Dining in Rome

Most tourists have a different schedule when it comes to times of dining as opposed to the Italian way of doing things. While most of us tend to head out to eat around 7-8pm, most Italians will head out from around 9pm onwards and 10pm is considered a reasonable time to dine!

Bars, meaning a cafe that serves tea, coffee, some alcoholic beverages and a range of light snacks such as Pannini's (Sandwich) or Pastries generally open from 7am until around 5pm. Before 12pm, you have the typical Italian breakfast on offer, a cornetto (a pastry not an ice cream!) and a milky drink such as a Cafe latte or cappuccino. After 12pm Italians generally switch to the non-brakfast type drink of an espresso and a quick lunch of a slice of Pizza or Sandwich, mainly eaten whilst standing at the counter. If you do choose to sit and enjoy your drinks or food as opposed to standing at the bar, it is worth noting that some places will sometimes charge double the amount for the use of a table! Also worth noting, if you ask for a Latte that's exactly what you will get... a glass of warm milk! If you want coffee in it you have to use the full term Cafe Latte! Most Restaurants / Pizzerias / Hosterias / Trattorias will serve a lunchtime menu from 11.30 until 3pm. They then remain closed until around 7-7.30pm when they open for the evening until around Midnight depending on the day of the week and the area. Most Restaurants that remain serving during the late afternoon or early evening time will cater mainly for tourists which often doesn't promise good food. For a late afternoon snack, Pizza by the slice, priced by weight is often the way to go until a proper meal later in the evening. Eating in the main squares may seem like a nice idea but you will find that the food often lacks quality and can be very over priced. Side streets off the main Piazza's are the way to go, being far more reasonably priced and usually offering much better food. In Italy, it tends to be less about the surroundings or the decor of the restaurant and more about the quality of the food. A place may look cheap or basic to you but it will be packed full of locals who know they serve the best Pasta in Rome! If there's a good mix of locals and tourists it's usually a good choice! Restaurants are generally the more expensive choice of dining, Trattoria's and Hostaria's tend to be more low key and perhaps more traditional, offering good food at reasonable prices.

Some Restaurants will automatically add a service charge to your bill, these tend to be the more touristy places however. Many good restaurants usually have signs saying no service charge or service charge not included, in this case if you are happy with your meal and the service provided a tip of 5-10% is normal.

When you're short on time and have places to be, a quick snack from one of the many Vans or street vendors around Rome may seem like a good idea, until you pay the price and taste the food!! A bottle of water from a discount supermarket can cost from 15 cents to 1 Euro. Street carts can charge up to €5 for the same bottle, so stock up from the supermarket if you can. You just need to take one bottle out with you in the morning and fill up for free from one of the many drinking fountains from around the City. The water is cold, clean, pure and perfectly OK to drink, only if there is a sign saying Non-Potabile is it not drinking water.