Run don't walk to this restaurant
Forget the high priced restaurants on the Via Veneto with the overpriced food and arrogant waiters! Run do not walk to Al Fontanone. They treat everyone like family. While Pino was the only one that spoke fluent English, everyone made an effort to help you anyway possible. The food was excellent and quite reasonably priced. My mother and I ate every meal we could in Al Fontanone. The inside was clean and nicely decorated and in the evening, a patio across the street was opened for dining outdoors (which offered a beautiful view of the Tiber and the surrounding neighborhood).

While we were happy to return to the United States, we both genuinely miss Pino, his family and restaurant. There is no better in Rome.    [02 Feb 2001 14:22:12]

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Recommended Dishes: All of them

     ­Anonymous   lgs15716 at cyberia dot com

Good food
During a recent vacation, we stopped at Al Fontanone for lunch when our first choice was unexpectedly closed for renovations. We were very pleasantly surprised at the yummy, moderately priced dishes: Scamorza cheese, carciofo alla giudea, pasta all'arrabbiata (spicy!), ravioli. The decor is nothing to brag about, but the staff is very friendly.    [21 Nov 2002 13:14:31]

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     ­Anonymous, California, USA   

I have returned every time I visit Rome
A great place to eat where you have a feeling of being part of the family. Great food with fabulous home made pasta dishes and desserts. You should try the Fettuccine with Porcini mushrooms, the Cannelloni or Ravioli. I would also recommend the incredible Antipasti such as the marinated alici (sardines) or any of the marinated vegetables such as the zucchini. For dessert try the homemade semi-freddo (type of ice cream cake).
To end the dinner try the homemade Limoncello or Alloro liquer.
I have been going back for the past 20 years every time I visit Rome!    [14 Aug 2004 10:14:01]

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Recommended Dishes: Fettuccine with Porcini mushrooms, Cannelloni, Ravioli, Antipasti like marinated alici (sardines), marinated vegetables such as the zucchini. Desserts such as semifreddo al torroncino

     ­Ard Geller, Lincoln, VA   ard_geller at techsol dot com

This place remains in our dreams
We found Al Fontanone the week between Christmas and the first day of 2000. We ate there twice that time and have sent people we love there many times. We schedule each trip to Italy so that it includes at least one or two nights in Rome so we can eat here. One must be flexible, however! Once, we were there when Lazio won the National soccer championship and when we showed up to eat, there was a sign saying the restaurant was closed so everyone could attend the rally. A year ago, we tried again but the place was undergoing renovations. We hope they don't get too fancy as several of the places nearby have. It is a wonderful experience to eat at Al Fontonone. The people are wonderful the the food haunts us in our dreams. Even if you don't like tiramisu, have it here. You will never eat it anywhere else. But order it early -- I missed out the last time we were there and had to settle for the last few spoonfuls scraped from the pan. Comfort, not atmosphere is the rule here.    [14 Sep 2006 00:29:56]

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Recommended Dishes: artichokes (both styles), anything they recommend. There are usually specials.

     ­Betsy & Ed, San Diego, CA   

MY FRIEND'S RESTAURANT
I call Al Fontanone "my friend's restaurant" because we have been eating there since we discovered it in 1998. After the second visit, we became friends. On our last trip we spent 7 nights in Rome and we ate there every night he was open. Do you think we like it? I am Roman by heritage and favor the typical Roman fare which Pino serves impeccably and always with a smile. With his wife Marissa and "Lucky" Luciano I always feel like I am dining in my friend's kitchen.
I have been fortunate enough to travel to Rome once or twice a year for a while, bringing friends to share in the treasures I have found. Pino is always first on the list. Buon Appetito!    [03 Oct 2006 13:36:59]

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Recommended Dishes: Eggplant, Carciofi, Pasta al Fontanone and many more

     ­Jo Ann    

One of my favorite restaurants in Rome
This restaurant is located in Trastevere, just on the other side of the Ponte Sisto bridge. The area was quite lively with people hanging out on the streets, while restaurants were filled to the max with diners – I think I’d like to stay in Trastevere on my next visit to Rome! The restaurant had a nice combination of locals and tourists. The waiters were quite friendly and service was good. I had an excellent meal: A green vegetable gratin with zucchini followed by the eggplant parmesan, served in an individual dish. Both were very good. I dined with six friends and we shared a few bottles of wine. My meal: 28 Euros. I'll definitely return to Al Fontanone!    [11 Nov 2007 10:37:50]

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Recommended Dishes: Vegetable Gratin; Eggplant Parmesan

     ­Monica Pileggi, Maryland   mjpileggi at comcast dot net