Restaurants in Rome

[Ken Schechet]

My family is going to Rome in late May. We will be staying in an apartment between the Colosseum and the basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano. Does anyone have any favorite restaurants or wine bars convenient to that area?

[Daniel Rogov]

Rome surely does boast some fine restaurants - those from reasonably priced family-style trattorias to the most elegant and quite dear. Before responding.....is there a limit on how expensive you want to go? Will you be dining out with children? And, of course, is kashrut an issue?

Best
Rogov

[Mike_F]

Take a look at viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20163&p=172815

[Daniel Rogov]

Thanks, Mike. I forgot all about that thread.

Best
Rogov

[Ken Schechet]

Mike, thanks very much for the thread.

Rogov, kashrut is not an issue. My "kids" are in their thirties. We might go for one expensive meal but we're mostly looking for neighborhood places, where an actual Roman might go for dinner. Several of your suggestions in the thread seem on the mark. Thanks.

[Mike_F]

Ken - Enjoy! Once you return, any updates, additions or corrections to that information will be appreciated.

best,

mike

[Ken Schechet]

Am back and happy to add two restaurants to the list. I stayed in the neighborhood just east of the Coliseum, known as San Clemente. In fact, I was just down the street from Il Gladiatore, one of Rogov's recommendations. That's a nice restaurant with a drop dead view of the Coliseum but can be noisy because of the cars, scooters and buses roaring through the Piazza del Colosseo. Worth it for the view. We wound up eating in that neighborhood several times and I have two very nice restaurants to recommend there.

Trattoria Luzzi at Via S. Giovanni in Laterano, 88 is a very popular casual restaurant with a more varied menu than Il Gladiatore. It is simple Roman cuisine and quite well done. It is absolutely filled with tourists until about 9 PM and then the Romans come out and take it over.

A block or so further east on the same street is Ristorante Isidor. The owner is Jewish but it's definately not kosher. Very good array of starters and excellent seafood dishes, although I doubt you can go far wrong with anything here. Clientele is largely locals.

[Trevor F]

A block or so further east on the same street is Ristorante Isidor. The owner is Jewish but it's definately not kosher.

Reminds me of Milan in the late 90s. The hard copy of the Jewish Travel Guide recommended a kosher restaurant in Via Sciesa, a few minutes walk from the Duomo. So one evening in the winter I ventured along after work, found the place, looked at the menu in the window and saw 'lumache' or snails on the menu. Thinking perhaps the place had changed hands I wandered off and then saw a group of young kipa-wearing blokes walking past me into the restaurant. Thought this looks interesting.... frummers eating snails, this sort of thing........ so I followed them into the restaurant, straight through the main room into the back where there was a separate restaurant serving kosher food. I have forgotten the name of the restaurant, I don't know if it's still there, but you had to order your meal a day in advance. I don't know what I want for lunch or dinner the same day, let alone the next.