Il Sorpasso

Highly recommending Il Sorpasso. The service was inviting and they found us seats without a reservation. The vibe is chill and it’s a place for foodies—. The selection and quality of meats, cheeses and wines is superb and local. The menu changes weekly; the bread is fresh and the flavors deep and fulfilling. You will not get a random, bland tourist menu, here. It’s hip, tasty and confident in its approach to food and service. Toilets were clean and spacious. The wild ham was truly a delicious experience- aged 30 months.

This spot came highly recommended by our tour guide for those looking for a true Italian experience. Very little English on the menu (thank goodness for Google translate!) but our server was able to speak English very well and we asked him for recommendations. He brought us a tray of different cured meats and cheeses from different regions. There was another server that walked around the patio and offered various appetizers which we loved. My husband and I both had baked Parmesan, My son had the lamb spaghetti (not a red sauce... And he didn't know it was actually going to be served on pasta), and his fiance ordered the beef ribs. All of the dishes were delicious. Our server also brought us a bottle of sparkling red.

If you have this romantic picture of Rome in your head where locals sit outside, enjoy great pasta, wine and have heartfelt conversations, then this is THE place for you. Hot Sommer evening, sweating from the Roman summer, nothing really matters here. You come here to enjoy all senses. The smell of freshly cut ham from the ham bar, the chatter, the fresh wine that tingles your tongue and a variety of foods that will let you crave for more is alle mixed up in this little botega. The owner was super nice and friendly, telling us stories while dishing us one great wine after another. We had a great time and felt so authentic like nowhere else in Rome. One of my favorite places in Rome for sure.

OMG!! Dined here on my first night in Rome and it literally set the bar. The best meal and service. The cheese and prosciutto platters were divine. Followed by the most incredible pastas and wine. The staff explained everything with detail. Nothing else compared.

Best food we had on our entire trip. Got a plate of carpaccio at first, then meatballs and pasta funghi. All the dishes were of really high quality The meatballs come without pasta, which is NOT a problem - it's very delicious. Also got bread and olive oil beforehand for free - best olive oil I've ever had. Staff was very social and likeable. Recommend for everyone

Delicious service, and food. Superb attention to detail in every dish and amazing top quality produce used in every one. Go now. You won't be disappointed...

Our favorite restaurant in Rome. The food is always incredible (you have to try the beef carpaccio, pasta with white raggu, and raw cheese cake), the incredible wine list also isn’t to miss. We went 4 times in a span of a week for both lunch and dinner.

Great vibes. Different type of dishes compared to the restaurants in the tourist areas. Refreshing!

The moment you walk in the warm greeting from hostess will set the tone for what will be an overall great experience. The food and wine is very very good too. Highly recommend mixing and matching from the cheese and meat selection + pasta dish. The cheese plate may be little small, but ask for more and don't skimp on the olive oil.

The best and most fabulous hostess among restaurants we dined in in Rome. She was so enthusiastic, patient and articulate in explaining each Italian dish on the daily menu. As you may know not many English speaking people in restaurants in Rome. This is a huge plus for us. Of course, we should definitely learn some restaurant Italian. lol! My favorite dishes were artichoke cauliflower salad, fresh fresh fresh mozzarella and salmon ceviche. The ingredients were so simple and pure. Nothing magical yet everything is supernatural and occult. We had a fantastic dining experience. It is a top choice if visit Rome again.

Nestled in the quaint Prati Neighborhood, Sorpasso is a great stop. I came for lunch after the Vatican Museums (about a 10 minute walk) and was impressed with the vibe and service. The menu is in Italian but the waitstaff did know a bit of English (my friend helped me translate as my Italian is rudimentary). The food was delicious. There's an interesting skylight that looks up into a "courtyard" for apartment buildings. Super unique and I couldn't help but to imagine peeping on diners from windows if I lived in the building!

Unfortunately not as great of an experience as expected. We were charged a split fee for the pasta without a warning, and the lamb was just mediocre at best. Service was quite slow as well. I can tell this place is popular with the locals, but such a shame the experience didn't give us a reason to return.

Our group of 14 initially was refused seating even though there were plenty of empty tables. "Manager" said the kitchen could not serve everyone at the same time. We explained that we were not in a hurray and staggering the service would be fine. We also explained we didn't need to sit together but were still refused. FINALLY! We split the group inside and outside. The inside people seemed to have a different menu offering only salad. The group said the food was good but I can't understand the refusal to seat us. Eventually a large lunch crowd arrived. Perhaps he was afraid he would not be able to seat his regular customers. I don't know. There are plenty of other restaurants on this street and I would've left if it wasn't for the insistence of one member of our group because her granddaughter ate here once. Ugh!

Cute little restaurant at the corner of Vatican City. They separated every dish into 2 plates for us so that we can share. Very nice of them to do so. Since I have no idea what the menu says, I asked the waiter to choose his favorite for us. The pasta(I don't know which one) has great texture and balanced sauce. Would recommend if you wanna avoid the crowd in Vatican City

OMG! This place was amazing. The eggplant parmigiana was absolutely the best I've ever had in my life, a culinary masterpiece. The atmosphere was wonderful both inside and out, and the food was phenomenal. I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone seeking an exceptional dining experience, with delicious food, exceptional service, and a truly lovely Italian atmosphere.

Really authentic italian experience, cool vibe. Wine bar with some really nice collection of wines, cheeses and a menu that changes daily based on fresh ingredients

We came here around one and they said they were full inside and outside. We said we are open for both sides. We had to wait approximately twenty minutes. Not bad. We got our outdoor table. The funny thing is one of our friends went to the bathroom and found out that they had one big table inside. Don't know why they didn't let us sit. Anyway, we asked for an English menu. But the guy said they have no English menu, he tried to communicate with us in English, but it was hard for us to understand. We have to use our google translate. We ordered the same two pastas, same two salads and shrimp. The shrimp was extremely overcooked. You can tell in the picture. The pasta and salad are average. :)

Service is fast. Came here at 12:30 pm but they weren't serving pasta. They give you bread and oil to eat while you wait. Eggplant parmigiana: (4.5/5) the cheese on it is sharp and makes the dish really yummy. The tomato sauce has a richness to it. I would come back here for this! It seems like the move is to get their charcuterie board. I didn't get to try it unfortunately.

The food was all amazing. We had an antipasto with plenty of meats and cheeses. The wine was selected by the wait staff and was amazing. I would recommend this place to anyone in Rome !

If in Rome, visit this very quaint and relaxed cafe away from the touristy places in Rome. This restaurant had a variety of choices at great prices and great flavor.

Lovely meal here. The menu changes daily (or every couple of days) depending on what food is in season. The food was absolutely delicious. Three of us and we were all happy with the food. We shared three antipasta and then had our mains. The white rabbit ragu was spectacular. Prices were more than reasonable. Service was outstanding. We would highly recommend and will go back.

I had eaten well in Rome but I hadn't had a magnificent meal until I ate here. Wow! This was the best late lunch I've ever had. I ordered from their daily specials list. The waitress was a bit worried I wouldn't like the beef tongue, but it was wonderful: tender, soft, flavorful in a tasty green sauce. I'm a huge giardiniera fan and was stoked to have that as the garnish. My other starter was the stuffed zucchini flower. The ricotta was mild and subtle. It was a great, refreshing dish. Now we move to the coup de grace, the pasta, the strozzapreti. I love a big dumb plate of spaghetti at home with lots of sauce, but who needs sauce when your tomatoes are this fresh? Lots of al dente goodness. I loved this meal, and it left me with plenty of energy to take on the Vatican museum.

Amazing meal. Amazing restaurant. Very heavy locals vibe. Reservation a must. Menu literally changes every day. Salami and cheese program is crazy good and not expensive. Had various meats and cheeses, then the beef tartare (shaped like a meatball and seared) rabbit ragu pasta and pork neck. Insane meal.

We stopped here for our first meal. It was a very cute spot with plenty of outdoor seating. Our servers were very attentive and helpful with what we decided to drink. Wine was fresh and paired well with our food. My salad was huge. Caprese salad was fresh. Gnocchi and sauce was so flavorful and very good. It did get busy even for lunch but thankfully we were seated right away. Very close to the Vatican without a busy touristy feel to it.

I was so impressed with the food that we got here at Sorpasso! First off, it's definitely not a tourist trap, as the place was full of locals, and the prices were very very fair, if not even on the lower side! We came here after a day at the Vatican and it just so happened to be halfway from the Castel Sant'Angelo and the subway station. Sorpasso is definitely on the smaller side, but they have outdoor seating available as well. Now, I'm genuinely not sure what happened here, but I would definitely recommend making a reservation to avoid the confusion that we had. We arrived without a reservation since this was a rather spontaneous decision, and the host was very kind and greeted us and went to check for tables. He said that he would only be able to seat us outside, as there was only one table available inside and there was a reservation coming in an hour. We promised we'd be able to finish by an hour (we did) and we're seated in the back. Throughout our meal, two tables remained empty the entire time we were there. By the time we finished, there were even more empty tables. I don't know if they genuinely were expecting the reservations, or if they didn't want to seat us inside because we were tourists, but overall a tad odd way to start off dinner. However, if you're a tourist this is definitely something to anticipate as I'm sure no one wants their home ridden with tourists and reservations would help ease the confusion. Our server was absolutely incredible though, and helped us out with the menu selections and we ended up with three dishes that we absolutely devoured they were so good! He was not only very attentive, but also incredibly patient guiding us through everything and recommending dishes we'd like. In hindsight, I really wish we got their meat and cheese selection, as he talked very highly of it. We ended off dinner with a desert, and we're equally blown away by its textures and flavors. The interior was adorable, with shelves of wine and small intimate tables. Overall, highly recommend checking this place out!

This place is hopping! Superb food, service, & ambience. Very friendly staff, food is cooked to perfection (i ordered steak, yummy!). There was a line when we got there but we were seated right away. I will definitely come back here next time i'm in Rome!

Hands down the best local place that we found in Rome! Place is packed every night (the Airbnb we were staying at was right above it) so I would definitely recommend making a reservation. Food is phenomenal and the prices are very fair. Impressive wine list and the service we received from our waiter was top notch. Very friendly, very knowledgeable, and his menu recommendations were on point. Tried it on our last night in Rome but wish we had tried it sooner. We wouldn't have eaten anywhere else that's how great it is. We will be back!

One of my favorite restaurants in Rome. There are lots of locals that visit this restaurant. So not a tourist trap Its menu changes every day - the server writes the menu on the chalkboard. The food is really good. Prosciutto, cheese, pasta, coffee... everything we tried is A+. It has a glass room that stores all variety of prosciutto. The butcher slices pieces from the ham whenever someone orders Pasta is also great - they have some novel combo that cannot be found in other restaurants.

The salad was delicious! Definitely refreshing. The service was quick and the staff was nice. We sat outside and had a great time.

Stumbled across this hidden gem thanks to my fellow yelpers who also came here and wrote their reviews. please note their times of when they start serving lunch and their bfast menus. we came a lil before their lunch menu was ready and was not able to have their delish looking pasta. So instead we ordered our own cheese plate, meat plate, coffee, and bread to fill us for bfast until after our excursions around the area. MAKE SURE TO ORDER THAT JAMON PLATE!! DEF THE BEST!! We ordered the mixed cured meat plater and the jamon cuts we got tasted the best and more richest! the others were good but it just hits different compared to the rest we shared. The cheese board we got, was super rich. I think this was proly the only time I could not and did not want to finish the cheese on the plate. The two out of the 4-5 was just too rich. I think it was a goat based cheese but it was way more than blu cheese. and I can barely take down blue cheese, so I left it to my cousin to finish but even he couldn't even finish it off either. The bread was super good with the honey they provided us with. I had every bite with their homemade honey and a bit of the cheese and meat. the coffee was super good too! we finally got to try the granita that is very well known here in Europe and it was delish!! they were out of the milk that it supposed to top it but we had it plain and it was just as great!! every bite was delis!!

Delicious locally-sourced food. We especially loved the cross between sandwich and pizza known as a trappazzino. The centrifuge juices were a real treat too!

Amazing food! Very popular place. So be friendly, kind patient and once you're seated you can have a fantastic meal!

How could anyone with an inkling of taste not like this place? This is an "in-place" for the locals and was packed both inside and outside. The staff were running back and forth, but were still attentive and made us feel welcomed. We arrived around 19:30 and were fortunate to get a table inside under the sky window to the inner courtyard. We were four guests, each with different tastes, yet we were in complete agreement - the food was top. Location, clientele, ambiance, service, everything deserves at least a sixth star. All in all, impressive! Wie könnte jemand mit einer Ahnung von Geschmack diesen Ort nicht mögen? Dies ist ein "in-place" für die Einheimischen und war sowohl drinnen als auch draußen voll. Die Angestellten liefen hin und her, waren aber immer noch aufmerksam und gaben uns das Gefühl, willkommen zu sein. Wir kamen gegen 19:30 Uhr an und hatten das Glück, drinnen unter dem Dachfenster zum Innenhof einen Tisch zu bekommen. Wir waren vier Gäste, jeder mit unterschiedlichen Geschmäckern, aber wir waren uns vollkommen einig - das Essen war top. Lage, Kundschaft, Ambiente, Service, alles verdient mindestens einen sechsten Stern. Alles in allem beeindruckend!

Nothing to get excited about for Americans. The service was not great. Our drink order didn't all come out. One of our dishes never came out. This problem would have been correctable if our server had checked on us. This place DOES NOT HAVE PIZZA. And, the salads come dressed with only olive oil.

Found this place after visiting the Vatican. It was a little bit of a walk but definitely worth the effort. The buffalo moz was good but the Italian ham was better. Both pasta dishes were terrific and the service was friendly. It definitely felt more like a terrific neighborhood spot than a tourist trap.

This was our first meal in Italy after traveling many hours. There was no English on the menus so we picked random dishes from the specials. It was good!

Best pasta I have had in Rome or the USA. The vegetarian lasagna and the mushroom/funghi pasta were delicious.

Eggplant parmigiana to die for! We stumbled upon this place after the Vatican tour and wanted to go back, we met some friends who were bragging later that night about their amazing eggplant find- turns out we had the same thoughts about Sorpasso!

Very accommodating staff. Nice setting that is not far from the Vatican with genuine local food would recommend.

The ambiance and location of this place are really great. There was a great band playing the evening we had dinner there. The singer sounded like Amy Winehouse!

Best food to get after Vatican. Amazing Lunch. Great Wines. Meals are changing every day. Wonderful service.

Friends, Romans, Countrymen ... they all seemed to be having a fun time at this cozy wine cafe ... and so did we. Sorpasso lived up to its name by mixing stellar service and casual cuisine as a favorite for locals and Yelpers on vacation. We sat at the bar. I think I love the bartender. I definitely loved the cocktails and wine ... including a Sorpasso Cocktail with Fruit Juice and Prosecco, a Pimm's Cup Cocktail, and a pint of Ichnusa Non-filtered Lager on draft. The food was fantastic. We shared the following, but really didn't want to share. All were 5 stars. * Pappardelle Con Ragù Di 4 Carni A Punta Di Coltello (Pappardelle Pasta with 4-Meat Ragu) * Prosciutto Italiano (Italian Ham Aged 18, 24, and 30 Months) * Piatto Di Verdure Miste (Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini) * Racion Baccalà Alla Piastra Su Passatina Di Patate Viola (Passatina, Griddle, Stockfish, & Potato) Sorpasso Vin Cafe e Cucina was busy without being annoying. We might of been the only ones in the place speaking English, but it sure seemed like everyone was having a great time. We did!! Ciao Bella!

We were excited about this place after reading the ratings. We ordered a cheese and meat platter as a starter. There were three meats from different regions that all tasted pretty much the same. There was no Proscuitto de Parma which is the Italian standard. The cheeses were interesting but nothing exciting. One of the servers brought us bread, which was good. Another server brought us some olive oil for the bread but it was so bitter we couldn't eat with it. Our green salad came with huge pieces of greenery that really needed to be cut up into edible sized pieces. There was no balsamic on the salad only the bitter olive oil. We couldn't eat half of it and there were three of us. When one of the many servers saw we were done with our meat, cheese and salad he cleared our plates and asked us if we were ready for dessert. "No, we haven't even had our pasta yet!" For the main course (actually pasta) we waited and waited and waited. I kept looking for our server but he was nowhere around. Finally I saw him and waved. I asked if we were going to have our pasta? ( An hour had past since we sat down.) He said he'd get it. As you probably guessed, when it came it was not hot but barely warm. I have had this happen before where the kitchen makes the dish and sits around getting cold because the server isn't doing their job. I had the pasta with Calamari and my wife and daughter shared a spaghetti in butter, Parmesan and pepper, it was so undercooked it made there teeth stick together. Maybe not that bad but it was way short of al dente. My Calamari pasta was barely warm and had a distinctive fishy taste. The taste was not from the Calamari which was very mild. Nothing is worse than a fishy tasting anything that isn't piping hot. I don't get it, this place had a great rating and great reviews, and the place was packed. By. 6:40pm they were lining up in the street to eat here. This place is very, very popular but it was the worst meal we had in our week long stay in Rome. I truly don't understand the dynamic here. Maybe you can try it and see if you have a better experience. We won't go back.

Food and wine was great! I really recommend this place if you want some authentic Italian food. Plus the servers were very helpful and friendly.

One of the best meals we had while on vacation. Wine list was exceptional and happy hour was out of this world with all the extra food they brought out to you. My wife and I loved it and would be 1 of the restaurants we would definitely visit again when we go back.

This place was great. Hard to get a table so we sat at the bar. Was worth the wait. Would repeat if we get back to Rome.

A bit rocky at first as we arrived at the same time (early - 5:30) as a lot of other parties (we are 5 ppl). The mgr/owner was a bit stress at the # of large parties at one time. Once we sat down though, it was GREAT. Great service, great food, great ambiance. We loved it.

I can not believe the taste of all this amazing food, we tried different restaurants in Rome and so far this is the more authentic and delicious food. The service it's great and the birra and vino are out of this world.

We came here because of a recommendation from a colleague, and boy are we glad that we did! The lunch we had here was delicious! You definitely have to get their Eggplant Parmesan. I'm still day dreaming about it. Our server said that people come in JUST for that dish on a weekly basis. We see why now. Get it!!! They change their menu daily, so you know you're getting a quality menu. We tried their burrata & anchovy bread pocket thingy and it was soooo yummy. That particular day they had a meatball one and it was out of this world flavorful. We were so close in begging the kitchen to just bring us a plate of those meatballs. Yeah, that good. The wine was cheap and delicious! That's called a win-win, my friends! If you're around the Vatican and want some serious, good food, then try this place out. You won't be disappointed.

You won't know it when you first enter the place, but Sorpasso is a perfectly lovely place to dine. The front of the restaurant, with its large butcher shop showcase, can be a bit off-putting, but they have a nice room for dining down the hallway. Just don't eat at the bar if you don't want an eyeful of cow while you eat. The staff were all very friendly and spoke English well. The real shining glory of this restaurant, as it should be, was the food. The meatballs in particular, which we split as a table of three, were absolutely spectacular. I definitely recommend ordering a plate of the meatballs, or two plates, or three. The prices were fairly reasonable too, with all of our pasta dishes falling between 10€ and 11€. Would gladly return.

Excellent Italian restaurant frequented by the locals! Highly recommend: Trappazini (stuffed grilled sandwich) - chicken is a must Eggplant lagsania (so so good!) Any pasta This is an outstanding cozy restaurant not too far from the Vatican museum. Wine selection is top notch in Rome! Food was amazing! And best of all, the price is very reasonable! You can't go wrong with this one! If you are in the neighborhood, definitely give it a visit. The owner and staff were so curtious and warm!

My husband and I stopped here after our visit to The Vatican per a friend's recommendation. It was delicious - our best and favorite meal over our three days in Rome. The pasta wad exceptional. We had to wait about 45 mins for a table and it was worth the wait!

Totally amazing carb lunch after hours of Vatican touring. Pastas change daily, but we ordered all 4 on the menu (the only one I forgot to photograph was the Strozzapretti - unfortunate, since it was the table favorite; second place went to the linguini with pumpkin). Pairing it all with a 19€ 2007 Barbera d'Asti got me though another 4 hours of touring the ruins next to the Colosseum. This is the kind of gem in terms of both quality and value that I'm tempted to keep quiet, for fear of ruining the place with popularity. Eating lunch here is the highlight of 3 hours of staring at paintings (spoken as a true Yelp elite).

This little gem was a 10 minute walk from our hotel. I'm so happy that we decided to come here. There was a little bit of a wait but well worth it. The prosciutto here was the best I've ever had and the wine selection was on point. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The owner was a bit stuffy and could have been friendlier and more accommodating but the staff was amazing!

Not exactly as it is described. I was there this afternoon and the waiter initially was not that friendly. However the spaghettone was not bad. I didn't understand why the pane/olio since I didn't taste any pane.

My first restaurant stop in Rome! I checked into my hotel and my concierge suggested this restaurant for lunch across the street. Small quaint restaurant with walls of wine bottles displayed against a half brick wall. Upon entering, you see legs of cure meats inside and along the entrance. So cool! The bar is the in front and smaller dining area in the back. There was a special menu which is only in Italian so our waiter was so nice to explains it in details, every dish on the menu. Bread was soft and light, chooses of sparkling or "stale" (tap) water they call it I think. 2 euros for each with dining in. I wish I had ordered some anti-pasta. I went straight to the pasta because I wanted to save room for gelato. I got the gnocchi special. It was Ah-AMZING!! Comes in a red sauce with oxtail. It smell so good and was very very tasteful and filling. They weren't cheap with the meat. My husband got the tortellini wrapped with ground pork. Well, this one is surprisingly odd. Our waiter didn't tell us that it comes out in a bath of broth? I'm not sure what it was. See pictures. The tortellini wasn't soft in texture like we are used to but was a bit harder on then inside and very small, as small as the gnocchi size. Overall, it was a great experience.

Wow, what a find! We were coming from the Vatican and were in need of a lunch spot. Really, it was our first meal of the day so we wanted something more brunch appropriate but the good reviews of Sorpasso beckoned us in. And I'm glad we opted to dine here as this is the kind of spot that flies under the tourist radar but is extremely popular with locals. We sat down just before peak lunch time and soon enough the place was packed. The staff were very nice and I can easily see this place being a neighborhood favorite if you lived or worked in the area. Now the food, delicious! Everything we ate was so good I would easily choose to come back here again over the other restaurants we ate at on this trip to Rome! We started with a little appetizer that was like focaccia stuffed with burrata and anchovies. Oh my! That creamy goodness combined with the umami of anchovies were perfect. I seriously am more and more obsessed with how much flavor anchovies add to any dish! Then we shared a puntarelle alla romana, which is a very traditional salad in Rome using puntarelle, a type of chicory, with anchovy dressing and some buffalo mozzarella. It was my first time having this and it was delicious. You definitely need to be a fan of anchovies though. I already looked up the recipe to recreate at home. There was also fresh house made pappardelle with porcini mushrooms and that was sublime! Even the dessert was terrific! I had a cannoli with my espresso and my husband had a coffee granita which he very much enjoyed. The cannoli was honestly the best cannoli I've had in a very long time. Seriously, if you are in Rome, go!!!