Italy for me From Italy with love
Where can you find delicious food in the heart of Rome? I’m sharing with you our favorite restaurant near the Spanish Steps.
Hosteria del Mercato is a little gem located at Via Bocca di Leone, 46, just a few minutes walk from one of the main attractions of the Eternal City.
Official website: www.hosteriadelmercato.it
Instagram: @hosteriadelmercato
Hosteria del Mercato is more than just a restaurant. It’s a bar with natural juices, a café-patisserie, a cocktail bar, and a market for organic products sourced directly from farms, all under one roof.
The prices here are higher than in Trastevere, with the average dinner bill for two coming to about 80 euros. But let’s break it down:
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Interior
As the restaurant positions itself as eco-friendly, the interior design focuses on live plants. The atmosphere encourages quiet conversation; you won’t have to raise your voice to be heard by your companion. There’s no sign of the loud, boisterous Italians you might expect.
The service is fast, much better than in most Italian restaurants.
Menu – What to try?
The menu features traditional pasta, salads, and pizzas. The quality of all dishes is high, so choose according to your personal taste preferences.
For our appetizer, we ordered Burrata cheese with tomatoes and olives.
For the main course, I sampled a burger made from Chianina beef – the same breed of cows used to make the traditional Florentine steaks, while my companion chose Rigatoni Carbonara.
One portion of profiteroles to share was a good choice for the dessert.
The Bill
The bill for the dinner came to 78.15 euros. By Rome standards, this is about 20% higher than in the small restaurants in the Trastevere district, but it’s much cheaper and tastier than, for example, in the tourist spots on Piazza Navona.
The second time we dined at Hosteria, there were three of us, and we tried the spaghetti with ricotta and truffles (Spaghetti ricotta e tartufo) – very delicious.
The bill for three came to 121.55 euros.
The Organic Shop at the Restaurant
There’s an organic shop at the restaurant in Rome, where you can buy naturally grown vegetables and fruits, cheeses, Italian delicacies, and, of course, wines.
