New restaurant openings in Rome, May 2017. Some excellent restaurants have relocated, others now have temporary summertime pop-ups, there are lots of new spots to choose from in Rome this month. From Osteria Oliva in Monti, with Michelin star-awarded chef Fabio Baldassarre, to OiSushi in the historical centre, to Acquolina Hostaria, run by the Troiani brothers that has moved to The H’all in All’Oro. And then, after it’s great success in its first restaurant in Ostiense, Akira’s delicious ramen is coming to Piazza Bologna. In via Giulia a huge new restaurant is soon opening called Giulia’s Restaurant. And in Eur, head to Maritozzo Rosso which serves sweet and savoury baked goods.

New restaurant openings Rome, May 2017

IN THE CENTRE

Acquolina Hostaria

The restaurant run by the Troiani brothers with chef Alessandro Narducci is moving location, leaving North Rome and coming to the historical centre. They have moved into the space that was originally All’Oro, run by chefs Riccardo Di Giacinto e Ramona Anella, namely The First Luxury Art Hotel. At their new locale, there will be two dining area, a restaurant on the ground floor, and then another space where you can eat small plates. There will be a focus on lots of different types of pan-fried shellfish and cod, and there will be three different tagliolini recipes to choose from – tomato and basil, butter and parmesan, and pesto.

Acquolina Hostaria 14, via del Vantaggio 14, opening planned for the end of May.  Tel. 0645617070. Website and Facebook

IN THE CENTRE

Marzapane al Caffè dell’Opera

In the piazza across from the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, two minutes from piazza Repubblica, Marzapane is opening. Run by young chef Alba Esteve Ruiz and the Marzapane team, the menu is an array of traditional Italian dishes made with fresh ingredients. It’s particulared fish-focused, and is a great spot both for lunch or dinner outside in the summer months. So, what can you eat? We enjoyed the tomato bread with jamon from Bellota, insalata di lingua (salad with tongue) seasoned with turmeric, capers and mustard, mezze maniche pasta with amatriciana sauce, and the fillet of turbot with wild fennel and olives. The Caffé dell’Opera will be open all day long, from 8.30am for breakfast, with delicious treats from Antico Forno Roscioli, while lunch is served from 12pm to 3pm. In the afternoon you can taste one of Stecco Lecco’s tasty ice creams, and from 7pm to 11pm dinner is served (and the wine menu is chosen from the winery Trimani).

Caffè dell’Opera Roma, Piazza Beniamino Gigli 7, Rome. Open from 8.30am to 11pm. Closed Mondays. Tel. 0648160504. Facebook

IN THE CENTRE

Achilli all’Hotel Dom

Achilli al Parlamento, a Michelin starred restaurant and the historical Roman enoteca in via dei Prefetti, now serves its cuisine at Rome’s DOM Hotel. Supervised by award-winning chef Massimo Viglietti, Achilli serves the DOM Hotel with a carefully curated cuisine and an excellent wine menu. The ambience is contemporary but unfussy, just like the food served, prepared by two young chefs, Andrea Fiducia and Alessio Tagliaferri. We advise beginning with an aperitivo on the terrace (with either plates of raw seafood, meats, cheeses and vegetables, for 15-25 euros, or cooked platters from 25-30 euros) and then move on to the dinner, late into the night.

Achilli all’Hotel Dom Rome, via Giulia 113, Tel. 066832144. Website

MONTI

Osteria Oliva

In this small osteria in Monti, the head chef, Fabio Baldassarre will certainly wow you. The chef from Abruzzo undertook this new venture in via dei Serpenti a little over a month ago. The cuisine is traditional but with some traditional Abruzzan dishes: from pallotte cacio e ova (cheese and egg balls) with pecorino (8 euros) to sformatino (like a mousse) made with herbs and fondue (10 euros). As for Roman recipes there’s carbonara and cacio e pepe (11 euros).

Osteria Oliva Rome, via dei Serpenti 110, open every day from 11am to 11.30pm. Tel. 3425828879. Facebook

PIAZZA BOLOGNA

Ramen Bar Akira

Ramen Bar Akira is now opening in June in Piazza Bologna. The best dish here, as in the other restaurant in Ostiense, is the noodles served in meat broth, flavoured with soy or miso sauce, topped with garnishes such as slices of pork, seaweed, ajitama (hard boiled egg with soy sauce), green onion and sweetcorn. The Japanese food scene in the capital is now growing, Waraku in Prenestina and Sushisen in Testaccio are also well worth a visit.

Ramen Bar Akira, Piazza Bologna, opening in June. Facebook and Website. 

CENTRAL

OiSushi

Oisushi is a restaurant-bar with a fusion of Japanese and Brazilian cuisine, run by Francesco Taurino. This new eatery serves Japanese food with a South American touch. The space is in a Roman palazzo from 1500 and the walls are decorated with plants to give a truly Amazonian feel. The chef Rogerio Matsumoto serves typical Brazilian dishes and sushi, while the bartender Andrea Mignone mixes drinks to suit the fusion cooking (such as adding wasabi and soy sauce to the cocktails). There’s also a wine list put together by winemaker Lorenzo Costantini. There are also non-alcoholic smoothies on the menu made with tropical fruits and acai berries.

OiSushi Rome, Via Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 143. Lunch from 12pm – 3.30pm; dinner from 7pm – 12.30am. Tel. 0664761035

PRATI

Linea e Typo by Bowerman

Maxxi (the fantastic Roman contemporary art and architecture museum) now has two new developments: Typo, the new cafe-bookshop in the main building which, with its doors opening onto via Guido Reni will create a new entrance into the museum, and then, facing onto Piazza Alghiero Boetti will be Linea, Maxxi’s new restaurant. The new eatery will be part-run by the awarded chef Cristina Bowerman, who is already head chef at Glass in Trastevere and the recently opened Romeo Chef & Baker, in Piazza dell’Emporio in Testaccio. Planned to open in June, it will be well worth making a day of your trip to Maxxi with a long drawn out lunch.

TRASTEVERE

Rione 13

You’ll find Rione 13 in Trastevere, near to Piazza San Cosimato. Here you can delight in typical Roman recipes and other more creative dishes. The restaurant is divided into certain areas (some of which have the feel of a luxurious living room) where you can either enjoy brunch, aperitivi or dinner. There is also a huge table which can accomodate a lot of people at dinner time. On the menu you’ll find: spaghetti alla carbonara, tonnarelli pasta with cacio e pepe, lamb chops scottadito (literally ‘burnt fingers’ so ‘finger-licking good!’), oxtail stew, veal alla Fornara. Then there are the more creative dishes such as the ‘Rione 13’, egg raviolo pasta filled wth cod, potatoes and served with orange and saffron jus, or sciaiatiello pasta with crunchy speck, asaparagus and pachino tomatoes.

Rione 13 Rome, Via Roma Libera 19. Open every day from 8am until 1am. Tel. 065817418. Facebook

Traduzione a cura di Corinna Parker