Rome Restaurant Recommendations Near Westin Excelsior

We are spending a few days in Rome prior to a Mediterranean Cruise. 2 Parents and 3 teenagers. We are staying at the Westin Excelsior on the Via Veneto. Any recommendations for good restaurants in the area. We are looking for real Italian food and wish to avoid the tourist traps.

Kevin

Sorry for the - may be stupid - question!

What do you mean with " real Italian food "???

Do you mean local food, for example Latio ( Roma ), Lombardia ( Milano ), Piemonte ( Torino ), Toscana ( Firenze ) etc. ?

There is no " Italian Kitchen " in Italy but local kitchen.

BTW: try the restaurant doney at the Westin Excelsior Roma

http://www.westinrome.com/en/menu/

http://www.westinrome.com/it/biologico/

http://www.westinrome.com/en/dolcevita/

Around the Westin are some little restaurants ( Via Boncompagni, Via Lucullo etc. )

or with view:

Casina Valadier

I generally try to avoid hotel restaurants. Can't say I've had the most imaginative meals in them. I understand that there are many different types of Italian Restaurants with different cuisines. I am looking for restaurants near our hotel in which others have a had a meal they enjoyed. I am trying to avoid the tourist traps (high cost, mediocre quality). I don't mind paying for a great meal but don't like overpaying for average fare. I understand there may be a lot of them along the Via Veneto. I have written down the names of the 2 restaurants you suggested. Thanks.

The restaurants in the Via Veneto are more that what I call a tourist trap.

If you exit the hotel through the main entrance go left around the corner. That is the Via Boncompagni.

A little help:

http://www.ristorantelostilnovo.com/index.html

http://maps.google.de/maps/place?cid...EH4JaxBvGwoL0J

http://www.ristorante-edoardo.it/

http://www.gaetanocostarestaurant.com/

http://www.menudiroma.com/ita/locali...?IDLocale=1008

http://maps.google.de/maps?gl=de&ved...73686527073169

http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant...ome_Lazio.html

http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant...ome_Lazio.html

http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant...ome_Lazio.html

http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant...ome_Lazio.html

http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant...ome_Lazio.html

http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant...ome_Lazio.html

http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant...ome_Lazio.html

http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant...ome_Lazio.html

http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant...ome_Lazio.html

http://www.tripadvisor.de/ShowUserRe...ome_Lazio.html

http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant...ome_Lazio.html

http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant...ome_Lazio.html

http://www.ottoemezzoroma.it/

http://www.ottoemezzoroma.it/menucena.pdf

http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant...ome_Lazio.html

http://www.madamebaguette.com/

A quick note of thanks for the list of suggestions.

Kevin

Your request is something of a contradiction: you want to avoid tourist traps but you wish to remain in the area of the Via Veneto - where most of the restaurants cater (no pun intended) to tourists.

There is a lengthy Rome restaurant thread in this forum.

My suggestion: Renato e luisa - small so reservations are a must (and you will need to take a cab to get there from the Westin)

That was also my dilemma, the only thing I could made was a list to search...

Dove si mangia bene...

chi sa?!

many hotel restaurants in italy are quite good. many are outstanding, and unknown.

hotel restaurants in france are frequently outstanding, and probably the majority of the micheline 2&3* restaurants are either tied to a hotel or a B&B.

I was taken to Colline Emiliane by a Roman friend a few years back and it was one of the best meals that I had on that trip. It's on a street that to my American eyes looked like an alley. My friend proudly said that it's a real Roman restaurant, not geared for tourists.

But then I saw it mentioned here on FT and then saw these mentions among others - so I'd bet there are more and more tourists going there:
http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/gui...nt-detail.html

http://www.10best.com/destinations/i...t-restaurants/

From the Excelsior walk down Via Veneto to Piazza Barberini. Here's Google's map showing the street view with the restaurant on your right, use the map in the corner of the page to see where it's located.

I walked past it when I was there a couple of months ago and noted that the menu posted out front had an English translation.

Edited to add these reviews:

Zagat

Frommers

Tripadvisor

10 Best

Images from google

(My Roman friend took me there in May 2005 and I did not notice any obvious tourists, only Italians. But with the plethora of internet mentions of this restaurant I would imagine that that landscape has changed).

So how was the Westin? I would appreciate suggestions about other good cenrally located hotels, ideally ones with points and upgrade potential. Thanks

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...er-thread.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...er-thread.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...er-thread.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...er-thread.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...etter-etc.html

Not Italian food (nmore classical French) but an unforgettable experience is L'Eau Vive.

The restaurant is run by nuns and towards the end of dinner, they come out and sing Ave Maria, which makes an excellent meal (the food is exceptional), very special indeed.