When in Italy it’s all about the food. Okay, maybe not all because the Italians also know how to make really good drinks. And have a lot of stuff to see. But just to be clear here, if you expect some sightseeing tips in this post, that’s not it. This is all about Italian food and drinks and which restaurants in Rome to go to. Because you will do a lot of sightseeing and then you deserve a treat.
The glass of wine which I had at Obicà Mozzarella Bar on the Campo de’ Fiori was delicious but also really expensive. You probably also pay for the pleasure to look out onto the Campo. If you order wine by the glass they don’t automatically bring you the house wine. You need to specify exactly which wine you want to drink. So be careful here.
expensive wine from Obicà Mozzarella Bar @Rome
On our way to Trastevere, the recommended dinner area, we stopped for a cocktail at Ristorante Giulia and the bar is excellent. We even got a little snack with our drinks and should have stayed there for dinner. Great place. We ended up having dinner at Taverna 51 and let me tell you that the pizza was the best dish we ate. So can’t really recommend it.
cocktails from Ristorante Giulia @Rome
pizza Margarita from Taverna 51 @Rome
We stopped twice for drinks and snacks at La Casetta a Monti, which is near the Forum Romanum. Very small place, but big on service, great music and delicious drinks.
a great place for snacks and drinks is La Casetta a Monti @Rome
Our second dinner was at the Roscioli Deli. They have also a restaurant next door but you need to have a reservation for this and we only managed to snag a place at the community table to the deli. The burrata was outstanding, the pasta bland, and the steak like at home.
burrata from Roscioli @Rome
But at least I got some really good ice cream at the Gelateria del Teatro Lungotevere for the way home.
Since the Italians are not really big on breakfast we kept our appetite for an early lunch and got a table at Ginger, at the location near the Spanish steps. And this without a reservation, so beware at what time you show up. When we left there was a huge line-up. Here we ordered a big bowl of salad and the huge platter of organic cold cuts and cheese. Such a treat and can’t recommend it enough.
dining room of Ginger @Rome
salad and cold cuts from Ginger @Rome
Afterwards we went for coffee to VyTA which has a really nice and long bar and the coffee was excellent.
coffee break at VyTA @Rome
But coffee is not the problem in this city. It was actually the rest of the food. To be honest, I love Italian food and especially in Tuscany I have always eaten great stuff. But also in Naples and Bari. So I was a bit disappointed that most of the food was so unremarkable. Like the starters were great and then it all went downhill. Maybe it’s just me and I expect too much from the Italian food, but I was quite disappointed. There are other regions which cook so much better. Yours, Pollybert
