Here's the thing, everything about this place was great except for two things: 1. They use penne for the carbonara and 2. The pasta was entirely too al dente Located in a beautiful square that has a market during the daytime, the view from the first and second floor is beautiful at night. During the day, the square is full of vendors and tourists buying all their souvenirs. At night, kids are running around playing games and tour groups are meeting up to start their adventure. This was on our list of must visit while we were in town. We walked around the area and made sure to be back by 7 PM when they opened. There were only about three groups of diners when we got there right when they opened. We were quickly seated right by the corner despite not having a reservation. Win! It was our first full day in the city and we had just walked 8 miles so our group of 4 had a ravenous appetite. Of course, we all decided to each get an order of the carbonara and then share a few other items. Much to our surprise, they don't use spaghetti. And another smack in the face is how al dente the pasta was. To the point that we didn't want to keep eating. The chewing was too much. It actually put me in a bad mood. This, even though the bacon that was in there was so good. I think that was the best part of the dish otherwise we were all very disappointed.. However, the trio of meat was banger. The ravioli was also fantastic. We soon found out that all the pasta we would proceed to have for 3 days in Rome was ALL al dente. Not the vibe. read more

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The carbonara was delicious and rich! I normally don't love bacon, but this bacon made the dish! It was the perfect amount of crispy and paired well with the pasta. We also got the gnocchi which was good, but it didn't compare to the carbonara. Service was great-house wine was a 10! read more

La Carbonara - La carbonara - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

La Carbonara boasts the reputation of being one of the oldest restuarants in Rome. Since 1912 it has been located in the heart of the city in the charming and historic Piazza Campo de' Fiori. It came recommended so I decided to check it out. My sister and arrived for our 7 pm dinner reservation to find the restaurant pretty empty on a weekday. It stayed that way for the bulk of our meal. Service was leisurely (as is pretty typical in Italy) so don't expect to be in and out in a flash. We shared two pasta dishes and a main meat entree between the two of us. THe first was their take on the traditional Roman dish, cacio e pepe, and the second was a no-brainer choice, their spaghetti alla carbonara. (FYI some people boast that this restaurant is behind the creation of the carbonara pasta dish but I can't confirm). The cacio e pepe dish was good but I will say it was definitely one of the best carbonara dishes I've ever had in my life. For the main entree we ordered some kind of pork on bone dish that came with potatoes that just wasn't good. The meat didn't have a good flavor and we didn't end up taking more than one bite each before just finishing off the potatoes. All in all, if you're looking for a fantastic Carbonara dish this place won't disappoint but I'd go elsewhere for the bulk of your meal. read more

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This restaurant is featured in the amazing book, "Dinner in Rome, A History of the World in One Meal". I am so glad I came here based on reading the book. The food is truly excellent. I tried the namesake Carbonara which was rich and chewy. The dish at fist blush looks too small but it is just the right amount given the richness of the sauce topped off with a few pieces of bacon. The service is efficient and polite. They have 2 floors. Most people are lined up to eat outside. I went upstairs and found a quiet table by the window with a view of the square. It was a nice way to relax and recharge after a few hours of biking around Rome. read more

La Carbonara - View of the square from the 1st floor of La Carbonara - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

Beautiful unique ambiance with 2nd floor seating overlooking the market. But, nothing amazing in terms of food. And left A LOT to be desired as far has service goes. I would pick one of the other 10 places to eat at in proximity. read more

La Carbonara - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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Amazing, we tried all the pastas and they were all great. The gnocchi was simple tomato/basil sauce and was absolutely delicious, fluffy and complementary flavors. A reminder of why change something simple and delicious? There's a reason this place has been around for so long. read more

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This restaurant is amazing! (Most waiters can talk great English and some talk decent French). We got there with my family (9 of us) and the place was full! We asked if we could book a table for later and they told us to come back an hour and a half later (which is quick for a Saturday night in Rome!), La Carbonara being on a nice, nicely busy square, we just got a few drinks at a bar nearby before exploring the square. Back inside the restaurant, we were seated really quickly in a quiet, warm room. The waiter took our orders for drinks and we got the menus : incredible. Fresh pastas with homemade sauces as first dish and second plus typical Italian dishes as starters! (Vegetarian options were also available!) After ordering our food, while we were waiting while sipping on wine (I can't say about the wines because I don't know anything about their quality but my white wine tasted delicious and they had a wide selection of bottles that they were ready to guide you with), the waiter came back with a huge plate of olive oil covered slices of bread and delicious mozzarella, it was a gift on the house and was a great way to start the dinner! We all got our first dish (most of us were FULL after that, it was really heavy, good quality pastas), we all kind of tasted each other plates : I didn't find one that I didn't like. When my cousins ordered second dishes, it made me hungry again! It looked and smelled so good! The waiter made a mistake in our order (but we were 9 and most spoke broken English, I can't really blame him), he profusely apologized and offered us the plate he wrongly brung before running back to the kitchen. We then got those Tiramisus that were epic! Finally we ordered some really strong alcohol as a digestive drink (very effective), and they offered it to us! The staff was awesome! Everybody laughed with us and welcomed us very warmly. The best restaurant I've been to during my two trips to Rome, definitely recommend! read more

La Carbonara - Tiramisu - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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The food is amazing, we had the Carbonara and the gnocchi. Both were highlights of the trip! The ambiance is lively, right on the piazza. I usually stay away from restaurants in main areas but I made an exception for this place and I'm glad I did! One tip, skip the bread basket, stale bread and they charge. Also, make a reservation, this place is popular but for a reason! read more

La Carbonara - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

Ample seating at noon on a week day. Plenty of seating inside and out. We ordered caprese, cacio pepe and a carbonara and they did not disappoint. Service was leisurely so don't expect to be in and out in a flash. However, we didn't wait an ungodly amount of time for our dishes. The customer service was essentially non-existent but that's expected with Italian dining. Prices are a little high compared to elsewhere (pasta dish averages €13). Overall, very decent quality food, probably the best carbonara I had in Italy (and boy did I try a lot of carbonara). Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area! read more

La Carbonara - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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Awesome awesome place. The service was nice and slow, we didn't feel rushed. The wine was awesome, the gnocchi is the best everrrrr, extremely soft and fresh. I highly recommend it. read more

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Pasta in Rome is all about Zen on a plate, 3-5 ingredients max, Done. That's what I love about Roman pasta. The quintessential Roman lunch dish is not Cacio e Pepe unbeknownst to most people, it is pasta carbonara. A close second is pasta all'amatriciana. Pasta carbonara is the one dish that most Romans pick for lunch more than any other. And here, you get just that, probably the best carbonara you will have ever had, 3-5 ingredients max: prominently speckled with crunchy bits of pancetta, parmiggiano, cream and... the creamiest tastiest lusciousest yellow/orange egg yolks, so vibrant the color to this dish it has a saffron tinge. It's the eggs... and this dish can't be made better than at La Carbonara-- it's how the chef here cooks this entire dish, the process so defined, they make carbonara here exactly the same every single time since I've visited Rome since college. When it's done here it's beautiful, lucious Art....zen on a plate. Uhmmmmmmmmmmm. While LC is in a touristy area, it serves Roman dishes (aka cucina tipica Romana), come here to savor the most famous pasta dish in Rome, oddly with the same name. Some will say there are other places that make it great. Agree, but they must beat the version at La Carbonara to win me over.. :)) Be a true Yelper, don't go searching for Cacio e Pepe...that stuff's OK but really just publicized by trendy NY chefs and totally played out. Hope you enjoy LC when you come visit the Eternal City. Visits: beaucoup since college Tip: La Carbonara is the best restaurant for pasta in the Campo dei fiori (field of flowers) square. Honestly, everything else is standard except for the superior pastas. You want to come for lunch after you peruse the Campo dei fiori daily market which happens early morning until about 1pm. Campo dei fiori open market has taken place since 1869. Get flowers/munchies and cheeses for the hotel room or AirBnB, lunch it up at La Carbonara and feel the vibe of Campo dei Fiori as it has been for hundreds of years. Avoid Campo dei fiori at night after 11pm, it gets rowdy unsafe with drunk tourists and locals. But hey, rowdy is good for some so go to it.....gangsta! read more

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This classical italian restaurant facing the square. It's known for carbonara which I ordered. The spaghetti was a bit undercook. It seems to be the norm in Italy;however, it was delicious. The dish was copious and I ordered the house wine with it. The breads and breadsticks and water that serves in the beginning of the course, you have to pay extra for it. So the bill was more than I expected. read more

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We had a good time here. It wasn't a 5 star experience or michelin starred quality food but if you keep your expectations down, you can have an enjoyable time. We decided to sit outside since it was still relatively warm to do so with the heat lamps. The waiter was accommodating and nice, maybe we got lucky (reading what other yelp reviews are saying.) We realized that the restaurant is right next to the famous Il Forno. The restaurant is actually HUGE inside upstairs if you ever decide to venture up there for the bathroom. On to the food, we had the red wine recommended by the waiter and it was pretty good, can't remember the name sorry. The oxtail dish was delicious! The carbonara was decent, since we've only had it at three other places, I'd say that it was good. Location is fantastic as it is right in the plaza and you could see what others are doing. The roman tripe, I could do without, it was a little too much for my taste but my def. all night favorite was the bread that they served in the beginning, I believe it's probably from the place next door which is "piazza blanca" dont be deceived, it's not actually pizza but just a slice of thinly baked DELICIOUS bread. I didn't realize that as I was eating it that I ate all of it without giving any of to my bf, oops. Overall decent experience, I can't say that I'd go back again but I'd def. recommend to any tourists in the area who'd just like some traditional italian food at a reasonable price. read more

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My family and I traveled from Venice to Florence and ended in Rome. Of all the different foods we tried, this was my last lunch in Italy and my favorite meal of the whole trip. I had what I consider a basic dish (spaghetti aglio olio e pecorino). But it wasn't basic. Far from it. They cooked the pasta so well that there was no olive oil residue and the cheese was perfectly blended with the sauce. There was definitely a hint of red pepper flakes giving it a kick without making me feel overpowered. Everyone in my family was floored by the quality of the food and service. It was not a tourist trap. It was the real deal. If I ever make it back to Rome, I am most definitely coming back here! read more

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Yes!! Visit this place if you find yourself in the area. It is legit! The actual carbonara dish is a winner. Can't recall service or anything else because we were lost in our dish! :) Highly recommended. read more

Great pasta dishes & group service. I was in a group or 150 people and we all participated in pasta making & enjoyed a dinner as a group. Food was delicious. Pasta making class was so much fun and I loved the Italian lady who came around to help us make the pasta. The only thing that they struggled with was that they ran out of dishes fast and it took time for them to bring out more for the group to eat. Great atmosphere and experience. I would recommend for groups of 100 or less or even for a evening out with friends. Great restaurant over all! read more

Quality amazing. Top service. Very typical as eating with a Roman family. Feels like home. Definitely coming back.

Was faced with a tough decision of figuring out where to go eat one night in Rome 8 years ago (that's Roma, for locals) and had absolutely no idea, other than grabbing a travel guidebook I purchased from triple A right before the trip, and basically doing some eeeny meeny miney schmoe with random finger pointing to decide our free roaming evening. No Yelp, no Lonely Planet, no blawgs, no Tony Bourdain, and just no foodie showoff bragging knowledge to speak of then to reference from or to get ideas, or at least, not as much. But the beautiful sight of Campo de' Fiori, essentially a flower market in the AM, seemed like a nice place to be. So we cabbed it there from the hotel, where the cabbie did his best impression of Initial D, Steve McQueen (very impressive I might add, in a small taxi that could have passed as an Alfa Romeo), and brought us right to the edge safely. We ran into some of our tour group mates, who settled on some restaurant around the corner, at the exterior's edge of Campo de' Fiori. I was not that brave at the time. Looking back I should have, and perhaps would have ended up eating some old style Roman fare, perhaps with offal, or the stuff that foodies have wet dreams about. La Carbonara seemed like an obvious choice. Heck it was the 2nd to last night in town, the place seemed busy and happening enough, with two stories. The sun was starting to set, yet it was still very bright outside. On our way to our table, we passed by a side table of withered looking vegetables, soaking in olive oil, on plates. Strange.... but little did we know that would be some of the sides (contorni) they would slap on when we wanted some veggie sides. Ended up with carbonara of course...ravioli (strangely no spaghetti that night). Unlike anything I've ever had in the states and looking back wish I had taken photos or at least remembered more. It was good, and even the bitter tasting vegetable contorni I would appreciate a lot more now than I did then. The sample online menu of today looks a bit more vibrant, at least the primi (first pasta courses) look more interesting, yet doesn't deviate far from the classics. Now I can probably appreciate the meat course (secondi di carne) with Roman style tripe, and wow...osso bucco. Granted there are probably much better osterias, ristorantes, and the ilk than this place, but for a first time visitor with keeping low expectations, this place can be quite decent. Especially if you are joining a group tour where you have free meals on nights that you explore on your own (where any half decent restaurant should be better than the group meals that you get). read more

My mother picked out La Carbonara for dinner as recommended by The Civilized Shopper's Guide to Rome. This restaurant's location in Campo dei Fiori square is truly remarkable and offers the best people watching you could ask for over a meal. I ordered spaghetti with garlic olive oil and pecorino cheese, while my mother got the house-special pasta carbonara. Both courses were delicious and enjoying the meal outside was incredibly special. La Carbonara should definitely be on your "to visit" list while in Rome. read more

La Carbonara - La Carbonara looks magical at night. - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

So sad that the Carbonara at La Carbonara was not very good. The only thing we really liked here was the artichoke. This place had great people watching but since we sat outside we were approached by 4-5 guys trying to sell us weird things. The server was not very friendly. I would skip this place and head to another restaurant! read more

La Carbonara - Artichoke was amazing! The Carbonara or waiter not so much... - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

FANTASTIC! This place came highly recommended to me by a friend who lived in Rome for 9 years. All 5 of us at lunch were extremely happy with our meal. The menu is rather large and includes offal dishes. The fired artichoke is a must order, mostly because it's so beautiful. The service was great. The food was just wonderful! read more

Was expecting better as I read about this place in a Rome Food eating journal. Food was average, nothing special from most other places we've eaten in Rome. Good location I supposed in Campo de Fiori. Go to Hosteria Farnesse around the corner for better food. That was much better. read more

This was probably one of the most fantastic meals I had in Europe over the course of the 12+ days in Venice, Bologna, and Florence. We had a lamb dish, which was by far the most flavorful, wonderfly cooked and surprised by. It was a different part of the lamb that cooks dont give us here in the states. I am not a HUGE lamb fan, over the years I have gotten more comfortable with the distinctive grass fed taste lol, but honestly the dish is less than 25 euros and completely worth every euro! My husband ordered the dish and had no choice but to also eat from my dish as I took some lamb from him, anddddd I literally left the bones ONLY. Do your self the favor and eat here, no comparison. It will completely supersede every expectation you might have. Locals love this place!!!! read more

Best pasta in Rome by far. Came in as a recommendation from our tour guide and the pasta was AMAZING! From the carbonara to the cacao de Pepe and ended the lunch with a espresso! Such a gem in an amazing city! If I lived here I would be back again and again!!! read more

Recommended by my friend and this place didn't disappoint One of us had the pasta carbonara it was creamy and delicious I had the spaghetti and clams and it was amazing House Cabernet was fantastic read more

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This was the most (and only) disappointing meal I had this week in Rome. I ordered rigatoni pasta al carbonara which means the pasta has a cream/cheese based sauce. I understand al dente, but this pasta was so undercooked and hard I could barely chew it. Secondly it was cold. Probably previously frozen. Third, and most disgusting, was the cheese sauce. It was a bright yellow and tasted like the velveeta or american cheese slices we eat in 2nd grade when our parents make our ham and cheese sandwiches. I feel like they saw a tourist coming in and quickly thawed a frozen boxed or grocery store meal read more

This was our first stop on a week long tour of Italy after being away from the country for 20 years. We'd stopped and asked a local for a good place to find pasta carbonara and were pointed in this direction. The flavors were outstanding across all of the courses we tried. If you're looking for a good experience and some rich flavors, this is a good choice. read more

Italian waiter phenomenal at interpreting what we wanted, made the pasta dish I desired with a fresh/homemade pasta option at my request. Delicious food and impeccable service. Outdoor seating to watch the evening pass by. Don't pass this up! Wonderful experience. read more

La Carbonara - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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So delicious. We went here on recommendation from a friend in Milan and she was not wrong. Impeccable service, delicious pasta, and wine worth splurging on. read more

We had probably the rudest server in Italy. After we had given him the credit card, he took forever (order of 10 minutes) to process the payment despite multiple requests from us to hurry. In this time, he changed the table cloth of another table, brought water to multiple other tables, brought checks for multiple other tables, served several dishes.. and couldn't make time to process our payment. At the end when he finally did bring the slip for us to sign, there was not even the smallest apology or indication that this was out of the ordinary, not even eye contact. I really wish that I could say something nice about this place because the food was actually not bad, but the lack of service we received completely ruined the experience. read more

Had an amazing lunch here on my latest trip to Rome. The staff was helpful in finding us a table at a busy hour despite our lack of reservation. Both the bucatini all amatriciana and spaghetti alle vongole were amazing. The house wine was also unusually good, and inexpensive. Service was great, especially compared to most restaurants in the tourist core of Rome. read more

Great pasta and service. I made the mistake of ordering a steak medium and they cooked it well done. All of the pasta was amazing though.

This was the best meal we had in Rome and little did we know it was right below our apartment. We loved the bucatini all amatriciana and the panna cotta for dessert! A must go for fresh and delicious food! read more

I was expecting a lot from this place since I was recommended to go and get their pasta. I was very underwhelmed since someone said this was their favorite pasta place in Rome. I did not think it was anything special, and the service was very unenthusiastic. read more

Situated at the top corner of the bustling Campo de' Fiori (field of flowers) this is the place to sit and watch the world go buy whilst enjoying fine Italian food. This is a historic, traditional italian restaurant. Good food at reasonable prices and the fact that this place is situated in a brilliant location have kept it popular. I was suprised by the quality of the food given that it's in one of the busiest squares in Rome. With indoor and outdoor dining as well as two floors there should always be space and a chance to experience the food and soak up the atmopshere. I getting hungry just thinking about it. read more

Great food, fair prices if you stick to vino and stay away from cocktails. Get he carbonara obviously.

If you are in Rome, Carbonara is a MUST! The service is very nice and the stuff is friendly, better if you speak Italian and ask for a "fuori menù", we had a famous carbonara, the wine selection is very good, it seemed a bit tourist to me, but I would recommend it to taste a delicious Carbonara made the typical Roman way! read more

Ordered The Carbonara wasn't wow factor for me. If I had visited this restaurant first I probably say it better then most places. But I didn't!!! I went to Cantina Cantarini first. The pasta at Cantina Catarina was simple and cooked perfectly. Way better then this place!! probably wondering why i am giving la carbonara only 2 stars. it's overall experience. Pasta get 4 starts, would be 4.5-5, but they got ass kick by CC , i order ox tail, that get 2 stars for being cold in the middle and overall taste was plain. 1 star for them telling me it all fresh, can't be fresh the meat fully cooked and cold in middle. Beef tartare korean restaurant in any San Francisco/ Bay Area makes it better. order cappuccino also! all i have to say about this if mac Donald make it better here, that saying something about this restaurant. not going to rate drink. yelp review should be honest and not hype it up because of one dish they did well on! it's not even the best in carbonara rome for all y'all rating it 5 stars! Go try other places read more

The food was fine but nothing special. On the night we were there, the clientle was primarily tourists. It's pretty big --there is a downstairs and two rooms upstairs - I preferred being upstairs. It's a regular restaurant, i.e. not a trattoria. The service was good, the food was fine but I think there are more interesting options. read more

The food was not very good. The carbonara was heavy on the bacon fat and overly salty. The steak was under cooked in parts and over cooked in others - plus there was excessive gristle. While the decor was fun, I cannot recommend this place. read more