(In my initial review, I placed Le Tavernelle at 4 stars. However, this has actually become one of our favorite restaurants in Rome for its price point, service, and food quality. Also, I have recommended this to friends and family visiting Rome and Le Tavernelle has also fit their taste. Therefore I must give this an honorary 5 stars).
Occasion: Sunday night dinner
Initial Impressions: The restaurant is usually about half full. It is not so easy to move around the space. There is outdoor seating, but not during winter. The table for two is a decent size. A pinch small. There is a ramp if you have a wheelchair. It would be a tighter space, but nevertheless it is accessible, you just have to be patient. Typically we make reservations, but I think it would be relatively easy to just pop in if you have a smaller party. The decorations are nice. There are photos and movie posters on the walls. It’s a cozy feeling restaurant.
Once Seated: The main part of the dining room is comfortable. There is the chair of Fellini hung up and on the wall there is a photo of the owner with the Pope. The lighting is a warm yellowish bright. I don’t know if there is a restroom available. However, something big is that they have an individual usb plug available for almost all tables! If you need to charge your phone while you are having lunch or dinner before continuing to roam around Rome, this is the perfect place. Our order has always been taken in a timely manner. The menu is available in Italian and English. There are a good amount of items on the menu, nothing crazy or experimental, which I appreciate. The wine list is good. However, there is no sommelier and I’m pretty sure the tan-looking server (we’ve had him as a server usually) isn’t really knowledgeable on recommendations or pairings.
The Food: This will be basically a review of our most recent visit but also a guide containing a few of the other things I remember we have tried. The food has always been good here. It is actually the place we come to when we don’t know what to have for dinner, are short on time, or don’t want to break too much bank. It never disappoints. Here is what was ordered at our most recent visit: Fettuccine alla Bolognese, Filetto di Manzo alla Griglia, Tortino al Cioccolato e Pere con Gelato, and Tortino Mela e Cannella con Gelato. I will put what we had other times with my photos and their ratings below!
5/5 Fettuccine alla Bolognese: I’m a big fan of Bolognese. It is not too heavy or salty. Also tomatoes have been growing on me since I’ve moved to Italia, so a tomato based al sugo is really refreshing and the cheese and meat balance it out in terms of heaviness. The pasta has always been cooked perfectly. I really recommend this dish if you find carbonara or pastas that use pancetta salty or heavy in general, but still want to have a pasta dish.
4/5 Filetto di Manzo alla Griglia: For its price point, I would say this filetto is excellent. However, I had to take one star off because it was slightly tougher to eat. Still a real filet regardless and cooked perfectly medium. However, it for some reason was not extremely tender and still had some bite to it. I could have enjoyed a sauce of some sort as well with the filet. The potatoes were perfect. That being said, I would still probably order this dish as my secondi every time because I love steak.
4/5 Tortino al Cioccolato e Pere con Gelato: This dessert is good. It is too rich in my opinion because of the chocolate. Also I didn’t taste the pear. The gelato was actually more like American Icecream which was surprising and nice. I enjoyed having a few bites of this, but I can’t imagine having the entire dessert after the rest of the food we had. A child would love this dessert a lot.
5/5 Tortino Mela e Cannella con Gelato: I recommend this dessert. Also, you can share the desserts between two people, we just wanted to get our own for the sake of review. The cinnamon wasn’t too much and didn’t overpower the dessert. It was perfectly sweet. The cake itself reminds me of cinnamon muffins you have in the morning with coffee or milk. I’ve missed that a lot so it was really nice to have this dessert with the american-like icecream. Probably the closet I’ll get to Cinnabon until I get back home.
Service: The service here is fine. It’s nothing extraordinary and also nothing too offensive Actually I’m not too fond of the tan looking server. One of the first visits he kept calling Paolo by his first name (beyond the reservation). Also he wasn’t very good on timing and immediately asked me if I was finished with my primi once (I still had pasta in my dish) because I put down my fork for a second. I think the first time we went he was trying really hard to be funny but it was coming off as borderline rude. Subsequent times we have come he doesn’t do the first name thing anymore and is generally fine. The timing of the dishes have always been perfect. We have never waited too long.
Payment: The total cost for the most recent visit was 87 euros. This was for natural water, bread, two bologneses, two filetti, and two doci. In my opinion even though the steak wasn’t like Il Vero Alfredo or Piccolo Arancio, for what it was (I think it was 20 euros each) it was a good deal. In general, I have always walked out of Le Tavernelle really pleased. It’s right off the Colosseo and in a not so crowded area. They accept American Express. However, when we attempted Apple Pay with the amex it didn’t work, so I used my physical card. Enjoy dining here!
Before I continue onto the other menu items, attached below is the link to Paolo’s version. While it is in Italian, you are welcome to use the translation function if you’d like his opinion.
Other Visits: Here are the other things we have tried.
Other Primi
5/5 Ravioli (Salmone): Honestly for those abstaining from meat during lent on Fridays (or every Friday if you aren’t american), this is so good. I would even order this if I didnt feel like bolognese. I thought I would be still hungry because there was only six, but when you use bread after for all the sauce its the perfect amount. Paolo told me this dish is famous and was made for the pope (JP2 I think or Benedict…) It did not disappoint. Absolutely fantastic for those who do not like red meat or want an alternative pasta.
5/5 Spaghetti alla Carbonara: I don’t have a photo for the carbonara, but I do want to mention that I would order a Carbonara here if I didn’t feel like Bolognese because it’s not like a straight salt bomb. Big compliments to Le Tavernelle’s carbonara.
4/5 Cacio e Pepe: I forget to take photos of the carbonara and cacio e pepe every time. Paolo loves cacio e pepe. It comes in a baked Parmesan cheese bowl which is really cool. However, I docked a star because my friend Lauren from Texas was visiting and said when she ate it, it was too spicy?? For me cacio e pepe is always too salty across the board, but Tavernelle’s is salty but I’m not chugging water while eating like I did at ditirambo. You will have to judge for yourselves, Paolo normally variates his dishes based on how hungry he is and his mood. Reminder that Cacio e pepe is heavy in general compared to a plain tomato pasta dish so if you want to order appetizers, first and second courses, and dessert, I would plan accordingly~
5/5 Ravioli di Ricotta e Spinaci & Fettuccine Pomodoro and Basilico: These dishes were fantastic. I actually wanted to come back the next day and reorder both. Words cannot describe how delightful I found this ravioli. Also the Fettuccine was simple but very good and flavorful.
Other Secondi
4/5 Scampi: This wasn’t bad but to be honest I didn’t remember much. It’s good and I didn’t find anything offensive about it, but it wasn’t spectacular. I don’t see myself getting it again if I were to visit again. I would probably get the filet mignon for secondi. If it was a no meat day then the salmon ravioli or if I were really hungry, the clam/mussel antipasti dish.
4/5 Vitella al Forno con Patate: I’m not big on Vitelli, but I had a few bites of this and I remember it wasn’t so bad. I just think the portion is not as good as the filetto portion. The potatoes were good as usual. Also the presentation was eh. I’m nitpicking, but those are my thoughts.
Fish: I’m not a fan of fish. Paolo got this and I had one bite so I’ll save the ratings for when he updates his post. I would just say I’m more picky when it comes to fish. I tend to stick with Salmon and Halibut (and on rare occasions Tuna/Mahi Mahi). Otherwise catch me with shrimp, lobster, scallops, and king crab.
Other Dolci
4/5 Tiramisu: It is a good tiramisu. However, Pompi is better (check out my Pompi review here). https://nicoleinrome.com/2024/02/15/pompi-tiramisu/ You could order this, but the other desserts are more unique in my opinion and worth trying over tiramisu.
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