Cul De Sac

Many Koreans say they can feel a sense of nostalgia for home when eating oxtail stew, so I decided to stop by on my way, feeling a bit tired of pizza and pasta. It was drizzling a bit, so I chose to sit at an outdoor table to enjoy the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the space was so tight that it was almost impossible not to bump into the people behind me. (Most Italian restaurants are quite compact, but this one felt especially cramped.) Thankfully, the food was very satisfying. The ravioli and oxtail stew were not overly salty and were delicious. Looking at the reviews, I noticed some complaints about the staff's attitude. Observing how they treated other guests, I concluded it wasn’t about racism—it seemed the staff were simply not very friendly overall. That said, the food was good, so I’d still recommend the place. It also seemed like a nice spot to relax with a glass of wine and unwind for a while.

We’ve been coming to Cul de Sac on and off for over 25 years, and it never disappoints. This historic enoteca, just steps from Piazza Navona, is one of Rome’s best spots for simple, honest, and rustic food, paired with an incredible selection of wines. Our go-to? A basket of bread, fresh tomatoes, and a bottle of Sassicaia to start, setting the tone for a meal that’s all about quality ingredients. Whether it’s a hearty stew, a rich pâté, or a perfectly cooked pasta, the food is unpretentious but packed with flavor—just good, honest Roman cooking. Yes, the seating is famously awful—cramped wooden benches that seem designed to test endurance—but after a bottle of wine, you hardly notice! The warm, slightly chaotic atmosphere only adds to the charm. 📍 Opening Hours: 🕘 Daily: 12:00 PM – 12:00 AM If you love great wine, simple but delicious food, and a true Roman experience, Cul de Sac is an absolute must!

We were recommended this spot for lunch by another couple we ran into and were lucky to get a table. The restaurant offers plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, and we opted for indoors, which had a super charming vibe. For lunch, we ordered the meat and cheese plate, a Greek salad, and some bread—everything was fresh and incredibly flavorful. We’re giving it four stars because the service could have been a bit more attentive, but that’s fairly common in Italy. However, once I complimented the restaurant's decor, the staff became noticeably friendlier. They also offer WiFi, which we found quite useful. Overall, we’d definitely recommend this place!

**Do Not Recommend Visiting** Based on a Japan travel guide, we visited this restaurant to try the food. In brief, the food was fine, but the service was terrible. As an Asian, I was assigned to sit in one of the two inner rooms of the restaurant, and at my table, there were another Asian tables nearby. This upset us, and I would like to express this in my Google review. And I checked that someone has the very similar experience and reflect in another travel web, so this is not an isolated case. I hope the restaurant understands that many Asians are good people, and we are not to be judged negatively. However, since this was not a good experience for me, I will not visit this restaurant again.

Super friendly and attentive waiter, he put up a table and 2 chairs as all regular tables were taken. Food and wine was great, we enjoyed it a lot and can recommend this place.

I ordered the oxtail Vatican style and the ravioli Roman style. The pasta was a bit salty, but overall, it was a decent meal.

Great location, impressive, and rich wine menu. Food was just ok. The dish we ordered, meatballs with mashed potatoes, was aesthetically horrible looking, grey meat which was more like flat burgers. The mashed potatoes were plain and quite basic, missed salt and pepper. The other dish was duck ravioli, which was really good, but also not that special... Service was quite impatient.

This is an experience of a lifetime. The food is amazing. Every dish is thought about. And all is surprising and tasteful to the max. We ordered different dishes and all were sublime. All home made typical Italian. Not just a wine bar!!!!! Highly recommend

Cul de Sac, located near Piazza Navona, is a fantastic spot for lunch that's easy to find but not overrun with tourists. I stopped in with friends, and everyone raved about their dishes. We had lasagna, rigatoni amatriciana, and ravioli, and each one was absolutely perfect. The service was great, adding to the overall experience. If you're looking for some great food in a relaxed setting, I would definitely recommend Cul de Sac.

Great wine selection and passionate service. Ambiance is casual with a hint of chaos, but good chaos. highly recommend

Wow, authentic food and great service in Rome. In our experience food in the city had been very hit or miss but this was a beloved gem of our trip. The dishes are true Roman fare with excellent pairing suggestions made by the staff. If you are in the city and looking to experience some great wines and authentic regional food, this is the spot.

Great local Roma spot in cute back alley stretch of eatery. Non Touristy. Great vibes! Must Pesto Pasta Lemon herb Ravioli Meatball and potato (*Not your traditional tomato sauce meatball. Looks are deceiving but it pairs great with the best mashed potatoes you've ever had!) Dessert Tiramisu Ice cream Sabayon

So we find ourselves in Rome, Italy taking in the skylights and after a half day of visiting the Colosseum, Forum, Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon it is no surprise that we were all starting to get pretty hangry.... LOL.... After ending up at Plaza Novona (which is beautiful by the way) our scheduled stop prior to lunch, we inquired with our guide Davide on a nice place for lunch. Now you may all be tempted to just eat somewhere at the plaza right, wrong my friends. I seriously advise everyone to not eat anywhere in those commercial plazas as typically they are pricey tourist traps. I would highly recommend walking a few blocks out from any plazas or tourist sights if you want to get some decent food like the locals would enjoy. That said, after some quick conversations with other Davide, our group ended up at "Cul de Sac" about two blocks away. Upon arrival we were greeted by the owner and opted to sit outside as the day was beautiful and temps were great as well. This restaurant has an excellent and vast wine selection and a very decent menu to boot. I mean you could easily blow all afternoon just drinking wine and eating up all sorts of wonderful Italian appetizers. Surprisingly prices were not very expensive and the service was very, very good as well. You can tell this is a family business which can make a big difference. Our server was very helpful and helped us make a few decisions about what to order, one of which was trying there homemade Pate plates. All I can say is the Pate was amazingly delicious and if you are in to Pate you really have to give it a try. We ordered the three Pate sampler and opted for the Boar / Chocolate Center, Tabasco and Venison and Veal Pate's which were served with some toasted Italian bread. Simply delicious. For appetizers we also ordered the Red Lentil soup and Assortment of Cheeses (4) which was also delicious as well. Obviously some wine was in order and we proceeded to order the house wines by the glass (Sparking and Red's) which were smooth and excellent. For our main lunch courses we opted for some Homemade Lasagna, Spicy Meatballs in Wine Sauce with Mashed Potatoes and the Pasta in Homemade Pesto Sauce. All items were fresh and delicious. Overall bill for this lunch outing was about $180 Euro for a group of eight (8) which I thought was a great deal considering the quality of the food. Truthfully we were all very happy with the lunch outing and the only reason I am not giving them a five (5) stars is because the menu was a little limited; however, nothing wrong with that at all. They know what they want to specialize in and they did a great job of delivering it as well. Overall, I believe that "Cul de Sac" is a very good restaurant and definitely worth visiting if you find yourselves looking for a lunch spot near Plaza Novona in Rome, Italy. So you may be saying hey Nelson, what about desserts and coffee? I'm getting there and great question.... For desserts we had the fresh fruit salad and the homemade Tiramisu followed up by some Machiatto's and Cappuccino's to boot. Happy to report that overall the deserts and coffee were great but the Tiramisu was excellent! Wishing you all a wonderful stay in Rome, Italy, Enjoy Mes Amis and Bon Appétit!

Great place for an afternoon snack/quite meal. It's quite busy in and in touristy section of town. They have an amazing selection of wine, so you can easily spend a few hours here enjoying vinoooo!

Super cute little wine bar. Great service!! Enjoyed a nice bottle of red wine at the suggestion of the waiter and some delicious cheese and prosciutto that melted in your mouth!

The pasta with pear and zucchini was sublime. Busy place so reservations a must. We went on a wed night and it was super busy.

The food was tasty and there were SO many wines to choose from. If you are unsure which wine you would like, the waiters are very knowledgeable and can help you pick. The meatballs are absolutely amazing and so are their desserts.

This was probably our favorite place we ate at in Rome. We came in for some appetizers and wine and we were pleasantly overwhelmed with the wine selection. I believe they had over 1,000 different bottles to choose from. We decided on one from the Tuscany region and it was delightful. We had a caprese salad and enjoyed the ambiance. The waitstaff was very friendly and helpful. If we ever come back to Rome we will definitely be stopping in here again. Thank you!

My family and I walked about an hour back and forth across Rome looking for a place to dine with some real character after spending a few too many dinners grabbing food at touristy spots in and around Campo di Fiori. Unable to find a table at the spots we scouted, we stumbled across Cul de Sac, with the vague memory that it was recommended by Rick Steves in his travel guide to Italy. Cul de Sac was very accommodating to our group. We were seated immediately and our host was thoughtful and quick with recommendations from the large and varied menu. The oxtail was particularly delicious, and the pâté was high quality and a rare sight on Roman menus. An excellent and authentic dining experience - if I am lucky enough to return to Rome, I will return to Cul de Sac as well.

Mama mia, best food we had in Roma! Came here the first and our last night, simply incredible. Don't miss out on the duck Ravioli or oxtail, but everything is fantastic! Manager and staff were super nice, along with the wine.

Cul de Sac was the least favorite meal we had in Rome. It was around 11pm, so options were limited at that point. They do have an impressive wine menu, so that's cool, but "when in Rome", we drink the house wine. Nothing is going to be bad. Food wise, we ordered one of the antipasti samplers that came with three types of cheese and three types of meat. That was fine. The oxtail pasta was very rich (and greasy) but overall was pretty good. The roma style beef rolls were the big letdown of the meal. Service was ok.

The meats and cheese look delicious and would probably say to stick to that although I didn't have it. Most if not all the food is microwaved as there is not someone cooking the food. To be fair the lasagna was good but the meatballs tasted horrible. Would only return to get meat and cheeses.

Great for small plates and wine. The fresh bread with the goat cheese and vegetables was a favorite. We also enjoy the pasta for dinner. But I would go back for wine and more small plates again and again.

The service and food are excellent in this down to earth enoteca. The wine selection is exceptional, bread hearty and earthy. The pate is so fresh and flavorful. The snails (escargot) were just out of this world. The lasagna, and the anatra (duck) ravioli are light and flavorful. Our deserts of meringato caldo di castagne (warm hazelnut) is sublime. A must visit steps from Piazza Navona.

This place is amazing! The service is so great and they really found the perfect wine for us based on what we told them we liked. The food was delicious. Definitely try the oxtail! Next door is a cute cocktail bar I'd recommend checking that out after your meal.

Feels more local and less touristy. A gem. The wine list is a book! The food is very good.

Food was good, but service was less than par. We had to flag down our waiter multiple times in order to order food and request our check. At no point, did they ever check to see how our night was going. The owner was also a bit rude to us from the beginning by giving us a snarky attitude. I'm not sure if it's because we came on a business Friday night or if service is normally like this. We had ordered the codfish with Potatoes and the Tripe Stew with Cheese. The codfish was OK. It was only seasoned with tomato sauce. The Roman style Tripe stew was very good. The tripe was soft and fatty. The stew had tomato, garlic, and onion. The cheese on top added the perfect flavor to the stew.

I wouldn't recommend this place. The food wasn't bad, but it also wasn't great. The staff wasn't particularly welcoming either. Many other better places to eat in Rome.

We couldn't help but notice how packed this restaurant was every night over the last two weeks, so we made sure to have a reservation. They exceeded expectations. We had 3 servers - all so swift, attentive, and working together seamlessly. We started with olives (a MUST), charcuterie board (the local mixed board - so good), tomatoes with mozzarella. and bread baskets - all excellent ... but the best was yet to come. The ox tail was truly unbelievable (try it even if you're not sure you like it - and be willing to eat with your hands), the lasagna and beef rolls fabulous, and the meatballs with mashed potatoes worthy of recognition except I don't want to overemphasize because you REALLY need to order the oxtail. Our group of 6 agreed that the cappuccino was not only heavenly, but complete perfection (even though some of us are coffee lovers and some don't usually drink it at all). The standout, however, was the staff. They are EXCEPTIONAL, and the reason this will be our #1 recommendation in Rome. It's also worth mentioning that the prices are fabulous. If only we could give more than 5-stars - wonderful experience!!!

The best food I've had in Rome! The food was fresh and delicious, I will eat here again. Great wine selection.

This place is a gem. It came recommended to us by a local. They are tourist friendly, but not a tourist trap, as it was filled with locals eating. Food was excellent.

Really good, reasonably priced food and nice service. We looked for this place on the recommendation of the Rick Steves 2018 Rome book, and we were not disappointed! We felt very comfortable only speaking English, had no communication problems, and English language menus were available. The wine list was HUGE. To start, we were given bread and we had a meat and cheese appetizer, which had a great selection. For dinner, the pasta was great, one with pesto and the other Sicilian. Delish! We arrived a bit before 7pm. Outside seating was full, so we sat inside which was nice too.

This small restaurant is super busy. It was late at night but still had to waited for 30 minutes. Full of wines on the wall and open kitchen. We had a braised oxtail and a beef roll with a bottle of wine. Beef roll was okay but the oxtail was amazingly delicious. Meat was very tender and juicy and flavorful. Service was okay and the price was reasonable.

I think depending on the time and day, the service you get can vary. We waited 45+ minutes on a Friday night at around 8PM for this joint. Was it worth it, meh. Was the food good, it was above average but not the ways that people are raving about it on yelp. If we didn't have to wait, I'd probably be happier but given the wait + the rude waiters, it deserves a 3 star. We got the cured meat/cheese plate and it was pretty good but no one bothered explaining what meat or cheese we were eating, unacceptable. I ate the whole thing myself and was almost full at the end. Duck ravioli was not that great, but I guess coming from Paris after 6 days there, I didn't expect them to make duck well. You can skip this dish. Also got the mozzarella and tomato caprese salad, it was fresh and I appreciated it but the couple next to us got a different type of mozzarella and it was way better with a gooey inside. I got the oxtail which was probably the highlight of the night! The only good thing about the waiting was that we had to share a table with a really nice couple from the South of France. We shared our plates and stories and they were extremely nice. Other than that, I'd probably skip this place on our trip next time back to Rome (if that happens.) Don't get me wrong, this place isn't bad but it's just not worth the wait and the rude service, maybe try making a reservation. The other couple we chatted up made a reservation and only had to wait 20 minutes for their table. Good luck!

The food here is excellent and the staff is also very friendly. Came here two different times with my boyfriend and we both enjoyed our experiences each time. The first night we got lasagna and a mixed green salad...the lasagna reminded me of my Nonna's recipe. The second visit we shared the hare ragu with tagliatelle and the Roman beef rolls with a side of the potato pie. All delicious after a long day of little to no food and lots walking around...it really hit the spot. The wine selection is also very large so I'm sure you can find anything you'd like!

Cul d Sac was the first lunch after our arrival in Rome and I want to go back! The staff are very warm and genuine. The wine list goes on for days. We bar a meat and cheese plate and everything was so fresh! The lasagna was so good literally melting in our mouths. Writing this review makes me want to visit again! I'm happy to visit in the fall when not so hot because it is just a quaint and cozy space. Beautifully decorated and every square inch of the restaurant has a functional use (including the wall of wines!) This feels like a quintessential Rome experience

Stumbled into this place during a bad rain storm. We were going for a snack and found a book of unbelievable wine selection. In this wine menu it breaks down wines per region in Italy and other countries. We had Catalina aubergines and tuna salad and it was delicious. We spent most of our time ordering different wines. What a pleasure for us tourist. This place is small and has an outdoor eating area

Great little place, the ravioli Roman style was delicious! The lasagna, roast roll Roman style, and stuffed vine leaves were good. The staff is exceptional! And the atmosphere everything you imagine from a Roman restaurant. The wine selection, variety of cost, and support with it is outstanding. What a wonderful first night in Rome. Thank you,

We choose Cul de Sac for our first night in Rome's dinner as the reviews were fantastic and it was close to our hotel. Originally, I was slightly confused as I thought Cul de Sac was a french term but this place is all Italian. We stopped in and due to the popularity, had to wait about 40 minutes for a table. We were seated and served promptly once at our table. The menu has a nice variety, so we ordered a meat and cheese mixed plate, mixed grilled veggies with goat cheese, pappardelle with hare ragu and the salmon in paper. We enjoyed everything, especially the tasty hare ragu sauce. The salmon was tasty, though it was a bit dry. We also had an excellent wine recommendation from our waiter. I liked the decor of the restaurant, including the wine collection and the rope overhead bins for holding your coats. It's got a nice European, wine country like feel to it. Additionally, the waiters are rather attentive and helpful. One item, not sure if I can recommend the outdoor seating because we noticed a number of people walking by, harassing any customers for money or trying to sell things. They have no issues walking right up to your table and staying for a while until they decide to leave or you forcefully tell them to sod off. One woman even causality took all the bread off a table and walked away. Aside from that minor negative, you should definitely check out Cul de Sac, you will not be disappointed with your meal.

Plenty of wine choices and even by the glass! The waiters were nice and served food pretty quickly. However there was no follow up after dinner to see if we wanted another drink and/ or dessert. I've found that in Italy you must tell the wait staff when you are ready to order and when you want the bill. As a result, I'm not going to rate solely on service. The food was decent but not to die for. I will continue my search for the best Italian restaurant in Rome! Tip: Know some Italian. The waiter didn't speak English but at least I knew some Italian. My hubby not so much... I tried to teach him a few words and he continued to speak in English to the guy. What we ordered: For the first course, I had the caprese which was very good. The down side was a piece of hair was on one mozzarella. My hubby had the Sicilian noodles which he liked. For the second course, I had lasagna which was good but not the best. I'm very critical on lasagna since it is my favorite dish in the whole wide world. It didn't compete. My hubby had the meatballs and mash potatoes. It was very bland and too much served on the plate.

This came recommended by our Airbnb host, and we were thrilled with it! Much less touristy and less expensive than the restaurants on Piazza Navona itself, this adorable restaurant is tucked away about a block from the Piazza. We sat outside and found everything absolutely delightful; service, food, wine. We will definitely be back next time we are in Rome! The artichoke pie was spectacular!

Simply great ! We came on a lazy Sunday in Rome. This place is full of locals (also a good sign !) They have a huge selection of wines, prices are reasonable ! You should ask for their recommendation of wines, they know their stuff ! We had a 14 euro bottle local white wine, and it didn't let us down ! All the food are excellent ! We were 5 people, so we basically ordered all the stuff on the menu. All good ! Trust me :) We didn't get to try their huge cheese & meat selections. Personally, I'm not a big fan of cold meat plate, but from other tables' reaction, those meats and cheese seemed pretty delicious !! Anyway, come and get inspired by the good food here !

Delicious oxtail stew. Fall off the bone good. Hearty meal after a day of sightseeing. Bread to soak up the sauce and Prosecco to wash it all down. They have an extensive wine list which was great.

This place was next to our hotel but we didn't eat there until our last night in Rome, that was a big mistake. The food was delicious and very good wine. We ordered the OXTAIL and it was more that I was expecting, highly recommended alot of flavor.

During our stay in Italy, we relied HEAVILY on Rick Steves recommendations...and he didn't steer us wrong on Cul de Sac! The restaurant is small and currently has construction on the building, so it can be hard to miss if you aren't looking for it. There is outdoor seating, but both (YES, BOTH) times we went, it was full, so if you want to eat outdoors, come early. With so many wines to choose from, this restaurant's main décor is the numerous wine bottles that line the walls -with nets below them, you know, just in case! I had tasted a few items off their menu (having travelled with a group), but by far, my favorite was the duck ravioli! I've had some amazing food in my life, and this meal was probably top 10...easily. It came with 3 raviolis topped simply with olive oil and parmesan cheese. At first, I wasn't sure that this was going to be filling, but I was completely wrong! Served with rustic bread that is cut before your eyes, I devoured this meal. To add to the meal, we chose a 15 euro Chianti - which, for a red, matched perfectly with the fatty duck. A great little restaurant for those looking for a reasonably priced AMAZING meal!

Cannot say enough about all the positives of this place. Our party of ten people (4 of which are children between 7-14) all left with full bellies and happy tastebuds. The service was AMAZING! Our waiter spoke English very well and patiently explained the dishes we were unfamiliar with in addition to picking out a superb bottle of wine (out of over 1,000 to choose from) after asking a few questions to get a sense of our taste.

Nice wine bar situated on a picturesque Roman street corner, near Piazza Novana. We stopped between sights for some wine and charcuterie. Neither disappointed!! Especially the wine with an extensive list to choose from. Only critique is that it was a bit pricey.

MICROWAVED. ALL FOODS ARE MICROWAVED. Good job with home made when there is 2 people behind the counter: dishes in the dishwasher and the other cutting bread. The waiters are running the food from the fridge below and microwaving in the oven above.

I stumbled upon this little gem as I was cruising around the Piazza Navona. Yelp steered me to a GREAT RESTAURANT!! Small, cool vibe and amazing food. I had the spinach ravioli, and I have yet to find a better one since I've been in the city. Fresh pasta, al dente, AMAZING sauce!! The ensalada mista was also great. Very fresh greens. I will be back. Cool waiter that was very helpful. No tourists on my visit and very little English spoken, which is nice!! Five stars!!

Delicious oxtail , tomatoes w/ mozarella,and pasta pesto!!! I would definitely go back!

The restaurant I planned to go to was actually closed so I had to find another alternative. I used my trusty Yelp app to lead the way and it lead me here. Cul de Sac is a cute restaurant, it looks small from the outside but there's more seating in through the back. They have a decent amount of outdoor seating but our party of 7 was too large during the time we visited. No worries there, we head inside the restaurant and took up 2 tables across from each other. You can't expect places in Italy to fit large groups, so it was nice they were at least able to accommodate us next to each other. Onto the food: GET THE OXTAIL DISH! It was extremely delicious and tender and flavorful. They're not big on presentation but everything looks homemade and put together. We also ordered a black rice dish with seafood in tomato sauce which was also really good. The rice had a bit of a bite to it, mixed with the sauce and mussels = a winner. Other dishes we ordered was the mixed vegetables plate, lasagna (reheated slice of a bigger pie they cooked earlier in the day I'm sure) -- it was mighty tasty! And lastly, salmon wrapped with mixed vegetables. One thing you cannot miss when walking in are all of the wine bottles on shelving above you. They have quite a bit of a selection it was overwhelming. We had our server recommend something based on our food. It was a great pairing though I wish I knew the name of the bottle. Such great food and service. The cost of it wasn't bad either! Everything we shared turned out to be around 12-16 euros a person I believe. And we were stuffed.

What a great find! Completely off the beaten track and not a tourist in sight. This lovely cosy restaurant is bigger than it looks from the outside and has the walls lined with wine. Clearly encouraging you to try them all. A delight as well as when you order your wine the waiter get an interesting and very long wine grabber then use to select the wine from the walls above your heads. Cul de Sac is however extremely popular with the locals and doesn't take bookings however this simply adds to the experience. Once seated inside we were offered ordered a beautiful selection of cheeses and some duck rillette the rest is history but extremely good local Italian faire. When in the area don't be put off but the line it's worth the short wait!

This place is great! Affordable & very smooth wines. The red & White House wines are delicious. And the food comes in perfect portions for 1-2 people to share. Had the pasta with home pesto sauce & lasagna as main course & was some of the most fresh & perfectly sauced pasta we have had in Rome. The goat cheese & veggies ( broccoli & cauliflower) are a MUST. And the black olives are marinated & sun-dried to perfection. We enjoyed it so much that we came back the next day for more :)

On our last night in Rome, we decided to go for something a little different and go for some quinto quarto (that is, offal), steps away from the statue of Pasquino. Since all of the patio seats were taken, we grabbed an indoor seat and were quickly served. Their pâté comes highly praised, and of course we had to try some. Since it costs about 7.50 Euros for a slab of individual pâté, the mixed pâté of 3 types is the way to go! Each slab of pâté is about the volume of a slice of bread, and you get a plate of (crispy, hard) bread to go with it too. Personally, I preferred spreading it onto the soft (complimentary!) bread that automatically gets sent to the table upon being seated. There's also a super mixed pâté with all 8 types, but you'd probably need copious stomach room or dining friends--the pâté is pretty rich! One of the first challenges you'll face at Cul de Sac is the "wine bible." Sorted per Italian region, the restaurant offers literally hundreds of wines (1500+, according to their website; in rosso, bianco, rosato, spumante, and champagne). The servers know how to pour a glass of wine for the table (e.g., offer a tasting, then pour for the table), which was charming considering we were there feeling anything but fancy. Speaking of which, the servers were attentive and helpful, in a brusque kind of way. Oh, and they were willing to give the wifi password! As for the quinto quarto: We ordered the oxtail vaccinara style (coda alla vaccinara) and tripe Roman style (trippa alla romana). The oxtail was a generous, soft, fatty, fall-off-the-bone plate of beef--but I hesitate to call it beef because its flavor is so unique, unlike any other I've had before. As for the tripe, it's a stew rich in tomato, garlic, and onion, simmered for hours until the tripe is milkshake-like in consistency and melts in your mouth, served with some hard cheese grated over the top. As with pretty much everything else in this joint, it's rich and will leave your holding your belly in incredulous satisfaction when you leave.\ Their 75 cl of beer wasn't bad either--a white beer called Theresianer that went down pretty smoothly and went alright with the rich meats. A pitcher of still water is 1.10 Euro. I have to admit, I'm super impressed with Cul de Sac. It could have been the trappiest of tourist traps, but I got what I came for with some surprises along the way. What more could I possibly ask for?

Another win for Yelp in Rome. Found this on the app as we walked by the Pantheon and adjoining piazza. Wow - great find. Largest wine list I saw in Italy in just a tiny shop. Tiny, but mighty. You can see they specialize in raw meats, cheeses and wine. Their expertise really shines in the multiple pates they offer. We tried a sampler of hare, venison, and pheasant- it was awesome! All the dishes were delicious and the outside seating allowed for great people watching from a quieter location then the busy piazza close by. Highly recommend!

Last night in Roma and stopped by the Cul de Sac at the recommendation of our Airbnb host. As we were just a couple, we were seated right away. I ordered the cheese and meat plate followed by Homestyle Lasagna. My wife ordered the fruit cup and meatballs with potatoes. Our waiter suggested a nice red wine to go with my meal, and he did so without going to the top of the cost wine, which I appreciated. They have one person whose only job is to individually create plates such as my meat and cheese plate. When he received the order he carefully sliced the prosciutto and ham, followed with a chunk of two cheeses selected to compliment the meats. The fruit was fresh and flavorful. My first bite of the lasagna gave me cause to hesitate as I got mostly meat. It seemed a bit bland. Fortunately, my second bite took in all the components of the lasagna. The pasta was cooked to perfection, the cheese was balanced with the rest of the ingredients and the tomato and meat were in perfect blend with each other. I would add that the Vino Nobile, Trerose complemented the lasagna quite well.

This is an enoteca, if you like wine you're at the right place. Outdoor tables are nice for warm summer nights - located close to Piazza Navona. We went for dinner on a Sunday evening and had tried the pâtés: liver, hare, and wild boar (patè di fegato al Cognac, patè di lepre tartufato, patè di cinghiale in agrodolce). I liked that they were home made and it is apparent in the richness and texture. Unfortunately the crostini that was served with the pâté was rock hard and inedible (my friend said this is not the first time she's encountered this issue). We ate ours with the basket of table bread. For entrees we had the oxtail (coda alla vaccinara) and meatballs (polpette al vino con purè) - the portions were generous and flavors were pretty good. The wine we had was nice, my girlfriend is knowledgeable in Italian wines so I was in good hands - be ready for large, varied selections on the list. Service was lacking in that the waiters would disappear for long periods of time and we have to wait for them to come around to request anything - it seemed like the patrons were an annoyance / inconvenience rather than a guest. When the pates were brought to the table they didn't explain what was which. We wanted to get after dinner drinks, but we didn't have the time / patience to wait for them to come back around to our table. We got the check instead and went to Campo de Fiori for a night cap. Decent restaurant frequented by locals and visitors. Traditional Roman cuisine at an affordable price point. Come with the right company and you will have a good night.