Found this eatery a bit off the beaten track, walking from the Colosseum (and hot and exhausted) back to our VRBO over on Via Merulana, and were able to sit down almost immediately around 1:15p or so on a Sunday. FOOD - Full Italian menu with all the courses. Everyone enjoyed their food and its hearty portions. My cacio e pepe was flavorful, but the pasta was a little too far into al dente chewable. On the other hand, the lemon sorbet -- more like a lemon cream -- was fantastic. SERVICE - Service was friendly, and a bit more on the bounce than the normal laid-back Italian. The two of us having beer with lunch didn't get it served until we pointed it out -- though they more than compensated by giving us an additional small glass of it. AMBIANCE - Kind of old-school nice and dark, with classical maps and architectural diagrams on the walls. NET-NET - I would have no problem with coming back here again, or with recommending it as a place that's well away from the standard Colosseum tourist traps. read more

We got here after they open after the closing for the afternoon. No one was in there besides us. We were seated quickly. We ordered wine they suggested which was good. And we ordered the Pici all amatriciana con guanciale di amatrice e pecorino Romano Dop. It was very good. After we ordered the place filled up quickly. It was darker in there which was a great atmosphere. There was a shelves of wine behind us. And the place was really cute and clean. They even wiped the crumbs off the table from the yummy bread before dinner was served. The service was great. The food was so good. Pasta cooked perfectly. I look forward to coming back. read more

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Our Waiter Pedro was excellent, try the lamb chops, lobs6er Linquiñi, the vino, lemoncello

We ate here twice during our 9 day stay in Rome. It is a delightful place about 4 blocks from the Colosseum. The staff is very warm and knowledgeable. Food is typically Roman. Menu specials each day. It's also a cool environment being housed in a former 16th century convent. read more

Came here for dessert and we were very impressed with our tiramisu and cannoli trio. Would definitely come back read more

Isidoro - Tiramisu + cannoli trio - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

Zucchini flowers are amazing. We did a family style pasta tasting and would definitely recommend doing the same - the chef gave us carbonara, cacio e pepe, and pesto with mussels. read more

Isidoro - Pesto with mussels - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

We were waiting for our hotel room to be ready and the hotel recommended lunch at Isidoro while we wAited. The panzanella was fantastic. I had a carbonara as well ... super rich sauce... finished with a tiramisu and I'm glad I don't live here because I'd be gaining tons of weight. Great, friendly service. Totally recommend. read more

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We had lunch here today and it was okay. My pasta was a simple cheese and pepper. My bro/BIL split the carbonara. It was way too salty, even for a salt fiend like me. My wife's tomato based pasta with pancetta was decent. It was not salty like the other dish. My bro/BIL liked their Roman chicken and fried shrimp/calamari meals (yes, they ate a lot and I was too full to try their dishes). Overall, I seem to be in the minority of people and thought this place was just okay. read more

Utterly delicious food and outstanding service. So glad we went!! Highly recommend a visit!!

Considering this was in a touristy part of town (down the street from the Colosseum), I didn't have high expectations, but my hubs family really surprised us with this wonderful choice. Tha pasta variety they had was presented with a wide variety of shareable plates so we all had a bite or two of different regional pastas, cheeses, ragu, and so on. We sat at a table facing the kitchen, and was just pleasantly surprised at the quality, taste, variety, and the price. Overall, this is a favorite anytime we're in Rome. 5 stars for food, charm, and service. read more

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Friendly service and simple menu. For the first meal in Rome, it left a good impression of the food that I would eat here for the next couple of days. Ordered the Seafood Risotto, which was loaded with shrimp, mussels, clams and a large prawn. Seafood was fresh and risotto was cooked well. I had a taste of the Swordfish Pasta as well, which was flavorful and lean. I liked how it was topped with some nuts on top (almond, walnut?) - very balanced. Also needed an Americano coffee, which was bold and strong, perfect for that afternoon wake-up call after a long morning of travel. read more

Isidoro - Seafood Risotto - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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Isidoro is located near the Coloseum. You'll get authentic pasta at this restaurant. Definitely try the artichoke as a starter. The entree portions are very big so come hungry. read more

We went here on a recommendation and it surpassed any of our expectations. The service was excellent. Although we did not speak Italian they were extremely accommodating. We ordered multiple courses and each was better than the last. FYI this is a great place to go to get traditional Roman carbonara! Do not let the negative reviews on here fool you, this is a place you need to try. read more

A Group of 6 of us Stopped by for lunch after visiting the colosseum. We ended up ordering the pasta chef tasting menu where the chef picks 3 types of pasta to let every share family style. Originally, I didn't like the idea because I thought he would just give us the cheapest pasta to make, but was surprised when we got one with prawns and the other with some pancetta. Overall the food was very good. We did notice not all the pasta was freshly made since we saw them bring in a box of dried pasta with their groceries. The first bowl he brought out was obviously fresh, but the last two bowls we had were from dried pasta. All were good regardless. The service was ok. At one point they forgot we ordered coffee until we reminded them 20 minutes later but other than that they were good. read more

Isidoro - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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We stumbled upon Isidoro when trying to find a place to kill time as we waited for the San Clemente church to open up (after their afternoon siesta). The place is wholly unassuming and you could walk right by without even noticing it. We are so glad we did though. This could have been a five star meal, but a few mistakes were made. JT ordered white wine that never came to the table (so he drank from the pitcher of red that was brought to me even though I ordered a single glass)...and all of my dishes were served 5-10 minutes before his were brought to the table. It made dining a little awkward as I was eating away and he was starting hungrily at my plate. That aside... The space is beautiful and unlike many spots in Rome, it also features a decent bathroom (with actual toilet seats, why don't bathrooms in Italy have toilet seats...I don't want to hover over a dirty rim, thankyouverymuch!). The space looks very old with the exposed beams and low ceilings. It makes for a very cozy spot. Of all the places we went to in Rome, this was the spot that seemed to be 95% local. There were so many Italians here, on their lunch breaks, meeting up with friends, etc. We thought to ourselves, now this is a neat spot where we can really feel like we are in Rome...not just at another tourist trap. To the food. I decided to start with the cacio e pepe as I wanted to try another version of the same dish to see how they stack up. This particular cacio e pepe was heavy on the pepe! It was definitely different from the first version I tried that had a more cheesy component to it. It was tasty, but the heavy hand with the pepper made it so that I was unable to eat more than half of the plate. After I finished, JT received (after a long wait) his prosciutto and mozzarella plate - which he said was worth said wait. High quality ingredients. Next, I had a cut of beef glazed in a wine sauce, the waiter offered potatoes on the side and I accepted. I thought the potatoes were the star of my second course. I did enjoy the flavors of the beef, but I thought the cut itself was a little stringy. That being said, I had no trouble eating and enjoying it - but I think on another visit I would go with a different dish (like the spinach and ricotta ravioli that I saw others eating and wished I had ordered). It was a long wait for the check as is customary in our experience, but as I said, we were killing time so we didn't mind sitting around and finishing off the wine. It was exceptionally busy in the restaurant and it looked like everyone was fairly busy...had someone come by to check on us, we probably would have ordered more wine (like the white for JT) and stuck around longer, but instead we took off to find gelato. :-) If we come back to Rome, Isidoro will certainly make the cut for a second visit - the food ensured that! read more

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Disappointing experience. They charge you €1.50 for bread that they put on your table without asking if you want it & charge €2.50 for tap water. My carbonara wasn't great...too much of a bad sauce. read more

Isidoro - Disappointing carbonara...something was off with the sauce. Way too thick & congealed. :-( - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

Food was absolutely delicious and service was amazing. Our waitress spoke, English, Spanish, and Italian who was great for our party. Highly recommend it. read more

Isidoro - Salmon Filet with a zucchini and potato crust - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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Cacio e pepe was very good but not the beat we had. Also had spaghetti carbonara which was delicious. Daily special of bacon and tomato jam ravioli was one of the best things I ate in Italy read more

Isidoro - Bacon tomato jam ravioli. It was a daily special - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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One word: terrible. I'm not typically one to write bad reviews, but the food here was beyond disappointing. My wife and I were looking for a nice Italian meal after visiting the Colosseum, and we read several good reviews for this place. Our experience was quite different. We ordered the pasta tasting menu as it was listed as the restaurant's speciality. The first two dishes were mediocre at best, and it got progressively worse, ending with the worst truffle pasta I've ever had. I've made better pasta at home with boxed noodles and called sauce. Only decent part of the meal was the salad and the bottled water. Staff was reasonably friendly. Do yourself a favor and skip this one. read more

We arrived in Rome a little late, so we decided to eat somewhere within walking distance of the hotel, luckily we were recommended this restaurant. I enjoyed the ambience of the place, the house wine was terrific, and the food was absolutely delicious. I felt I had to pass this hidden gem to my yelp community. I highly recommend this place, it's two blocks from the colosseum without the tourist fee. The price was fair and service was good. The seafood 4 course entree and shrimp scampi was out of this world. read more

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Our hotel recommended this when we arrived and it was wonderful. The food was delicious and the staff were incredibly friendly.

The food was good. I had some tubular pasta dish in an egg sauce that was good. The Roman chicken was fresh, simple and tasty. My spouse had the winner dish of fried squid prawns-That was superb. read more

Everything about my visit here was super! The gnocchi was cooked perfectly and the staff were super friendly and it was JUST off the beaten path enough (except not really because it's right by the coliseum) that it wasn't crowded with a million people. YUM. I had the gnocchi with grab. Super messy. Super delicious. read more

Isidoro - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

Visiting Isidoro made me sad. This is because I was in Rome in 2009 and this was my absolute favorite dinner of the trip. I have dreams about the gorgonzola gnocci I had that night.... But this time... the gorgonzola gnocci was, well wholly disappointing... Nothing was bad, but not amazing. :( read more

We went to Isidoro for lunch after touring around Palatino. It was the best Italian food experience ever! I cannot emphasise enough how the food here is amazing. We ordered an assortment of roasted vegetables for starter, then I ordered the seafood linguini as main. The vegetables were perfectly roasted and seasoned, not to mention very fresh and tasty. After days of feeding on just pasta and pizza, it was a nutritious meal indeed. My seafood linguini was the best pasta I've ever had, period. Surprisingly, it wasn't tomato sauce based as most seafood liniguinis are but rather, white wine and olive oil-esque sauce-based. I was nervous at first how this would go, but it turned out to be the best combination with the seafood. It was somewhat reminiscent of the white wine sauce you get for mussels but more tasty and flavourful. I would go back to this place just for this dish in a heartbeat. The service was nice but fell short of the food. Granted, the restaurant was quite busy, but the waiters seemed to have confused multiple orders, so they clearly need better process management or simply, more staff. Nonetheless, I highly recommend the place for anyone in the Colosseum and Palatino area! read more

We had our New Years Eve dinner here and everything was FANTASTIC and for such a great price. For New Year's Eve they had a set menu with two different times. read more

Isidoro - Shrimp appetizer - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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I love that this place allows you to do pasta tasting (if 2 or more ppl get in on the plan). You can choose 3 or more tastes. I forget the max number of tastings but we went with 5.. at first we wanted 6 but the waiter showed such surprise and horror that we would even consider 6 tastings for lunch that we dialed it down a notch. When we asked about appetizers he said "you don't need" and looked almost fearful, as if we were going to eat all the food they had left in the kitchen. Sometimes I feel horrible about being a gluttonous American on vacation but this guy's consternation was somehow amusing to me. I had already walked 8 miles, and it wasn't even 2pm yet-- give me my pasta tasting, dammit! Anyway, the cost was reasonable given the variety- it was somewhere between 15-18 euro per person. - Our tasting included - Risotto with zucchini flowers and mushrooms- they don't usually include risotto, but we requested it and they accommodated us. It was ok but IMHO a little too heavy on white wine and not enough shallot/aromatics) - Orecchiette with pungent dark green veg- this was salty and somehow briny- one of my favorites - cacio e pepe- this was like extra flavorful adult Mac and cheese - it was the group's favorite but not mine - amatriciana- classic of tomato sauce with pork belly, another winner - clam pasta (I forget the name of the noodle)- this would have been great but was strangely under salted and therefore a little bland compared to the previous pastas. - We also ordered a grilled fish with lemon and saffron sauce (couldn't help wanting some protein). The fish was a bit dry and there was WAY too much lemon. I didn't taste the saffron at all, and the dish was also undersalted. Not sure what happened with this dish, so I would recommend just sticking to their pastas. Anyway, if you're out checking out the Forum and Colosseum, I think the pasta tasting here is worth the extra short walk! read more

Came here at the suggestion of our landlady during our stay in Rome. We had the three choices of pasta for two people and basically he kitchen surprises you with the different types of pasta. For two people it was only $20 and we had fettuccine with artichokes, rigatoni with pancetta and cavatelli with seafood. The latter was my least favorite as the seafood was pretty fishy. The other two pastas were so good and fresh. We also had the mixed seafood carpaccio which I did not enjoy and was extremely fishy especially the octopus. I would definitely come back here for the pasta! The service was ok, we waited a long time and I guess that's what is expected of Italian restaurants. read more

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Food was extremely salty. Shrimps and clams tasted like they were left out in the sun for a day. Never go back there ever again. Worst Italian food ever! read more

Isidoro - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

Our hotel made us this reservation when we said we wanted something "light" and "casual". saw the 4 star review on Yelp and thought why not. Who are you people giving this place 4 stars and have you never eaten "good" Italian food before?????!!!!! I got the carbonara which tasted frankly like boxed Mac and cheese which was over salted. My husband got the fettuccine with artichokes which was mushy and disgusting. It was shameful. Also our chianti was warm. Gross. READ: Huge tourist trap. Do not waste your time or money here. read more

Open late, delicious food and spectacular service! So friendly and happy and smart! The staff is able to speak many languages and was so much fun. They even hooked us up with the best biscotti i have ever had as an end of the night treat. Food was phenomonal! We shared a bottle of wine. Fizzante water and we ordered the bacon carbonara and the ravioli. read more

Isidoro - Ravioli and bacon carbonara. Lemoncello sorbet for desset. So good! - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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run.... ordered the artichokes appetizer and seafood pasta. they were very bland. the pasta was also very rubbery...no not the seafood...the pasta itself! like it was made a week ago, frozen then refrozen. my sister order chicken and the meat has no taste covered with some kind of bland sauce. worst...they do charge 450 for bread baslet without asking you. thats the cover charge read more

Isidoro - very rubbery seafood pasta - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

Isidoro had great good and a lovely atmosphere. No outdoor seating but it is nice inside. We were a bit warm and it wasn't too hot outside. Reservations we easy to get and they were very busy but it was welcoming and a fun place to eat. read more

I had the Mediterranean salad. It was large and filling. Probably too much ham on it for my liking but it was fresh and tasty. My mother's meal was the best of our group, a swordfish spaghetti dish. Very flavourful an well made. The bread was fresh as well. My sister said her fries were the best she's had on our European trip so far (and she's ordered quite a few.) read more

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We stumbled upon this place 5 years ago and we always go back whenever we are in Rome. It is simple ingredients done so well you leave wanting more. The mixed grilled meats never disappoint and I don't think there is a bad pasta in the place. The staff is friendly and patient with tourists yet there is a large local following. It is a gem that never disappoints. read more

Food was good but service is horrendous. I am familiar with the Roman way of waiting tables (much slower than in the States or even the most of rest of Europe), but our waiter clearly neglected is, despite the restaurant not being busy, nor the kitchen being behind. We waited over 30 minutes for our bill, and one member of our party was picked on in every single way -- antipasto, carne, even drinks. All in all I cannot recommend this restaurant to anyone I know. read more

I got the pasta special which was a swordfish, pine nut, tomato concoction full of deliciousness. The service was impeccable and the prices were very reasonable. I'd definitely stop by another time. read more

I yelped this spot and was not disappointed. Great customer service and wonderful food. The waitress, didn't catch her name but she was sweet and very very helpful. She assisted us with picking out the beer to our dishes. Thank you! Overall, worth the stop if you want a nice cozy spot to just enjoy good food. read more

Traditional Roman cuisine. We stopped here for lunch after long morning in the Colliseum and Forum. We were hungry. The first courses of salumi and cheese were very good. The pasta wth artichike was excellent, home made. Others had eggplant parmigiana, and salad. Overall good, but they tried to ask us for a tip, and overcharged for an item. read more

This was a restaurant I found close by on yelp and I will say they had excellent service, tasty wine, pasta tastings, and lobster that you crack yourself. It was a fun experience and everyone in our group had a great time. Our server also brought us a little shot of limoncello at the end of the meal. Give them a try. read more