Lievito & Farina

Great ambiance. Solid food. Hearing a lot of American speakers amidst Italians. Free and fast wifi. Restaurant right next to a nice courtyard.

We have been in Rome 3 nights and just finished our second dinner (and World Cup game) at Lievito & Farina. Great food, good wine, friendly ambience and reasonably priced. The waiters take time to chat with you and make you feel like one of the regulars. Excellent bruschetta, seafood pizza, and cacio e pepe.
Next time we are in Rome, we will definitely go back to Lievito & Farina!

originally, we were hunting out a different lunch spot, but then stumbled across this place. you can’t miss it: one of the managers speaks perfect english + one of the larger restaurants with open umbrellas + plenty of outdoor seating. being rather early for lunch, we were seated quite promptly. having perusing through the english version of the menu, we settled for the following:
crostini mozzarella alici: a form of bruschetta with fresh mozzarella + anchovies. the salty taste of the fish coupled with the smoothness of the cheese on crusty bread made for a delectable appetizer.
spaghetti pachino: a basic pasta dish of spaghetti noodles + fresh tomatoes in a very light homemade tomato sauce. probably the best ‘simple’ take on spaghetti. i have no idea what they seasoned the tomatoes with, but it was the right amount of seasoning that showcased the natural flavor of tomatoes while highlighting the obviously homemade noodles. i wanted another plate of it, but held myself back, secondary to the time limits set on our lunch period.
rucola pizze: rocket pizza with fresh arugula, buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes + parmesan flakes. the size of a little larger than a regular size plate. talk about yum yum! it’s a typical ‘pizza napoletana’ style pie, meaning a thicker crust. we could definitely taste + see that they make their own crust.
coupled with amazing italian food in the heart of roma, the wait staff were quite attentive + patient with our ordering in italiano. a downside was that we had to pay for ‘no bubble water’ or ‘acqua naturale’ (1L was 3 €!!). an upside was there was no table service charge or fee which is frequently included in a restaurant bill when you sit at a table. a pretty tip definitely reflected our excellent wait service.