La Vacca is SO good, that we ate here our first and last night in Rome. Reservations recommended and I'd advise you send an email with the date, time, party number and your phone number. They'll respond to you fairly quickly. It's a cute restaurant and the servers are fantastic. Must haves are the fried baccala and fried zucchini blossoms. The fish is perfectly fried and a salted goodness in your mouth. Next is the beef filet with potatoes or the salad if you don't want the carbs. The steak was cooked to order, tender and perfectly seasoned. Lastly, I'd recommend the penne arrabiata which was piping hot, had a good kick and al dente. SO good! I also had the cacio e Pepe which they're known for but realized I'm more of a marinara fan than a cream based pasta fan. Still delicious. The tiramisu is delicate, silky, not too sweet and very good. Make sure to get a bottle or two of Chianti then walk around Monte and burn the calories off. read more

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We were going on a tour throughout Italy with one of the stops being Rome, so naturally I asked my friend who lived in Rome for a year for recommendations. Out of thousands of restaurants available she gave me the name of this one - i believe it's rated as #100 out of over 2000 restaurants in Rome on tripadvisor. Luckily, it was right around the corner about a 5min walk from our hotel. I made a reservations for 4 people for 8pm since it was a Saturday night (the only night we had free time away from the tour group and eat dinner on our own). I asked the hotel concierge to make the reservation and even though she told me I didn't need a one I insisted on it - I'm glad I did! Upon arrival, the place was packed. We had brought 2 additional people from the tour group since we ran into them on the way out of the hotel and they didn't have any dinner place in mind yet. The restaurant initially said there was no way they could do it since they were booked up until 10pm, but after some pleading they found a small round table to add to our square table of 4. The biggest complaint of the night (aside from the usual waitstaff with attitudes which we found to be almost everywhere in Italy) was that it took them 15-20min to come over to take our order after seating us, and that's when the waiter said they had no fish (aka no clams or mussels whatsoever) when half of us had already planned on ordering several dishes with clams/mussels, so we had to quickly review the menu again since the waiter was already displaying impatience with us. We started off with the liter of house wine - very good! The price was even better at 11 euros. We got the mozzarella with prosciutto, veal meatballs, and bruschetta bread as appetizers, and for entrees we got a couple of gnocchi dishes, ravioli, pasta with bone marrow, and a pasta with bacon and mushrooms. Everything was beyond excellent. Everyone was overjoyed and extremely satisfied to finally get an awesome meal after days of eating tour group dinners at hotels that have really just been way below expectation. The portions were generous and everyone was stuffed. We had no room for dessert but still ordered a tiramisu to share which, again, was delicious! All in all, the food was superb and the prices were more than reasonable, with appetizers being 5-10 euros and pasta dishes being around 8-13 euros. We all walked away as happy customers and didn't stop talking about how awesome the meal was for the rest of the tour. PS. If there is ever any trouble finding the restaurant, look for "the drunken cow" on their patio umbrellas. read more

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You know what they say about hole in the wall places... um... they're freaking awesome! And guess what... this place rocks! The best dinner I had in Rome!!! I have to give major props to our hotel concierge Rosa for recommending this place when everything else was closed during the summer holiday. It was about a couple of minutes walk from our hotel and even though it was a bit sketchy at times... the fam and I survived. I mean my parents weren't very happy with the location but I definitely enjoyed it! We walked in about 10ish at night and it was still happening. The place were filled with locals and tourist alike... and the space itself is small... like you can hear the other customer's convo small! I forgot what my fam ordered... but I vividly remember my meatballs... and oh my... they were delicious! It honestly melted in my mouth! We also ordered a bottle of wine... which I generously spilled after a couple of glasses... yes... I was that tourist! My fam were annoyed that I spilled that much wine considering they still wanted more! Overall... since I loved it so much... I volunteered to pay for this dinner... which lucky for me... wasn't that bad at all! Total came under 60 euros... plus tip... I walked away under 75 euros with the fam and I all satisfied! Seriously folks... well worth visiting and they like tourist... the staff were friendly and helpful! I'm hoping this place is still around the next time we trek back to Rome! read more

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We went out at 5:30 to grab something to eat as we were starving. Well it's Rome so everything is closed, except this tourist trap. Everything was bad from the food to the service. Very disappointed and I also felt very ignored because we were inside. Outside one woman kept coming in and yelling at the waiter about the service too though so maybe I'm wrong. read more

This was my first dinner in Rome and it definitely set the bar high! The location is in a small, quiet street, but close to the Coliseum and other Rome attractions. I wish I remembered the name of the white pasta I had -- but I do remember it was great! The wine selection was excellent, and the service was helpful without being all over us. Last, the price was completely reasonable -- much cheaper than I would've paid for a similar quality meal back home in the U.S.! read more

La Vacca M'Briaca - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

After reflecting on 8 nights of meals in all many different areas Venice, Rome, The Amalfi coast, Capri, this place was our favorite! It's simple and small but the food was delicious. I loved sitting outside and watching everyone walk by while drinking a glass of wine and taking our time with their food.Go, you won't be disappointed, try the pollo alla romana, it was read more

During our stay in Rome we stopped by La Vacca for dinner. We didn't make reservations but the waiter who greeted us was able to seat us immediately. As you sit in this cute little restaurant you start to realize that the majority of the people in there having dinner are locals, all speaking Italian - this was definitely a good sign! We started off with some bruschetta and then for our main course I had the carbonara and my husband had the chicken. The bruschetta was very tasty, the tomatoes were amazingly fresh and delicious. My carbonara was what gave this place 4 instead of 5 stars, the bacon was just a little too salty for my liking. My husband enjoyed his chicken and loved the fresh tomato sauce that topped it. Overall, we had a great dinner and appreciated the fact that they were able to squeeze us in without a reservation! read more

La Vacca M'Briaca - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

I found this place via yelp recommendations and was not let down!! I asked the waiter what was the best thing on the menu and was recommended tra read more

The perfect welcome to Rome, fresh from our flight. We were fortunate enough to start our recent 2 week Italy vacation off the right way with our 1st meal in Rome at this charming locals spot our good friend Angel Castellanos, aka The Travel Ambassador of Travel Convention trade show fame, took us to. At this Ristorante I enjoyed my favorite pasta, a Roman tradition... Cacio E Pepe! Not only was this simple dish packed with flavor, subtle and rich, so was the rest of our meal. I started my lunch off with their Tagliere di Salumi E Formaggi, an assorted meats & cheese board, which was almost a meal in itself. Plus, my wife and I also shared the Caprese and Bruschetta Al Pomodoro. Fantastico! The staff were wonderful, filled with suggestions and spoke great English. We even had a nice little visit from the Chef who came out to see how everything was. Now that we were shown this great place, you can bet we'll be sending our friends there when they visit Rome. read more

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I am out of the Detroit metro dining area for the next few weeks and am posting my first international Yelp review from the heart of Rome Italy a few blocks from the Coliseum. Our hotel clerk recommended a restaurant named La Vacca M'Briaca ( "The Drunken Cow" in Italian") down the street from the Hotel Ivanhoe. We did not realize we required a reservation this Saturday evening, however we were warmly greeted and promptly seated by the staff in this small quaint restaurant. After spending a day walking around the Coliseum and neighboring sites (6.5 miles) with our tour we were anxiously awaiting our first true Italian meal in Rome. We started with an order of bruschetta topped with prosciutto. As an entree I ordered the veal limone and my better half ordered penne pasta carbonara. The veal limone was extraordinary and delivered perfectly for my consumption. The penne paste was cooked al dente and was also delivered to perfection and thoroughly enjoyed. Service, quality of food and affordability were all top notch. Definitely a 5 all the way around and worth a visit if you are in this area of Rome. We were so excited about our first dinner in Rome that I forget to take pictures of the entrees! read more

La Vacca M'Briaca - "The Drunken Cow" at night. - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

Fantastic! We dined at La Vacca various nights while in Rome, and it was like eating in someone's home during a dinner party! Excellent service and atmosphere. You feel like a local. Food to die for and very reasonably priced. A blast!! read more

Great pasta. There is definitely a lack of pride for waiters in Rome. They took our order and never came back, luckily another guy came by and gave us the check. Small and quiet, worth the walk down a sketchy graffiti filled street. read more

La Vacca M'Briaca - Forst bier and Pene pasta with oxtail sauce. - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

Originally our friend had suggested Sciuè Sciuè down the street but they were booked for the entire time we're in Rome so we moved on and accidentally stumbled on this place. What a find we got lucky. We ordered a bottle of Cantina Bacco (White), drilled artichoke appetizer, penne pasta with pepperoncini and chicken breast with tomato sauce. This was really good. Portions were generous and prices were pretty reasonable. We finished off with a crostatine al Limone. Dessert was great and I don't even like lemon. My wife and I left with our bellies full and would recommend anyone to come to try out this place. read more

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restaurant is cutecosy place and pretty lovely! we love their special pasta of the day with rich sauce of artichoke, and well down pasta but the most traditional pasta on the red sauce is just ok so, we think their quality on the pasta dishes is just on the average but not perfect to be recommended. meat, on the opposite is good. We've ordered some screwers, very good! Guess, this restaurant is more for meat-based second course, then first course. read more

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The food was good but not the best in Rome. We had a good experience here and went based on other Yelp reviews. I don't think i would go back, but overall it was a good experience. The service was decent, we were able to get a table because we went earlier in the night, but it filled up quick, so reservations are always a good idea. We got the trio if bruschetta which was tasty. The pesto was great, olive tapenade was good, but the regular bruschetta was just halved tomatoes and olive oil on bread. It was ok. We got the zucchini flowers fried with mozzarella and anchovies which was really good. For dinner we had the Gnocchi which was slightly undercooked. It wasn't super creamy and the sauce was a basic tomato. We also had a pretty basic salad. The wine was delicious and overall it was a good experience. We probably won't go back the next time we are in the city, but it wouldn't be a terrible choice to make. I think it just lacked a little overall flavor. read more

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Worst experience we've had in Rome, be prepared to wait for mediocre food and service if you choose to eat here. We were feeling hungry around 3:30pm and found that this place had meatballs on yelp. Headed over there and no one acknowledge that we were there until two man came in and were immediately greeted by the cashier guy. Cashier guy said about a twenty minute wait so we all went outside and waited and guess who got seated first? The two guys were seated first even though we arrived first. Took another 15mins before a waiter came over to take our order. Ordered the fried flower blossoms antipasto which was delivered after our pasta arrived. The meatballs were under seasoned and didn't taste like anything. We didn't leave this place til around 5pm. Food was meh. This by far was the worst meal / service we had in Italy. Btw as we were waiting one of their waiters looked really mad and stormed out of the restaurant and pushed waiting customers out of his way. Should have found another place to eat when we witnessed that. read more

La Vacca M'Briaca - Under seasoned meatball and antipasti fried flower blossom arriving after our pasta. Horrible food and service. - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

Food was ok, I believe there are better restaurants that are much better. The zucchini flower was very good and their potatoes in Rosemary oil. read more

La Vacca M'Briaca - Cacio e pepe,it was ok - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

Very Rude Waiters: My family and I were looking for a nice lunch in Rome. After being seated by the host, we sat at our table for about 20 minutes, and we were never acknowledged by the wait staff. We quickly grabbed the waiters attention to see if we could get some bread and water. We assumed he was going to ask us if we were ready to order after he brought us our request, he didn't. Instead he groaned and gave a scowl while he threw the bread and water on the table, and quickly walked away. We then waited an additional 5 minutes to see if he would come back, he did not. We then left immediately and had a great meal somewhere else. I would give this place a 0 out of 5, but yelp won't let me be that mean . read more

Small restaurant inside with overpowering music added to patrons chatter negated intimate dining. Not a pleasant evening at all. read more

Super rude waiters. Got there at 6:30, ordered a glass of wine (like everyone else in Rome do during apertivo hours) and was reading a book while waiting for my friend. After one hour, while the place was still very empty (the inside was completely empty), the waiter asked me to leave because "you can't just sit there and not order food." I was in fact waiting for my friend and we would eat there, but the waiters were so rude and just kicked me out. They could've just offered me to sit at a table inside... This is why this restaurant is empty on a Saturday night... plenty of great restaurants around the neighborhood, nobody needs to put up with this attitude read more

Solid spot in the heart of Rome. A lot of love goes into every dish and it shows. For a traveler, it is just close enough to both the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum to be a perfect lunch spot. But just far away to retain its Roman authenticity. read more

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Service and location was so quaint and excellent. Wine was perfect and the bread was to die for! Perfect way to start our trip in Rome. Inside has clean bathrooms which helps too! Recommend the pasta with garlic and parsley! Perfect place to enjoy Rome! read more

La Vacca M'Briaca - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

You're probably saying to yourself, "Hey, this place has four stars. Sounds pretty good." Listen to me. Don't go here. This food is not good. Now you're probably saying, "Eh, you're just one reviewer. The place probably had an off night. Plus, I like the name 'The Drunken Cow.' It's cute." No. Don't go here. The food is the equivalent of Olive Garden. Now you're saying, "The Olive Garden? In Italy? Please. That's impossible." I'm telling you. It's possible. My wife and I thought the same thing, and ended up with pasta that was bland and wine that tasted like it had been opened two weeks ago. Yes, in Italy. We couldn't believe it. "I don't believe it." Trust me. Believe it. "Look, I walked by this place. It was so cute! They had an outside patio, and nicely dressed waiters, and I wanna go here, so screw you." OK. Fine. Do what you want. But remember, I told you so. The service is good, which is why it's getting two stars, so at least you'll have that going for you. But the chef has no idea what he's/she's doing. "C'mon, in Italy?" Yes, even Italy can have bad chefs. Hard to believe, I know. But we found out the hard way. "We're going anyway." Okey doke. read more

This place was recommended to us by a local and it was a pleasant surprise. Everything was really fresh, flavorful, authentic with just a touch of modern. The service was great an it had a clean and quaint ambiance. read more

La Vacca M'Briaca - The spaghetti aglio e olio was so delish I wanted to steal my son's plate. Luckily my penne arrabiatta was equally amazing! - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

Our Airbnb host recommended this place close to our B&B. Boy, I'm sure glad she recommended it! The prices were very reasonable. We got gnocchi, tripe, water, and squash blossoms all for 25 Euros. My husband was very excited for the fact that the pasta portions were large! Back home in LA, the pasta portions at the Italian restaurants (not Olive Garden, Buca, etc) are always tiny and cost upwards of $20. Here it was around 10 Euros and a plate full of food! They have daily specials as well. Newly renovated space, very welcoming. read more

Overall 5 Stars (ate there twice so I could properly determine if it was 5 star worthy) Food: 5 Stars Service 5 Stars (by euro standards) Ambiance: 5 Stars Price: 5 Stars This place was suggested to me by our tour guide who has lived in Rome a few years but was from Australia. First night I ate at the Hotel out on the balcony overlooking Rome. Nice view, food was good. But way overpriced. Best advice I have for anyone visiting Rome is eat at the places that are off the beaten path. Preferably a couple blocks away from any of the major sites. OK so to La Vacca. Its set in an alley way...or small street and has an inside dining area and an area outside. I ate both inside and outside. Both times were comfortable and cozy. Outside you get to smell the air and take in the distant sounds of Rome and inside is a little more loud and certain tables allow you to look into the kitchen. The staff is very friendly and provides "european service." This would equate to a little slow in America. But this is the way of Europe. The drive to turn tables just isn't there like the States. And you have to ask for your bill instead of having it dropped off right after you get your meal like in some parts of the states. I prefer having to ask for it rather than feeling like Im being rushed out. First night I had the Oxtail with Tomato sauce. Let me just say this is probably one of the best meals I have ever had in my life. The oxtail was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. They give you large portions (4 pieces of oxtail). And the price was 13 Euro which was 5 euro cheaper than ravioli at the hotel...lol. Back to the Oxtail...Fantastic! Melted in my mouth, fell off the bone and was so flavorful. No over seasoning. Just the meat and preparation doing the talking. The tomato sauce was the best I've ever had, personally. Sauce and pieces of tomato with basil, onion, basil, it was chunky (slightly). Fantastic dish. Next night I go back. I order the Gnocchi in pesto and the Meat balls with potato and beans. Gnocchi was cooked perfectly. Soft and you could taste the potato and salt. The pesto was fantastic as well. Just the right combination of oil, basil, and parmesan. Not over powering, but lets you know its there. So good in fact, I did contemplate licking the plate. But not wanting to put a negative connotation towards other Americans, restraint was practiced...LOTS of it. The meatballs were pork and tender...SO tender. Where I was sitting I could see into the kitchen. I watched the chef hand form my meat balls then cook them right there. Fresh food is always better. The potatoes were soft and the beans were cooked well. The red sauce was basic tomato sauce but basic as in it had nothing else but tomato and seasoning in it. It was good. Not as good as the sauce on the oxtail or pesto. But still very tasty. The meatballs were fantastic, really and could easily work more money out of me to eat them again. The price for both dishes the second night was 18 Euro. You get a card after the first time you go for 10% off the next meal. So it would have been 20 euro. Well worth it IMO. read more

What a chance find. Lovely little place that we discovered by simply choosing to get off at a random Metro station (2 minute walk from Cavour) in the hopes of finding somewhere a bit more 'local'. Success! I had a mighty pasta dish with four cheese and pepper sauce. The missus had her standard plate of meat and cheese. All was lovely. Staff were the friendliest we encountered in Rome and even offered us a discount card for our next visit. Hopefully their prices haven't gone up too much by 2020...! ;) Loved it - highly recommended. read more

We had our first meal in Rome here and found it to be very straightforward but really good. We had the caprese salad (fine), side of roasted vegetables (great - my favorite part of the meal) and the pasta dish with tomato sauce and lardons (really good but not the best pasta we've had in Italy). Can't comment on the wine because it was hotter than the surface of the sun so we went with water and Cokes. Service was attentive and patio is so pleasant. I really like this little neighborhood and this little place. It's close to our hotel so we've already discussed going back for lunch tomorrow. :) read more

La Vacca M'Briaca - Caprese and side of roasted vegetables - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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The place fills up pretty quickly, but we did come on a Friday night, not sure if it's less busy on other nights. I really liked the fried zucchini flower and the ham and melon starter. My main course the chicken and pepper was a little dry, but my husband liked his sausage and potato. We did love the tiramisu that we shared (which I totally regret sharing, I could easily gulp that myself). Overall, it's a cute little place! read more

Great food and service! Best we had in rome, other places rate higher on yelp that we went too but none actually are as great as this place. Wholesome food with a great family Italian feel. Started with antipesto platter, which was great quality. Mains we had baked eggplant and meatballs, delish! Finished with tiramisu which was beautiful Highly recommend this in the area over the other big rating places on yelp, however a lot is closed during mid-late August read more

Recommended to us by some locals. Had the fried zucchini flowers with mozzarella and anchovies and the carbonara, delicious! Wait staff not as smiley as in other Rome restaurants but overall service was fine. Definitely recommending it. read more

My girlfriend and I stumbled on this place for our last night in Rome. What a find! The menu had an abundance of choice and everything we ordered was delicious. We originally wanted some grilled broccoli with garlic but the server informed us that due to the poor weather this year, the broccoli crops had not been fresh. As a result they couldn't provide us the dish. That was just fine and made us confident that they valued the quality of their food. We ordered a spinach salad which was very fresh. The gnocchi with four cheeses was divine. We were torn between the four cheese or homemade pesto gnocchi and didn't regret our choice although the table next to us ordered the pesto and it smelled wonderful. A great choice for a restaurant. It was busy very quickly and there was a constant wait outside to get in, so get there as soon as they open! My girlfriend is super beautiful and just helped to brighten up the decor and my heart. She made the experience super special. She also wrote that last part. read more

The food is terrible and service was terrible! We ordered starters and entry, but after a good 20 minute wait, ALL the food came together without any apologizes from the wait staff! How ridiculous! We ordered the buchetta and fried cod fish fillets as starts. The buchetta was ok, but the cod fish had tons of flour wrapped in some frozen sorry tasting fish. For the main course we ordered the oxtail in tomato sauce and celery and breaded veal. The oxtail was NOT tender with some parts cold and some parts warm. One whole piece of the breaded veal tasted like shoelace. Unbelievable! Like all customers, we were given a 10% discount for next meal. Are you serious? Do you think we tourists have no taste buds? KEEP ON WALKING my fellow dinners. WE ALL DESERVE BETTER. read more

The Drunk Cow. With a name like that, how could I resist? We wandered here just around 7:30 and there was still plentiful seating (however, when we left it was fairly full). The service was extremely nice and helpful, one of the few places in Rome where we were met with friendly smiles. The pastas came in big portions and were reasonably priced, under 10 euro a plate. The carbonara was a little on the salty side, but the bucatini amatriciana was amazing. Our veal secondi was too lemony for me, but they had a variety of other meat selections. We were pretty full after just the pasta, so I would stick to getting a pasta and maybe some sides or appetizers. The fried zucchini flower is pretty good. Great choice for a casual dinner in Rome. read more

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Meh. Went here b/c several good Yelp reviews. Started with squash flowers and panzanella. Squash blossoms were in a Chinese restaurant style batter - heavy and greasy, nothing delicate about it. Panzanella was like bread in a gazpacho....serviceable but nothing notable.! Cacio di Pepe was salty to the point of borderline inedible...lastly my Veal saltimbocca was tough to the point of chewy and dry. Mediocre food in a city of great food. read more

Food does not deserve this high of a rating on yelp. At best I would give it a 3.5. Service was good except for one waiter who seemed to be new and would bump into our seats while walking around clearing plates. It is a cramped space but at the very least ask the patrons to shift instead of pushing your way between the seats. We got the last dish of rabbit for the night and it was only 7:30pm so we had high expectations that it would be amazing, but it disappointed. I love rabbit but this wasn't very good. It's kind of tasty but very dry, the rabbit that tried but failed. The other dish we had was the fettuccini al ragu alla coda di vaccinara. It was decent but not great. The fettuccini itself wasn't impressive but the coda di vaccinara was good. Only good thing was the tiramisu. It had more of the creme which I liked. Overall, it's edible but not very good and I wouldn't recommend wasting a meal here. read more

This is by far the worst meal we have had the entire time we are in Italy. We came here at the recommendation of our B&B owner, I normally would not believe the places the hotels recommend because I know they probably get kick backs, but this place seemed to get good reviews from yelp we decided to give it a a try. We sat down, waited fifteen mins to order, another hour to get our food, I ordered the rigatoni with bacon egg and cheese, when we got the food I almost wanted to cry, I was hungry and could literally eat just about anything, but NOT this. It tastes like someone accidentally dropped a whole bottle of salt into it. It has been another half an hour and still waiting for the second course, and did I mention the house wine tastes like the worst box wine u be ever had. The service has been awful as well. Do not believe whAt your be told u. They are probably lying or has had a stroke and can't taste anymore. read more

Excellent homemade pasta and brushettas. White wine of the house is also excellent. Service ok. Possibility to dat outside on the street. read more

This restaurant was within walking distance from our hotel so we decided to try it. Our dinner was great! Good selection of entrees and they were absolutely delicious. Seating inside and out, service was prompt, food was fresh and perfectly cooked. I would go back tomorrow night. read more

We found this place solely because of yelp. The apartment we rented for 5 days was a few blocks away, but being a touristy area, there was no shortage of places to eat. Most those places, however, tended to be generic and the prices hiked up for us out-of-towners. The food was exceptional. We started with the bruschetta, which was on thick and delicious bread. My husband had the bucatini with sausage and I had the pesto gnocchi. Both were delicious. The portions were so big that we thought we would have to take the sausage and potatoes we had ordered in advance to go, but we decided to enjoy some more of the house wine and let the pasta settle instead. Potatoes and sausage were scrumptious! We would definitely recommend! read more