Ristorante la Campana — Restaurant in Rome

This place was not what I expected. We arrived to claim our reservation and found a nondescript room dominated by a small salad bar, with some tables beyond... Not what you would think Rome's oldest restaurant would greet you with. We had requested to be seated outside, which turned out to be a small area across the street from the storefront. So every so often during dinner, a Vespa or little car would rumble past. Definitely a bit odd. And then the service was not quick... But we were in Rome! And we knew that in Italy, dining is not a speedy event. Or party consisted of me, the grandmother; my two grown daughters, and my older daughter's two teenage boys. We told the boys that dinner in Italy is often a two- or three-hour deal, where you were expected to enjoy the company you were with every bit as much as the food. And amazingly, they let go of their teenage ennui and really talked and listened!

Anyway, to the food. We alerted our server to a serious food allergy in our group, and he immediately advised us that all the fritti were cooked in the same fryer, so the allergic person should avoid anything deep fried. She therefore started with a caprese, while the rest of us dug into arancini and fried zucchini blossoms. The caprese featured a huge ball of buffalo mozzarella that was amazingly flavorful; the fried zucchini blossoms were savory and rich with more mozzarella, and the arancini disappeared to general satisfaction.

Our mains were cacio e pepe, rich with the mouthwatering blend of cheese and pepper; enormous ravioli, and my own spaghetti with clams. All of these were absolutely delicious. The kind of food that makes you close your eyes and moan a bit. We finished with a trio of desserts to share: a panacotta, a creme caramel, and a tiramisu. Again, the deliciousness!

In summary, this place is wonderful. The ambiance is unexpected but oddly perfect, the service is leisurely but caring, and the food made us all close our eyes and moan. And it's Rome's oldest...

Out first night in Rome we decided to come to this restaurant for its great reviews and rich history! It also had a local feel to it and thought it would a great meal to start of our stay in Rome. I called in to make a reservations and they kindly squeezed me in on the same night. Upon arrival we were warmly greeted and seated next to another couple. We were handed menus and did not see our waiter for about 30 minutes which was extremely disappointing! To not be offered a drink or at least water for 30 minutes is unacceptable. I almost attempted to waive him down multiple times with no avail. Finally, we order with our waiter and of course they did not have the seafood risotto. Instead I order the traditional cacio e pepe, my girlfriend ordered the Ravioli, and we wanted to try the famous fried artichoke as . Along with our meal we ordered a bottle of their house wine which was excellent, from the region of Montepulciano. Moments later, our waiter passes by with our entrees and I ask him what happened to the fried artichoke. His response was " it is Italian tradition to eat the entree before the appetizer...". This was the most disappointing part of the entire meal. Dont say a blatant lie to excuse yourself for whatever reason that the fried artichoke was not ready. I took another 30 minutes for the fried artichoke to arrive and he added on the fried, cheese zucchini instead of just apologizing. Of course we did not stay for dessert for we had already spent about 2:30 hours at the restaurant and were ready to go back to the hotel. The food overall was good but bad service and an dishonest waiter makes it taste...

I came here on a Sunday and boy was it BUSY! Make sure to get a reservation ahead if you can. The party ahead of us waited for an hour before getting seated. Luckily, I was able to sweet talk my way to a table in ten!

The place is filled with locals and what you would imagine what a bustling Italian restaurant should be! The menu only comes in Italian, so make sure to bring a translator. Fortunately, we have so many Italian restaurant in the States that half the menu will make sense to you. If all else fails, ask the waiter for recommendations.

We ordered a bottle of wine that was reasonably priced and their entrees was delicious! I don't recall the names of the dish, but I can describe it! The first dish was a fettuccine mushroom, soo good! The pasta was fresh and tender with all the right flavors! The mushroom was awesome and the flavor bursted in every bite.

The other dish I got was a seafood pasta with a tomato base sauce. This came out steaming hot and it was yum, yum, yum. Every bite had flavor of the sea without the fishy taste!

You can also get their salad buffet where you can go help yourself at the salad bar and pile up the greens! Overall, a great restaurant to check out when in Rome to taste...