Taverna Lucifero

Our favorite dinner place. The whole family loved it. The pasta was delicious and the kids enjoyed every bite of the chocolate fondue and the parents got a really nice wine. Fantastic staff!

During my whole trip to all of Italy this little place was seriously the best of them all.
I’m currently still dreaming about the meals I had at this place. The owner of the joint is a character. He comes up and personally explains each dish on the menu and how they prepared it that day. The pasta is all home made, and many of the ingredients are extremely authentic, natural, and simple.
This is Roman food at its roots. Anything with more than 5 – 6 ingredients is adding pain to something just so good. The place is quiet and quaint compared to the hustle and bustle of Rome. You feel more like a friend than a customer. And really, my wife and I ate there for under 40 euros each time we did.
All the wine is paired with your dish personally, and their limonchello is homemade. Best place in Rome if you ask me.

When we first came to Rome in 2010 our neighbors said we absolutely must come here and let the owner decide what we should order. We did just that and had an amazing meal. So when we returned to Rome this last June, it was our only «must have» restaurant. It’s located steps from Campo de Fiori — one of our favorite piazzas and has a beautiful rustic interior. Not too big and not too small. Once again we were not disappointed! I forget the owner’s name (Lillo?), but he is wonderful in every way. Hospitable, knowledgeable, funny and he puts up with my attempt at Italian (though he speaks excellent English). We decided to have Fondue this time, but he also put together a platter of fresh vegetables then an amazing pasta with black truffles for the starter. The fondue was superb! All portions were large and couldn’t finish everything. He recommended wine pairings and then gave us delicious limoncello. The bill was very, very reasonable given the quality of the food, the portions and of course the experience. The were moving around the first of July to a location «around the corner» so check the address carefully. Like most restaurants in Italy/​Europe, they fill up later in the evening, so either make a reservation or go when they open at 7pm.

** This review is for CANTINA LUCIFERO on Via del Pellegrino**
We came here under the recommendation of a friend, and it certainly did not disappoint. The specialty here is truffles (which they bring tableside as they hand you the menu so you can bask in the aroma). Just FYI — truffles can be added to any dish for a few extra Euros (the average price for entrees was around 15 Euros).
The best part of our meal was the appetizer — I can’t remember what it’s called, but it was near the bottom of the appetizer menu page. It consisted of bread, a thin slice of duck, and truffle-​infused honey. This dish deserved 5 stars just in itself. I’m actually trying to re-​create this dish in the States. Unfortunately, it was so good that it somewhat spoiled the rest of the meal.
My hubs and I also ordered lasagna bolognese and a marinated (veal?) dish. Both were excellent, but again, overshadowed by the appetizer. We shared tiramisu at the end which was a nice touch.
The damage — only 50 Euros. Highly recommend.

I have been to this restaurant twice. The owner is very nice as well as the staff. It is a very small restaurant so reservations are definitely recommended. Both times I ordered the fonduta Piemontese with white truffles… it is amazing. The owner shaves the white truffles into the cheese at the table. They give you roasted potatoes to dip in the cheese, absolutely heaven. I have also had the beef fondue which is very good. They have pastas and other dishes but the fondue steals the show!

This little hidden gem was a great experience. We were treated like family from the moment we walked in, with a big hello and complimentary Prosecco. The owner walked through all menu items explaining them and hand picked our wines. We had the antipasti, osso bucco, and gnocchi in white cheese sauce. All were fabulous, including the wine. I would definitely recommend this small establishment over the others around the square.

This is my second visit to this quaint, whole In the wall no more than 6 table bistro. Amazing from beginning to end. The owner is authentic. He explains the whole menu, makes recommendations, pours wine freely, but most of all the food is incredible. A must on your list of eating while in Rome.

This place is fantastic. The staff were extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. The food and wine pairings were exceptional. The food is not typical roman but rather a combination from varios places in Italy. Highly recommended!

I LOVE Cantina Lucifero! When my family and I went there, it was not that crowded. The atmosphere was between noisy and quiet, and there was music playing in the background. The owner of the restaurant started joking with us as we sat down. For starters, we had two glasses of water (sparkling and still), and two glasses of red wine. For starters, we had the prosciutto and brie plate and the prosciutto and a piece of toast with honey. The prosciutto and the brie are a very excellent combination together! And the prosciutto and the honey are a great combination together, and makes a very sweet taste in your mouth! Then for mains, I had the veal meatballs with tomato sauce, my mom and my brother had the roast beef, and my dad had the beef rolled with cheese. The meatballs were very tasty and the meat was very tender. The roast beef was very tender, and especially yummy with the sauce, and the beef rolled with cheese was a very excellent combination! Then for desserts, we had the tiramisu and the perra cota with strawberries. Both were very appetizing!

This review is actually for Cantina Lucifero — same owner, but this restaurant is at via del Pellegrino, a block away from the one on via del Cappellari. We got into Rome on my birthday and after a bit of a stroll around, but without doing any online research, the two of us set out in search of somewhere to eat for my birthday dinner. Cantina Lucifero looked sweet, but not very lively so we passed it by. But after doing a round of the Campo de Fiori area and deciding we most definitely didn’t want to eat at one of the touristy looking places on the square, we went back to Lucifero. So glad we did. It’s not the kind of place we usually eat – it was quite plain inside, the patrons were mostly in their 50s and up, the music was an odd selection of 80s soft rock hits – but we had a lovely time all the same owing mostly to the owner. From the moment we sat down, Marco made us feel like we were a guest in his home. He brought us complimentary prosecco to start the evening off. After we’d ordered, he sat down with us and explained which wines we might like with the meal and why. In general, he took the time to talk with us, even just chat a little, like an old friend. He seemed to do this with all the tables and everyone seemed to go home as happy as we were. All that and the food was wonderful, deceptively simple, handmade, fresh – it was one of the best meal we had in Rome in our four days there.