Review: Osteria Barberini
Deciding where to eat in Rome tends to always be a bit tricky. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if a restaurant is serving authentic Italian food or whether it’s a tourist trap; most people will tell you that the farther away you are from major sightseeing attractions, the better the food will taste and the less likely you are to be ripped off. Since we only had 3 days in Rome and a limited number of meals, I wanted to make sure that every meal was memorable. When I found out about Osteria Barberini through Yelp, I definitely had my doubts: Was this just another restaurant trying to lure in un-suspecting tourists with their “special” truffle menu, or were they something much more? Time to find out.
Getting here was really easy – the restaurant is located about 2-3 minutes away from the Barberini metro station. When we walked in, we were warmly greeted by the wait staff, and then handed one of the largest menus we had ever seen. In the end, we didn’t order that much because we wanted to save room for gelato later on, so per everyone else’s recommendations on Tripadvisor and Yelp, we ordered the 3 most popular items from the menu.
We started off sharing a Bruschetta with Black Truffle and Pecorino Cheese. This was the perfect appetizer for us, and there was truffle flavor bursting in every bite. Despite the huge pile of shaved truffle and cheese on each bruschetta, eating this wasn’t messy at all. I slightly regret not ordering another plate of this!
For the entrees, we first ordered a Lasagna with Black Mushrooms, Porcini Mushrooms, Mozarella, and Parmesan Cheese. Instantly mind-blown. If I kept a list of top life-changing foods I’ve ever eaten, this lasagna would for sure rank pretty high on that list. The pasta was perfectly thin and soft, and the cheese wasn’t overwhelmingly heavy. Best of all, the truffles on top just completely transformed the entire dish – so much flavor and savoriness.
I later counted at least 11 layers in my lasagna – can you believe that? Eleven!! I will be dreaming about this lasagna for weeks.
At least 11 layers of heaven!
The second entree was a Fettucine with Black Truffle and Porcini Mushrooms. Also really delicious but not as amazing as the lasagna. Perhaps it’s because I really like thin noodles, but I felt that the fettucine was a bit thick and couldn’t absorb as much of the truffle flavor – would have loved to see this dish with papparadelle instead. Overall still a great dish though.
So there you have it. While many of the people who frequent this restaurant are international, Osteria Barberini has stuck with its roots and continue to serve some of the most delicious and reasonably priced food in the city (as well as some of the best Italian food I’ve ever had). If you’re planning on dining here, I would recommend making reservations a few days in advance, as the restaurant isn’t that big, and I’ve heard of other guests being turned away at the door. Luckily, their restaurant has a website with a simple booking form, so it’s super accessible to international visitors.
If you’re visiting Rome for even one day, make sure that Osteria Barberini is on your list.
Price: $$
Final Rating: 5/5