Review: L’Arcangelo
Ahhh, gnocchi – one of my favorite things to eat. Nothing beats light, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi, and where else to get better ones than in Rome?
If you’ve set your heart on trying the gnocchi here, however, make your reservation for a Thursday, when gnocchi is a special on the menu at many restaurants throughout the city. Otherwise, you won’t find it on many regular menus, and the restaurant you visit might not be able to offer it at all. Thursdays are known as Gnocchi Giovedi (Thursday) in Italy, similar to Taco Tuesday, except restaurants actually enforce this by usually only offering gnocchi on this day of the week. And if you’re looking for the best gnocchi in Rome, look no further than L’Arcangelo, a popular and famous traditional ristorante located a few blocks away from Piazza Cavour and Castel Sant’Angelo. While I do confess that their menu isn’t perfect, if you know what to order here, you’re guaranteed to have one of the best meals in Rome.
Toy cars decorate the tables in L’Arcangelo.
When you get to L’Arcangelo, you’ll find that the menu is extremely easy to navigate since the English translations of each dish are displayed right below each Italian label. After you order, your server will bring you an amuse-bouche of Tomato and Bread to start. Deliciously light and very representative of the flavors that this restaurant showcases!
Next comes the primi and the sole reason we came to this restaurant: Gnocchi with Amatriciana Sauce. As soon as I took my first bite, I knew I had to order another plate of this – which I did! These were the most fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi I have ever had, and the sauce was the perfect savory complement. Before coming here, I had never had Amatriciana sauce before, but I later learned that this was a Roman specialty made of guanciale (pork jowl), pecorino cheese, and tomato, and is commonly featured in many pasta dishes. This plate of gnocchi was my favorite thing to eat in all of Rome, and perhaps the best thing I ate during my entire Europe trip. Jaw-droppingly good.
Since we wanted to save a lot of room for just pasta, we ordered only one secondi to share. We loved watching our server present this dish, a smoke-concealed dish with a dome cover. As she lifted the lid off the plate, the smoke inside swirled up to reveal the Seared Pigeon with Mustard, Beets, Spinach, and Rosemary. Though the portion size was quite small, the pigeon itself was cooked perfectly and quite tasty. We also really appreciated that the pigeon had some foil wrapped around the leg bone to help us hold it in our hands without getting our fingers dirty – no knife or fork needed!
And for dessert, we ordered the Beignets Stuffed with Citrus Custard and Caramel. Surprisingly, these were very light and not that sweet at all, so it was very easy for us to devour these. At 10 euros a plate though, I woudl skip dessert next time and order another (!) plate of pasta.
If you’re traveling to Rome and are a fan of gnocchi, L’Arcangelo has to be on your list of places to eat. The gnocchi are to die for, but there are other options on the menu well worth the trip too. Just remember to make a reservation online a couple of days in advance because this restaurant is a local favorite, and you don’t want to be turned away on the one day they serve gnocchi!
Inside L’Arcangelo
Price: $$$
Final Rating: 5/5