La Francescana

This was our favorite restaurant in Rome. We stayed around the corner so it was very convenient for us. Our first and last meal in Rome was at La Francescana and we enjoyed their food a couple times in between. The staff was so friendly and welcoming. They spoke with us with very good English and took the time to visit with us even though it seemed like most of their customers are locals. The food is great! We thought it was better than more expensive restaurants we tried. You should definitely check it out if you are in the area but it is worth the effort even if you are not staying close by.

Food was pretty decent. Went here twice with two different experiences. The first one started off well, it’s was an older gentleman that helped us. It was really busy and I understood the food coming out slowly. Experience was okay but when I was paying for the bill, our server just became rude. When I paid, he then demanded for a tip. I was okay with leaving a tip, but I get offended when someone demands it, especially if they already add a surcharge to the bill. The second time we went, we decided to to take out as we liked the food just not the service, and it was just around the corner from where we’re staying. The person that helped us, it was a bearded gentleman, didn’t get his name, was AMAZING! Very helpful! We ordered a pizza and the salmon penne. When we picked up the food, as we were leaving he stopped us and reminded us that the pizza wasn’t cut and asked if we would like to et it cut. I know it’s something small, but it’s those things that make a difference.

Best food I had in Rome. Every meal ordered by the six of us was fantastic. The price is also very reasonable given the restaurant’s location, and the staff was certainly very friendly.

Very friendly staff. Food was overall quite good — we really liked 4 out of 4 of the pasta dishes we tried. Salads and house wine were more so-​so. Place was pretty quiet at 7:15 and then really bustling closer to 8. Most diners seemed to be local not tourists. Food was reasonably priced. I would recommend.

We had a very enjoyable dinner at La Francescana. From the moment we walked in we were made to feel welcome and they provided English menus for us. Several of the waiters spoke excellent English and were very helpful describing the items.
The food was outstanding and reasonably priced. Compared to what you would pay in the US at an Olive Garden, the meal was less money, even considering the exchange rate. Starter, pasta course, and bottle of wine was € 32 for two people.
I recommend making a reservation on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. They were turning people away the second time we ate there (Valentines Day) but we had reservations. I think we were the only tourists there both nights.
I highly recommend them.

Trattoria italique typique. Cuisine excellente, sans chichis, produits frais. Personnel acceuillant. Ambiance agréable.
Nous y sommes retournés plusieurs fois lors de notre séjour tant nous en avons été satisfaits.
Ça vaut vraiment le coup d’y manger.

My first visit to La Francescana was a desperate one. It was raining and the whole family was hungry.
When we got there, I noticed that it was still warm outside despite the rain and decided we should sit outside. The Italian waiter took us for fools, and maybe so, but being the only ones sitting outside (protected by an awning of course), being served some great pizzas and having a great time laughing and telling bad stories, was simply unforgetable.
Even the italian waiter warmed up to us when he saw how happy we we’re sitting on the sidewalk, looking out on the rain. But I still think he considered us to be a crazy bunch ;)

Order the bucatini Alla spicy

Excellent Easter dinner at this Roman restaurant that caters to locals. It’s not one of the many tourist restaurants in Rome. Interior décor is old-​fashioned (in a good way) and authentic, not the bottles of olive oil and hanging peppers and garlic you see at the usual tourist trap locales.
We had been looking for authentic Roman cooking for our last night in Italy after a 10 day vacation and this fit the bill perfectly. House red and white wines were served by the liter and ½ liter in a simple pitcher. Not be best wine I’ve ever had, but good, simple and authentic Italian dining.
Food was prepared quickly and presented simply. Penne all’ Arrabbiata was perfectly al dente with great spice and garlic. Veal scaloppini was tender and flavorful. Marinated cippolini onions were terrific.
Prices were very reasonable and were by far the best value vs quality we found in Rome. Do not hesitate to try this restaurant.

Rude rude rude. There was hardly anyone there. One person welcomed us, then another yelled to go outside. We ordered red wine and got white. I ordered carbonara and 45 minutes later got spaghetti. When I said it wasn’t what I ordered, I was told it was too late. The worst dining experience ever. My food was not that good, my husband’s was actually pretty good, but the service was so bad, it ruined the evening

This was the very first restaurant my family and I went to in Italy. We decided to eat here for lunch. We received a recommendation to go here for pizza. Once we got there, we found out that pizza was only for dinner. That made us sad. It wasn’t air-​conditioned, but we took it as part of the experience. I wasn’t 21 at the time, so when they served me wine, I was pretty excited. Wine tasted ok… like a typical house wine in America. The bread… now that was awesome. It was crunchy and salty. Thoroughly enjoyed. Now, the waiters were kind of pushy. It was very mom-and-pop.“eat your food, or else.”. When it came time to order, they made us go to the front of the restuarant and choose from the dishes out there. It was between some vegetable linguine or Meat Ragu. I chose the Ragu. It was actually cold. My parents food was extremely cold. It had been sitting out on the table for i don’t know how long. What is also funny was when we asked for plates for the bread, they looked at us like we were from another planet. Plates?! For you? Ha!.. that is what it felt like. I am usually not this critical, but being in Rome for the very first time and being all excited to experience a Roman meal. it was very disappointing. We made it fun by taking pictures with the waiter whom we dubbed as «pop». We didn’t stay for dessert. I don’t even know if they had a selection or not. The water, by the way, was sparkling. You have to pay for bottled water everywhere in Italy. Try to drink from the flowing water coming out of the fountains on the streets of Rome. It’s perfectly drinkable and free! We just used the water bottles from previous days to fill them up. You’ll see many people do this. It’s fine. All in all, it was an ok restaurant. Nothing great. I would not recommend going. It’s cute and very traditional in terms of décor, but try going to the side streets and lesser known piazzas. Once you cross Ponte Cavour, there are restaurants everywhere… especially by Via Condotti.

Francescana Tratorria Pizzeria is very nice restaurant close to the Hotel dei Mellini. This place provided me with my first Italian pasta, red wine and pizza experience in Roma. At the time I was in heaven and thought it was the best.
The pasta is amazing from the tortellini to regular spaghetti served with alfredo or the house marinara. My favorite thing to order is the prosciutto pizza, molto buona. The table bread with olive oil and vinegar was good enough to be my main course. Like all the authentic Italiano ristorante, trattorria, osterias I eat at in Roma I always enter hungry and leave satisfied after eating food made with passion and fresh ingredients.