Papa Giovanni - Roma

Visited on our first night in Rome and were the only ones there due to the Corona Virus. The restaurant had a very unique feel and we were surrounded by amazing bottles of Italian wine (my favourite). The owner explained that it was originally her grandfathers and he was a collector of fine wines from around the world and that when she inherited the restaurant there were three caves full of boxes of fine wine. , amazing! The food was good wholesome typical Roman cuisine, if your looking for fine dining this won’t be for you but if your looking for history, good food and an unusual setting then it is. I hope to return when things are back to normal.

One of the best restaurants I’ve EVER been to...... And I am a pastry chef with Michelin star and U.S. presidential experience... Where do I begin? On my most recent trip to Rome, I stumbled upon this place near my hotel... Very unassuming, on an alley like street near Piazza Navona/Pantheon.... If not paying attention, you might walk right by it no bowls of dried out pasta and veg in front with birds pecking at it, like all of the tourist trap places in the area.... This This is obviously someone’s shrine to a long forgotten era and aesthetic, when substance mattered more than glitz... Has been around since the 20’s, when the current owner’s grandfather opened and ran it....His pictures grace the walls. Touches like real (dried flowers and seasonal produce decorating the 7 or so tables lend such an air of legitimacy to this family owned establishment, along with family photos, very old postcards, and possibly every bottle of wine this place has ever sold, lol, lining the walls. All of the table cloths and (very large, silky napkins are even monogrammed, indicative of how proud the current owner is of her restaurant’s heritage.... Even the bathrooms were Impeccable no paper towels or wind blowing air dryers...a large pile of individual hand towels instead! I was looking for a bathroom attendant in a tuxedo to tip, lol!! The devil can ALWAYS be glimpsed in the details!! And it only got better with the service and the food! Daniela, the owner and our server, was EXTREMELY friendly, very knowledgeable and helpful, and spoke fluent English, which is not often the case in these family run gems... The decor turned out to be her homage to her family members who founded the place. She also turned out to be the pastry chef, with all of the desserts, including ice creams and sorbets, being made most capably by her, according to her grandfather’s recipes (more on this in a bit! . Our Roman style artichoke was prepared perfectly, as was my wife’s very tender veal fillet with black truffles, wild mushrooms, and provolone. I had a most unusual heirloom pasta recipe of house made tagliatelle sized “coffee” pasta with sage, walnuts, and grated (parm. reg.? cheese that was as spot on as it was original! We were given a free intermezzo of lemon pink peppercorn sorbet, courtesy of Daniela, that, very uniquely, still had the softened peppercorns in the sorbet, giving an unexpected, pleasant texture contrast and mild heat to the experience. Based on that, we also ordered dessert a chestnut soufflé with cinnamon ice cream and dried meringue, and profiteroles with a very intense, complex, African bittersweet, chocolate sauce and a zabaglione filling.... Daniela KNOWS how to make a great dessert (or two .... And the cost barely 3 digits! All told, including wine, coffee and sparkling water, we barely broke 3 figures on the check. Best meal we had in 9 days (with many great meals in Italy....

We stayed in a nearby hotel and wanted dinner nearby, we rally though this was a wine shop but on closer inspection saw it was a restaurant, the service was wonderful, food lovely and prices reasonable, if we had stayed longer we would have returned again

En la comunidad europea se construyó este y otros restaurantes italianos por su pasión por el aceite de oliva tienen una tienda de delicatessen con quesos y aceite de oliva principalmente en los platos sólo oan aceite de oliva virgen extra, y de la carta recomiendo los platos al tartufo.

We found this place via a Taiwan published guide of Italy. It is a small restaurant and it’s food is Roman style. A couple of dishes that are highly recommended (1) tripe (2) roman style stewed beef (3) the artichokes steamed or fresh are not great For the wines, please be aware that the prices are not listed. The manager would recommend some choices and will negotiate a price for the wine with you. The history of this restaurant dates back decades. It was opened by the manager’s grandfather who taught her mother the recipes. Now the manager runs the restaurant and the chef has learnt these home recipes from her mother. I hope this place will still be here for years to come. It was a joyous experience.