Rifugio Romano — Restaurant in Rome

This is our second time visiting this restaurant on our vacation in Italy and while the food was pretty good I must say the service was really bad and due to that we won't be returning again.

We arrived at 7:45pm for our reservation and noticed half way into our meal that they were running around extremely flustered and started moving around tables to accommodate a party of 14 people. No problem with that at all but in the process we started to feel extremely rushed by their waiters/waitresses and even started feeling very uncomfortable due to them constantly looking over at us as if they couldn't wait for us to leave, mind you we've only been sitting for less than an hour at this point.

As the waiters and waitresses started moving around chairs and tables to accommodate their group of 14 we even asked them if they need us to move due to the fact they were putting the chairs and tables extremely close to my girlfriend to the point she could barely get out of her seat. I tried getting our servers attention multiple times to order a dessert after our meal and once she finally came over we ordered a crepe with nuttella that took over 20 minutes to to come to our table, not sure if they forgot or what but when I tried to order another glass of wine due to the long wait I was told no I couldn't have another glass because they needed my table for another reservation.

After about 25 minutes we finally got our crepe and it was cold, as a matter of fact the food this time wasn't as good as the first time and it was either because they were rushing or they just didn't care, they seemed to only be focused on accommodating their larger party of 14 and they turned away multiple people due to this so if you're going to go make sure you make a reservation because if they have a larger party of people they know they will definitely turn you away. It's a shame because my girlfriend is vegan and it's not easy for her to find good vegan food while traveling to other countries so she was really excited for this restaurant but unfortunately due to the horrible service we will take our money and time elsewhere, there's always other places with good food and less...

I was incredibly lucky! After touring the coliseum until it closed I was hungry and used Happy Cow to find a vegan Italian restaurant. This place requires a reservation and I put myself on the waiting list. When I arrived they had a table available only for an hour so I picked my food quickly and got sparkling water as well. I am so grateful they were able to accommodate me, but if I was part of a group I would not be able to get a table. For the first course I ordered the Lasagna with pistachio and artichoke, homemade jerusalem artichoke bechamel sauce and chips. It was incredible. It tastes significantly better than it looks. The artichoke comes through very strongly and the sauce is cooling and fresh. It was hearty and filling and I thought I might have ordered too much food by getting a second course and dessert. However this was also the only thing I ate for the whole day so I was happy to be full. A delicious dish that I highly recommend trying. For the second course I got Vegetable Sliced "Meat" Served on Carrot Cream, Balsamic Vinegar Reduction Flavored with Sage and Rosemary Mayonnaise and Roasted Potatoes. It looks and feels very much like how I remember meat. If you don't want anything to look or feel like meat do not get this, but for me it was fantastic. The flavor of the sauce and vegan mayonnaise was perfectly paired and balanced. The "meat" has a slight "beyond burger" aftertaste but it is so subtle and gives me a hint that it truly is vegan. I enjoyed it and didn't feel overly stuffed like I thought I might by the time I was done eating. And lastly I got the Pistachio and Raspberry Tartlet for dessert. As a dessert it wasn't overly sweet although at the end the raspberry was a bit overpowering. The pistachio is perfect and has a creamy frosting on top. It was delicious but I would love to try a tiramisu next time I'm in Rome. I highly recommend getting a spot here and trying this...

Rifugio Romano provides delicious food that can safely accommodate food allergies and other dietary restrictions. If you're looking for a place to eat near Termini or the Baths of Diocletian, this would be a great spot to visit. You may even consider taking the subway from the Colosseum to Termini and walking here, as we did in search of a restaurant that could accommodate my severe dairy, nut, and egg allergies.

Though someone in our party did speak very good Italian, which helps considerably with communicating dietary restrictions, our waiter spoke good English, so you should be able to order safely here without speaking Italian. Perhaps consider learning or keeping the Italian words for your allergens on hand. Worth noting as well is that in addition to allergy accommodations, Rifugio Romano also had a large number of vegan and gluten free options, including a vegan cheese platter with far more types of vegan cheese than I have ever seen in the U.S. Do be advised though, the waiter did mention that the vegan cheeses are not safe for those with nut allergies.

I enjoyed the Roman style artichoke, cooked beautifully and simply garnished with olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley. A delicious dish. But the real star was definitely the Pollo Alla Romana: chicken on-the-bone served in the richest tomato sauce I've ever had. Overall, the food was fantastic, exactly what we had hoped for and more.

Overall, for providing a safe dining experience for my severe food allergies, and serving delicious food on top of that, I give Rifugio Romano my highest recommendations. I hope to...