Italian restaurants in Rome
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A
Donati
Termini district is full of second-rate tourist traps, but this is a straightforward traditional restaurant serving up competent takes on dishes such as fried seafood or spaghetti with mussels and clams. You can eat inside, in the high-ceilinged hasn't-changed-for-years interior, or outside on the cobbled street.
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B
Papa Baccus
To breed your own hogs to ensure a ready supply of quality meat requires a passion verging on obsession. But it's exactly what the owner of this refined Tuscan restaurant does. Meat rules here, with pride of place going to the succulent Chianina beef, but there's plenty else besides, including panzanella (a summery starter of bread with salad, herbs and oil). Reservations are preferred, and you can sit outside on the quiet cobbled street.
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C
L'Archeologia
Near the Basilica and Catacombe di San Sebastiano, this baronial-esque dining den - complete with elaborate flower arrangements, velvet drapes and Europe's oldest wisteria in the garden - is a safe bet for authentic regional grub and is a hit with perfectly preened Italian families out for Sunday lunch. The spaghetti primavera (spaghetti with zucchini, fresh tomato, basil and prawns) is sublime, and service is refreshingly friendly.
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D
Spirito Divino
Spirito Divino is in a medieval building that once housed the oldest synagogue in Rome - the walls date to 980, while the wine cellar is even older. The menu is not just traditional; some of the recipes are ancient, such as pork Mazio-style, which dates back around 2000 years. More modern dishes, all delicious, include linguine with seafood, lamb with pepper and peach chutney, and a sublime crème brûlée.
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E
La Tana dei Golosi
Created as a culinary adventure, this simple-looking restaurant has an ever-changing menu that travels all around Italy twice monthly, featuring different regional cuisines. A southern period, for example, may feature tiella barese (rice, mussels and potatoes) and polpette di melanzane (aubergine balls). All ingredients are exceptional: it's the holy grail of regional excellence pursued with dedication.
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F
Il Palazzetto
Despite its sumptuous deep-red interior, this restaurant’s spangling jewel is the sun-trap shaded terrace hidden at the top of the Spanish Steps. It’s perfect for a glass of prosecco (sparkling wine) and a salad or pasta dish on a sunny day. Dinner menus are set to impress (tasting menu €55, vegetarian menu €50), and the palazzo also houses the wine academy. It’s also open as a wine bar from 4pm.
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G
Estrobar
Designer denizens head to this slinky restaurant/bar/gallery to deconstruct the likes of Claudio di Carlo over a bottle of Brut or a cocktail benessere (fruit- or veggie-based cocktail). Fuelling the cultured conversations are chef Francesco Bonanni's Italo-fusion flavours - from sake and soy beef carpaccio (raw beef) to a spicy chocolate tart - and a wine list spanning 200 Italian drops.
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H
Difronte a
Difronte a is colourful, funky and fun. A bright jumble of bare brick, yellow-and-red walls, wrought iron and protruding lights, it's good-looking and surprisingly good value. It caters to most tastes: there's bruschetta, pasta (including a lip-smacking orecchiette with prawns, pesto and cream), grilled meat, pizza and salad. An excellent option for a light lunch or a lively night out.
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I
Nino
TomKat (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes) had a pre-nuptial dinner here, and this old-style Tuscan trattoria close to the Spanish Steps is enduringly popular with the rich and famous. Waiters can be brusque if you’re not on the A-list, but the food is good hearty fare served in an old-school (polished dark wood and white tablecloths) atmosphere. The Tuscan bean soup is particularly memorable.
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J
Al Moro
This one-time Fellini haunt feels like a step back in time with its picture-gallery dining rooms, Liberty wall lamps, cantankerous buttoned-up waiters and old-money regulars with nicknames such as la Principessa (the Princess). Join faux royals for soothing classics cicoria al brodo (chicory in broth) or melt-in-your-mouth veal liver with crusty sage and butter.
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K
Al Bric
Intimate and renowned, especially for its wine list, this place has several rooms in a 16th-century building, all lined with wine bottles and the lids of wooden wine boxes. Cuisine is creative and designed to complement the wines, with dishes such as grilled tomato with pecorino di fossa (sheep's cheese aged in caves) and spaghetti with figs, white prawns and Roquefort.
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L
Boccondivino
This 'Divine Mouthful' is surprisingly good value. A modernist marriage of steel, Roman columns, fake zebra skin and contemporary art, the design fits the largely successful fusion fare. Typical dishes include coda di rospo con caponata di melanzane e cipolla di Tropea stufate (angler fish with aubergines and Tropea onions), and there's a bargain lunchtime set menu.
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M
Asinocotto
Asinocotto means 'cooked donkey' but don't let that put you off. The cooking here is creative, with imaginative, balanced, harmonious dishes such as loin of lamb stuffed with foie gras and caramelised figs, or swordfish with capers. The interior is invitingly hung with grapevine lighting, and it's one of Rome's few self-proclaimed gay-friendly restaurants.
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N
La Cicala e La Formica
A charming, hip restaurant, 'the cicada and the ant' serves up simple Italian food with a smile. There's a good selection of pasta, meat and seafood dishes, including a delicious carpaccio di pescespada (delicate slices of raw swordfish). It has a barrel-vaulted, arty interior decorated with Schiller-style paintings, and a few outside tables.
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O
Charly's Sauciere
To recharge between San Giovanni and the Colosseum, try this small Italian-Swiss restaurant, with twee lace curtains, crisp white tablecloths and theatrical deep-red curtains. Choose from a menu that features delectable onion soup, Roquefort salad, different takes on steak and even fondue for two. Wines are mainly French.
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P
Imàgo
The Hassler Hotel's revamped rooftop showcase is hot - we're talking seamless city views (request the corner table), sexy mirrored tables, lush velvet chairs, and bold mod-Italian creations from culinary star Francesco Apreda. Book ahead.
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Q
Giggetto 2
For budgeteers, this place is a simple café that serves tasty traditional dishes (including carciofo alla Romana ), homemade desserts, a tourist menu at €14, and extremely drinkable wine at €8 per bottle.
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Osteria del Gambero Rosso
Lip-smacking restaurant at Città del Gusto, a six-storey shrine to gastronomy run by Italy's premier food organisation, Gambero Rosso.
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