Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DINING FOR ALL TASTES
The closest you can come to living like a true Roman is to eat at a local trattoria.
Dining out in the evening is the preeminent social activity for Romans, and they
have made an art of it.
It's wise to remember that tourist menus are for tourists, and Italians invari-
ably avoid these. The best way to approach an Italian meal is to experiment. Ask
the waiter for his recommendation:
“Cosa mi consiglia?”
Bear in mind, too, that
you will always find better deals if you move off the main squares and try the qui-
eter restaurants around the back corners, down the narrow alleyways, and even in
neighborhoods without a single tourist site or monument.
Italian menus are often quite standardized. They usually include a first course
known as the
primo
and more often than not consisting of pasta plates, and a sec-
ond course (meat or fish) known as the
secondo
(second plate). You are not obliged
to order both, and many residents confine their meals to simply the first course
and a glass of wine. Doing so is the way to live on a budget in Rome.
I've classified selections according to the price of the
primo.
And if
primi
are
cheap,
secondi
at the same restaurant also tend to be cheap. For a detailed
map of
Rome's restaurants,
see p. 24.
Dining Index
Il Ciak
(Trastevere,
€€€
, p. 39)
Il Duca
(Trastevere,
€€
, p. 38)
Il Mozzicone
(near the Vatican,
€
, p. 42)
La Tana de'Noantri
(Trastevere,
€€
, p. 38)
L'Oasi della Birra
(Testaccio,
€
, p. 37)
Maccheroni
(near the Pantheon,
€
, p. 41)
Margutta Vegetariano Ristorante
(near the Spanish Steps,
€€€
, p. 41)
Perilli a Testaccio
Al Pompiere
(near the Ghetto,
€€
, p. 40)
Al 34
(near the Spanish Steps,
€€€
, p. 40)
Asinocotto
555
(Trastevere,
€€€€
, p. 39)
Checchino dal 1887
(Testaccio,
€€
, p. 36)
Consolini all Arco di San Lazzaro
(Testaccio,
€€€
, p. 36)
Da Augusto
(Trastevere,
€
, p. 37)
Da Bucatino
(Testaccio,
€
, p. 35)
Da Enzo
555
(Trastevere,
€
,
555
(Testaccio,
€
, p. 35)
Pizza Remo
(Testaccio,
€
, p. 37)
Roma Sparita
p. 37)
Da Gino Trattoria
(near the
Pantheon,
€
, p. 41)
Da Otello
(Trastevere,
€€
, p. 38)
F.I.S.H.
(near the Colosseum,
€€
, p. 42)
Gusto
(near the Spanish Steps,
€€€
, p. 41)
9
(Trastevere,
€€
, p. 39)
Sora Margherita
(near the Ghetto,
€€
, p. 40)
Price for a
primo
course:
€
=
€
7 or less;
€€
=
€
8-
€
14;
€€€
=
€
15-
€
19;
€€€€
=
€
20 or more
