Al Ceppo

Transcendent octopus and pasta experience (had truffle pasta and ravioli made with beef cheek and Foie). Secondi (amberjack and the tagliata) was good but hard to match what came before. Wines by the glass were fantastic but the wine list was deep and extravagant (Richebourgs and all the rest) if you can agree on a bottle. Ignore all of the reviews on the Internet saying they won’t accommodate English speakers, but look and act the part.

great atmosphere with classy oil paintings hanging on the walls and antique goods all over. I recommend lentil soup and dark chocolate tart for dessert

On the advice of my doctor, who had attended medical school in Rome, my family and friends went to Al Ceppo for dinner one evening. He had said that it was a neighborhood restaurant, not generally frequented by tourists, and the fact that the menu was all in Italian proved just that. Luckily, we had someone in our party who spoke fluent Spanish and who was able to translate those skills into a very decent Italian. With her communicating with the very attentive server, we ended up having probably the best and most memorable meal I have ever had the fortune to enjoy.
I can’t quite tell you everything that we had, as the meal took place a few years back, but I can tell you that we were given what was basically a tasting menu of some of the most delicious offerings. I remember a plate that held a giant, succulent fresh fig with prosciutto, and another with fresh, raw shrimp that was the most sweet and delicate thing I have ever tasted, so much so, that the memory of its flavor still remains with me to this day.
It wasn’t an inexpensive meal, to be sure, adding up to perhaps around $ 110 a person (we had six people, including two children), but considering the fact that all I can think about is getting back to Rome and specifically to Al Ceppo, I’d say it was so very, very worth it. Go there, and I promise you that you will never forget it either.