Michael K.
Yelp
I've spent the past 30 years with one foot in Italy and one foot in the US. Born in L.A., married in Italy, back and forth all the time. When I am in the states, I am always missing decent Italian food, and when I am in Italy... well, there are times that I am just jonesing for a good burger.
Here's the thing... In all of these years, I never found a burger in Italy that I would even dare rate as "decent". I even found myself at times going to McDonald's for that occasional fix. UGH! McDonald's. Hard for me even to say that! But as much as I have tried, Burgers in Italy have always just sucked.
Until I finally came to Open Baladin. Thank you, Yelp! I may never have otherwise found it. The burgers are FANTASTIC. And I don't mean by comparison to the other junk burgers I have had in Italy... they are actually really, really good! To the point that if this place were in the states, it would still be one of my top choices!
The location here is just a few hundred feet from Campo dei Fiori, on an unassuming back street that is easy to miss. When you walk in, you will find a great vibe that feels "American in Italy". Chalk boards, high tables & chairs, and a wall of beer... but with Italian style that is hard to define.
They pride themselves on their craft beer, which is something you don't find much of in Italy, but I appreciated quite a bit.
The menu here has burgers, hot dogs, and all sorts of Italian comfort food favorites, done VERY well. We had their chips, which were completely home made and served with home made ketchup. The chips were excellent, and the ketchup was out of this world!!!
We also had come Crochette. These are fried potato balls with melted cheese and pancetta inside, served with a home-made mayo sauce. Again, FANTASTIC!!!
Finally we had burgers. Mine was the Capri Burger with Buffalo mozzarella & tomato, served with homemade basil-mayo. We also had them add some grilled speck (almost like bacon). The patty was huge, the buns were soft and delicious, the meat was excellent, and all around it was 5 stars all the way! Simply put, they NAILED IT!
The price was a bit high, but I am happy to pay it for the premium quality!
To close it up, I would not normally suggest people visiting Rome to have anything but Italian food when in Italy. I mean, you ARE in Italy. And I get frustrated when I see tourists lining up at McDonald's or the Hard Rock in Rome. But this place is a pretty awesome hybrid that brings the best of Italian culinary style to American tradition. It is Italian-American fusion done right. So if you really want a burger, please... I beg you to pass on the golden arches and the hard rock.... This place is EXCELLENT!!!