Ristorante Roma

DELICIOUS!!! Can’t beat homemade pasta. The lamb was amazing as well. The place is unassuming from the outside, but very warm and inviting inside. Could be the best Italian food in Indy.

I love this cozy place. The menu has old favorites and innovative Dishes. The specials are always fantastic. Service is attentive and friendly. The only improvement is that I wish they were able to be a bit more flexible for kids choices, as the standard fare Can be somewhat new for kids, and the they whine. Speaking of wine, nice list.

Expected a lot based on recommendations and Unilocal reviews. Warmly greeted, seemed nice. Waiter was pretty cool guy.
Pasta was good, not spectacular, just good. My problem with this place was the complete lack of ambience. The restaurant has a major acoustics issue. People speaking in normal tones at the other end of the room could be easily heard. I like a nice buzz in a restaurant but this space needs some softening. Maybe some drapes, pictures on the walls, a few rugs here and there could work wonders with the acoustics .Also every few minutes we could hear a loud rumbling… which was the heater/​air conditioner kicking in. Very loud, enough to be off putting.
Fix the acoustics and I will kick it up to 3 stars

This is my new favorite Italian restaurant in Carmel and nearby Indianapolis. We’ve been twice now, and the food was exceptional both times. On top of the great food, the servers are outstanding.

Maybe it is just me, but when I am paying $ 23 for a pasta meal, being told that I cannot substitute the red sauce with their white sauce, it doesn’t sit quite right with me and this is right after Gabriele (Owner/​Chef) how come by our table to greet us and tell us that our satisfaction was his main goal (Standard meet and greet). They have meals on their menu that use either the white or red sauces, but our waiter told us that the chef does not allow Substitutions, sorry if I am paying $ 23 for a pasta meal, I think I should be able to ask for the white sauce vs red sauce. Will I go back? I really doubt it, will I recommend the place to anyone? NO.

Oh my goodness. Best pasta I’ve ever had. Let’s start with the atmosphere. You walk into a warm cozy atmosphere and are immediately greeted as if you are apart of the family. The entire staff is friendly and knowledgeable about food, wine and fine dining. Roma has an incredible wine selection at a more than reasonable price. As an appetizer we ordered the calamari. It is sautéed in a white wine sauce with polenta and grape tomatoes. Let me tell you, ANYONE can deep fry that shit but to sauté calamari and have it be so tender is what makes this dish impressive.
Next I had an order of the salsiccia mandorle (sausage w/​tomato sauce) because who can pass up homemade pasta. Words cannot describe the flavor of the tomato sauce. The freshness of both the pasta and the sauce were undeniable, and the almonds in the dish gave it the perfect crunch to make the dish whole. I may never be able to eat boxed pasta again!
For the entrée, I had the rack of lamb, which was cooked to a perfect medium rare. It was lightly seasoned to perfection and I can only imagine I will dream about it in the future. Then there was dessert. The tiramisu was freshly made to order. The sweet mascarpone was the perfect mixture of creamy and sweet leaving nothing to the imagination. Ristorante Roma exceeded my expectation in every aspect of fine dining, from the owner Lucio to my amazing, personable server Jon. I look forward to being a regular here and watching this fine establishment thrive!
Bravo! Oh, leave the gun, take cannoli… to go!

I can’t say enough great things about this place. This may be the best Italian food I’ve ever tried. The homemade pasta was fantastic! Perfectly cooked with an amazing flavor. I’d almost consider moving to Indy just to eat at this place.
If you can save room for dessert. I had the canole. It was perfectly crisp with a great flavored filing.
Don’t let the outside appearance fool you. It’s tucked in the back of a strip center, but once inside you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s a cute, small place. From the moment I walked in and was greeted by the hostess, everything was top notch.
The have a good wine list with a special reserve menu.
As a side note, the waiters are very easy on the eyes. Very cute with excellent personalities.

Ristorante Roma is the best kept secret in the Indianapolis area. If you love Italian food — This is real Italian food. I was here six times before I ever ordered off the menu. They have great daily specials, Osso bucco, scallops, fresh trout… The list goes on and on. Plus fresh homemade pasta with incredible sauce choices. And the desserts– fuggedaboutit!
Try Roma once and you will be back again and again!

When a place is only open 22 hours a week, it’s more of a hobby than a restaurant, but they scooped some great front of the house folks from The Glass Chimney and Deeter’s. They really know how to take care of their customers and the food is legitimate Italian. Unusual space, but this is one of the few good restaurants in Carmel, at least for 22 hours each week.

Cute inside with nice ambiance. Very friendly & attentive staff. Amazing fresh bread brought to the table. Loved loved my gnocchi. My husband got the lamb chop special, and he enjoyed the flavor rub, but unfortunately the cut of meat wasn’t great. It was a little grissly which is why we docked a star. We would definitely go back though for the other great options, atmosphere & authentic Italian food!

Ristorante Roma deserves all the high ratings it gets on Unilocal.
The food we had was excellent quality — crusty warm bread in a basket, homemade pasta, grilled salmon with potato cake (which was somewhat like a scalloped potato dish, sliced in a rectangular shape), cabbage and grilled tomato. I only wish I had room left to try dessert — the tiramisu was very tempting. They also have a great wine list, offering a nice variety of European wines at a very reasonable price.
The one thing Ristorante Roma could improve on is providing a wider variety of non-​meat options on their menu. Having said that, I am sure we will be back in the near future — after all, I’ll have to try that tiramisu!

We wanted to live this because it is nearby and the owner is Italian but the food was a little «blah».
The noodles are amazing but they could not accommodate a «substation» on our order because they only make a certain amount of the sauce each day.
Another local place, farther away, would bend over backwards to make any of the slightest substitution on an order.
Like I said, too bad.

Magnifico! Met the executive chef (who spoke with a heavy Italian accent) at a nearby coffee shop earlier in the day who invited me to eat here, so I decided to give it a try. Made a reservation for my husband and me which was made easy through my phone! We were greeted with a beautiful soprano voice singing opera and a warm welcome. The waiter freely gave us time to look over the menu while we sipped on a delicious glass of Italian wine.
We ordered an appetizer of calamari and polenta and received an endless basket of crusty bread and dipping oil. I had the frutti de mare with fettuccine and my husband had the pork tenderloin with a spicy mango sauce. All of the pasta is homemade as well as the sauces. Yum!
We finished the evening with dessert of tiramisu which was also homemade and took home a cannoli. Both were light as a cloud and not too sweet.
The executive chef came out to greet us not once but twice! The owner and hostess were personable and invited us to come again. The soprano came to our table to talk with us too!
If you want delicious food, a romantic setting and lots of attentiveness you will love this hidden treasure! Forget those chain faux Italian restaurants; this is the real deal! We’ll be returning again and again!

Great service and atmosphere! John, our server was great– knowledgable, helpful and all around nice! I am gluten intolerant, and this restaurant was very accommodating.
My beloved had the lasagne, which he found to lack substance («body»). Flavor was simply just «okay.» His bread and salad were very good, though. His beer was very good, as well.
My 5 scallops were served with a yummy chutney, 3 pieces of asparagus, a small handful of croûton-​like fried potatoes (very small cut and hard), and half a roasted small tomato. Overall good, but not much to eat for the entrée’s price ($ 26). My wine was good and inexpensive.
We were going to skip dessert, but John provided us with a couple samples– very kind and thoughtful. Oh, yes, the samples were very good.

Nothing but great things to say about this spot. Husband and I went out for our monthly date night last month but they are closed on Monday nights. So we went this past week and I love the hole-​in-​the-​wall feel.
Family owned and operated with a Roman atmosphere and limited menu. But don’t let that deter you! They make all of their meals from scratch including the noodles.
Husband order the lasagna and ingot the salmon. We traded half way through and both plates were terrific. The lasagna is a little different take than I was used to but the waiter properly explained what to expect.
My salmon was cooked to perfection and super lightweight. A nice, healthy meal with cubed potatoes and broccoli.
We spilt a bottle wine and enjoyed the whole place. Will be back again!

I made a reservation for my fiancée’s birthday and our experience was outstanding. We were welcomed by a very friendly hostess and waiter that made us feel right at home.
We started with the bacon wrapped plums with a Gorgonzola cheese sauce. It was a great appetizer with complimentary flavors working very well together.
For our entrees, my fiancée ordered the pasta dish with sausage, pancetta, and mushrooms and I ordered the seafood pasta. Both were extremely good, but hers was the winner. The crushed almonds sprinkled on top of her pasta were a great innovation from the chef. We both ate every bite.
We decided to go for dessert after the amazing main course. I ordered the tiramisu and she ordered the limoncello sorbet. Again they were both outstanding, and again hers was the winner. It was light and refreshing.
We will definitely be back!

Awesome service. We had a wonderful experience with our waiter. He was charming, personable and knew everything you could ask for about the food.
Good was also outstanding. The homemade pasta was wonderful. The marinara sauce was excellent. Really a great meal. Make sure you get a dessert because they were also great.

WE LOVED THIS PLACE! The service was impeccable and the food was outstanding!
The restaurant is located a stone throw away from the heart of Carmel. The atmosphere felt very authentic and romantic. The owner and the chef are both from Rome, so I trust their take on this Roma themed restaurant! Our server, who was also born in Italy, was attentive, friendly, and made outstanding recommendations!
My fiancé took me to the spot for the first time on my birthday. Word spread about us celebrating and every staff member wished me a happy birthday and congratulated us on our upcoming wedding before the night was through. And to top it off my brother had called earlier to surprise us with a giftcard to cover dinner. The restaurant was happy to accommodate him and made the surprise possible. They informed us of the giftcard when we were ready to pay and it made the evening that much more special!
Now the important stuff. The food! We ordered the bacon wrapped plums for an appetizer and they were EPIC! My fiancé ordered the seafood pasta with a pesto sauce and it was outstanding! All of the noodles are homemade and freshly made daily! I had a marinara based pasta dish with sausage, pancetta, and almonds! I know right. ALMONDS! But it was amazing! To top it off we ordered dessert. I had the homemade house special, lemon sorbet. Fabulous!
Can’t wait to make Ristorante Roma our regular spot!

Why o why have I waited for so long to visit this place. One of the best pasta I have ever tasted in my life (I am just talking of the pasta not the actual dish).
So me and a friend went there on Christmas Eve. We had an invitation at a friends place which had to be canceled. So we went to Roma on the last minute. We called several places that we wanted to try but all very overbooked. It’s Christmas Eve after all. So when I called here it was a last resort of sorts. Wonderful Julie answered the call. I was calling at 7:30 and this place closed at 8pm on that day. Still they were cordial enough to say if we could come before 8pm they would happily serve us. Awesome! This had to be highlighted.
It’s quite close to our house so we reached there very soon. The décor is very classic. We were promptly seated and offered a great selection of fine wines. The bread was warm and tender and despite being the last customer in we were never short on bread. The olive oil was awesome. I liked it so much that I asked the server if we could buy it. They don’t sell it but they were kind enough to give us some olive oil in a small styrofoam cup. Can you beat that!
For food I tried the fettuccine. As I said before it was the best fettuccine I had ever had. I tried it with the salciccia e mandorle. Please try this when you go there next time. Superb.
After all the bread and pasta we were so full that we couldn’t try the desert but I am sure it would be great. Please give them a chance.

The is a great local find.
Everything is hand made everyday. I’m more a take out customer, easy to phone in an easy pick up. But the atmosphere eating in is very nice on the times I have ate in the resturant…