They are divided into four different pricing categories:
The prices quoted are for an average three-course meal for one and for a bottle of house wine or equivalent; they include IVA but do not include service charge or tip. IVA (value-added tax) at 10% is included in restaurant prices. A 15% service charge is occasionally added to the bill, more familiar is a bread and cover charge called pane e coperto (generally 1-2 per person and officially illegal). Romans are not very generous with tips but an additional 10% on top of the bill, if the meal and service have been good is very much appreciated.
Checchino has been in the Mariani family for five generations. It is close to Rome's former slaughterhouse in Testaccio, where traditional Roman cooking expanded, using the offal. Classic dishes evolved, such as braised oxtail, and for those who think offal is awful, there are plenty of other selections, like breast of veal cooked in the oven. Reservations are recommended and Sunday and Monday Closed.
Run by three brothers, Il Convivio is city's one of the foremost foodie temples. Some of the dishes stem from classic Roman fare, but the vital ingredients are always combined with something surprising according to the whim of youngest brother and Chef Angelo, and turned into something sublime. Three elegant rooms, two with murals on the walls, and well-trained wait staff make for a truly rounded gourmet experience. Dinner only, closed Sunday.
Chef Gualtiero Marchesi, the Milanese superstar steers the Hostaria dell'Orso. Medieval palazzo its home, was an inn for centuries, and followed by a swinging restaurant-bar frequented by Onassis and Callas. At present reopened as a restaurant, it offers skilled Italian haute cuisine like roast lamb cutlets, sweet onions and pistachios.
