After a week in Rome, we were looking for a good place to eat for our last dinner. Based on the menu, it looked like Raf was going to provide us with the most variety and perhaps flavors a tad closer to our American palates (they had a bacon cheeseburger on the menu). My dad got some shrimp stir fry, my mom got the lasagna, my brother got the burger, and I got a sausage and mushroom pizza. The stir fry was garbage and the burger was decent considering it came from an Italian kitchen. The lasagna and pizza however, matched our flavor profiles the best. We finished both those plates and I would have come back for more. The service was great. The waiter provided us with good conversation as he spoke English very well. The restaurant itself was modern, clean and very inviting. I highly recommend this place for Italian food for Americans. read more

We loved Raf! The food was delicious and the service was amazing! We went early and were able to get a table right away without a reservation. read more

Raf - Eggplant millefoglie - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

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Great place next to our hotel. It's always open when I get there (usually on the early side) and the food is great! The Caccio e pepe is top notch - I'm still thinking about it! The pizzas are also a good choice. House wine hits the spot. I should also mention that everyone I've taken here loves it. Great food, nice outdoor seating, good looking and friendly staff. read more

They closed an hour early on a Sunday! Worth a try. We ordered to go. Might even be better if you eat it at the restaurant! That would probably make it a 9/10. Luckily we caught them just before shutting down. We ordered late night pizza at 11:30pm. The guy we spoke to was very nice, speaks English and Italian. The pizza was delicious. We got spicy and non-spicy pepperoni, mushrooms w & w/o sausage, and a prosciutto pizza. My personal favorite was the spicy pepperoni. The pizza was a solid 8/10. It was good, worth a try. Do not shy away from eating here if you'd like to try it. It did not blow my mind, but it was absolutely delicious and was equal if not better than any pizza I've had in the US. I have yet to try all the pizza's here in Italy, so I don't have a good reference yet. I might have to come back and edit this! read more

Wonderful lasagna, pizza, and cacciatore Pepe. Friendly service. Indoor and outdoor seating.

So good! And so nice! We had a nice lunch with friends and it was so good we came back for dinner. The gnocchi with shrimp was so different but sooo good! Caccio e pepi really good, tagliatelle with smoked salmon very good. The house wine was excellent. Highly recommend! read more

Raf - House red wine. - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

Amazing pasta carbonara --- side spinach. Loved the house wine. Good service. Good quality for the price

All the complaints... Are those reviewers in the right place??? We stopped in after a long day and everything was terrific! I've eaten way more than my share of pizza in my long life, and I gotta say, the Rustica I got here was, hands-down, the best pizza I've ever eaten in my life, without qualification. My wife had a caprese salad that was as fresh and tasty as one could imagine, and a pasta dish that was perfect: al dente, savory, and perfectly balanced. The service was impeccable; there when we needed it; at a distance when we didn't. In Rome, this is my new go-to. read more

About a block off Cola di Rienzo on Via Plinio is Raf. It has a more modern vibe, but still has your normal sidewalk patio seating and pasta and pizza menu. We popped in here for a quick pizza lunch. I got a Rustica White Pizza (white sauce, sausage and broccoli rabe) and loved it! It had a great chew to the crust and the spicy sausage with the slightly bitter broccoli rabe really work together. We had great service and they even have free wi fi! It was a nice easy lunch. read more

Raf - White Pizza - Rustica - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

I loved that there was outdoor seating. The server was very nice. Since I don't get to Rome often, it was time to splurge. I ordered the caprese salad with the buffalo mozzarella. The tomatoes were wonderful. The mozzarella was a bit chewy and not my favorite. I then had a prosciutto and mushroom pizza. It was very nice and thin. Lots of mushrooms and prosciutto across the top. I followed it with the tiramisu. It was served in a bowl and more cream than layers. Good, but I've had better. I would come back again but would probably try other places in the area first. read more

Raf is a solid Italian restaurant with a modern setting/decor in a fairly busy shopping and dining area, located several blocks from Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica. You'll find both tourists and many locals dining here, and seating is available both inside and out on the covered patio/sidewalk. Service was quite attentive, and after my attempts and eventual butchering of their language, the staff warmly smiled and then spoke perfect English for the rest of the meal. The food was excellent, some of their presentations were a bit more stylish and trendy vs. what you'll find at the many traditional Italian eateries in this area, and the best part is that Raf is within a few blocks of at least 2 well-stocked gelato shops! read more

This totally hit the spot after some insane driving in Rome. 1L of the house red for 10E was a no brainier. Fantastic pizzas under 10E an equal no brainier. And the house specialty pasta also under 10 - fantastico! Our group of 4 left very happy and very full for 40E. If in the area, go! read more

Raf - Pasta (papio & cece) and pizza Bianco (Gorgonzola and speck) - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

BEST MEAL IVE EVER HAD. From the spritz drinks to the incredible pizza, all the way to the desserts (in which we tried 3), we were so happy to end our honeymoon trip at this amazing place! Definitely coming back if we are ever in town again! read more

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My Husband and I were in Rome for our one year Anniversary and eventually started looking for somewhere close to the Hotel to eat dinner . We were so glad that we came to this restaurant !! The food was good , the ambiance was good but Mimo was EXCELLENT !!! He was so great , personable and attentive that we HAD to go back because of his great service !!! He even remembered my name and what we talked about two days before !! This establishment should be more than over the top happy to have him !! If any of you that is reading this ... ask for Mimo , he is a natural in making you feel welcome and relaxed !!! read more

Found this place because it was close to our hotel. Close to the Vatican area. Definitely looks like a nice restaurant (modern look, clean, spacious, big bar area). Food wise- Nothing bad about it, but nothing that made me go wow! We only tried the pasta dishes though. We saw others get desserts and they looked good. We had to wait a little too long for the food when there weren't many customers (early evening, not quite dinner time yet). read more

Raf - Very modern look - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

Good fun great service, owner was sitting beside of us Critiquing his employees on how to cook and how to serve in front of customers, very unprofessional thought bad for the employees read more

We have come to this restaurant the last 5 visits to Rome. The food is amazing and the staff is great. Highly recommend for all food lovers.

Very good place! Waiter was very cheerful and attentive and the pizza we got was fantastic! It has multiple cheeses, bacon, and the crust was thin and nicely placated. Only reasons I didn't give it fifth star is that the crust was very charred at some points. We didn't mind, but it was around the entire rim of the pizza and caused the need to pick around the burnt area. The other reason is that they charged 2 Euro for bread and it was 3 pieces and not very good. I recommend saying no to the bread, as we were not informed it even cost money there. Overall though, it was a really nice dining experience with a very attentive and happy waiter. The restaurant is clean and the desserts looked awesome!! We didn't try them though. Prices were reasonable in our opinion. Pizzas are 6.5-8.5€ and salads are about 8€- we got a wonderful and hearty salad with tuna and white beans! read more

Raf was right around the corner from the hotel we stayed at, and was recommended by our tour guide. I had the potato and sausage pizza (with the white sauce). It sounded a little weird but I didn't see my standard diavolo pizza on the menu so thought I'd give it a shot. I really enjoyed the food and thought the service was good. read more

First-- I really have issue with a restaurant that puts bread on the table un-asked, then charges you. I think it's pathetic. Now I understand "why" the place is dead and not a soul is dining here.. pizza limp and lifeless and totally bland. Of course who am I to talk about "limp" and "lifeless" because my hair in this 100 degree heat has about the same appeal. Avoid this place and don't trust Trip Advisor. read more

My wife and I are visiting Rome and I happened upon this fine restaurant and ordered a pizza to go. We enjoyed it so much we went back the next day and had two pasta dishes and a salad. Our server was fun and really made us feel welcome, and they have wifi too! We recommend it. read more

Had an early dinner compared to Italian standards but the service was great and so was the food! House wine was delicious! Both indoor And outdoor seating. Definitely check this place out! read more

I had a delicious fresh tonnarelli with cheese and pepper; the sauce was a very strong Parmesan and the noodles had a good texture. My wife likes the gnocchi and the pizzas, which are extremely thin. The apple fritters are a tasty and unusual dessert. They are not at all like American fritters, but are thin slices of apple battered and deep fried. Service was good but a little slow. Prices are reasonable. read more

Stayed at a hotel near here while on vacation in Rome and stopped in for lunch. Ordered the bacon cheeseburger and fries which was pretty good. read more

Raf - Bacon cheeseburger and fries - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

The food is incredible! Fresh, full of flavor and served with a smile. Have eaten at several places around Rome at this point and this restaurant is hands down the best one around for lunch and dinner! read more

Amazing! The food was delicious and probably the most authentic we had in Rome. We tried as many restaurants as we could during our 8 day stay and we ended up here on three occasions. The wait staff was incredible. They moved quickly but without hurrying you along. Other than Naples, Raf had the best pizza--and we ate a lot of pizza while in Rome. Also, if you get a chance to try the lasagna---be prepared for the best. Out my Italian mother's lasagna to shame (hope she doesn't see this review)! For dessert, we asked for something off menu and they prepared the most incredible fried apple (sort of like a fritter but much lighter) dessert that was a perfect ending to our meal. This area is not a high tourist area, so most of the restaurants were very good and not gimmicky with the usual touristy traps. I'f you're staying in this area, I highly recommend Raf and if you do decided to eat there, I envy you! Definitely give this place a chance if you want delicious Italian cuisine and great food! read more

We never write on Yelp, but we had the best service of our life so we thought we must share. Pietro was as wonderful and as accommodating as possible. He showed us the best wine, food, and dessert. Too be honest, we came back the second night just to see him! I wish he could be everywhere in Rome! The food and wine was exceptional! We wish Raf was at our home! read more

My husband and I are in our third city in Italy on our honeymoon and this is the BEST pizza we've had thus far. We actually came back a second time for lunch. Great wine as well. As for the staff they are all so friendly and professional!! Very clean place and inexpensive to top it off. HIGHLY recommend. read more

Good solid place for a decent lunch around the Vatican. Pizza and pasta. Lots of pizza choices! Fairly attentive wait staff.

Had a good pizza here. Plenty of room for larger parties. I wouldn't say "near" the Vatican, but close enough. In fact we had just visited the Vatican and were heading home. The area it is located in seemed kind of like a business district. And the restaurants were more "commercial". read more

The wait for my food was horrendous. Especially considering we were one of the THREE parties in the entire place! -___- at this rate they better be picking the grains for my pasta and cooking it themselves!!! read more

Awful. We had wine but the second glass tasted like chemicals. I had the ricotta penne, was not good at all. Then I exchanged it for mushroom linguini, was even worse. So oily that i couldent even pick it up with my fork. Service was awful too. read more

This place was an easy stop for lunch. The food was nothing special but reasonably priced. We had a slight miscommunication with the waiter who did not speak English well. We wanted to split what seemed to be a larger dish and asked if he thought it would be enough food for two people to which he immediately replied no. So we ordered an extra pizza to make up for it. When the food came the original dish was huge! - more than enough food for two people. So the additional pizza was a bit of a waste. Overall good but there is definitely better places in Rome. read more

Very good restaurant. Nice staff that speaks English and Italian. Filet with truffle sauce and capriccio pizza were excellent!!! Great bottle of wine for 17 euros. Nutella dessert with blue Curaçao was out of this world!! read more

The waitress here seems to be busy when she stands at the cash register. I asked to be seated inside but it turns out they don't have air conditioning so I decided to just sit outside. As I sat down there was a customer next to me smoking who I figured would just smoke one and enjoy their meal. Sadly her partner seemed to pick up after she stopped and they continued to swap off. I waited and tried to wave down a waiter to switch seats for 5 mins because my girlfriend had asthma. Since there was no service I went to the Register and explained the situation in a calm demeanor , just asking to be seated else where outside, which was met with an arrogant and unnecessary rebuttal of everyone smokes outside when we clearly saw a spot where it was less occupied and therefore no one was smoking. I asked to be seated inside as a compromise which was met with an uncouth and ignorant response of "are you sure u want to eat here sir?" I have never had the need to make an yelp review to rate down a service at a particular restaurant ever but this place deserves the one star for the audacious unprofessional attitude in response to a health concern. Come here if you wish to be treated like their food. read more

Don't be fooled by the sub par reviews of my fellow peers. Raf is a dump and I would not go back here even if you payed me. The food was absolutely atrocious. We ordered the fried mozzarella and the taste/consistency was like plastic. No flavor whatsoever. Then we ordered a pasta dish to split. A basic linguini with red sauce. It wasn't the worst pasta we have ever had, nor was it anything to write home about. We were halfway through the dish when I noticed a strange stringy black thing swimming in the sauce. My boyfriend told me to ignore it but as I further examined it, it turned out to be a large spider. I put it on the rim of the plate and showed it to both the owner and waiter. They said they were sorry and that it must have fallen from the ceiling but still expected us to pay for it because we still ate apart of it. We were outraged. This was by far the worst meal experience for the both of us. We gave them the bird and walked out. read more