Ristorante, trattoria, or osteria
This information blog about Rome is written for the English speaking guests at the Rome B&B Chaplin Hostel.
Ristorante, trattoria, osteria?
There are several kinds of restaurants in Italy. According to most guidebooks the osterie are cheapest, followed by the trattorie and then the ristoranti, the more expensive eating places in Italy. The osteria’s and trattoria’s tend to be smaller and are often run by families.
Those crafty Romans
The owners of ristoranti in big tourist destinations like Rome read the guidebooks too and have therefore started calling themselves osteria or trattoria as well. As a result the distinction shave disappeared and we recommend that you have a look at the price list (which is supposed displayed near the entrance) before entering a restaurant.
Recommendations
The Little Italy Bed and Breakfast and Rome Hostel Chaplin B&B provide you with several recommendations for good, and cheap, restaurants. Some trattoria’s in Rome will even give you a discount when you mention our name.