Rome Dining

For our 8 day stay in Rome, we only had one waitress.  From a casual tourist perspective, it appears that waiters are much more prevalent than waitresses.  We very much enjoyed our dining experiences while in Rome and they were different than what you experience in the United States (after all, isn't the reason you travel to experience new things?)

One of the biggest differences is in all 8 days, we never once had a waiter bring us our check until we asked.  You always had to find your waiter and usually using a hand gesture combined with verbiage ask for your check.  One of our tour guides gave us a great demonstration on how to get your check and I was then able to do it with confidence.  You don't even need to call them to your table.  Just grab their attention from across the room, make the gesture and your check will come. If you don't ask, I wonder just how long a person has to wait if they don't ask.

My daughter works for a local café here in the U.S.  Her manager/owner has a policy.  If a table has to ask for a check, then the waitress (yes, it is all women at her café) has waited too long to give them their bill and (in theory) the waitress has to pay for the food (I'm not sure it is really enforced, and is more like a threat to keep the waitresses from not giving the bills quick enough).  This is the exact opposite of the mind-set of dining in Rome.  You are not rushed out and dinner can be a nice, relaxing, and long process. 

One of our favorite places we ate was an outdoor table at a restaurant right next the to the Pantheon.  It was evening and the sun was about to set.  We sat at a table and ordered a drink.  Forty-five minutes later we ordered our dinner.  There was absolutely no feeling of rushing through dinner.  It was a two hour dinner as the sun set and the lights came on the Pantheon, and it was as Roman feeling as you can get.  Dinner was excellent and our waiter, like we'd experienced at other restaurants, gave Mom lots of attention, including a few pecks on the cheek.  Nothing like making you feel beautiful while you sip wine and enjoy the view.  Now this is a Roman holiday at its finest!

Waiters in Rome seem to be both super attentive, and also out of sight at the same time.  If you need something, don't expect to look up and your waiter be hovering over you anticipating your every need.  Patience is the key, but once you slip into that mode, it really becomes a vacation - relax, people watch and talk.  If you're looking to eat quickly, grab a sandwich to go (take away as I saw it called) somewhere.  Dining is a huge part of your experience there, and while there is so much to see, don't underestimate this essential part of your holiday in Rome by trying to rush through it.

My picture taking skills are very lacking here, but this is Mom and our waiter at the restaurant in front of Pantheon.  He showered Mom with attention and our meal there was delicious, relaxing and fun.  The perfect Roman meal.

Wine is inexpensive, good and always part our meals in Rome.

Our last evening in Rome.  We found this place just down the street from our hotel and the food was incredibly inexpensive and good. 

Breakfast in Rome

Everything you may want to know before a trip to Rome....
      Sure, it is fun to wing it and go on your own, but if you can pick up a bit of information before you go, your trip will be smoother.   I have many topics to explore having just come from my Rome trip and I hope you can glean a bit of knowledge before your trip.  So be sure to check out my other blogs for more information.

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I had read, and found it quite true that breakfast in Rome is very different then what we experience in the United States.  Rome breakfast generally consists of a pastry (very tasty) and espresso or other type of coffee drink.  Since we were on vacation, sleeping in was our normal mode and we easily slipped into the Roman way of doing breakfast.

About six days in, we thought an "American style" breakfast sounded good.  Despite warnings that these are hard to find, we saw them quite often advertised in our walks around the city.  They all appeared to offer the same things. We went around the corner from our hotel, picked a place and went in (the only time we didn't eat outdoors).  There were two choices and we picked one.  Choice A.

Eggs - no choice in how they are cooked.  It ended up being scrambled.

Bacon - Italian style, something similar to ours but not so delicious

Toast - no choice in type of bread and no butter

Salad - yep, you read that correctly.  Lettuce and tomato.  No dressing (typical in Rome)

No salt or pepper for your eggs - again, typical in Rome

A much more typical breakfast in Rome. 

It  is difficult sometimes to go many days without the feeling of home, so if you're tempted to get the American style breakfast, don't - Or do so with caution.  There is really very little like home about it.  We never did walk into a McDonalds, but perhaps they have Egg McMuffins, but I wouldn't count on it.  Enjoy the pastry and espresso on a sidewalk restaurant and savor being in Rome.

Ice in Rome, or lack thereof

Everything you may want to know before a trip to Rome....

      Sure, it is fun to wing it and go on your own, but if you can pick up a bit of information before you go, your trip will be smoother.   I have many topics to explore having just come from my Rome trip and I hope you can glean a bit of knowledge before your trip.  So be sure to check out my other blogs for more information.

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With 8 full days in Rome, eating at minimum of two different places each day I feel I can say this with some authority.  Don't expect ice.

Or straws for that matter....of course, without ice, are straws even necessary?  I always use a straw when dining out in my normal daily life in the US.  I didn't really need them in Rome, because there is none of that annoying ice to get in your way while drinking.  

If you really like ice, you will be missing this when in Rome.  I didn't even see an ice machine in the hotel as are standard fare in the U.S. at all class of hotels/motels.

It isn't that Rome has no ice, as I did have it in a cocktail so I know it is possible to get it and I am sure if you really must have it, you can ask for it perhaps.  However, my philosophy when traveling is to experience things as locals, as much as possible,  which in this case means no ice. 

Our table after a typical meal in Rome. Wine and espresso along with water glasses (on right) with no ice.

In the United States, many times water comes to the table (with ice) before you have even ordered your drinks or dinner.  I am used to always getting water, even if I ordered a glass of wine.  This is very different in Rome, as they will sometimes ask you if you want water (mineral or fizzy, or gas or no gas) and there is always a charge. It is usually just a couple euros.  While I don't relish paying for water, as I am accustomed to getting it for free, I didn't mind it too much as the prices quoted for food is the price you pay and not added onto by taxes and tips.  If your pasta is 6 euros, that is what your check says (when you ask for it, and you will always have to ask).  If you have your own water bottle and take a table on the sidewalk at a café (which it is not really called a café there, but is what it reminds me of) for lunch you can drink from that bottle and nobody will say anything. 

While I've heard you can ask for tap water, to avoid the charge, I felt the unspoken nudge from waiters that made me a bit uncomfortable doing so.  So I didn't.  Bring your own and unless you're eating at a high end restaurant I don't feel like you'd feel uncomfortable at all drinking it.  Save your euros for some wine and espresso.