Restaurant Recommendations Rome: Osteria dell’Anima
My life pretty much revolves around food, so I can’t not take this opportunity to tell you about one of my favorite restaurants in the entire city of Rome, and even the country of Italy: Osteria dell’Anima.
Located literally just off of the Piazza Navona at Via Santa Maria dell’Anima, 08, Piazza Navona – 00186 Rome, you can get to it easily by exiting the Piazza on west side, and turning north. If you’ve walked past the length of the Piazza, you’ve gone too far and walked right past it! Sitting outside won’t get you a view of the Piazza, but you do get to see a lovely Roman church, Santa Maria dell’Anima, and delightful slices of Italian life as the locals avoid the tourist hub of the Piazza Navona. Although do be warned, you’re still in reach of the peddlers, and quite close to any taxis that may prowl by, so keep your things underneath the table.
Whether you are in Rome as a JFRC student like me, or only visiting, you can’t miss this restaurant. As a Loyola student, we have a discount here, which makes everything all the sweeter. Every semester, Loyola hosts a special, but optional, mass to kick off the semester in one of the many historical Jesuit churches in Rome, followed by a dinner here that most students attend, if not all, for a very reduced price. For just 20 euros, we received antipasti, two bottles of wine, primi, and dessert. Beyond worth the price.
But if you go again without the school as I do, and mention you’re a Loyola student, you still receive a discount – around 20%! Make no mistake: I love food, and I love discounts, so this is already pretty good. But the food, oh my lord, the food. Osteria dell’Anima knows what it’s about!
Their famous specialty is pear pasta. Officially, it’s listed on the menu as ‘Fiochetti di formaggio e pera su crema di carote’ – Pasta stuffed with cheese and pears, covered in a carrot sauce. Ask any JFRC student, past or present, and we will swoon at your feet at the mere thought of it. Hand over heart, I’ve dreamt about it. The absolutely divine combination of sweet and savory, smooth and textured, heavy and light, flavor and weight, pear pasta is mindblowing. It’s neither too think nor too watery, not too sweet or too salty, not too – well, you get the point. It’s pear and cheese in a delightful pasta packet with a gentle covering of white cream and carrot cream, which I only found out later. I could go on and on. Get this, when you go.
Other dishes that are tried and true verifiably delicious? Well, every other dish I’ve nibbled off people’s plates. I don’t go and not order pear pasta, but I can say that their linguine all’astice fresco, linguine with fresh lobster, had my brother’s jaw dropping and proclaimed the best meal he’d ever had in his life. The saltimbocca alla romana, sliced veal with ham in a wine sauce, and the melanzana alla parmigiana – eggplant and parimigiana – were also excellent.
For those interested, the wine selection includes wines to try from all over Italy, and the service is phenomenal as well. The staff are all highly enthusiastic about the dishes as well, and very educated on all the foods and wines they offer, and are happy to make recommendations. There is outdoor and indoor seating, but the outdoor seating doesn’t have heat lamps like many other restaurants in the city.
If you’re reading this and you’ll be in Rome ever in your life, trust me and go to this restaurant. I’ll be saying this about every other place I recommend, as I do recommend it, but I mean… I haven’t had dreams about eating from any other restaurant here yet, so it’s a very good sign. Check out the place for yourself at their website, http://www.osteriadellanima.com !