Rome: are these the 11 restaurants with the best value for money?

2023 Author: Cody Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:20

How would it be that the cost of oil drops and I arrive in the middle of the month with my dinner budget already finished? Ah, here: I live in Lombardy, a factor in this case not entirely negligible.

Not that in the Nordic capital, Milan, there are no places where the value for money is not favorable, but let's face it that a Rome and surroundings, the choice would be wider and my fattening budget would last longer.

That said, and given that the capital I frequent her as an eater as soon as I can, it is right to mention Roman names and surnames of those who stand out for their economy mixed with good food, so that you too can be more serene and do the math in your pocket on next month's budget.

No more faraonic accounts or restaurants designed for the wild lure of tourists or inexperienced citizens: only good addresses that deserve the Capitoline nobel for anti-bloodletting accounts and deserving menus.

STREET FOOD: FUN FOOD

Street food ennobled. Poor recipes and selected ingredients. Food that is fun and that you take for a walk. We needed someone who grasped the idea and made her walk on fast and safe legs.

The chef Federico Iavicoli succeeded, who made a boom with the supplì fried in Nocellara oil, the Greek salad, the Caesar's Salad with the meat of chickens raised in the open, even the amatriciana to be enjoyed while walking in the packaging. hoc.

And the quarter of an hour of lunch break in the metropolitan chaos of San Giovanni has never been the same.

Fun food - Via Appia Nuova 131 - Rome. Average price: 15/20 euros

TRADITIONAL CUISINE: FIRST AT THE PIGNETO

Do you want, what do I know, offal in the old way? The traditional cuisine of Primo al Pigneto is now also known by the stones, but it is always good to remember that here there is quality at fair prices, not overloaded with unnecessary frills.

Additional savings on tasting menus, which allow you to taste more dishes without crying over binge at checkout.

From first courses to desserts, however, go soft.

First in Pigneto - Via del Pigneto, 46 - Rome. Average price: 45 euros.

HIGH CUISINE: PIPERO AL REX

Start with a carbonara (I tell you: it would be a mortal sin to leave here without having tasted it), and then finish with other less traditional, but equally appreciated, good things.

At Pipero al Rex the cuisine of Luciano Monosilio is a certainty, thanks to recipes that range from fish and meat and from which I would find it hard to choose, and the beauty (after having given us a heavy fork) is that the bill will not ruin your rest of the day.

Not even the wine, that chilling variable that in the end always inflates everything, emptying your wallet. Here you can rest assured, haute cuisine at fair prices.

Pipero al Rex - Via Torino, 149 - Rome. Average price: 75 euros.

TRATTORIA: DA CESARE

We have already talked about it, and we will gladly talk about it again, since Da Cesare is one of the examples that Roman trattorias not for tourists really exist, and there are still those where the relationship between quality and price is not just a mirage.

Choose what you want from the menu: it will be difficult to come across "wrong" dishes, in all probability you will choose well anyway.

If you want a tip, or even two, there are gnocchi with tail sauce, there are the great “de Roma” classics and even the second courses are no joke.

From Cesare, Via del Casaletto, 45 - Rome. Average price: 33 euros.

AFRICAN: AFRICA

You will leave happy and satisfied, we have no doubts. Of course, if you are not used to strong tastes, forget it: here we don't go for the subtle, when there are spices you can feel it, when a dish is spicy, I assure you that you will notice.

Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine, despite not having many terms of comparison and not knowing the subject in depth, is tasty, decisive, in short, we like it.

And here we also like the price, you will like it too.

Africa - Via Gaeta, 26 (Independence Square) - Rome. Average price: 25 euros.

INDIAN: MAHARAJAH

Lovers of samosas sit comfortably. Indeed very comfortable on chairs that seem to come out of the dining room of the Marajah himself.

In this Indian restaurant, prices and dishes are aligned, the relationship between expense and quality is excellent, whether you choose the tasting menu (meat, fish or vegetarian), or whether you choose the menu.

Authentic and loaded, as true Indian cuisine dictates, the dishes of the Maharajah conquered the Romans to the sound of aubergines, cumin, legumes and spices as if it were raining. So much so that the Maharajah has opened his second restaurant in the capital.

Marajah - Via dei Serpenti, 124 - Rome. Average price: 28 euros.

JAPANESE: SUSHISEN

If the menu on the tablet (rich and extensive) sends you haywire, you can always observe the conveyor belt of the Sushisen and get an idea of the many dishes that the kitchen offers to give free rein to your desire for Japanese food.

Difficult to go wrong, however, since between cold and hot, known recipes or not, the quality of the food is still good.

It is also impossible to get confused about the expense, since the colors will help you on the cost (each dish is combined with a color that corresponds to a precise cost). Eel, crab, salmon, but also chicken and a tempura that doesn't joke.

Sushisen - Via Giuseppe Giulietti, 21 Rome. Average price: 36 euros.

CHINESE: LIN

Forget for a moment the great classicons, but only for a moment. There are some well-known dishes here, so spring roll aficionados will not be disappointed.

But there is more: here you will not be struck by precocious gray hair reading the menu as it happens in many Chinese restaurants.

The menu is rather lean, full of good things and recipes revised and rethought to take advantage of local raw materials. The price is good and fair, also considering the quality of the grilled meat ravioli.

Lin - Via Basento 70 - 76, Rome. Average price: 28 euros.

BRUNCH: FACTORY

A breakthrough brunch: lots, good, at a reasonable price. There is fun if you like to nibble on a little bit of everything, since there is no shortage of proposals here at brunch time.

It starts with savory with rustic pies, comfort dishes and even some variations on the fusion theme, with spices, ethnic recipes and the legendary fantozziana omelette with onions and potatoes.

Leave a space, indeed a conspicuous space, for the sweet part of brunch: this former confectionery factory still has a lot to tell in terms of desserts.

Fabrica - Via G. Savonarola, 8 - Rome. Average price: 19 euros without drinks.

HAMBURGER: HAMBURGHESERIA

You will pay 15 euros for the most expensive hamburger, but beware of you: this is 400 grams of Danish beef, with all the related trinkets.

The rest of the offer is more humane, in the sense of proportion, and overall we like a little bit of everything: chips, nachos and even onion rings.

Certainly not "Milanese" prices for a burger shop that has its own why.

Hamburgheseria - Via Dei Reti, 40 - Rome. Hamburger prices: 7-15 euros. French fries: 3, 50 euros.

PIZZA: ROUND

The evolution of pizza that has brought so many good things on the innovation front is fine. Sometimes, however, especially in order not to spend a fortune and indulge in the "luxury" of a pizza as God commands, a reasonable expense is still enough.

Here at Tonda, in fact, you will not be defeated by a disproportionate bill and you will continue to eat a good pizza, made as it should be, leavened as much as it should be, with convincing combinations in the filling.

If we want to opt for a "classic" (or at least not too elaborate) we would stay on the Margheritissima, the simple Margherita plus Parmesan. And if you also want something more, here the appetizers are not bad.

Round - Via Valle Corteno, 31 (Nomentana Battery) - Rome. Average price: 20 euro.