We went to Il Tempio di Iside after a morning of sightseeing as it was a reasonable walk from the Colosseum. We had a 1:30 reservation but could probably have walked in. The place was busy but not packed on a Friday afternoon, though it's probably worth noting we were there in low season. The restaurant was attractive, with a fancier atmosphere than most of the places we dined at in Rome. Nice brick, repeating arches, white tablecloths. Cute, corny folded napkins festooned with paper bowties. Service was perfunctory but fine. We got everything we needed when we needed it, starting with a couple glasses of house white wine, crisp and lovely with our food. Tempio di Iside is an Italian seafood joint, and it was nice to break up our pasta week with some light crudos and fish. The food was delicious, starting with a good bread basket, which included soft and crusty breads and some very tasty anise breadsticks. We ordered a robust spread of appetizers: the crudo for one, plus sea urchin, shrimp carpaccio, and scallops. The crudo platter came with tuna tartare, cuttlefish, and fish carpaccio, drizzled with olive oil and served with diced red onion and a wedge of lemon. The tartare was great, served over some cold potato, and I loved both the slippery noodles of cuttlefish and the firm fish, which was snapper or something else like it. The cuttlefish and snapper were sprinkled with bright pops of pink peppercorn. The sea urchin was a treat, served in its shell over ice. The shrimp carpaccio was excellent, the raw shrimp sweet and fresh, finished with olive oil, black pepper, and lemon. The scallops were cooked in their shells with crispy breadcrumbs. We did get one pasta, and it was outstanding: nubby cavatelli with little sweet shrimp, cherry tomatoes, and pecorino, in a delightfully shrimpy sauce. We also had the tuna entrée, four thin tuna steaks with arugula, cherry tomatoes, and balsamic. Cooked more than I typically expect of tuna, but quite good, meaty and not dry. If you're visiting Rome and want an elegant seafood meal, I'd highly recommend Tempio di Iside. It had a different vibe and menu from the other restaurants we went to on our trip, and we were really happy with everything we ordered. read more

Over priced rood and rude service staff. several times picked up food before we were done, and then our food was gone. puzzeled why this place survives desserts: four of the five things we tried to order they did not have Cavatielli com gamberi was excellent tuna steak was cooked correctly, but seasoned poorly read more

Il Tempio di Iside - ice cream, the only thing they didn't mess up - Mediterranean Near Me - Rome, RM

Il Tempio di Iside What a disappointment!! On so many levels!! We arrived at 7:35 for our 7:30 reservation. There was one couple already seated in their main floor entry level dining room. We were escorted to the downstairs dining room which has low ceilings and a dark ambiance. It felt like a dungeon. We rejected that and told the escort we wanted to sit in the main dining room, and then we selected our table. My wife and I each ordered mixed salad and seafood risotto. Both were poor quality. The salad was 65% iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and arugula (rocket lettuce) on top. How does a restaurant at this level serve iceberg lettuce?? The seafood risotto was no better. A plate of rice, with 6 clams, 3 mussels, and 1 shrimp (see attached photo, which is nothing like the one on their website!!). Where was the octopus (per the menu) and why so little shellfish?? Service was intermittent and slow. Not once did waiter come to fill our wine or water glass. This restaurant does NOT cater to tourists, as further evidenced by the regular attention to other "locals" tables. We've been in Rome for 10 days thus far, and this was the least attentive and poorest example of "finer dining" we've experienced. read more

Il Tempio di Iside - Seafood risotto (3 mussels. 6 clams. 1 shrimp!) - Mediterranean Near Me - Rome, RM

Tempio di Iside is an fish restaurant near the Coliseum known for its crudi fish carpaccio, sea urchin (when in season), langoustines, lobsters and oysters. It is on a side street, we saw a good mix of locals enjoying a seafood dinner in the outdoor seatings. The key strategy to order is to "not over-order". The ideal 2 people dinner would be to get the special crudi for the day ($20 for the selection when we were there), the red shrimp carpaccio ($28) was delicious, and finish with the seafood risotto ($20). With the (generous) portion, the price to quality / value is amazing! The seafood risotto, cooked al dente with fresh red shrimp, clams, mussels, cherry tomatoes, and fresh pecorino was the star of the show. The green tomatoes salad with seafood of your choice (charged by weight) - $190 for Lobster only and $140 for langoustine was amazing! As you can imagine, we definitely over ordered at this point and we could have finished with the risotto and not spend the extra $190. Overall, diners can access to the freshest and highest quality seafood here: fish carpaccio and risotto definitely were the highlight. Book ahead, especially to secure an outdoor table for dinner in the summer, and don't over-order. read more

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Ask for downstairs. The wine cave ambiance can't be beat. Great wine selection as well. read more

Il Tempio di Iside - Grilled squid - Mediterranean Near Me - Rome, RM

I felt like I died and went to fish heaven! I promise that if you're a true seafood lover with a sophisticated and adventurous palate, this beautiful corner seafood restaurant will light up your senses, and dazzle your tastebuds! After reading about this Roman fish specialist on the Eater website, I felt compelled to dine here. The location is a little odd....it's on a corner of a pretty busy street and yet tucked away as you enter on the side street. There's a tiny lounge area as you pass the hostess stand and you can enjoy an aperitivo there. The wine list is also really nice. We dined with two friends and that was ideal because we were able to sample so many unbelievable dishes. The menu is expansive and it is easy to get lost in it or become confused as to what to order. So what did we do? We order what essentially amounted to an omakase of the chef's seafood selections. It started with plate after plate of crudo and other raw fish delicacies. The kitchen then cycled through several cooked dishes all presented in a way that allowed the four of us to taste ample portions of each. Words don't really do it justice so perhaps my photos will. read more

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No thanks. Overpriced seafood with terrible service. Food was thrown at us all at once and we left the table with all of our plates in front of us. Once food was delivered, no one ever came back to check on us. Tuna was over cooked and the pasta with "prawns" was absolute slop. Absolutely pitiful service and way overpriced. Having dinner here absolutely killed the evening. read more

This is probably the best seafood restaurant I've ever experienced in Rome. I made a vow to my family that we weren't going to have another Italian meal involving the touristy pizza, pasta and lasagna. Being so close to the Mediterranean, Roman seafood did not disappoint in its freshness - we tasted raw fish in carpaccio and tartare styles, freshly-shucked Oysters Regal, spaghetti with clam, risotto with mussels, pastina with prawns and lobster cooked in Catalan-way. The waiter Giuseppe was attentive and provided with some nice extras such as house wine and liquor and some sweet biscotti, although my latte macchiato was slightly underwhelming. All in all, through the freshness of the seafood and its great flavouring I would still give it a 5-star. read more

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Our friend from Italy took us here as our first meal in Rome and it was absolutely delicious. I'm really not sure what she ordered for us, but it was probably a select 12 amazing seafood dishes. Everything here is SO fresh and the presentation is lovely. I've never had shrimp so fresh in my life!! I would HIGHLY recommend the sea urchins and the oysters. The fresh shrimp was also REALLY good. The service was extremely fast and dish after dish came right before my eyes. Come here for the seafood it is truly delicious. read more

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This is one of the best Meals I have ever had in my life I took a picture of my sea urchin pasta because it was the best I ever ate. I honestly think about this restaurant in my dreams. So happy I found it so I can visit again after COVID-19. read more

Il Tempio di Iside - Sea urchin pasta - Mediterranean Near Me - Rome, RM

Fabuloso. My daughter's first day in Rome. We found this awesome restaurant near the coliseum. The food was phenomenal. We had the seafood sampler appetizer. And, wow! The Seafood Risotto was better than any paella I've ever had. The artichoke salad was amazing. Great service and great food. read more

Wow! If you want fresh fish and amazing service, this is the place. Lots of raw fish options, and I tried the sea urchin roe pasta for the first time. Strong flavor, but very interesting. Highly recommended! While we were there the place was packed, and the manager came to apologize for the service. I was surprised he did that because the service was excellent. If that service was below their standard I can't imagine what it is like on a night not so busy! read more

Great food, great wines, great service. I went there with my Italian family and the owner was trying to be funny and he was also making jokes about Americans, and I did not enjoy that at all! Poor dude must have some self confidence issues! I hope his restaurant does well for a long time, as a comedian he would not go far! read more

Il Tempio di Iside - Mediterranean Near Me - Rome, RM

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Please try this place it is so wonderful a real YUM.. Just around the corner is a Coffee shop With the Iside name. Try the crab Pasta. double YUM YUM read more

First of all, I have to disagree with the reviewer who said that this restaurant is for American foodie tourists. During our meal, we were surrounded by many tables of Italians, some larger groups and some tables of 2. There were not only Italians present, but definitely enough that I didn't feel as though we'd wandered into a tourist trap. The food is expensive for Roman standards (about on par if you live in a large city as we do, however), but it was all really good. It is all seafood, so do not come thinking that there will be a dish or two on the menu to cater to those who aren't seafood fans. We started with the fish carpaccio, which was really nicely executed and was playfully presented. We then went on to do the shared hot appetizer which we loved. Basically, each course includes a small portion for each person. Our dishes included: bruschetta with tomatoes and clams, fish cheeks in butter sauce, spinach purse with squid, branzino stuffed with flavored bread crumbs, and a very thin, fried, tuna fillet. Everything was really good except for the tuna, which we found very meh. Afterwards, we each chose a different pasta, one with clams and one with swordfish. Both were really good and the pasta itself was interesting and very well cooked. While the food was delicious, the meal kind of went awry in terms of service, mainly towards the end. We were pretty full but as it was our anniversary dinner, wanted to go for dessert anyway. However, just after ordering, we were given biscotti and a small portion of sweet wine. Had we known that was coming, we would have been happy to leave it at that. Then we asked about an amaro list, which they said they couldn't provide. When we asked if there was someone on staff who could give guidance to help us select one, we were told no one on staff drinks at all and couldn't help us. However, at the beginning of the meal, one of our servers was happy to suggest wines to us, so we were pretty confused. Overall, a really nice meal which was followed by a very pleasant walk to the Colosseum, but the service left us with a slightly bad taste in our mouth. read more

Very mixed experience. Expensive. Great food. Bad service. Slightly unpleasant meal for us, despite the fact that the food is terrific, which almost never happens because we're not sticklers on service. This review is for foodie tourists, in particular American foodie touists. The most important things to know about this place are: 1) The food is fantastic. It really is. This is a strict seafood place that only serves a handful of things, so don't deviate too much from what everyone else is having. 2) It's huge and popular late at night, so the seating can vary from the nice romantic topside tables to the tourist dungeon in the basement. 3) In order to really enjoy this place, you have to know what you are doing. Which is not that easy if you don't speak Italian, speak really bad Italian, or your waiter doesn't help you out. Which is likely to happen because the service here is bad for the price you pay. If you don't order properly you can get really screwed. This is an expensive place, and we overordered by a longshot. The hot antipasti is a good deal, almost enough for a meal in itself, and it comes out 1 item at a time as soon as the kitchen knocks it out. Which would be fine, except we also ordered pasta, and everything came out so fast we didn't have time to eat it before the pasta came out. So there were about 5 different dishes on the table at once when the pasta arrived. The antipasti we had included fried squash blossoms, prawns with artichokes, and I forget what else but it was all very tasty. The ravioli was really good. The spaghetti with squid, not so much. The flavors were nice, but the squid was overcooked and the spaghetti was undercooked, even by Italian standards. Al dente is one thing, outright crunchy is another. We wanted to order some fish, and after an unhelpful exchange with our waiter, ended up getting a whole turbot at 7.50 Euro per 100 grams, which is, that's right, a $100 fish. It was roasted whole, so that the fins turned crispy. Tasted amazing - super fresh, cooked perfectly, but a whole 1kg turbot for 2 people that were already stuffed from improper ordering is a lot to ask. Everyone else around us (i.e. the locals) were almost all in big tables of about 5-8 people, and all ordered shared family-style platters of prawns over potatoes and tomatoes. It looked awesome. The group of loud Asian businessmen next to us had what seems to be one whole lobster per person, plus plenty of wine. It was pretty loud and boisterous. Had we been able to have just the antipasti and a scaled-down version of the prawns, it would've been a better experience. So my advice is to try this place if you're into seafood, but try and order what everyone else is ordering. And if you don't have a big group, see if the waiter can scale your meal to a proper size. read more

I really enjoyed my two dinners at this upscale restaurant not far from the Colosseum. The night of my first which was a Monday, the vaulted brick interior space with its contemporary furnishings was populated with what seemed only business men in small groups, except for one very gregarious and pink British couple lustily tucking into their meals and their wine. The second night I was there there were more Italian couples, a few I am sure Ducati racers (the owner is one) and their stunning dates. But enough of the mis en scene--on to the food! The restaurant specializes in fish and if you just stick to their hot and cold antipasti you will be sated on that alone. Depending on what was good in the market you can get great anchovies served with a side of tiny mozzerella bits in a sauce, fried baby octopus tentacles, scallops, seared tuna, and it goes on and on. I also tried their langoustine and prawn catalan style, which came on a bed of sliced potatoes, tomatoes, and onions in olive oil. The wines are great but not inexpensive and it's just far enough outside the centro storico (a longish walk or short taxi ride from the Piazza Venezia)to discourage those who do not know how good it is. Booking is a very good idea. read more

We had a morning tour of the Colosseum and wanted to find a non-tourist place for lunch before touring the Forum in the afternoon -- and this worked out perfectly. The seafood risotto was delicious and had plenty of seafood. The pasta was fresh-tasting and perfectly prepared. Portions are large enough that after eating bread and risotto (or pasta) it was really plenty for lunch -- but not so much that we didn't have room for gelato after touring the Forum for a few hours after lunch. The prices were reasonable considering the type of restaurant this is, and they gave us complimentary half-glasses of sparkling wine to start and complimentary small glasses of Moscato to finish. We went during the week, and most of the patrons were smartly dressed in business attire or similar -- I was one of the more casual men there in khakis and a button-down (this is not a T-shirt and shorts kind of place, even for lunch). Service was friendly, though a bit slow. Credit cards are accepted. read more

Great fresh seafood, perfectly matched wines, entertaining atmosphere,helpful service. Our Roman friends were surprised when we told them of our visit, great surprise and how did we hear about it? The Guardian website told us to try. We did and found the best seafood place in Rome. Do as we did, try it. read more