Pierluigi - avoid at all costs
why? i saw “high class gastronomy” and that’s a turnoff for me… nothing wrong with it, but in general, i much prefer low key dining and don’t love the fanciness / fussiness of what gastronomy typically implies.
2 Likes
I recall lots of horror stories of rude service, improper charges, etc pre-covid on Chowhound.
1 Like
I could not agree more strongly or emphasize this more! Do not go to Pierluigi.
Got dragged to Pierluigi by friends. Thoroughly mediocre bordering on poor, bland and unimaginative. Was so pissed I wasted a meal there and didn’t get to go to Tempio di Iside.
Others know Rome better than I, but would second @robert’s rec for Testaccio market. Really good food and a fun lunch.
The only other thing I’d put on your radar is pizza, maybe taglio at Bonci (or wherever people are liking these days) or Neapolitan at Piccolo Buco. And I had a great meal at Trecca, but it’s a bit out of the way and has a very small menu in comparison to De Cesare.
Where are you staying in Rome? and when? Food is very seasonal in Rome so my recommendations vary depending on the date.
1 Like
Emma has some of if not the best pizza in Rome. To my knowledge, no one else makes pizza with black-truffle mortadella.
I don’t know that Rome does Neapolitan-style as well as LA. In Rome you want to eat Roman pizza, which comes in two types: a taglio aka rustica, for lunch or a snack by the piece, often sold by weight (Bonci is the king of that styles) to take away, or very thin round individual pies, at sit-down pizzerie many of which are open only for dinner. Emma’s pies are that style and they’re open for lunch.
There’s also the kind of “pizza” that they sell at Forno Campo de’ Fiori and Antico Forno Roscioli, which is sort of closer to focaccia, six-foot-long breads sold by the slice or weight. At the latter they also make sandwiches with them.
1 Like
Good point. I didn’t clock Emma in skimming the original post. Was not my favorite (style thing) while there last summer, but I do understand/agree it’s superlative in its category. Was more highlighting taglio, pinsa, and Bonci etc.
I do think Piccolo Buco is better than anything in LA, save maybe Sei. But I get not seeking it out when in Rome and not a hill to die on…
1 Like
Hi Robert, we are going in late July / early August and staying at the W. Love your recs so far so keep them coming! Thank you!
1 Like
PIccolo Abruzzo is nearby and a lot of fun. You might read up a bit on the cuisine if you’re not familiar with it.
https://www.piccoloabruzzo.it/
In the other direction, if you’re wandering around the Piazza di Spagna / Via del Corso triangle and want a restaurant that’s off the beaten tourist path, Otello alla Concordia.
1 Like
Pivoting a bit from food… Dessert! All we know is gelato. I think I have a good handle on Florence (Carabe, Santa Trinita and My Sugar) but what about Rome? What do folks recommend and are there other dessert places I need to be thinking about in Rome or Florence?
Thanks!
1 Like
Not really much of a thing in Rome except for bakeries and gelato. Pasticceria Boccione. Fiocco di Neve. Granita di caffe at Tazza d’Oro.
1 Like
I was pretty into the maritozzi at Regoli, but for breakfast.
Thanks! This thread was super helpful. FWIW, in case helpful in the future for others, here’s what we ended up changing:
- a few folks wondered whether all the meals would be too much food, but rather than eliminate meals, we substituted in a few seafood places that sounded amazing and offer up lighter fare
- La Gensola was one of the seafood places that seemed to be a can’t mass and we subbed it out for Tram Tram which was probably the most divisive restaurant we had on the original list.
- We’re gonna do Emma for lunch and Roscioli for dinner, as the kids love Pizza and while it’s a dinner thing for Italians, it felt like a somewhat lighter meal we could do for lunch to carbo load for a long day of walking!
- Rather than hit both Mercato Centrale’s, we subbed the MC in Rome out for Testaccio given both MC’s have significant overlap in food vendors
- In another attempt to do more seafood - we subbed in Il Tempio Di Iside for Trattoria Monti
- Rather than double up on Tamero, although my wife is a pasta fiend, we subbed out the dinner at Tamero for Antico Bottaio which again got rave reviews
I am so excited… cannot wait to see Italy again. Even just clicking on menus and seeing italian words has me salivating, lol.
2 Likes
I don’t think many if any of the vendors at the Testaccio market are anywhere else. They’re small independent shops that are there every day.
Emma is not just a pizzeria, that’s just a small part of the menu. Roscioli is really cramped and uncomfortable. They just squeezed a bunch of patio furniture into a deli to turn it into a restaurant. I don’t understand why anyone eats there with Emma a couple of blocks away.
1 Like
I had lunch at Rimessa Roscioli on the patio/street, but I guess that’s a Sunday only thing. Isn’t Rimessa a full service restaurant though, and not a converted deli?
Ah yeah. I wrote it poorly. I meant the Mercayo Centrale’s in Rome and Florence have a lot of overlap, so took your rec on testaccio to change it up!
Yeah, we may change Roscioli out. We booked the wine cellar which seems cool but will have to do some more research…
I don’t know that place, maybe it’s a real restaurant. I’m talking about the original deli on Via deI Giubbonari.
1 Like
From the photos on Yelp, Rimessa has regular tables and chairs, looks way more comfortable than Salumeria Roscioli but less so than Emma. Reportedly it was conceived by a sommelier and is focused on fixed menus with wine pairings.
I think in this context “rimessa” means something like storehouse, hence the walls covered with shelves of wine bottles.
1 Like
It’s down the road towards the river from the og/salumeria. They present it as their wine concept but it’s full service and has nice outdoor seating like Emma. Menu appears more limited than the salumeria.