Great Restaurants and Bars in Rome

I spent 2 1/2 days in Rome.  We had a couple of the best meals I have ever eaten.  2 places were recommendations from locals we met and several were finds from "Roma by Night" a restaurant and nightlife guide book I bought that was in Italian and English.  I highly recommend buying a guide like this if you can find it as you will get some great ideas and the restaurants are likely to be less touristy and more of where the locals hang out.

Ristorante der Pallaro Oh my god!  Talk about a fantastic little find.  The Chef is a woman named Pauola who is everything you expect an Italian grandmother to be.  She will come out in between cooking meals and say hello and make sure that you are enjoying her cooking.    There are no menus, which made eating there exciting for me.  We had a 4 course dinner that made my mouth water.  The lentils were delightful; we had a tasting of 2 different pastas and a meat dish.  I believe she changes things up all the time, and if you want to go back she will cater it to make sure you get something different.  Go there and put your culinary experience in her hands, and  you will have a fantastic night.

Largo del Pallaro, 15 in Campo de' Fiore 06.68801488

Ristorante Il Ciak –

On our last night in Rome we visited Ristorante Il Ciak.  It had been a recommendation from the "Roma by Night" book.  We had another spectacular meal.  Their specialty is Tuscan cuisine with a focus on Char-grilled meat.  There were very few people speaking English and the menu was all in Italian.  It was definitely not geared for tourists!  We loved it.   We had ravioli in a Wild Boar sauce and Pasta Amatriciana both were out of this world.  We also had a grilled pork dish that was so fresh we though we had gotten the wrong thing because it didn’t taste like any pork I had ever had.  It was outstanding.  This section in Trastevere is filled with restaurants so if this one is too packed there were some others right around the corner that looked fantastic.  

Vicolo dei Cinque, 21 Trastevere.   +39 06 58 94 774

Wine Bar Cul de Sac

If you are looking for a place for fantastic cheese and meats with a great selection of wine, Cul de Sac is a very popular place right near Piazza Navona.  They have a great wine list and it's a nice area to sit outside and pass the night away.  If you are going during a colder season the inside is warm, welcoming and small so you might have the chance to mingle.

The night life really gets fun in the square in Campo de' Fiore.  Especially in the summer with all the outside seating.   It is a great place to enjoy the languid summer nights.  Some other bars to check out are:

Obika (also a mozzarella bar where you can sample top-quality Mozzarella di Bufala Campana that is delivered daily from Paestum and Agro Pontino)  They have 2 locations in Rome.    www.obika.it

La Vineria.  A great place to sit and take in the scenery over a glass of vino.   Campo Dei Fiore 15.