Osteria dell’Arco

Excellent quality food and wine. Not an inexpensive meal compared to others in the area but the quality is top notch.
We had ricotta to share to start and it was light and delicious with a selection of fresh breads. We then had the veal eye fillet and roast cockerel for main. Both were simply prepared and well flavoured. The wine list is extensive and starts at 18 euro.

If you are a visitor feeling disappointed that your hotel is in this enclave northeast of Rome and somewhat distant from Rome’s central tourist attractions, take some solace from my discovery: this is an area rich is fine Italian dining. I shared this same disappointment on my first stay several years back in this largely residential area east of the gardens of the Villa Borghese. Business requirements have required my staying in this same area on my several return visits since then and I have since learned that the dining offerings are much better than they are in Central Rome And the Osteria dell’Arco is among the discoveries I have made.
It is axiomatic that to find the best food in a foreign land is to seek out eateries where the natives dine. And Osteria dell’Arco is one such restaurant. It is one among several recommendations of area restaurants provided by several food-​loving business associates who reside in the neighborhood. They have little good to say about most of the dining available in the center of Rome. They prefer the cuisine around these parts.
On my several visits over the last year to dell’Arco I have found the food to be consistently well-​prepared and delicious. I’m afraid that, despite having had several meals there, I cannot attest to a broad range of their menu offerings. This is because I can’t resist their take on eggplant parmesan. It is exquisite and alone worth a visit. I’m don’t feel qualified to explain how it differs from our conventional concept of the eggplant dish, but it was for me a gastronomic revelation.
I have sampled a limited range of their appetizers and all of them have been very tasty starters. Memorable was a dish featuring sheep’s milk cheese that I had on my first visit a while back. I don;t recall the specifics of the dish. But I do vividly recall my reaction: «divine».
So if your tour package brings you to this area inconvenient to the Rome’s tourist attraction, do take advantage of the great dining opportunities available in the area. The natives do. And so should you.