The Bottom Line
- Well-prepared, reasonably priced food based on the Marche region
- Off the beaten tourist track
- Menu is limited
- You'll have to go out of your way to get there
Description
- Antica Osteria da Giovanni serves simple, well-prepared food at bargain basement prices.
- Antica Osteria da Giovanni has been in business for over 50 years and mentioned in Gambero Rosso.
- Antica Osteria da Giovanni
Via della Lungara, 41/a, Rome, by Ponte Mazzini
066861514
closed Sunday
Guide Review - Rome Restaurant
Antica Osteria da Giovanni's menu of the day has only some of the items on the menu posted in the window, based on what's fresh in the market. Although it's not a huge selection, you'll find sufficient pastas, rice, and soup for the first course and several meat and fish choices for your second course.
I started with rice and endive for about 2 euro. Now, for 2 euro I wasn't expecting much but I was surprised at both the wonderful taste and the large portion. James had a perfectly al dente tagliarini topped with a traditionally small amount of intensely-flavored ragu--satisfying, especially considering the 3 euro price. But he was much more impressed with his second course, fresh anchovies topped with a vibrant piziolla sauce. My grilled fresh fish (the most expensive item on the menu at 11 euro) was perfectly prepared.
We often order the house wine; it's usually quite drinkable and costs less than a bottle from the list. In this case the house wine was bottle of good DOC wine from Lazio and a half liter cost us only 2 euros, a price hard to find even in a store. A bottle of mineral water added on 1 euro, a salad was 1.55, and bread and cover was .75 each. Our total bill was 26.80 euro, including tax and service.
Here you won't find an English menu or gourmet food, and you'll probably be the only tourists in the restaurant, but you'll enjoy a simple well-prepared meal at bargain basement prices in a restaurant that's been serving Romans for over 50 years.
