Confession: I was not blown away by the food in Rome.
In fact, nearly every restaurant offers the same classic dishes: Carbonara, all'Amatriciana, Cacio e Pepe and Arrabiata. We ate our share of these, as well as loads of delicious pizza - but sadly, I had the horror of receiving (and sending back) a frozen lasagne.
It was heartbreaking, I tell you!Our two best meals came recommended by friends. The first was written up on several travel websites as being the "Best pizza in Rome." And days before I left, Jora of
Domestic Reflections endorsed it as well. After a long day of sight-seeing, we somehow managed to get there just in time. We were third in line to get a table but before we knew it, there was an enormous queue all the way down the street.
Location:
Pizzeria da Baffetto (original location near Piazza Navona)
Via del Governo Vecchio, 114
00186 Roma (Lazio), Italy
Energetic and lively, this family run pizzeria has quite the cult following with celebrities and tourists alike. And although I prefer a simple margherita pizza, we decided to also try their
Baffetto Special which was topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, artichoke, olive, onion, and AN EGG! Unusual, but delicious.
Our other favorite meal also came highly recommended by two different friends, one of which has a sister who is a famous actress in Italy, so I figured it must be good!
Location: Enoteca Antica (near the Spanish Steps)
Via della Croce, 76,
00187 Rome (Lazio), Italy
We arrived early as the children were exhausted and famished. Although we were nearly the only ones eating at that time, our waitress was great and the food was superb! She found Max particularly charming after he busted her smoking around the corner of the building. "You're going to die! You're going to die," he yelled at her. She found it amusing to be chastised by a three year old, so she sat and chatted with the children while my husband and I ate in peace.
Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of the food as I was too busy eating it! You'll just have to take my word that it's a restaurant worth seeking out the next time you are in Rome. And in the future, I will definitely take the time to query more friends on restaurant recommendations. We had very little luck using the guidebooks I bought because over half of the suggested restaurants were closed for summer holidays or impossible to find.
All in all, eating in Rome was rather disappointing and very, very expensive. But with all the wine, Peroni and gelato we ingested, it wasn't like we were going to wither away!
It's funny, just yesterday I found myself saying I could care less about cars...
