Al 34 was a restaurant recommended by our hotel. It is near the Spanish Steps, on a busy street…read moreand close to lots of high-end shopping: Louis Vuitton, Dior, Tiffany's, Chanel, etc.
We had a Friday nite 8:30 reservation (made that afternoon) and was seated near the entrance door, inside. It is a large restaurant and was full of lively patrons. The indoor decor is warm and inviting. The first thing I noticed was the camaraderie between the waitstaff - everyone seemed to get along, helped each other and were having fun. We had 2 wonderful Filipino waiters. One had the same Ray-Ban meta glasses as my husband, which they bonded over.
We ordered the bombolotti carbonara and lasagna-both delicious. For the mains, grilled Turbot (which was perfectly de-boned tableside) and meatballs w/ mashed potatoes.
While the waiter was de-boning the fish, the song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver came on overhead. My husband and I both looked at each other and smiled, thinking WTH?! I asked the waiter, "did we tell you we were from West Virginia?" and he smiled and shook his head. But later confessed, he played it for us (I guess we did tell him, lol). It made our night. Rome was the last city in our multi-city 12 day tour and we loved every minute but we were looking forward to going home. Hearing "Country Roads" at a popular and busy restaurant a block away from the Spanish Steps blew our minds.
A young couple sat next to us for a quick snack, I asked her what she ordered (it looked delicious) and she said "Im from a different part of Italy but come here just for their artichokes". A few minutes later, I saw a plate full of artichokes pass by, being brought to a table outside. They made my mouth water.
Al 34 was one of our favorite restaurants in Italy -- wonderful food (extensive menu), very lively with a mixed crowd (lots of Asians, English speakers and native Italians). It is a fun place to go and the wait staff is one of the reasons I will be coming back. I cant wait to try their artichokes! If you see the word, carciofo (artichoke), order it!