Visiting a restaurant in Rome: the best tips!

How your trip becomes a culinary experience: Everything about the culinary side of the city!

The Roman cuisine is a highlight of every trip to Rome – unfortunately, among the numerous great pizzerias, trattorias and restaurants, there are unfortunately more and more black sheep, which are tantamount to a real tourist rip-off. We’ll show you how to avoid such shops – to make your trip to Rome an unforgettable experience in a positive sense!

But before that, you can visit Moers Restaurant if you want to eat some Italian dishes. And you don’t need to go to Rome of course.

Find the right restaurant in Rome

The choice of restaurants in Rome is almost endless! Especially in the center, one bar follows the next. But especially here you should be careful: There are certainly one or two charming restaurants around the Pantheon, Piazza Navona & Co – but the majority of the local restaurateurs have designed the offer for tourists who are not planning the restaurant anyway to visit a second time.

That translates into poor quality, lousy service and overpriced prices. The following 3 points should be a clear knockout criterion when looking for a restaurant:

• The host displays models of his dishes in a showcase next to his menu.
• The restaurant has a recruiter who attracts customers (especially tourists) from the street to the restaurant – not to be confused with a friendly “Buona sera” from a table guide!
• The restaurant is obviously full of tourists.

Don’t let yourself be tempted by a real Italian-looking ambience with red and white checked tablecloths. The best pizzerias in town, for example, serve on unadorned and undecorated marble tables. Fortunately, however, there is also certain evidence that a restaurant is a good choice:

• The menu is kept clear and focuses on a few typical dishes.
• The restaurant is not only full, it is also a bit louder and more turbulent – a sign that many “real” Romans are guests – or, even better:
• You can see a priest among the guests.

The best neighborhoods to eat out in Rome

Our ultimate tip against culinary faux pas in almost every restaurant in the center of Rome: Treat yourself to a small snack during the day and move your dinner to the traditional nightlife districts of Trastevere and Monti or to the food paradise Testaccio.

This is where the selection of renowned and “genuinely Roman” restaurants is greatest! But be careful: As the Romans usually come together for dinner, it is advisable to reserve a table!

Typical dishes in the restaurant in Rome

A look at a Roman menu may also confuse travelers who have not been to Italy before. Because: In Italy – at least in theory – you usually order one course more than in Germany. The following sections can be found on the map:

• Antipasti – Typical for Italian starters are not only dishes such as Caprese (tomato with mozzarella) or Vitello Tonato (veal in tuna sauce), but also colorfully mixed antipasti plates. These contain, for example, vegetables pickled in oil, such as eggplant or artichoke, as well as sausage and cheese specialties.
• Primi Plati – For Italians, the antipasti is usually followed by a pasta or risotto dish. Spaghetti Amatricana (with spicy tomato sauce and smoked bacon from the pork cheek) or Cacio e pepe (pepper and grated pecorino – a hard cheese made from sheep’s milk, a bit spicier than Parmesan) are typically Roman. The prices are a little cheaper than for a pasta dish in Germany, but the portions are usually more compact.
• Secondi Plati – only then are meat or fish served. Whether offal or tuna steak – this course usually comes without a side dish. But it is no longer mandatory. If you’re done after the Primi Plati or want to jump straight to dessert, that’s no problem!
• Dolci – The typical Italian dessert temptations such as tiramisu or zabaione fall into this category. Actually, it goes without saying that this has to be struck again!

Also important: never order the espresso – in Rome simply caffè – for dessert. You only drink it afterwards! The “nightcap”, for example a delicious limoncello, follows at the very end.