Okay, so here's what happened: I sat down at Trattoria de Gabriella in Tivoli, expecting a nice,…read morerustic lunch. You know, something light, maybe a salad, a glass of wine, with some old Italian man yelling across the piazza. Classic Italian midday fantasy. Instead, my life flashed before my eyes. Not because of a near-death experience (though the richness of the smoked cheese could have qualified), but because this meal came for my soul. First, the salad. Which, listen, was not a salad. It was a garden daydream. Leaves so fresh they were still negotiating their contract with the soil. Then came the spinach-stuffed ravioli. Imagine a soft pillow filled with the very essence of Italian virtue, then drenched with a cream and butter sauce. The pasta was made fresh probably hours before. And finally, the smoked cheese which I'm convinced isn't even legal in some countries. The trattoria has been around forever, like, probably older than some Renaissance art, and stepping inside feels like being adopted by a family you didn't know you needed. Make sure you wear stretchy pants.

We paid €11,00 extra to have a three course lunch w/ a glass of wine inc in the tour to Tivoli…read more I'm glad that the tour operator brought us to TdG that is rustic. It is away fr the touristy places in the middle of the square close to Villa d'Este. You would prolly need breadcrumbs to find your way back to the square bc it is hard to find. For our antipasto we had bruschetta. It was a nice light start after a lot of walking on a hot day. The primo was an option of spaghetti aglio & olio w/ crushed red peppers, or spaghetti amatriciana. I chose the latter, but had to swap w/ the ITC bc her dish was too spicy. She is fr Milan in Northern Italy where they eat more risotto and polenta. She prefers basic Roman pasta. Nonetheless, both pastas were simple dishes, executed very well. The pasta was al dente vs the overcooked crap we get in the States. In addition, neither was drowned in sauce, or inc a softball sized meatball. The bacon in the amatriciana was subtle, but sufficient to balance starch w/ protein. Lastly, the secondo was an option of thinly sliced roast pork or burrata. To me, the latter was a great way to end the meal on a hot day. I had a bite of ITC's thinly sliced pork, and it was very good. The meat was tender and tasted great w/ the reduction. Regarding the ambiance, all of the other patrons were local inc the Chief of Police and some of his officers. The female chef came out to talk to one of her regulars, as is customary in small towns like Tivoli. Likewise, the service was friendly and warm. Our waiter appreciated that I spoke a little Italian, but like almost all Italians, English is the language they know best after their mother tongue. If you do visit Villa d'Este, skip the touristy restaurants in the square where pretty ladies w/ menus try to flag you down. TdG is where the locals eat, and where you can have simple food done well.

Best lasagna I've ever had!…read more And if you're looking for a quick lunch spot - they got us in and out of there in 20 minutes. Looking forward to eating there again and trying more dishes!

Delicious Pasta in Rome! Yelp is not with a massive presence internationally, but this place was…read morefantastic. There are obviously some restaurants that are tourist traps in Rome, but the food is usually good. This restaurant was tasty and a great meal to have while in Rome!

This was a beautiful restaurant! We came at around 6pm and were seated at a table for drinks before…read morewe could order dinner, which was only available after 7/7:30. The cocktails were very meticulously prepared and very good. Once we ordered food, we transitioned to wine. We split the meat and cheese plate, which was one of the best plates I've had for the quality and quantity. My friend got the gnocchi, which she said was one of the best pasta dishes she's had in her life. I had the cacio e pepe, which was very simple and delicious. The place was rather slow from the service standpoint, but other than that, we can see ourselves coming back again or recommending it to our friends!

Was on the hunt for our first breakfast in Rome, and Yelp led us here. It was tucked away in a…read moreneighborhood, and all the tables were in use so we had to sit in comfy leather chairs, but we later asked to switch to a table to make it easier to eat. Service is slow here, but I figure that's the European style. I had the egg casserole which was a piece of bread, not fully cooked egg, ham, cheese, and zucchini. It was unique and delicious! Their portions are quite small, but again, understandable for Italian breakfasts! Really cute environment and friendly staff.

Today was a long and grueling day of walking on pavement, cobblestones, and whatever else the…read moreRomans used 2,000 years ago. As a Southern American trying to navigate Rome, I'm still completely confused. I cannot for the life of me figure out north vs. south or east vs. west in this city. Every street somehow looks historic, beautiful, and exactly the same. By 9 PM, after walking more than 10 miles today and standing in countless lines -- one for over an hour -- I was exhausted. I was close to my hotel and started looking for somewhere to eat. I had already passed Sofia earlier and really didn't want to backtrack even a few blocks. But after going the wrong direction again and somehow ending up right back near it, I figured that was a sign. So, Sofia it was. My ordering skills in Italy are still not exactly professional level. I really need a local Italian to help me. Yeah, I'm slow... remember, I'm from the South. I ordered the Mezza Maniche Carbonara. I mean, you can't really go wrong with noodles, cheese, and pork, right? A few minutes after ordering, they brought out this little appetizer-looking thing that I'm still confused about. It was this tiny little ball about the size of my thumb. I took one bite and it was absolutely delicious. Honestly, I'm not even sure I want to know what was in it, but at that point I was hungry enough not to ask questions. Then the pasta arrived. Drumroll... First bite? Absolutely divine. Rich, creamy, cheesy pasta with perfectly cooked pork mixed throughout. Fantastic. I devoured the entire plate, chased it down with a Coke, grabbed my glass bottle of water, and walked down the street carrying it like a Roman wino. Great food, great atmosphere, and a perfect little outdoor dining setup on one of Rome's tiny city streets

Great staff and food! Small plates with very interesting and fresh flavors. Combination of unique…read moreand creative dishes alongside classics. Would definitely recommend ordering lots of options and sharing! Restaurant is also gluten free friendly, offering both pasta and bread options.

Unexpected find in Testaccio, a hidden gem where you can savor gourmet seafood dishes at very…read morereasonable prices. It's "osteria" style, but offering attentive service and bold menu options, like artichoke-crusted sea-bream, or zucchini-flower-crusted bass with potatoes and grilled calamari. That's a mouthful, and a delicious one. I did not get to try the pasta, I think that appetizer + main course is a great combo. Among the starters, notable zucchini flowers, anchovies and mozzarella au gratin, even more delicious than the eggplant parmigiana. Desserts are all home-made, if you have a sweet tooth, it pays to save some room for the exquisite "tortino ai frutti di bosco", or a classic Tiramisu. Even the bread is good! In summary, a not overly sophisticated seafood place with excellent ingredients, novel combinations and pleasantly reasonable prices.

Lived in Rome for a few months and this was one of my best dinners. It isn't much to look at but…read morethe food was delicious. It's mostly seafood with some wonderful 'off the menu' items. Highly recommend it if you're in town

Best Amatriciana I've had in a while! The guanciale was perfection: super crispy on the outside and…read moremelt-in-your-mouth tender on the inside. For dessert, we tried the tiramisu and enjoyed it, but I heard the chocolate mousse is a must-try.

Perfect gem for a local, authentic Roman experience. Used the English menu to order cacio y pepe,…read morepan roasted lamb, gnocchi, salad, and tiramisu. We want to go back to try the crème brûlée and chocolate mousse. Wine recs were spot on. We showed up without reservations an hour before closing and didn't leave until an hour after closing because we were having such a wonderful time chatting with the staff and other customers. Reservations are highly recommended especially on weekends and holidays. You can only make reservations by phone. It's a short walk from Ostiense Station and has both indoor and outdoor seating. We really wanted to leave a tip and there's a lowkey tip jar that is a chicken piggy bank by the cash register. Enjoy!

Amazing seafood. Do not go in with a preformed idea of what you want. Instead choose something…read moreappetizing and be prepared for fantastic creativity and flavor. Go in with zero expectations. Friendly staff, excellent menu.

It has very nice decorations inside the restaurant. The food presentation looks great and the food…read morewas flavorful. But the customer service really needs to be improved. We have to go up to the front three times to call the waiter for the English menu, place orders and water. :)

A lovely neighborhood restaurant serving traditional Italian food, we absolutely loved the dishes…read morewe tried. The servers were charming, helpful and obviously loved their work. Ambiance was cozy, historic, lovely.

Everything we ordered was delicious! Our server was so friendly and very knowledgeable of the menu…read moreit made deciding items very easy. It was our last night in Rome and we were very satisfied with our meal. *I would like to point out some menu items shown on yelp are seasonal, like the steaks, so keep that in mind if that's something you wanted to try there.

Also recommended to dine here by our hotel staff and it wasn't the best experience. As a group of…read morefour we came for dinner (6pm) and we did not have reservations. We were told we could sit outside. Another person in our party asked for inside seating but we were told outside only. No biggie. Our server was ok. He seemed to be irritated in general. He presented the chalkboard and went over the specials but we had already chosen our entrees from the standard menu. Two of the ladies wanted to split an appetizer but the waiter kept insisting that it was intended for one person and that ordering just one wouldn't be enough to share. They went ahead with the single order and it was plentiful. Water was 3 euro per vase and the spritz was 15 euro. For entrees we got two orders of the Linguine and two orders of the spaghetti. Prior to the food coming out they brought out a complimentary bread basket. It had 5 slices of bread and then some smaller round breadsticks. The pastas came out shortly after. Presentation was beautiful but the actual pasta dish (I had the lemon linguine) wasn't my favorite. The dish was cold and the noodles were overly hard. It was creamy but had hardly any lemon flavor. The table next to us, a larger group ordered several orders of the lemon linguine and the chef himself came out to greet them and then plated the pasta outside for everyone to see. They were a group of 6 vs our 4. He spoke to them and the table next to us but never acknowledged us. It felt kind of weird. At the end of our meal we asked for to go boxes and the check. We asked to pay separately and the server was visibly upset at our request. We ended out working the payment out amongst ourselves (Venmo-ing each other and such) to lesson the burden. Overall it was ok but not the 5 star, best meal in Italy experience other reviewers tend to mention.

All the comments on this page are correct. WAY too pushy. I am disappointed with the Visconti hotel…read morewho continues to push this restaurant. The food was fine, the pasta was fresh, caprese salad was tasty, the octopus was amazing... but the waitstaff is way over the top pushy. We all laughed because we read the reviews and thought going in, knowing how the service was... we would be fine. We were fine but it was hilarious to see letting the men down as we went with the menu. There are more authentic places (next door) and this was fine... nothing earth shattering in a city with many good restaurants. The lemon plates are cool.