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| In Rome, eating out can be both a joy an enterteinment. On warm summer evenings tables flow out into every conceivable space and diners dedicate long hours to the poular social activity of people watching ( and of being noticed and admired themselves) in a confusion of passers-by, buskers, rose sellers and traffic. Although Romans have always loved to linger at the table, the lavish feasts of ancient Rome have slimmed down and today's cooking is based on simplicity, freshness and good quality local raw ingredients in what is essentialy a seasonal cuisine. Fast food is gradually arriving, but it is fundamentally alien to the Roman temperament and way of life. |
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Useful Information for Tourist
| Where to find good Restaurant
Every area of the city has its own culinary delights. True Roman cooking can be found in the old slaughter-house area of Testaccio and in the Jewish quarter (The Ghetto) near Campo de'Fiori. Around the university, in San Lorenzo , northeast of the city centre, you will find lots of cheap pizzerias and trattorias. Near Termini Station there's a good selection of African-particulary Ethiopian and Eritrean- restaurants. For dining outdoors, which often means in beautifully secluded piazzas, or in impressively ancient parts of the city, try the restaurants in the narrow streets of Trastevere (the oldartists quarter) , aruond Campo de'Fiori, or along the Old Via Appias Antica.
Vegeterian Food Purely vegeterian restaurants are largely unknown in Rome, but everywhere you'll findpasta or rice dishes (risotto) using interesting combinations of vegetables, salads, artichokes cooked in different ways, or vegetables stuffed and then baked in the oven. Most menus are adaptable.
Some practical tips:
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Types of Restaurants In general, a trattoria is an unassuming, family-run establishment5 with good home cooking, while a ristorante is more up-market, more elegant and thus more expensive. Many eating places- where paper tablecloths give a clue to low prices - simply have no name. They offer an open doorway and, more often than not, excellent, basic home cooking. Some of tham offer a grat deal more than that, and your chances of finding authentic Roman cooking are higher in the best of these establishments than in expensive restaurants. There will probably be times when you don't want a full-blown restaurant meal, and Rome offers a huge variety of places for more casual eating. One type of place offering snacks or moresubstanshial dishes is the enoteca, which doubles as aq well-stocked wine shop for browsers and connoisseurs. The sign vino e cucina ( wine and food), sadly fast disappearing , holds the same promise. Other places for a sit-down, informal lunch or dinner are birrerie , which are not only for beer drinkers, but which also offer pizzas or even four-course meals. There's planty of interesting takeaway food on sale through-out the day - pizza al taglio (pizza by the slice) is available all over the city. For full size pizzas, choose places with wood stoves (forno a legna) for better results than from eletric ovens such as whole roast chicken, potatoes or supplì (fried rice croquettes) can be had from rosticcerie. A sellf-service tavola calda will serve an impressive array of hot food and is ideal for lunchtimes. Wheelchair Acces Rome is becoming more solicitous towards those in wheelchairs, but a call to the restaurant in advance will help secure the right table.
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Outdoor café life in the piazza What you pay will clerly depend on your choice of establishment. In a tavola calda or Roman pizzeria, for example, you can often eat for as little as 15.000 L. a head. Alocal trattoria costs perhaps L.25.000, whereas in full blown restaurant reckon on around L.50.000 and up. Bottle wine, as oppose3d to a jug or carafe of house-wine (vino della casa), commands higher prices but should offer a more interesting range of tastes. House wine is usually acceptable though.
Restaurants are generally open from about noon to 3pm and from 8pm to 11pm or much later. The busiest times tend to be 9pm-9.30pm for dinner and 1pm-1.30pm at lunchtime. Dinner is generally the preferred time for dedicated, relaxed eating, particularly in summer, when it will begin and end late as the the heat of the day subsides. Bars are open all day, often from the early hours. serving all kinds of drinks(alcohol can be sold at any time of day) and snacks. The quietest month in August, when many restaurant owners take their annual holiday (shown by chiuso per ferie signs) Taking children Along Children are made very welcome, particulary in family-run places. You can usually order half-portions (but expect to pay more than half), or just ask for an extra plate. High chairs (seggioline) may also be available in some of the esablishments.
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Reading
the Menu Not every restaurant automatically provides a menu- the waiter will often tell you the day's specialities (piatti del giorno), usually not mentioned on the standard menu but almost always worth ordering. If you are not sure about these, you can always ask for la lista (The menu) and then allow your self to be guided. A meal could begin with antipasti (appetizers) or primi piatti - the latter consisting of pasta asciutta (pasta with some kind ofsauce), pasta in brodo(clear broth with pasta in it), pasta al forno (baked pasta), risotto or a substantial soup. You then move on to secondi piatti, the main meat or fish course, for which you will need to order vegetables (contorni) seperately if you would like them. Afterwards you have formaggi (cheeses), frutta (fruit) or dolci (desserts). Romans don't usually eat cheese as well as a sweet dish, but chees often comes with fruit such as pears., figs or melon. Strong espresso coffe, and perhaps a liqueur (amaro or digestivo) rounds off the meal. You may want to skip the first course, or you may prefer to choose a salad or vegetable dish. Pasta alone tends not to be seen as a full meal.
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