Libreria Kappa Bistrot

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/28/16

This little restaurant was located on the street level of our hotel. After we came back from our jaunt to Piazza Bologna where we shopped for some clothes and shoes, we were exhausted and needed a little rest, but we were also famished. Due to all of this, the restaurant right next to the entrance of our hotel sounded just wonderful.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/28/16

To start with, we had some bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. I had the pasta all’amatriciana (6e) and this was a pretty good version of it, nothing spectacular, but ok. And at these prices I was quite happy with the meal.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/28/16

The son had the burger (5e) and devoured it with a healthy appetite.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/28/16

The older girl had the pasta con ragú alla bolognese (6e) and this was ok also, again, not amazing but good value for money. And the youngest one? She got to taste all of the dishes, as usual.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/28/16

And my lovely wife had the pasta pomodoro (6e) which was a fair example of the simple dish.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/28/16

The restaurant has an interesting decor that hinted at a library (hence the name, I guess) and a university. The atmosphere was relaxed and quite youthful as much of the clientele seemed to be students. The service was quick and attentive and we had a lovely time here.

9/17/16

After a siesta, we went to the Rome Zoo and the beautiful Villa Borghese. But I’ll write about that at a later date.

URL www.libreriakappabistrot.com
Phone +39-0645475580
Address Viale Ippocrate 113-117, 00161 Rome, Italy

Abitudini e Follie

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

Close to the hotel we stayed when vacationing in Rome there was another very nice restaurant that we had dinner. The Abitudini e Follie (habits and humor) has a very nice terrace on the street and on one evening we decided to take it for a spin.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

When we arrived to the restaurant, it was packed with young people, but we got a seat outside (it was still very warm) and started to peruse the menu.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

We decided to go for some charcuterie (I think this was 17e) and cheeses for starters and these were just lovely. The portion was rather large, but then again we had five people going at it. I especially liked to nibble on the matured cheeses.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

We got some focaccia on the side, and they brought us things to dip it in.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

Some olive oil, tapenade etc.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

Going through the menu, it was interesting to note that the restaurant seemed to have a slightly more modern take on the Italian/Roman dishes we had seen elsewhere. But also, I guess a list of Roman pizza, i.e. “pinza“, where we picked up a margherita (12e) for one of the kids.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

The pinze was very good and had a real rustic feel to it, but also excellent ingredients.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

I had the cacio e pepe (12e), but this one had also a lemon zest thing going on and some scampi’s to boot. This was a very good dish and an interesting take on the classic Roman dish.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

But I think I still preferred the La Laurea version of it. Probably since I have not had the classical version that many times before.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

For the older girl we took the ragú di scorfano (12e) which was again a new (at least to us) look at the classical ragú pasta dish, but this time with a fish ragú.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

This dish was also very tasty and well done and I have to say that it was very interesting to see a restaurant with such a varied menu and not offering the same dishes that seemingly all the restaurants had.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

Inside the restaurant was an interesting counter with various cheeses on display and from what I gather the restaurant offers also an “aperitivo buffet“, which sounds like something that we should have tried also (maybe next time) just see the snacks on offer.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

The tables and decor in the restaurant seemed also very nice and the whole place had a very good atmosphere.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

I definitely recommend the restaurant, especially if you are looking for something a bit different from the usual fare.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

URL www.abitudiniefollie.it
Phone +39-064441459
Address Via Pavia 28, Rome, Italy

La Taverna del Ghetto

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

We used the taxi’s in Rome extensively when moving around and on one of these excursions we went to see the Barbie and Mucha exhibition. On this trip we walked around the Campidoglio area, although this time we passed the excellent Capitoline Museums.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

My wife and I had visited the museum when we were in Rome some years ago and the children could not stomach another museum immediately after the exhibition. From there we continued towards the Marcello Theater and then took a turn to walk past the Temple of Apollo Sosianus.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

At this point we were rather exhausted from all the walking and the high noon sun. Strolling through the streets of the Roman Ghetto, we were engaged with various restaurant “in-throwers” (is there a better term for these?) and as much as I dislike the custom of peddling the restaurant we did ultimately decide to enter the La Taverna del Ghetto.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

The heat was just too much and the fixed price (12e) menu with an apéritif, a starter and a pasta dish with water included sounded good enough. At first we sat down outside in the lovely terrace by the street, but as the restaurant had air conditioning, we moved inside.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

The starter was grilled artichokes with some lemon. I liked these and got quite enough as the children left quite a bit on their plates. The bread was also included in the menu and we got some balsamic vinegar and olive oil to dip the breads in.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

The main course (sorry for the horrible picture) was Fettuccine al sugo di stracotto (pasta with a tomato and meat sauce). This was a lovely dish with a great tasting sauce and high quality pasta.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

This was one of the better pasta dishes we had in Rome and I highly recommend the restaurant as I feel it was very good value for money, especially considering the area it’s located in.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

The restaurant was charming and well kept, with white tablecloths and some pictures from past customers lining the walls. We had a wonderful time here and felt very welcome as the staff waited on us. The kids were also well received by the waiters.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

After the relaxing and filling meal we went off and started trekking towards the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary. That was a blast with the kids and from there it was just a short walk to get to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. And then it was time once again for a taxi back to the hotel.

Rome / Lazio / Italy - 6/29/16

URL www.latavernadelghetto.com
Phone +39-0668809771
Address Via del Portico D’Ottavia 8, Rome, Italy