The menus of Rome

In the heart of Sant'Angelo the menu moves all around Roman and Jewish-Roman tradition, with the artichoke as the common thread: alla giudia, alla romana, in the tonnarelli, in the risotto, even with animelle. Quinto quarto feels right at home, between coratella, pajata, coda alla vaccinara and trippa, while the Jewish fried dishes and the baccalà tell the other soul of the neighbourhood.

With such a wide menu, split between double first courses, double main courses and a separate grilled section, it's worth starting from the Chef consiglia or the Jewish starters to get a feel for the place, then choosing whether to go for fish, quinto quarto or grill without chasing everything. Prices aren't listed on the menu, so you can't work out a cost per person: keep that in mind before you order.

In the heart of the Ghetto, the menu tells the story of Jewish-Roman tradition with a kosher declaration: carciofi alla giudia, concia di zucchine, aliciotti con indivia open the way, while dried beef comes back as a signature in several dishes, from amatriciana to pinsa. The grill is quite substantial, with tagliate and steaks of 400 grams and a mixed grill designed for two.

It's worth starting light with a Jewish starter or a fritto misto and leaving room for an important main course like stracotto or coratella d'abbacchio con carciofi, since the first courses run quite high, up to 16 euros. The grill for two at 65 euros should be shared wisely. For a full meal, starter, first course, main course and dessert, the estimate is 50 euros per person, drinks excluded; stopping at first course and dessert brings it down to 20.

It starts with the raw dishes, which carry a lot of weight here: tartare, sashimi, ceviche and Mazara prawns open the menu with oriental touches, from grapefruit to shiso to an oriental sauce with avocado. Alongside these are hot starters and a section of first courses all made in house, from calamarata with sea bream to ravioli with Cantabrian anchovies, a sign of a kitchen that works fresh pasta just as much as raw fish.

It's worth arriving at the meal already knowing what to go for, because the menu is extensive and the main courses range from turbot fillet to tagliata di black Angus, with a couple of Iberian meat options to balance out the sea. As for the bill, a first course with a dessert comes to around 30 euros, first and second course around 50, while the full meal with a starter comes to about 80 euros per person, drinks excluded.

Monteverde provides the backdrop for a menu that plays mostly on fish, from crudo di scampi to tonnarelli allo scoglio, without forgetting grilled meat among the main courses. The first courses are the heart of the matter: almost all around 15 euros, with truffle, porcini and shrimp often intertwining with Roman tradition, as in the gricia revisited with mushrooms.

It's worth starting with the seafood starters, maybe sharing a frittura or the moscardini, then choosing between the tonnarelli and a grilled main course if you're really hungry, otherwise you stop at a first course and a dessert. The average spend per person, drinks excluded, ranges from 20 euros for a first course and a dessert to 55 for the full meal with starter, first course, main course and dessert.

It all starts with the oven, which here works on several fronts: from the fried supplì that opens the menu, through classic pizzas like the Margherita, up to the more elaborate white ones with truffle or smoked salmon. The common thread is fior di latte, which comes back in almost every dish, red or white, together with ingredients that lean towards the gourmet: burrata, guacamole, prosciutto di Bassiano. But the more popular register isn't missing either, with hamburgers and salads providing a counterpoint.

It's worth starting with the supplì as a taster, then choosing between a more traditional red pizza or a more refined white one: both white categories, well-loved and tempting, deserve a look. Those looking for a proper main course will find lombata di vitella with grilled vegetables. As for prices, the restaurant states between 5 and 22 euros per dish, but without an estimate of total spending it's not possible to give a per-person figure.

Raw seafood is the common thread: scampi, prawns, sea truffles, oysters and fasolari clams come back in the individual starters and are brought together in the Crudo di mare for two. The whole, very long seafood starters section revolves around this core, while meat is reduced to prosciutto and cheeses. Whole fish is sold by the hundred grams, with seven types including sea bass, sea bream, turbot and scorpionfish, letting you choose the cooking style: acqua pazza, guazzetto, al sale, alla vernaccia.

With such a wide menu, it's best to start with a raw dish or a battuta di gambero rosso, move on to a seafood first course like fregola alle vongole, and then decide whether to go for fish by weight or a mixed grill. Watch out for the dishes for two, clearly marked. The estimate is 25 euros per person for a first course and a dessert, 40 for a first and second course, 60 for the full meal, drinks excluded.

Rigatoni alla gricia al vino rosso: the name already says it all about this place, which takes the four pillars of Roman cuisine - amatriciana, carbonara, cacio e pepe, gricia - and leaves them untouched in their own dedicated section, but builds an enormous menu around them that plays with variations, from gnocchetti con fiori di zucca to fettuccine ai porcini. The pizzas, red and white, number a good forty or so, a sign that here the oven works just as hard as the stove.

With such a long menu, it's worth charting a course: either you stick to one of the four Roman first courses plus a seasonal side like carciofi, or you head straight for the grill, where tagliata, abbacchio a scottadito and filetto con lardo di colonnata appear. In between there are fritti, bruschette and crostini for those who want to taste without committing too much. For a full meal, expect to spend around 45 euros per person, drinks not included; with a pizza and a dessert, it drops to around 15.

The ten-hour low-temperature sous vide cooking of the abbacchio al forno already gives a sense of a menu that isn't content with tradition alone: alongside tonnarelli cacio e pepe and coda alla vaccinara, you'll find grilled gamberi rossi di Mazara and a filetto di rombo in crosta di patate. The sea carries a lot of weight, among starters, first courses and a section of main courses all its own, but grilled meat with steak and fillet keeps pace.

With such an extensive menu, it's worth deciding which side to pick, land or sea, because prices climb quickly when mixing the two souls: a seafood first course like the pescatora or a main course like the gamberi rossi will push up the bill. For a first and a main course, drinks excluded, the average spend per person is around 35 euros.

The Chateaubriand for two or the Costata di Manzo alla Fiorentina set the tone right away: an international menu that looks to the great classics of cuisine, between shellfish, whole fish filleted at the table and substantial cuts of meat. The sea opens and closes the story, from the ostriche di Saint Michel to the grigliata mista mediterranea, but the Meat section is the largest and carries vintage names like Tournedos Rossini and Filetto alla Tartara.

With such a wide menu it's best to pick a thread and follow it: either fish, from starter to main, or meat, leaving the primi as a light step in between. Fruit and desserts close the meal with a real trolley, from flambé dishes to semifreddi. For a full meal, starter, primo, main and dessert, you'll spend around 110 euros a person, drinks excluded; stopping at a primo and a main keeps you around 65.

Between trippa, coratella and a paper cone of arrosticini on one side, and tonnarelli cacio e pepe or bucatini all'amatriciana on the other, the menu holds together two souls: the Abruzzese land with cured meats, cheeses and grilled dishes, and the Roman tradition of genuine primi. The primi are the densest section, fifteen options all at the same price, a sign of a classic repertoire kept solid. There's also truffle in the risotto and filetto al Montepulciano for those looking for something richer.

It's worth starting with the basket of Abruzzese cured meats or the trippa with coratella and legumes to get into the more rustic register, then choosing between a traditional primo and a grilled meat platter, which here also includes Fiorentina by the kilo and filetto. The full meal with antipasto, primo, secondo and dessert comes to about 55 euros per person, drinks excluded; stopping at a primo and a secondo brings it down to around 30 euros.

Feeling like a lunch or dinner for a special occasion? Camponeschi's menu speaks clearly right from the starters: oysters, Beluga caviar, foie gras with fig mustard and Danish Crown tartare sit alongside trippa alla romana and carciofi, a sign of a Mediterranean cuisine that doesn't give up on Roman tradition but raises its tone. Black truffle comes back often, from fettuccine to paccheri, to suprema di pollo.

It's worth starting with the raw starters or the pastas, leaving the grilled or oven-baked meat and fish mains as a sure bet: keep an eye out for dishes for two like the chateaubriand or the grigliata di pescato misto, designed to be shared. For a meal with a first and a second course, you're looking at around 75 euros a head on average, drinks not included.

The grill is the beating heart of this menu: costate starting at a minimum of 700 grams, Fiorentina by the kilo made with Chianina or Scottona beef, Tomahawk, fillets and tagliate served in six different ways, from pink pepper to fresh seasonal porcini. Around this carnivorous core revolves a Tuscan-Roman repertoire ranging from ribollita to pappardelle al cinghiale, all the way to a pizza section (white and red) and calzoni that broadens the scope quite a bit compared to just a grill house.

With such a wide menu, it's worth deciding right away whether you're here for the meat or the pizza, because mixing the two risks losing the point of the visit: the costata or the Fiorentina call for a plain side dish, not a first course in between. Porcini mushrooms show up everywhere, from crostini to tagliate, a sign of a seasonal product the place is really betting on. For a full meal, with starter, first course, second course and dessert, you're looking at around 35 euros per person, drinks not included; sticking to a first and second course, the cost drops to around 25.

Linguine all'astice: there it is, at thirty-five euros, the dish that sets the tone for a menu where Roman tradition and the sea coexist without hierarchy. You find Carbonara next to Spaghetto allo scoglio, Abbacchio scottadito beside Tonno alla siciliana, and then the pizza running parallel with Margherita and Luigi alla bufala, almost like a second restaurant within the same place.

With such an extensive menu, it's best to pick one path and stick to it: either you dive into Roman tradition among amatriciana, gricia and trippa, or you follow the sea from Spaghetti alle Vongole all the way to a whole one-kilo sea bass, noting that it's meant to be shared. The average spend, drinks excluded, ranges from twenty euros for pizza and dessert to fifty-five euros for a full meal with starter, first course, main course and dessert.