Roma Italia
Taverna Barberini

Taverna Barberini

Via Delle Quattro Fontane, 160, 00184 Roma, Roma Italia, Italy

Caffè • Bevande • Italiano • Cocktail


"Ah, Roma! I 'm seriously missing you right now. Taverna Barberini is one of the places my mind keeps reimagining as I think back on my trip. It 's the kind of restaurant that truly encapsulates the allurement of Rome, at least for me. The carefree hustle of the city around you, the warm invitation to come downstairs and immerse yourself in an intimate setting, classic Roman dishes made bright with simple ingredients and herbs. All lovely. Although we were tempted to wander downstairs into the warm light as if visiting an old friend, we opted to sit outside to enjoy the crisp autumn weather and the busy street side sights. There are only a few tables outside and quarters are super close on the sidewalk, but that 's part of the experience. I 'm comfortable in a tight spot if the environment around me is dynamic including exceptional cuisine, wine, and beloved company! My friend and I found Taverna Barberini on Yelp by searching gluten free and vegetarian. You 'd think we 'd have trouble finding legit food in Italy with our dietary needs/choices, but we had no bumps at all. So much great food and people who took our eating issues seriously. Taverna Barberini had an incredible array of choices! Almost everything could be made senza glutina, hallelujah. I wish I could remember the exact name of my dish, I apologize, but I 've included pictures of my plate! It was some kind of Roman pasta dish made with an incredible tomato sauce (I think with pieces of pork/lardons), super thick gluten free spaghetti noodles, and red pepper, all sprinkled with grated parmesan. It was outstanding. The flavor of the sauce was so rich, like it 'd been simmering for days. The spice was perfection and the noodles cooked a splendid al dente. Really an amazing dish. As in most of the places I ate in Rome and Florence, the service wasn 't quite as attentive as I 'm used to, and I loooove it. No one is rushing you in and then out of their restaurant. It 's a much more relaxed vibe, you know? Eat and enjoy. Take the time to soak in your environment, your company, your food and drink. I really don 't understand people who rush through meals, but for me, eating is always the main event!"

Taverna Cestia

Taverna Cestia

Via Piramide Cestia 65, Roma Italia, Italy

Pizza • Romano • Casuale • Frutti Di Mare


"My family of 3 had dinner here last night. Good thing we had a reservation (for 7pm when the restaurant opens), as when we got there right at 7, we saw a line stretching a block. The line was for those that did not have reservations. There was a smaller line of ~30 people for those with reservations. When the restaurant started seating people, they took a bunch of people from the non reservation line first, which I thought was a bit weird. Since we ended up getting seated, I assume so did everyone else who had a reservation did as well. The restaurant is at basement level and old school decor. They squeeze people in. Our party of 3 got seated at a table meant for 2 with an extra seat placed on the side. Two of us were staring directly at the back storage area/rundown back staircase. When I was walking out after our meal, saw a bunch of empty tables that were better located so can 't explain why we got stuck in the corner. Will give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt... The service was so so. Part of this is attributable to how busy they are, but frankly, we saw some servers just walking back and forth aimlessly. A zoo environment, certainly not the model of efficiency I think one of the reasons this restaurant is so popular are the prices. Everything seemed to be 10 20% less than the same dishes at other restaurants. One annoyance was that when we were seated, there was already a paper bag in the table with some okay, room temperature bread. When we got the bill, there is a 2 euro charge for the bread. I just chalked it up to the cost of eating here but a bit strange IMO. We had: Prosciutto with melon 4/5: the melon was delicious (so sweet). The prosciutto was a bit salty even by prosciutt standards.. Fried calamari and prawns 5/5: perfectly fried and the squid and prawns were both very flavorful. In the U.S., this would have been served with a side of marinara sauce (which would have been great) but assume that 's not the norm here. Spaghetti Corsara (seafood) 5/5: really tasty. Fresh tomato sauce, perfectly cooked seafood and pasta. Portion is pretty big as well compared to pastas at other restaurants. Diavola Pizza 4/5: Sauce, cheese and salami easily 5/5. The crust was a bit thicker than others we 've had and a bit doughy. My daughter and I really enjoyed the food so would overlook the negatives and go back. My wife would not as she 's more about the entire experience vs. Just the food."

Vacanze Romane

Vacanze Romane

Piazza Navona, Roma Italia, 00186, Italy

Vino • Pizza • Pasta • Brunch


"Since we went for brunch, we beat the hefty touristy crowds, and were able to secure almost the entire patio to ourselves! By the time we were done and ready to leave, many tables were already reserved, and customers didn't have as much freedom to sit wherever they wanted to. For brunch, we decided to order my favourite, the bruschetta (original , mushroom risotto for me, and veal with tomatoes for hubby. Aside from my love for bruschetta, the taste was just, well, alright. It didn't exceed our expectations. The bread was quite crunchy, in fact, it was almost too crunchy. I have a feeling this is how Italians eat it (is it? , but it was almost too difficult to bite into it to eat without making a huge mess. In my main dish, the mushroom risotto, the rice in the risotto wasn't really a risotto texture, if that makes any sense. It was kind of like eating... cooked rice with mushrooms in creamy mushroom sauce. I realized that I liked the risotto only because I liked how the sauce tasted. I've tried better risottos, and so, as much as I wanted to like the restaurant's food, I wasn't that impressed at this point. The veal with tomatoes was average, nothing fancy pancy about it that sticks out of my mind. When I tasted it, it tasted pretty good. I think it tasted good because I didn't really know how veal with tomatoes were supposed to really taste like. All in all, it was a pleasant experience, not because the food was majorly great, but because we had sunny weather, the patio to ourselves, and for the prime location of the restaurant. Would we go back here again? Probably not. Save your money for somewhere else!"