Wandering around looking for a place to eat but didn't want to fight with crowds and wanted to avoid the tourist traps. I see an understated modern entrance with a very simple menu - pasta of the day; panino of the day. That's all. And there's no one inside. So I take a peek and see a waittress there. I ask her about the "of the days" and she actually recites list of 3 pastas and 3 panini. I can't keep it all straight in my head but the place looks classy and the prices seem reasonable for said classiness. I sit by the bar that looks straight into the working kitchen, where a matrix of ravioli sits waiting to be made. The pasta that I ordered was actually the very buffalo ravioli that were on the counter, so that would be fun to watch it being made and to eat it right there. It was simply excellent - not just for the quiet and respite but for the elegance of the space and the excellence of the food. Seems like it's a bit of a hidden gem. read more

Retrobottega - Buffalo Tortellini Focaccia and white wine - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

The wine here. Fantastic and some interesting selection. The food left a lot to be desired. Some dishes really bland like the green spaghetti and others just not that good (sweetbread). read more

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Dining at Retrobottega was nothing short of extraordinary. We were there with our son and daughter, both university students in the U.S., and the experience became an unforgettable family memory. Each course was a revelation--bold, unexpected, and beautifully executed. The starters alone were a gastronomic journey: silky pâté paired with cherries, zucchini infused with coffee--each bite thoughtfully layered with flavor and technique. The pasta with smoked pork and fig was rich and elegant, and the steak, cooked to perfection, melted in the mouth alongside a velvety sweet potato purée. Every dish was paired with a carefully selected wine, enhancing each flavor and showing the team's mastery of balance and depth. We asked so many questions throughout the evening--curious about the ingredients, the preparation, and the wine--and the staff couldn't have been more thoughtful or enthusiastic in sharing their knowledge. Their passion turned our meal into an education, and their kindness made it even more special. This wasn't just a meal--it was pure art. If you love food that surprises, delights, and inspires, Retrobottega is not to be missed. read more

This was a really fun experience with great ambiance and service. The food was pretty good. I think there can be some tweaks made to the preparation for example, the beef was slightly tough for Wagyu and some of the sauces were a bit heavy but overall it was an excellent meal and a great place for a date night. I love the fact that they make their own bread and pastas too. Try them! read more

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Best meal I had in Rome by far. Everything we had was amazing. The service was great and the ambiance was prefect for a dinner or lunch. 10/10. Would recommend to anyone visiting Rome. Wish I could come back here. read more

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My wife and I went for the 5 course sabotage menu and we were not disappointed. They sit you by the prep station where you see the art unfold before your eyes. The ingredients were masterfully curated on a plate and they cohesively worked together. This is truly fine dining. Also, we loved the minimalist decor which made the focus on the food. Lastly, service was excellent. Everyone was very kind and polite. read more

Retrobottega - Great wine selection - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

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They know wine, they know colour palettes, and they know design. The food itself was delicious, but it complimented the wine, not the other way around. I would return for their wine bar instead of a meal. All dishes are plated in front of you, not cooked in front of you. We chose the 6-course paired with wine. My absolute favorite was the cabbage dish - spectacular colors, textures, and flavors. A very modern setting of communal seating, facing other diners was entertaining. read more

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Food & service were great. Not your typical Roman restaurant, that said it's worth the experience. It's food with an explosion of flavour. It's an interesting concept 2 large communal tables of 8 , what a better way to interact with people. would definitely recommend the sabotage menu. You get 5 different plates kitchen choice. read more

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This quiet, understated, stark and modern restaurant is mostly considered Rome's "it" restaurant right now.  If you're looking for Rome's foodie experience of the moment... which is easily booked online if you plan far enough ahead... Book the chef's table dining experience. When I visited, they called it "20 bites" and basically let you watch the chef's plate every single dish on the menu right in front of you in a special, private seating area. You should  go for the pairing, so each 20 plates also gets paired with a special beverage that ranges from sake to Stout to cocktails to Champaign to Cabernet... Each perfectly matched with the bite in front of you.   The only oddity of the menu was the fact that the proteins and the pairings jumped around from light to full-bodied and back all over the menu. I'm sure this was part of their more modern approach,  but I may have appreciated a more traditional lighter to full-bodied menu roll out.  The interaction with the chefs explaining each piece of the plate in detail... and then actually seeing them compose the dish right in front of you is a special opportunity and a memorable night for sure.  When you place your whole experience in the chefs hands... along with what you're going to be drinking... it is a little bit of a risk. This ended up being the most fun in fact. The menu we tasted that night included some very interesting things that there's no way I would have ordered otherwise... but each and every bite was delicious and I really appreciated them expanding my palate. Donkey tartar, anyone? Because you're interacting with the chef... You are able to ask questions and watch them plate... the experience is very communal and interactive. Service was top-notch and the quality of food was impossible to beat.  This restaurant is modern and much different than most typical Roman spaces... if you're looking for a different, high-quality evening out and love to experiment in a Michelin-star type experience... this place is a must-do! read more

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We went here on a recommendation from a local, and when I looked up the reviews, I knew we had to go. The 5-course tasting menu was 75 euros a person, and the smallest pour of wine I have ever received of the house wine (maybe 3.75 ounces) was 10 euros. I feel like you are paying for the experience of sitting at a community table next to the kitchen rather than the food. We have been to many tasting menu restaurants, and usually, they tell you what it is ahead of time, but here, they do not. We aren't picky eaters so it was fine. The first course was a piece of cabbage with a truly delectable sauce (this was the highlight dish for me), another vegetable dish was after that with a bean puree I believe, and after that it was sheep tartar which was flavorless and completely raw which I had never seen with sheep before, a pumpkin ravoli and lastly a steak done rare but the piece of meat was quite chewy and did not have much flavor. The food was okay, only the cabbage dish I would say was truly delicious. I would say maybe we are too spoiled by food at home (Los Angeles) but Rome has amazing food... Clearly I am in the minority here but the food was just okay and for the cost I did not find it worth it. read more

This hidden gem was the perfect night out after some serious sight seeing. The service was impeccable, the food was outstanding and the experience was memorable. read more

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Possibly my favorite meal in Rome! Reservations are definitely recommended, but it wasn't too hard to snag one 1-2 days in advance if you're okay with eating later at night. The interior is so beautiful, with a wonderful dark grey Scandinavian vibe. I think the biggest selling point for Retrobottega is being able to sit near the open kitchen and watch the chefs cook and plate all the food! So entertaining. My friend and I did the 8 course tasting menu which I think was around 80 Euro. I don't remember the specifics of each dish we got, but I know that the duck tortellini and the pumpkin risotto really stood out! Presentation is also superb. read more

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The restaurant was great and the customer service was superb. We had an amazing waiter from Venezuela named Marco. He answered every question we had about the food lovingly and with care. He had all the answers and made us feel quite at home. We had a private room just for us and were overwhelmed by each course. It is pricey for a Restaurant in Rome but by US standards it was inexpensive for the quality of food and outstanding service. Go there and ask for Marco and tell him his friends from Miami sent you! read more

Absolutely amazing spin on italian/ fusion. These chefs have earned michelin stars and it shows. They are truly skilled. My favorite was the sweet potato and veal belly ravioli in broth. I could drink the brith alone it was super flavorful. The ambiance was perfect, craft bottled beers much needed after one too many peronis. Definitely check this out when in Rome it is a welcome break from the lack luster pizza and pasta you will experience elswhere read more

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Top notch service and even better food and wine. We loved everything at this restaurant! The bread was amazing. We loved watching the chef creating the food right next to us. The communal table was fun as well. read more

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Incredible, memorable experience with my dad. As foodies from California, we were lamenting the fact that we had not had a mindblowing experience in Rome up to this point despite all the great food around. We arrived on a recommendation from a local sommelier and were greeted with friendly staff, an incredibly creative menu, and pretty reasonable prices for what we got. From the first course, we were struck by how thoughtfully prepared each dish was, and how each element came together and played a vital role in the overall flavor and texture. We also went with a wine pairing suggestion that was pretty far outside what we would normally order, but we were pleasantly surprised. I would highly recommend Retrobottega to anyone that is interested in creative dishes that are thoughtfully prepared using local ingredients. (It is worth mentioning that we arrived around 7:30, long before the dinner rush at 9.) read more

Innovative - they are trying something contrary to traditional homey Italian pasta that would fill you up. Instead, they are creative and breaking new grounds to present Italian food with new display with a touch of post modernism. Great communal table area and love watching the chefs preparing everyone's meals read more

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Retrobottega came highly recommended by our dear Italian friend who kindly pre-arranged all of our restaurant reservations while we holidayed in Rome in June 2019. This is a very intimate environment that has a total of two communal tables that surround an open kitchen while sitting on high chairs. You have your own cutlery in individual drawers from the table but we did not have to get our own each time. This is a conceptual type of restaurant that deconstructs and reimagines classic Italian dishes. We ordered the 5 course pre-set tasting for 55 Euros per person. I enjoyed most of the creative dishes although sadly, I disliked one seafood dish so I did not finish it. Our server kindly inquired whether the seafood dish was tasty and with a smile, I replied that it was. He then asked what my favorite dish was. I replied "the lasagna," and shortly thereafter I was given an additional deconstructed lasagna as they felt bad that I did not fully enjoy my seafood dish! A sleek designed interior that is both welcoming and modern, it is worth giving this unique restaurant a try. read more

Retrobottega - Deconstructed lasagna-my favorite dish - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

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While they are trendy and seem to know their way around, they forgotten the most important rule - the customer is always right. Yes, I made a technical mistake, reserving a seat for one person while my intention was to reserve for two (why on earth would you have a single seat as the default option in your reservation system?!), but this is the ultimate test for successful restaurants, how well can you handle unexpected scenarios? No, they weren't able to come up with a resolution and kicked us out.. no, they didn't apologize and instead invested all their energy to prove that the mistake was mine.. well done, you proved me wrong, and didn't give a damn about it. How difficult could it be to accommodate one more seat? Shame on you! The restaurant business is not only about cooking decent food, the most important thing is hospitality, you guys failed badly and I will let the public judge if I deserved it by making an innocent mistake. read more

I cannot say enough good things about Retrobottega. Creative, modern, personable servers, hip, amazing wine, and literally one of the best (and possibly the best) meals I've ever eaten. It is small so you might have to make reservations. It just so happened that we were staying above it while in Rome. When I Yelped places to eat it popped up and I thought we'd give it a try since it was close and looked cool from the outside when we passed by every day. It was outstanding. read more

We enjoyed our meal here. We decided to do the 5 course tasting menu, which was fun to try different foods. The food was quite tasty, but perhaps a little over priced considering the portions. The wine menu was a bit unbalanced, they had one bottle of wine from Tuscany under 100 euro and then a dozen way over that. Overall a good dining experience. read more

So impressed with this restaurant! The food was amazing and well priced compared to many other places in Rome. I am from Canada and the waitress politely translated all the dishes for me and my family into English. The decor and feeling of the restaurant is very industrial and modern and it is a refreshing change from many of the other restaurants which can feel very stuffy and dated. read more

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This was the most creative and fun dinner of our stay in Italy. This place is innovative, experimental but also completely accessible and affordable. The self service style is so smart, nothing I had seen before, and sitting at the bar overlooking the kitchen is the best place to be: watching the chefs prepare all the fantastic dishes, and chatting with them throughout. Everything we ate was top notch; if I had to pick a few to highlight it would be the salted meat with figs, the spaghetti with truffles, the taglionlini with onions, tallegio, and the pigeon. Well and of course the deconstructed ricotta and sour cherry "pie" - wow! An unforgettable dinner in a very cool place. read more

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The food presentation was the only thing i was amazed about, waste of money, but the interior and the design gets 5/5, in terms of food we had 7 dishes which 2 of them were great, thats it. read more

Really a lot of fun. Some of the food was delicious...some just interesting. The wine pairing and service was excellent. Portions were small as you would expect from a modern gourmet food restaurant. Best dish in my opinion: the duck tortellini. read more

We had passed by this restaurant one day and I thought the menu look interesting and innovative. We arrived at opening and by the time we left there was only one other party. So not sure how popular this place is. The food was okay. We had an octopus pasta. I had mackerel with an herbal seasoning. The skin was perfectly crisp and flesh perfectly moist and tender. It was very nicely done. read more about our food tour on my site read more

Stumbled across this place. Fabulous food. Very creative and interesting menu.....more modern, less typical Rome. read more

Retrobottega - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

Best vibe of a place we've been in Italy. Lots of Italians which makes me think it was legit. The truffle garlic pasta was out of this world fresh, the salty meats were actually a carpaccio and stupendous and last but not least the octopus presentation was fab. My boyfriend got the half pigeon too and I was so skeptical and it tasted like beef and was also great. So was the bottle of champagne Vezzoli that we had. For four plates and a bottle, the bill was 80 euro. Why why why do I live in America where the same thing would have cost $150? read more

Retrobottega - Octopus - Italian Near Me - Rome, RM

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This place is great! We found Retrobottega by sheer luck and had a great meal. The mushroom and sea urchin was delicious and the home made pasta was as well. We were a bit hesitant to try chicken liver but the meal was perfect with candied melon. These guys really know what they are doing. Giuseppe was very helpful and got us reservations for a hip bar the next night (thanks again Joe!). We will definitely go back! read more

3.5. Pretty creative stuff here. Came for dinner and waited about 20 minutes for 2 people. Serve yourself drinks thing is a little weird at first. They were out of an uni pasta but did the same pasta with raw shrimp which was our favorite. This was my wife's favorite place we went to in Rome. 3 or 4 dishes + a few beers was something like 90 euro. read more

It's not often I post a restaurant post, but then it's not often something as innovative and impressive as @retro_bottega comes along. In Rome your choices are broadly as follows, great street food, tourist trattorias, local trattorias and high end. Mostly its very very traditional. Modernist places are out there, but the prices are out there too. And then there's RetroBottega. Wow. A small restaurant with effectively just two communal dining tables, with the chefs at the pass at the top of the table. A five course tasting menu is €50, and the wines are incredibly reasonable. To get this calibre of food, and the level of visibility and intimate interactivity with the chefs, for a fraction of the price of a comparable place in London is simply unheard of. Go. Go now. Do not pass go. These guys are striving to break into a classic, traditional food scene and all they ask is a very un-Italian request that you turn up on time, share your space with others and trust their judgement in flavour pairings. That this place exists is rare enough, that it isn't solidly booked out a year in advance is a mystery and that they're doing it at a bargain price is even more baffling. Seriously Rome, are you not entertained?! #retrobottega #rome read more

Lol this place. I'd laugh myself out of this place so fast if I came across this pretentious bullshit at home. You'd be better off rolling up a 100 euro note and lighting that mofo on fire and then going somewhere to buy a good plate of pasta. read more

What a breath of fresh air, or rather a bite of fresh food, for residents and visitors tired of tourists traps and same-old menus! The young chefs play with seasonAble food and come up with original dishes at very, very reasonable prices. We particularly enjoyed sitting On the japanese-style stools so thAt we could watch the chefs at work! read more

The foods, which I loved, were presented beautifully and tasted so great that I smiled throughout my experience. The team was warm and welcoming and cannot praise the owner-chef enough. I was lucky and fortunate to have experienced such a great place. In fact, I savored dishes two nights consecutively given my short four night stay in Rome. Bravo! Marshall from Nebraska read more