L'isola — Restaurant in Rome

We were enjoying our last days in Rome when we realized that we had yet to try Italian seafood - all the restaurants we went to primarily served meat, pasta and pinsa/pizza dishes. So the hunt for a good seafood experience began, and by visiting L'Isola, we hit the bulls-eye immediately.

We were welcomed by the very nice owner from Sardinia, who also works as a waiter here. Within minutes, he started bringing us dish after dish, so we could experience authentic Sardinian food and ingredients. Tuna, sea bass, mussels, and octopus were the highlights of our taster session, accompanied by bruschetta in Sardinian style, using pane carasau. For our main courses, we picked grilled sea bass and king prawns, which were well-seasoned and delicious. To finish off, we tasted various Sardinian sweets and cakes. The owner also served quality coffee, wine and liqueur, and was very attentive and caring. He enjoyed talking about his place of origin and its food with great love, and every table in the restaurant (there were about 3-4 groups of guests at the time) were treated with utmost warmth and respect. Before we left, we shared some great laughs and fun with the owner, and I can honestly say that this has been one of the best experiences in Rome that I had in that week.

L'Isola is further away from the center, so you are unlikely to see tourists here, but the restaurant is not too pricey, and the food could well compete with the best of the best seafood places out there. Don't be discouraged by the remoteness from the centre - this one is worth the journey, just 10-15 minutes of walking from the Roma Tuscolana/Furio Camillo stations. I feel very lucky to have discovered this place, and it will be my priority next time I am in Rome, craving a home-made...

This was the best restaurant during my recent visit to Rome. 1. The waiter was very personable, pleasant, and helpful. 2. It seemed to be family run (i.e. "authentic) - as one person mentioned - the waiter was a "One Man Show" and did it very well. 3. It was quaint, comfortable and clean. 4. It was in the neighborhood. 5. MOST IMPORTANTLY I'm a vegetarian and although we went to several different restaurants...none were able or WILLING to accommodate my simplest request "Spaghetti with Marina Sauce please" - they claimed not to understand. This waiter (gee I didn't get his name - bummer). Still we talked to him early afternoon - he explained menu...told him I didn't eat meat - he made suggestion and said he would accommodate my request. He was great. It was the last restaurant we ate before leaving Rome the next morning. And I'm so delighted to say...he showed "someone" in Rome was willing to be helpful and accommodating - and I had one good meal...only at L'isola. PLEASE GO...you will enjoy service, atmosphere and food....

The restaurant was suggested by our hotel who said it was great food, and they were right. We had spaghetti and clams, and one of their ravioli dishes. The flavor was great in both, and the ravioli was fresh made pasta and filling. For desert we had fresh pastries filled with chocolate and covered in some heavenly cream sauce, then dusted with chocolate powder, Amazing. They name L'isola is because they use recipes from Sardinia, including their sweets which from what we can tell are made to order. After the desert we ordered, they brought us some little cake/tart things that were still warm. We highly recommend this place and plan to return...