Jewish Roman Cuisine is a thing. The largest concentration of Jewish Roman restaurants is near the Main Synagogue in the former Jewish Ghetto. Via del Portico d'Ottavia has a whole string of such restaurants with Nonna Betta being the most famous. Frankly, I would rather take my chances with one of its competitors. BUT ... The codfish and chickpea soup is a destination dish. So there is good stuff to be had if you are careful in making your selection. * * * Jewish restaurants come in two versions - milk and meat. Kosher laws prevent both foods from being served at the same meal or cooked in the same utensils. Managing both in one restaurant is possible - but concentrating on milk or meat is vastly easier for the kitchen. Nonna Betta is a meat establishment. There are dairy restaurants on Via del Portico d'Ottavio as well. The two distinctive Roman Jewish dishes are Jewish artichokes (which are parve - neither milk nor meat - and can appear in either kind of restaurant) and fried organ meats. The liver and tripe and brains are meat (no duh). * * * Jewish artichokes are deep fried whole artichokes without the top halves of the leaves but with the stalk attached at the bottom. They are one of the best fried vegetable dishes you can get. Lots and lots of Roman restaurants serve Jewish artichokes - not just Jewish restaurants. Jewish artichokes are never bad. But Nonna Betta's version is nothing special. If you want Jewish artichokes to die for, Go to Piccolo Abruzzo, a Roman-Abruzzese restaurant in the Ludovisi neighborhood. Those have all that wonderful fried goodness - but they taste overwhelmingly like artichoke. Nonna Betta's version just tastes like fried batter. * * * Nonna Betta's fried organ meats are especially weak. Western Europeans generally blanch organ meats to give them a milder taste. (Caucasus cooks just take the organs as they are, grill them up and enjoy life.) Nonna Betta's blanches and blanches and blanches and blanches until there is practically no organ meat taste left. Like the artichokes, you get the taste of batter but nothing else. My brains might have just as well been tofu. Or white bread. * * * Move away from the fryer and Nonna Betta's stock goes way up. In particular, I have to give a major major shout out for their codfish and chickpea soup. The codfish is STRONG (unlike nearly every other ingredient we ordered.) It pairs with the chickpeas magnificently. We had had that soup a few times in other Roman restaurants. Nonna Betta's version is the one you want. I was going to be grumpy and leave a three star rating. But it would have been morally offensive to a) the God of the Old Testament, b) the God of Gastronomy and c) the God of Yelp who strikes down all sinners who leave unfair reviews, If I had not given a blue ribbon and a gold cup to Nonna Betta's For one really remarkable soup. Hats off to the kitchen for that one. * * * If you are filling out a meal beyond soup, You are taking your chances. Still, a lot of the menu is Roman-Roman, rather than Roman-Jewish. Some of those dishes might be pretty good. read more

Nonna betta was absolutely amazing. We sat outside and it was quite nice. In the Jewish ghetto and kosher, easily the best food I had there. Service was great and quick enough. The pasta though was supreme!! Amazing flavors and textures. 10/10 wouldn't change a thing. read more

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What a horrible experience! If you are looking for a place to eat, I would skip this place! First of all they charge a 3euro cover charge: when asked what for, they said the bread. We did not order bread! Like all other restaurants water is a charge too for flat or sparkling water so be prepared for that if not from Italy! Sooooo how was the food?! Horrible and overly salty! The food is not even worth talking about. Nothing as great! The appetizers were overly priced for 6euros, check out the pictures! They claim they have the best artichokes, and they were horrible and probably not freshly made. The inside space is tight! Waiter running back and forth! Don't expect great service! Not a place to go for relaxation! There is an outside space: too cold in winter plus people smoke on patio. After this place I need a gallon of water! read more

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Excellent place for an authentic meal. The falafel and pita bread were some of the best I have had in the world. Service was excellent. Zucchini flowers are amazing if you like anchovies. The staff are very friendly and entertained my child. We will be back every time we come to Roma! read more

Amazing, family-run space in the Jewish Quarter in Rome. The artichokes are not to be missed!

Our tour guide took us to this restaurant in the Jewish Ghetto to introduce us to the Jewish food of Rome. Which is the artichokes that could be found on the majority of all restaurant menus in the area. So we started on meal with the Jewish style deep-fried artichokes. They're crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, but has very little flavor. It should've come with a sauce that would've helped. We then ordered the deep fried Veal Brains with Artichokes and Veal Sweetbreads in White Wine Sauce that also had artichokes. Both of which had the same taste consistency of oysters however they did taste good. read more

Nonna Betta - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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I thought this place was delicious! We started off with the appetizer sampler plate which had the best falafel I ever eaten and some type of fried zucchini so good we had to order seconds. My Eggplant parm was delicious, everyone at our table was pleased. We found the servers to be very nice and we were completely comfortable sitting inside. read more

Came here to try some of the artichokes and cacio e pepe. The Jewish style artichoke (carciofinalla guida) was amazing with all its garlickiness and olive oil. It was very deep fried so it was easy to eat the whole thing. The cacio e pepe tonnarelli was very good. The service was ok, they seemed to be wondering if they even had space for me even though I showed up at dinner open and no one was seated or eating. Even after an hour there was no crowdedness. I'm glad they accommodated me, but that seemed a bit odd. read more

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We were lucky enough to get recs for 3 great dinner spots in Rome so made a reservation at Nonna Betta. So glad we did! We ate indoors since it was so hot and were told there was AC indoors. If there was, we didn't feel it, so sit outside and catch a little breeze if it's hot. Service was impressive. I noticed that we weren't assigned a single server. They all seemed to work as a team to serve tables. Wine, of course, was great. Food was AMAZING. Do yourself favor and order the Jewish style artichoke. Out of the rest of our order, the lasagne was the standout star. Enjoy your dinner then a nice walk around the neighborhood. Prego! read more

Nonna Betta - Outside - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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Nonna Betta was a wonderful dining experience. Great food, wonderful outdoor tables that can seat a crowd, and service that was very friendly and highly responsive. Highly recommend. read more

Food was good and service was fine. Enjoyed dining outside. Fried artichokes were yummy, pasta with Nonna Raghu was very good. Gnocchi was only ok. read more

Nonna Betta is a Roman-Jewish restaurant that opened in Rome, Italy in 2008. It was founded by Umberto Pavoncello (a Roman Jew) and his business partner Gamil Essa Bakhit (an Egyptian). It is located in the heart of Rome's Jewish Ghetto. Named for Pavoncello's grandmother, Nonna Betta combines the most traditional Judeo-Roman cuisine with elements of Middle Eastern gastronomy, resulting in a melting pot of tasty and captivating flavors. Based on the recipes from the real Nonna Betta, the restaurant specializes in traditional Roman-Jewish dishes such as Roman-Jewish Artichokes, Fried Squash Flowers, Fried Cod Fillets, Anchovies with Endive, and Rigatoni with Pajata. To honor Bakhit's Egyptian heritage, the menu also features Middle Eastern-inspired dishes such as falafel, couscous, hummus and baba ghanoush. In accordance with Jewish kosher dietary restrictions, the menu is split into two sections: dishes featuring meat and dishes featuring fish or dairy. My wife and I visited Nonna Betta in July 2018 while we were on our honeymoon in Italy. We had spent the day touring the Roman Ghetto and visiting the beautiful Great Synagogue of Rome. We stopped at Nonna Betta for dinner because we had heard great things. My wife and I are both Jewish but we don't keep kosher. However, we were both interested in having an authentic Roman-Jewish dining experience. When we arrived, there was an employee sitting in the street trimming artichokes to be used for cooking. The artichoke is an important ingredient in Roman-Jewish cuisine. We ordered a delicious bottle of white wine from an Israeli winery. We ordered the Nonna Betta Starter Plate to munch on first. It consisted of various fried appetizers: Roman-Jewish fried artichokes, fried baccalà (cod), fried squash flowers, concia and falafel. It was a very tasty sampler platter that paired well with the wine. For our entrees, my wife ordered the Artichoke Parmigiana and I had the Lamb Interiors with Artichokes. Everything was delicious! We had a very tasty experience at Nonna Betta and we highly recommend stopping in if you're ever near Rome's Jewish Ghetto. read more

I am pretty disappointed with this place. We came here because we saw Mark Wiens come here so it has been our mission to try this place out and see what the Jewish Ghetto is about in Rome. Sadly, this place was super disappointing. It is so touristy and the service was so slow and very lacking. We sat outside just like everyone else and it took a while for someone to even get our drinks. The drinks came after I got my entree so there's that. We ordered artichoke which was super expensive and really small. We also ordered what I thought was fried zucchini flowers but it wasn't. It was zucchini flowers chopped up marinated in some sauce and deep fried and it was stale and cold. Never again. The artichoke was ok and I've had better artichoke at other places in Rome. We got cacio e pepe and Trippa alla romana. Both were mediocre. Cacio e pepe was kinda dry and the Trippa wasn't as flavorful. All these entrees are super small in portion yet very expensive in the price. Sadly, I won't come back here again. I'll just come back to the small hole in the wall we found near the Trevi fountain. read more

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Nonna Betta is located on a little alley way street in the heart of the Jewish District of Rome. It's a bustling little place with indoor and outdoor seating. It's located next to a string of cafes and eateries that specialize in Middle Eastern, Roman and Kosher cuisine. They are famous for their fried artichokes and pasta dishes particularly the Carbonara. My wife and I broke away from the rest of the family and ventured out to "NB" on our last night in Rome. We had a wonderful meal. Even though we did not have a reservation, the hostess was able to set a table for us in the back of the dining room. We had a great meal from the Primi to the first and second courses. We ended with a sampler of their dessert offerings all of which are Middle Eastern inspired. It was delicious!!! On our next Roman adventure we will definitely be coming back. read more

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A bit hyped Jewish ghetto place, we walked all the way from pantheon to get here. There are quite a few restaurants around here but I chose this based on a few blogs I followed as I did want to try Jewish Italian food here, especially the fried artichokes. We ordered the mixed fried platter which came with a piece of falafel, a squash blossom, one artichoke and a few zucchini pieces, felt pretty small portion size for the price. We wanted to try the lamb and the carbonara here. The lamb was a bit chewy the potatoes were good, the pasta was ok but very filling especially the kids and was a generous portion size, though a good staff overall an underwhelming experience read more

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After visiting the great synagogue in the Jewish quarter this was a wonderful lunch, the food was great and the atmosphere was beautiful and calm. read more

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Recommended by a friend or party went. The waiter was nice until we asked the dumb American questions so we could order well. He became impatient and condescending and unhelpful. When we asked for separate checks her said he would maker one check and then charge us properly when we paid - nope, he was very impatient and offered to split the bill evenly. When this was not acceptable to is here became "language challenged" and messed everything up until we finally split evenly. Don't waste you're time if you are a foreign traveler. They obviously don't want you. read more

Got here at 6:10 but it was not open. Hours show it opens at 6pm. Please update your hours and days of operation.

Lunch at the Jewish Ghetto today. It was difficult to find a place that was open and would sit our group. I'm thankful that they took us in. The place is very small. My best advice would be to get ready to eat very small portion when ordering the lasagna. Although it had great taste, when I finished I was still hungry. So I advise if ordering lasagna, make sure to order a side. The guest who ordered pasta had normal portions. The couple in our party that are vegan had to order several plates of food to get what they needed. Everyone stated that the food had great taste. The restaurant is worth a try, I can't give it more than a three at this time. They have three bathrooms (one for men, other for women and one non specific). Space is a little cramped. read more

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After watching a number of youtube videos on Nonna Betta, it was a place we wanted to try. First because it was in the Jewish Getto a place we had read about in books. Second because the food looked so good on TV. So we booked our reservations a month out before our trip. A week before we are to leave we get an email from them saying they will be closed for a few days and had to cancel our reservations. WTF! But that's ok, we looked for another place. On that Monday we get there early to walk around the Jewish getto, guess what the restaurant is open. WTF again! We walked up to the waiter and asked what was going on, he didn't say anything about why they are open when they said they would be closed, just wanted to know if we wanted to sit down. So we cancelled our other reservation and took a table there. The Fried Artichoke, is only ok. Really it seem over cooked, crispy and crunchy very little flavor. My lasagna was just ok, nothing to write home about, my wife's pasta was also only ok. In the end at the most it is only a two star restaurant. When in Rome, there has to be better places to eat. read more

My wife and I visited Rome for our 30 wedding anniversary, this was our second time to Rome. We found Nonna Betta went there one evening for Dinner it was excellent, we had the fried artichokes . It is located in a great area, We'll be back. read more

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Located in the Jewish quarter by Portico d'Octavia, we came here for the artichokes! Ordered the house wine -- possibly my favorite in Italy, jewish style fried artichoke which were delicious, marinated zucchini which were okay but slightly cold, and gricia Nonna Betta's style with artichokes which were good but nothing too special. Giving us these cute bookmarks with Italian poems were a cute touch! read more

Nonna Betta - House red wine - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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Delicious artichokes. I had artichokes three ways, including the artichoke lasagna, very good. We split up the check with a group of people and they were very accommodating. Great service great ambience. read more

My phone was out of battery and I couldn't find my way back to my Airbnb. The waiters were kind enough to allow me to charge my phone for free until I could get back on my feet. I felt bad and offered to pay for their hospitality but they refused to accept it, saying it was out of courtesy. Though I haven't eaten there, the staff were a 10/10. read more

Only had the pleasure of visiting this restaurant once but we had a really nice time and ate some great food! (B)

Excellent food all-around. The artichokes are fantastic. Mario will make sure you're treated right. read more

Nonna Betta - Entrance - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

Italian pasta Gricia and eggplant Parm not good. Waiter told my Sicilian wife "oh you are half African" Wtf. read more

Nonna Betta was recommended by a couple of food blogs. Make sure to utilIze your google maps when you maze around the beautiful side streets of Rome. We ate an late lunch or early dinner like true tourists. Eating dinner so early is unheard of in Italy. - Fried Artichoke. Don't know what the fuss is here but it's a fried artichoke. Tastes like anything that's fried. Dark rich burnt taste. Good but not great. - Fried pumpkin flower. I liked this one. I think they stuff it with some cheese or sauce before frying. - Carbonara. Nice firm noodle and the taste was good. Didn't wow me. - Tripa Romana - this tripe in the house made tomato sauce was banging. Def get. read more

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Food is just fine. There is sooo much better in Rome. We were disappointed with the quality for the price.

We found this place while taking a walking tour of the Jewish ghetto. As you could imagine, there are several restaurants in this area, but our guide said this one was his favorite. The food was great! The only issues were that the service was a bit lacking, and that the server misunderstood my order and so my meal came after everyone else was done. My lasagna was so good, that everyone at our table wished that they would have ordered it! I will definitely return! read more

Nonna Betta - Lasagna - Roman Near Me - Rome, RM

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Ok does 'Nonna Betta' really mean 'None Better'. Seriously this place makes the best Baba Ganoush that I have had since I was last in Israel! When you add the Falafal and the Hummus, what more could you want? Actually, we wanted Baked Lamb with Potatoes and we got it and we loved every bite! Anthony Bourdain apparently frequents and recommends them. It is supposed to be the place to get Fried Jerusalem Artichokes. The guys who waited on us were so sweet and the street was full of families enjoying lunch and a stroll. It was located right near the oldest synagogue in Rome in the Jewish quarter. read more

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When in Rome... I never knew fried artichokes is a thing! This place definitely feels well established in the Jewish quarter and they know their cuisine well. They do charge for the starter bread, as a seating charge, this was common in Milan, but first place I saw this in Rome. The kosher house wine is quite lovely, and the mixed appetizer plate gives you a taste of everything, great for sharing. We really enjoyed the Cacio e Pepe (cheese and pepper), they add their own twist to it with the chicory added. One plate is plenty for two as we got two meat dishes along with it. We definitely like offal dishes, so we went with the tripe dish and the lamb sweet breads. Both were cooked just right and great in their sauces. Do make a reservation (you can do it online easily) as they are quite a popular restaurant, especially with Anthony Bordain's visit pushing this place further up in popularity. read more

Nonna Betta is an interesting and semi-famous restaurant in the jewish ghetto area. The famous aspect was that Zuckerberg came here, and didn't tip. Tips aren't expected in Italy, but I can understand why this became a big deal - surely a financially wealthy celebrity can afford to tip, right? I'm guessing that's the logic involved. Sidetrack set aside, the food is good and the service is pretty friendly. I think the only sad point to me was randomly deciding to try to minestrone to see if it was different and that no, indeed, it's the exact same minestrone you can get everywhere in the world. Cant' say that they didn't deliver on the minestrone claim, I suppose. Eggplant parmigiana here is uniquely sized, and tasty. Bread is complementary (which is not consistent in Italy). The wine was good. They had a nicely laid out salad to go with the meal, and who doesn't like artichoke parm? So overall, the food was good, the wine was good, see the photos people have posted and definitely eat here! Not only is it in a unique area but who wouldn't want good food? I was pretty satisfied.It's unfortunate that their menu isn't available online, however. read more

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The fried artichoke is delicious and that's it. We ordered the meat style carbonara, and the New York Times rated zucchini carbonara. They were both cheap in sauce and lacked any flavour. Very dry, couldn't finish it. read more

Poorly executed on all fronts. The stale bread was just the start quickly follow by a fried artichoke that was not special. We went out of our way to try this place and man it was disappointing. We ordered two pasta dishes which continued the disappointment. The carbonara was made incorrectly with the egg curdled and a serious lack of flavor. This dish with Roman origins should at least have proper execution, as tourists we can judge the flavors based on what we are used to but cooked egg (think fried rice) in pasta should never have left the kitchen. The pasta was nothing special on the carbonara and could have been barilla. The pepper and cheese pasta had some hope with the noodles that seemed fresh-ish. Once you dig in you want to find a pepper mill and some grated cheese. Totally boring and the few ingredients were hardly noticeable. I love the idea of simple but having almost no flavor is not the idea. Keep it moving and find something better. read more

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What little service we got was alternately brusque and passive aggressive. The 'signature' artichoke pasta was flavorless. The 'New York Times Recommended' veggie carbonara was basically an unremarkable pasta Alfredo, served late and a bit cool. Although the lasagna was very good, this place does NOT live up to the hype, and you should AVOID. There are too many great alternatives in Rome to put up with bad service and uneven food. And our waiter was just a di*#. read more

I ate here in November. The stale bread had a odd chemical taste and was inedible. We ordered the assorted appetizers. The fried zucchini flowers were withered, burned, and dripping with grease. The fried artichoke, their signature dish, was only slightly better, and nothing I'd want to eat again. However, the one little falafel ball they gave us (for two people) was good. I ordered the beef meatball entrée. It was just four small, reheated and dried-out meatballs in a tasty meat gravy. My wife had the carbonara, which was was not good. Everywhere else in Rome the pasta is cooked perfectly al-dente, but here it had a strange, mushy texture. We did not stay for dessert. Our worst meal in Rome, and, with all the better restaurants, this tourist trap is to be avoided. read more

Well if it's good enough for Anthony Bourdain... We came to Nonna Betta after reading about these famous fried artichokes, and they did not disappoint. First of all, the restaurant is situated conveniently to many landmarks / sites, but well enough out of the way that you can really feel relaxed and even a bit removed from the Roman hustle and bustle. (Which, to be honest, we REALLY needed. That hustle and bustle is no joke!) There are both interior and exterior dining areas,and we were fortunate enough to get a good spot on the patio where we could enjoy a very talented violinist playing as he ambled down the street. We gave him a few euro and he serenaded us with a few songs before moving on. As is common at many other Italian restaurants, Nonna Betta offers a menu of lunch specials. I opted for one of these: the world-famous carciofo alla giudia (Jewish-style artichokes), bucatini all'amatriciana, and some sort of little dessert, all served with a glass of wine. The carciofo alla giudia is truly a Roman dish, with origins here in the Jewish Quarter. The texture was quite strange because the outside parts of the artichoke get flaky (almost...papery?) when fried, but the inside stays very tender and juicy. You must try it if you have time! The bucatini all'amatriciana is another typical dish with Roman origins. (We were assured there are only three kinds of Roman dishes - amatriciana, carbonara, and cacio e pepe - and I was determined to try all three while in town.) Amatriciana is a tomato-based sauce, more typically what Americans would think of as a spaghetti sauce. This variety was simple but tasty! Definitely recommended! read more

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PRODUCT: holy fried artichokes!!! On the menu as "carciofo alla giudia". I've never really enjoyed artichokes, but after reading all the rave reviews we ordered two...thank goodness. The perfect balance of crispy, salty, tender, oily...I could have eaten a dozen more. We also had the Jewish-style carbonara (with beef instead of pork, since the restaurant is kosher) and the fresh pasta with Nonna Betta's ragu...both perfectly al dente and delicious. SERVICE: the waiters all speak English, and the food came out quickly. We made reservations thru Quandoo (you can find the link on Nonna Betta's website), which I would recommend - it was quite full when we arrived at 8pm. ENVIRONMENT: a cute, well-lit restaurant in the Jewish ghetto of Rome. Also apparently featured on Anthony Bourdain's show, which was a nice surprise! read more

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Came here for the fried artichoke but ended up loving my entire meal. Being that this establishment is kosher and located in the historically jewish area of Rome, they don't mix meat and dairy. I chose to get the cacio e pepe and fried artichoke for my dinner. Not being a huge artichoke lover, I was surprised by how much I loved the artichoke here. It's crispy on the outside but the inside is soft and still moist. The pasta was topped with cheese and had chicory in it. It was overall very tasty and not too heavy. Friendly waiters here let you take your time to order and eat, lovely experience! read more