo’s mozzarella, anchovy fillets, ‘scorzone’ black truffle & sweet and sour red peppers sorbet (€28) – Recommended by the waiter, this thick battered, deep fried delight was accompanied with some potent red peppers.

Risotto with ‘burrata’ cheese, porcini mushrooms, lemon scented snails Bourguignonne style (spiced butter sauce) & ‘scorzone’ black truffle (€32) – Possessed mild truffle scents, rich flavors, and a massive portion size, shareable by 2 people.

House made egg white ‘tagliatelle’ pasta with chopped quail meat, lemon balm, Swiss chards & grated porcini mushrooms (€30) – Another huge pasta that was not as good as the others we ordered.

Gragnano’ s vermicelli pasta in ‘amatriciana’ style ( tomato sauce, pork cheek, pecorino cheese and black peppercorn ) (€28) – A dry pasta with excellent bacon and surprisingly not super al dente.

Pasta with Nero sauce (€28) – Wow! This huge pasta was stellar. Super al dente, massive portions of tender pasta.

Pigeon in four different preparations (€27 tasting portion) – It was nice to be able to order a smaller portion after the massive pasta course. This pigeon featured a nice berry sauce as well as medium-rare, tender, meat.

Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and seafood cooked in a casserole (€35 tasting portion) – Came in a nice copper pan and feature some choice of fish and shellfish.

Nine complementary petit fours rounded out the meal

Overall rating (Stars) – 3
Food Rating – 3
Service Rating – 3
Atmosphere Rating – 3
Value – 2
Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Fair/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Come Back – Yes

Il Convivio Troiani
Vicolo Dei Soldati, 31
186 Roma, Italy
066869432

Website

Trattoria da Danilo

This is a small, 8 table, family run Trattoria located near our hotel. They have English subtitles on the menu. This was a nice restaurant to sample how a typical informal Trattoria feels like. The food is really good, better than most Italian food from the San Francisco Bay Area, but not on the same level as top spots in Rome. Reasonable prices and they do take reservations. The waiter did speak English.

Hits:
Antipasto combination (€10 per person) – included 8 different hot and cold appetizers including some very nice Zuccini and deep fried balls. We recommend that you tell them that you just need this combination for a small amount of people than your entire party.

Filetto al Tartufo (€22) – A fillet of beef with black truffle sauce was excellent, tender, rare, and a stellar sauce.

Strozzaprefi Lardo Pecorino (€10) – A classic egg-less pasta cooked very al dente. We’ve never encountered pasta in the San Francisco Bay Area that cooks pasta to this level of authenticity. Huge portion.

Carbonara (€10) – Finally, we try an authentic version of this pasta dish. Quanities are so high, we can’t see diners having an appetizer, pasta, and an entree.

Overall rating (Stars) – 2.5
Food Rating – 3
Service Rating – 2.5
Atmosphere Rating – 2.5
Value – 2.5
Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Fair/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Come Back – Yes

Trattoria da Danilo
Via Petrarca, 13
00185 Rome, Italy
06 77200111

Website

Pizzeria San Marco

We dined at this beautiful restaurant because it was located near the Borghese Gallery Art Museum. The service was pretty detached, but the food quality was reasonable for an informal lunch.

Hits:
Margherita Pizza (€9.50) – was very good with a crispy crust and lots of fresh cherry tomatoes.

Pasta San Marco (€14) – had a creamy pesto sauce that proved to be very good, along with some solid noodles.

Overall rating (Stars) – 2.5
Food Rating – 2.5
Service Rating – 1.5
Atmosphere Rating – 3
Value – 2
Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Fair/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Come Back – Yes

Pizzeria San Marco
Via Sardegna, 38,
+39 06 4201 2620

Website

Taverna dei fori imperiali

This restaurant is quite popular with tourists. Possibly due to its convenient location not far from the Colosseum. The waiters speak English and are friendly, while the prices are reasonable. The food was very good but not in the excellent realm. This restaurant has a ton of daily specials.

Hits:

Spegetti alla Gracia (€9) – Thick noodles, very al dente, lots of olive oil and crispy bacon

Trofie alla Puttanes (€9) – A short tube based tube pasta which proved to be very good.

Three Meat Special (€14) – Duck, rabbit, and sausage were sauteed along with almonds and olives. Beware of the small bones.

Raviolli Special with Truffles (€12) – An excellent dish with a stand out sauce.

Overall rating (Stars) – 2.5
Food Rating – 2.5
Service Rating – 1.5
Atmosphere Rating – 2.5
Value – 4
Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Fair/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Come Back – Yes

Taverna dei fori imperiali
Via Madonna dei Monti, 9 (via cavour)
00184 Rome, Italy
+39 06 679 8643

Website

Taverna Le Coppelle
We ate at this restaurant because it was listed in the Rick Steves Guide. Just a short walk from the beautiful Pantheon, this restaurant is an example of why some folks claim Italian food is better in the U.S. Service was very sluggish and uninspired. Rick writes great guide books, but foodies need to look elsewhere for restaurant recommendations.

Hits:

Margherita Pizza – was decent but not very authentic.

Procuitto with Mozzerella Cheese – was huge and had some very nice cheese.

Spaghetti with Garlic and Olives – hit the spot for a simple lunch, also very al dente.

Overall rating (Stars) – 2
Food Rating – 2
Service Rating – 1.5
Atmosphere Rating – 2
Value – 2.5
Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Fair/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Come Back – Yes

Taverna Le Coppelle
38-39 Via delle Coppelle, Rome, Italy
06.68806557

Website

McDonalds

It may be shocking to read but this food blogger loves to visit McDonalds in other countries. Each has its own character and unique local dishes. We popped in to avoid the intense 95 degree heat and sampled a featured sandwich.

Hits:

Il Mac – A freshly made burger that includes Parmesan cheese and a Focaccia bun. Wow, we wish we had this back home. The ten minute wait was worth while.

Overall rating (Stars) – 2.5
Food Rating – 2.5
Service Rating – 2
Atmosphere Rating – 2.5
Value – 3
Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Fair/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Come Back – Yes

McDonalds
Near Piazza Di Spagna and the Spanish Steps
Rome, Italy

Il Mac Video

Restaurant Map:


Overall Rating: (Very Good 2.5)

Come Back?

Food Rating: (Excellent)
Service Rating: (Excellent)
Atmosphere Rating: (Excellent)
Value Rating: (Good)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:Beer, Wine
Attire:Casual
Parking:Street
Reservations:Yes

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