Le Streghe

Having lunch outdoor even in February. Excellent food, simple daily menu today focus is zucchini.

Bruschetta and shrimp salad were the best food we’ve had during our trip in the touristy area of Rome.
The shrimp tasted fresh, were cleaned, de-​shelled and de-​veined, cooked and served warm over a warm arugula salad.
For my entrée, I had a fried calamari (strips vs. rings) & zucchini dish, which was lightly battered, but slightly flavorless. It was VERY large and could have been shared.
My wife had a noodle pasta with clams cooked in a white wine, garlic and white cream sauce which I found more flavorful.
We sat outside under their awnings which shielded us from the flash thunderstorms.
I subtract ½ a star for the server’s *not* advising us that the basket of bread (we did not eat) that he’d brought out would come with a EUR 4,00 charge.
I also subtract ½ a star for their lack of posted (either online or at their storefront) and inconsistent business hours, as we were excited to eat there again and tried to return a couple days later to have lunch at 12pm and were told to come back in one hour. Needless to say, we could not wait.
But if you are near the Pont Sant’Angelo bridge area or walking back from the Vatican, I recommend stopping here for a meal.

A hidden gem! We stumbled upon this after visiting the Castle Sant’ Angelo. The food was excellent. The clams with pasta, the ravioli with spinach, and the carbarnara were all very, very good. We’ve been disappointed in the house white wine in other restaurants around here, but this restaurant’s house white and Prosecco were quite nice. Highly recommended.

Loved eating here. Sat out on the street and enjoyed people watching. Many locals coming and going from inside the Vatican walls. Do try it, I think you will enjoy it.

verry good Bucatini all Amatricana

A quiet relief from the busy, touristy rip-​offs that seem to be everywhere in Rome. Exquisite prosciutto with melone, that was so needed on a hot day. Nice, but (typically) Roman stand-​offish service, that included advice about where the sun would be during our stay at the restaurant (so that we could stay in the shade). All in all, it was the atmosphere and the context that gave this place four stars. Food was as good as I’ve had in Rome; nothing out of this world, but like any review, the subjectivity of the individual components of the experience becomes an amalgam of it.

Osteria le Streghe (the Witches hostelry) is a delightful and very traditional Roman eatery tucked away in a back street not far from the Castel Sant’Angelo and The Vatican and located in the heart of the medieval city of Rome.
Be warned, it’s not cheap — but it is perfect. You get what you pay for here. I do recommend following the Italian custom of a very light appetiser, a first course followed by a second and finished with a light pudding (or no dessert, as you wish). You’ll get the best from Osteria le Streghe that way.
Highlights included a garlic, red chilli and olive oil spaghetti which was a perfect first course. The Parmigiana Melanzane drew cries of ecstacy. The Saltimbocca Romana was heavenly, perfectly soft yielding veal wrapped in prosciutto and sage and served with olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and some cooked down white wine. The Spaghetti Carbonara was a winner and a mile away from the pale flaccid gak we seem to get here in the UK. Here it was a robustly lively pasta dish rich in prosciutto, herbs, wine and cream — mmmmmm!
In the interests of virtue and clear arteries we also had some fennel and blood orange salad. Heaven, sheer heaven! It’s an unusal and yet perfectly harmonious combination of flavours, try it some time dressed with a light nut oil as we did.
With coffees, a couple of glasses of wine and various other bits and pieces including a dessert for the bambino, our party of four adults and one 10 year old spent 102 Euros (around £85). The food was faultless as was the service. Do try it if you are in Rome.