O M G! I'm not even sure I can put into words how good this place is. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. My hotel was literally a 2 minute walk from this place. One of my favorite things to eat is pasta so I ate good my entire time in Italy, but for my last evening I had a taste for seafood and this place came up in my search. Sooo glad that it did. Location: it's one of a dozen restaurants like any other you'll find on a quiet little street in Rome. From The outside it's very unassuming, but when you walk in it has the cutest ambiance. I sat outside in the back in what I can only describe as this little garden oasis. The meal: I had the egg chitarrina with prawns and the carmelized octopus. The pasta was simply amazing and full of flavor. Probably the best pasta I had in Roma not that I didn't think they all were the best. The real star was the octopus. This is without a doubt or even the slightest exaggeration one of the best things I've ever eaten. The flavors were insane and it was cooked perfectly. If I didn't order it I would never know it was octopus. For dessert I had the pistachio semifreddo which I thought would be ice cream but it was way better. I can keep going but the bottom line is if you are in Roma don't leave without eating here at least once! I really wanted to go back the next morning before I had to depart to get the octopus again but I couldn't find the time. read more

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We found MaterMatuta on a travel website. It was located near our hotel. It is on the same street as the tunnel off of Via Nationale. MaterMutata is a great seafood restaurant. For starters, we shared the beef carpaccio. For our main course, we ordered the grilled seafood platter for two. For our first course, we shared the tagliatelle with seabass, cherry tomatoes, bottarga and sea asparagus. Sea asparagus is the texture of green beans and was an interesting find. The seafood platter was huge, and we could've shared one serving. The seafood platter included tuna, seabass, prawns, catalan lobster (i think), and shrimp. It was definitely a seafood feast. For dessert, we shared the homemade fruit gelato. The gelato was served in fruit and nuts that were hollowed out and filled with gelati. The meal was excellent and the service was attentive. read more

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After reading all the YELP reviews, we had our front desk clerk call to see if we could arrive as soon as they opened at 7:30 pm. We were told YES so we walked here from our hotel, as it was an 8 minutes away. I read that the food is presented beautifully and the reviews again raved about food and service, so I felt I made an exceptional selection tonight. Our servers were very nice and accommodating and walked us through the menu as we asked several questions before making our menu selections. For a cold appetizer we decided on tuna tartare 4 ways. It was beautifully presented on a round black slate tray: Sesame Soy, topped with coddled quail egg, and I am not sure what the other 2 were as I didn't quite understand their explanation. HL & I both enjoyed the Sesame Soy preparation the best and our complimentary crispy Bread with extra virgin olive oil & sea salt enhanced the taste. For our second course I chose the Crispy Sesame Shrimp with Reduced thick Soy Dipping sauce. It was good, but not something I would order again. HL ordered the Grilled Octopus with Pea Purée. He enjoyed it, but had a hard time finishing it. Next I ordered the Pasta with Lobster and Cherry Tomatoes, but they informed me they were out of Lobster. They substituted out of the shell I believe was langoustine. The pasta was cooked perfectly but the flavor of the sauce mixed into it was truly off putting. I had HL taste it and he concluded it just didn't taste right. In all fairness they offered to bring me another Entree, but I just couldn't try anything else after tasting that pasta dish. When we received our bill, the pasta had been removed, so they were very gracious about it which we very much appreciated. read more

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Not an Italian food expert, but I do know good food when I eat it, and MaterMatuta is absolutely delicious. Plating and creativity on the dishes made our meal memorable, service was warm and friendly, ambiance modern and intimate, and the food made me wish I lived in Rome. Everything we tried was seafood centered and really fresh. We tried the seafood tartare plate, cod tempura, lobster pasta, shrimp pasta, black ravioli, and asparagus wrapped cod. Honestly I'd get everything again aside from maybe the asparagus wrapped cod. Felt like we were dining at a Michelin star restaurant, but without the Michelin star price. Lots of locals also. Definitely make your way over here while you're in Rome! read more

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THE best restaurant I've been to in a long time. I don't often offer up 5 star ratings to restaurants, partly because there's always room for improvement and partly also some restaurants miss on crucial non-food beats, such as service, cleanliness, and price. MaterMatuta clearly thrives on all points and in the 1.5 days we spent in Rome, we came back again the following day for lunch. The menu is fairly small compare to Italian restaurants in the area, however out of the six dishes we got in the two visits, every single one blew us out of the water. Our appetizers (layer of shellfish, grilled octopus) were super delicious, with a fairly healthy portion. Our entrees (lobster pasta, tuna steak, beef filet, fish pasta) were equally amazing. We really thought ordering random dishes could get us trouble, but definitely not at MaterMatuta. For example, my beef filet was better than some of the best $60-80 steaks in the US and the price is fairly reasonable. One warning: you won't be super full from the meal but you'll be around 7/10 full. That is the perfect amount since they have wonderful desserts (or surrounding areas have plenty of gelato choices). Pro tips: you can make a reservation online at thefork.it (even if you don't know Italian, you should be able to guess your way through a reservation), or call. Their English is sufficient. Don't hesitate and come here QUICKLY! read more

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This place owned by Husband and Wife. Hands down one of the best high end boutique restaurants I've ever been too! The food simple but extraordinary with ingredients that compliment each other. No explosions in the mouth but just new and interesting flavors that keep you in awe. We ate the 3 seafood Carpaccio, what a pleasant surprise! Perfect combination of tang and olive oil, while not giving a fishy after taste, Black Truffles was the final touch that stayed with you for a moment on your taste buds, after the bite, but no over powering flavor, a perfect compliment! Perfect wine choice by the owner, a nice Pinot Grigio from Italy from Lis Neris. Oh man food is exceptional pretty much everywhere in Rome, Italy, but that much more delicious at this gem of a seafood restaurant! read more

So after days of eating nothing but pizza and carbs we went looking for something different and little did we know we'd end up having one of the best meals of our life. This place is incredible, from the food, wine selection and service, it ranks up there with the best meals I've ever had. We had the oysters, fish carpaccio (3 ways), octopus (hands down the best I've ever had, so tender), duck, and the dessert, every bite was perfect. It's these moments that stick with you long after the meal. read more

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We were in Rome for the Christmas holiday and we had dinner here on Christmas evening. The food was tasty, the service was nice. The place was right next to our hotel - it was small but cozy. We enjoyed our dinner and the different foods we tried. We also appreciated how easy it was to make a reservation on a holiday. We would recommend this place! read more

I came here for my birthday dinner while visiting Rome. I was able to make my reservation ahead of time on TripAdvisor and even ask for a nice table. When we arrived they had a table ready for us right by the window. It was so cute and exactly what I wanted. Everything on the menu and pictures from Yelp/Trip Advisor looks so good that the 3 of us ordered a bunch of dishes to share. Absolutely everything was amazing from the food to the service. If I am able to make my way to Rome again, I would love to go back. read more

Very good service and well cooked food. The oysters are so fresh and lobster pasta were tasty. read more

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Was here with another couple on a Wednesday night. It wasn't packed but I believe reservations are recommended. We had a wonderful dinner and liked every dish here. The place is non-traditional. More of a twist to a modern Italian cuisine. Definitely more seafood vibe but did offer some meat dishes as well. We over-ordered as portions were surprisingly large. Even the appetizers. My husband ordered the monkfish and was one by one brought out 4 or 5 different takes on it. Some in crude form and some cooked. All very tasty. I had a scallop appetizer. Presented on a dish that resembled a painters pallet. It had three different sauces for paint. It was good but nothing mind blowing. My friend had an octopus appetizer. It was enormous and looked nice and caramelized from the grill. I did not taste it. My husbands gnocchi, made from purple potatoes, were the best I have ever tasted. They were so light, they melted in your mouth. I thought the truffle oil was just slightly overwhelming to the delicate gnocchi but still, I was jealous and wish I had ordered it instead! I don't remember what my second dish was so I don't think it was mind blowing. We ordered a platter of grilled seafood that was suggested for 2 people but the 4 of us easily shared it and barely finished. It had grilled fish, scallops, calamari, langoustines and probably other I cannot recall. For dessert my husband and I shared a pistachio semifredo it was really good. Service was great and fast. Overall a great experience and I would recommend this restaurant when in Rome and looking for something other than the classical Italian. read more

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Went here for my last dinner in Rome and it was excellent. The raw tune appetizer was delicious and fresh. The grilled scallops were also amazing. (The bacon wrapped around them were on point) The duck breast and tiramisu were also excellent, I would highly recommend them both. read more

This restaurant had great reviews in Yelp!, but didn't quite live up to the reputation. The food was well presented, but it lacked the extra oomph that makes it special. The service was excruciatingly slow. We kept waiting for each course for an inordinate amount of time. I had the Monk fish as the main meal. It was well prepared and presented on a bed of polenta. But, it didn't have any special taste to remember it by. They had a large wine selection. But the first two wines I selected from the menu they didn't have in the cellar! And I settled for a generic Chianti. They also didn't have the Tiramisu which was on the menu. We had a raw seafood platter as a starter. That actually was the best dish. It had a great selection of raw crustaceans and caviar, which was quite nice. Overall, it was an average experience. read more

One of the best restaurants in Rome! I don't speak any Italian and this restaurant was far from major touristy places but the server welcomed me and explained the menu to me in both Italian and English. (I hate those pushy restaurants in touristy places like on streets near Trevi Fountain or Spanish Steps) Very welcoming, friendly atmosphere, attentive staff (I was here for lunch and my server was the only one serving 5-6 tables), and most importantly, the food was amazing!!!!!! (Please get the grilled octopus and pistachio semifredo) Their food presentation/decor was so pretty and picture-worthy!! Highly recommended restaurant if you are traveling to Rome!!!! read more

MaterMatuta - Grilled octopus! YUM A+++++ - Seafood Near Me - Rome, RM

One of the best meals we've had so far in Italy. Excellent service. The seafood we had was very scrumptious .

we were in rome for about a week and we visited here for dinner twice. we really enjoyed the food and their desserts are lovely.

Basically 5 stars are just not enough. The restaurant is not very easy to find but a real experience from the moment you enter it. Great design, little rooms, each in a different look. The food is just great, no doubt about that, the style it is presented is awesome, the service is friendly and when you order a menu a good wine is recommended. The dessert after the lobster just hit the spot, what can I say? I'll be back :-)!!! read more

MaterMatuta - Pistache ice with orange something and berries... dreaming of that tonight :) - Seafood Near Me - Rome, RM

Fabulous food, exceptional service and a more than wonderful experience. We ordered many items on the menu and from appetizers to the main course and on to dessert we enjoyed every bite! read more

These guys are awesome! Walked in at 1130p after a long flight from LA and had already been turned away at three other places. These guys reopened the kitchen and served us. Excellent seafood pasta and bread, extensive wine list. Recommended by locals in area who we asked randomly...mostly we will remember how nice they were. Well worth a visit= read more