Ristorante Santa Cristina al Quirinale

A Fine Dining Gem Near the Quirinal We had the pleasure of enjoying dinner at Ristorante Santa Cristina al Quirinale, and the experience was truly exceptional. This establishment manages to strike a perfect balance, offering a high-level, fine dining experience at a surprisingly fair price point. Atmosphere and Setting The restaurant provides a very nice ambiance and feels like a truly fine place for an elevated meal. The environment is well-kept, creating a pleasant and sophisticated backdrop for the dinner—perfect for a special evening out. The Cuisine: Small, Tasty, and Refined The cooking here is focused on quality and precision. While the portions lean towards the smaller side, they are incredibly tasty and demonstrate highly skillful preparation. Every plate was very well cooked, showing clear attention to detail and technique. A Culinary Highlight: The star of the evening was undoubtedly the lemon sauce. It was excellent, described as perfectly smooth and creamy, elevating the dish it accompanied and showcasing the chef's delicate touch with flavor. Conclusion We enjoyed our dinner very much at Ristorante Santa Cristina al Quirinale. It is a highly recommended spot for those looking for a refined, well-ambianced meal in Rome that delivers complex, delicious flavors without an excessive price tag. A true pleasure from start to finish.

Close to our hotel and looking for a place to eat our first night in town, couldn’t have found someplace better to start off our trip! Delicious, crispy fried pizza and perfectly ripe tomatoes in the Caprese, pasta cooked to perfection, and a piece of chocolate cake to finish the meal

Loved this place! It was recommended by a friend who had met the owner back in the US over 20 years ago. It’s family owned & operated…tucked away from the crowds! The meal was absolutely fantastic. From the wine, to the lamb & pasta and the tiramisu, it was magnificent. A true gem!

Very very very special meal indeed. Came here with my girlfriend in this nice little hidden gem of a restaurant. Best food of our trip. The wine pairing recommended by the owner is phenomenal, would buy a bottle of the sicilian white wine he recommended if I could find it. The christmas pannettone dessert special, together with the lemon pasta and steak was amazing as well! One of the best meals Ive had in Rome - will definitely be back if I can

AMAZING!! Best meal we have had in Italy and small family run restaurant! The lemon pasta, beef tartare, lasagna and wine were to die for!!

We had the pleasure of dining at Santa Cristina on our last evening in Rome, and it was an unforgettable experience. The restaurant is small and charming, with a warm, welcoming atmosphere that instantly makes you feel at home. The food was exceptional – every dish was beautifully prepared, but the highlight for us was the onion and cheese lasagna. It was one of the best dishes we’ve had in Italy, full of rich flavors and perfect textures. The service was outstanding, and the owner Enrico was incredibly kind and attentive. It’s clear that this restaurant is run with love and a genuine passion for hospitality and great food. If you’re looking for an authentic and intimate dining experience in Rome, we highly recommend Santa Cristina. This hidden gem deserves to be discovered by anyone who appreciates excellent Italian cuisine!

A very nice and cozy place to eat. Menus are very cute with different covers. It’s quiet and comfortable, perfect for a good conversation. The food is typical Roman cuisine and well-made. The staff are very warm and children-friendly! Everything is just so roman. I really love sitting down in a cool, neat, and clean place with a cozy family atmosphere and very considerate staff, especially after a day of city-walking in hot July Rome. 🤪

“Family owned restaurant” That’s what you can read on the front door and that’s what I was looking for. My wife had a business trip in Rome so I joined her for a 3-day stay in the very center of the city. I short listed 3 restaurant for our first evening. We walked to the one that was on top of my list and when I we arrived at the door I didn’t feel it anymore (looked too touristy and the menu had way too much options). So we walked to Santa Cristina al Quirinale. And it was an incredible experience. We enjoyed it so much that we came back for our last lunch 2 days after.

We came here on our last night in Rome and we are glad we did. We had a fantastic time! The restaurant was busy so you could tell it was popular. The food was delicious. We tried a little bit of everything along with some red wine and man it was fantastic.

The meals were good. They were a little small and not exactly our favorite, but they were good. There is a dog that roams around inside, which I know, this is another country, maybe that's quite expectable. The service wasn't the best. The waiter reached right in front of my fiancé, over the dish he was eating out of, just to take away the napkin ring and put it in a pile (it's not like they were busy and short on napkin rings). I thought that was very rude. The door was a little hard to close and as we tried harder to close it, the waiter made a snarky remark 'it's just a door' (not sure what he meant by that, but I'm sure he would have also made remark it we left it open!) We tried it because it was in the same alley way as our hotel. Would we try it again? Not sure as there are a million places to eat within walking distance in Rome.

Smoked tuna, authentic carbonara, swordfish pasta were all excellent. Especially with the Pinot Grigio. Great atmosphere.

I must've been on a midnight or I'm missing something altogether here . The service was terrible The owner needs to hire some help there. It's ridiculous for him to think he can do the inside dining room, and outside dining room. The food was just OK not anything that what all these reviews are about portion are small Out of 13 dinners this was by far the worst experience we had .

I thought the food was good, but definitely better options out there for the price. Service was friendly as it is a family owned restaurant. Cute dog

The best carbonara I have ever had. I dream of it even after 11 years. Best hidden restaurant in Rome! The service was good from what I remember. I believe it's only open for dinner and the cobblestone streets are so charming leading up to alley or small street where the restaurant is located. The ambiance is everything a local would like and a tourist would love. Especially, after visiting all the commercialized tourist restaurants.

Great family run restaurant! Loved everything we had. I had the cacio e Pepe and my wife had the prawns. Both were excellent. Highly recommended

The service was as good as the food. The owners son was so much fun with our teenagers. A must stop when in Rome

Best food and best location. The family is wonderful and the food delicious. The tiramisu was the best we had in all of Italy we visited. The pizza appetizer and the steak and grilled veggies I had were so flavorful.

Best pasta in all of Rome! I spent a week in town recently and kept coming back here. The seafood was so fresh, the pastas were all incredible, and the family that owns the restaurant are the sweetest people. It's a romantic and cozy spot, but we had a fun time as a larger group of 9! Truly such a delight coming back here and I can't wait until the next time. Get the carbonara and the tiramisu and the grilled prawns and...well, honestly everything is amazing. Go with friends so you can try it all!

It appears you only find the best stuff at random. My partner and I decided to go find dinner like the hunter-gatherers of ancient times. We often do this in cities we are in for an extended period of time and we give just about anyplace a shot (it's a dangerous game but like to live...dangerously). On this particular night nothing we passed struck our fancy. As one does, I whipped out the phone a picked a place. We made our way down a shifty looking back alley and I bravely led the way ready to defend the honor of my love with kung fu skills from 5th grade. Turns out it was maybe 50 metres down the way. We approached Santa Cristina and noticed it was fairly small yet intimate. We were seated and asked if we would like bread and drinks while deciding on our entrees. We had the house white (I can't talk wine but my partner said it was good). She ordered the amatrciana, and I had the cheese lasagna. Best meal in Rome of our six days. The owner/server was very nice and his assistant was also attentive. The owner's wife and father were apparently the chefs and you could definitely tell the difference from many other places in the area. There also appeared to be locals dining there so I assume they only go to the best places. I can't be certain but I am also pretty sure this was the least expensive dinner we had in Rome. There was also a friendly dog.

The best restaurant we had in Rome. Had the lasagna and grilled lamb chops! Don't look further. Love this restaurant

Best meal in Rome. Excellent lasagna and filet mignon. Nice quiet location. Family owned

A family business that feels like a family business. In all of the best ways. On a fluke, the husband & I happened upon this gem looking for pizza - I had a crazy craving this night. Right across the Hotel Bolivar, a fantastic hole in the wall appeared. We were immediately greeted by a hilarious server who told my husband that 'we unfortunately only have room for her,' & that level of fun and jokes accompanied incredible food for the rest of the evening. We started with a small appetizer pizza - which was prepared to perfection followed by shared plates of lasagna & pepper/cheese pasta that hit the exact right spot. We shared a bottle of house red that tasted delicious followed by a tray of exquisite tiramisu that had both of us raising our hands in the air to thank Jesus. We literally caught a little 'holy ghost.' In all, the service was ELITE for Rome, the food was very, very good & the service/atmosphere pushed this spot way over the top. No complaints & will recommend to my friends if they visit Rome.

I'm staying at the hotel next to this restaurant and thought I would check out this restaurant for dinner. I have to say, this place is fantastic. Super cute outside and quiet - not touristy at all. Great house wine, great service! I was dying to try caprese salad in Italy, and I really liked theirs! It was a smidge saltier than I expected but the flavors really came together wonderfully. I cannot rave enough about the cacio e pepe! Probably some of the best pasta I've ever had. I was practically licking my plate at the end of the meal. I definitely recommend stopping here for dinner!

Must try the Zucchini Flower Pasta!! Everything is delicious! The restaurant was hidden gem off the road by Hotel Comfort Bolivar. A must visit if you are in the area

Just close yelp and book your reservation, you've found your perfect italian restaurant. I should have done this 7 months ago. Last June I took my girlfriend to Italy in order to vacation in Abruzzo and Como. However, we flew into Rome where we were going to spend a night, And I was going to propose. The proposal went off fantastically (though not necessarily as planned as these things tend to go). However, the dinner was simply put... perfect. The service was fantastic, the restaurant (and the outdoor seating) gave it the feel of a family dinner in a tucked away little alley. It was peaceful and beautiful, in the middle of downtown Rome... not an easy thing to accomplish. And most importantly, the food was phenomenal. The handmade pastas was the best we had all trip and the secondi were top notch and expertly seasoned. I lived in italy for a while, and this one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. In my opinion, if you are in Rome and do not go to this restaurant, you are making an enormous mistake. The only reason this place doesn't have 5 stars is because some idiot from CT is upset that the place didn't take Credit Card. To them i say, sorry... many of the amenities of Applebees and TGI Fridays to which they must be accustomed may not necessarily be found abroad.

Great atmosphere, a hidden gem out of the way. Great special appetizer, great zuchinni pasta, and mustard filet. App came with pizza, bufalo mozzarella, and meats. Zuchinni special pasta was different but amazing. Filet and Vaggies were tasty. After having a partially frozen Tiramisu in town, this was fresh, tasty and creamy. Worth going to for that. Expect to bring cash as they want a 100$ check yo use a card. But who doesnt have a stash of Euro on a trip to Rome. The couple next to us came back for their 2nd trip. Dont blame them, we would be back to, but off to Florence.

So incredible-family run and off the beaten path for tourists. Reasonable prices. Great portions! Incredible food-homemade everything. If you don't try this place you'll be disappointed by all the tourist traps. Bene!!

Best carbonara and lasagna we've ever had! Honeymoon trip to Italy. Was recommended here for a good place near the Trevi tourist trap that would be great local food. Did not disappoint. Will come back again.

This place was dope! The artichoke pasta was the best pasta dish we had in Italy. It was creamy yet light and so delicious. The beet risotto was very good as well. True, the prices were above average, but we came back to this place despite that.

This restaurant is tucked away on a side street, so we went there during the day to make sure we had the right location. It's right across the street from the Hotel Bolivar, if that helps anyone locate it. Although walking down the alley to get there is a bit intimidating, the restaurant itself couldn't have been better! It's lovely, friendly, home-style. Our meal was superb as was the service. Warning: you have to pay cash if the bill is under 100 Euros, which ours was.

Santa Cristina al Quirinale is away from busy streets so I figured it must be a quite place with okay food. My main purpose was to get a decent meal and carry on sightseeing. I was told the entire fish menu was good (duh why you even have to ask). There is no bread or anything else offered while waiting. I had to ask for salt and pepper, too. Nobody came by to check on me whether everything was going fine with the meal. Perhaps a single young girl does not impress them enough as a table of four or a senior couple. I would have said nothing but a neighbour asked me how my food was. That made me analyse: one of the crabs was an empty shell and salmon tasted like burn. Side dish had more hard stems than soft spinach and chikory leaves. So, I asked for the bill and mentioned my feedback to the owner's son (as he had presented himself). The reaction disappointed: perhaps he thought I was trying to not pay the bill but he attacked me by saying I should have said before eating and now he could do nothing (a few options of what one can and should do is wear a smile, offer a free coffee or something of the sort). Leaving I pointed out that I was not complaining but trying to help by providing feedback. The response was that the guy 'did not care'. Well, I did not care to tip. And will definitely not care to ever come back or recommend this place. Ah well. Where I reside meals cost more than 30 euro and I have no problem to pay. However, never again going back to this place with this little sh&t's attitude.

We are still talking about our meal. OH. MY. GOD! It was so good! We started with a plate of cheeses and honey. Fabulous! Then we had the white lasagna and the house specialty of pasta with toasted zucchini flowers. Both were amazing. For second courses I had the chicken with gorganzola and my husband ordered the steak with honey and black pepper with sides of roasted potatoes and artichokes. Everything was so good we kept swapping plates and not knowing what to load our fork with for the next bite. We were stuffed but managed to find room for dessert (sacrifices we make!) of cheesecake and an apple pie that is so good if beats the pants off of anything in the USA. So many restaurants in Rome feature the same menu items. One of the things we liked about this restaurant was the creative menu. There is €100 minimum to pay with a credit card. This is on their website and our hotel warned us of this when they recommended the place. It was not a problem for us. It can be a little hard to find but the best places to eat in Italy are not on the main streets!

Amazing pasta! This was one of our best meals in Italy. The only downside is that it's cash only unless you spend 100 euros (which we didn't surprisingly). The house white was surprisingly nice too. Definitely recommend

OK... but not one you recommend to others. Its a little tricky to find but its darling once inside. The gentleman that waited on us was kind and tried to accommodate us with the little English that he spoke. The house red was ok... a bit peppery for my taste. The bread is extra and was marginal - it wasn't served with oil or anything which may have helped. For our first course we tried the stuffed mushrooms which were tasty. We also enjoyed the beet root risotto. The grilled vegetables were bland and unoriginal. The grilled seafood dish featured salmon, swordfish, prawns, etc. All overcooked, chewy and incredibly salty. With so many great food options in Rome, I think you can skip this one.

Great food and service. The wine selection was also very good with a great range of pricing. This restaurant is what most people picture as a quintessential Italian dining place. Highly recommended. If the order is under $100€ then you need to pay in cash. No Amex cards either.

We came here based on the great reviews and we thought it was good, not great. We were displeased right away when we opened the menu to see they have a 100 euro minimum for credit cards! Not being prepared with cash and no ATM card on hand, we had to resign ourselves to enjoying an expensive dinner. While the prices weren't cheap (4 euro for unremarkable bread!), we ordered an appetizer, had the bread, and each had two courses and dessert, as well as an after dinner drink, and it just barely topped 100. My point is that the prices do not justify such a high minimum. Moving on, we had the stuffed mushroom appetizer and it was delicious. For our first courses we had the lasagna with gruyere cheese and the fried zucchini flower pasta. These were both divine. My husband had the beef wellington for his second course, which he devoured. I had the steak with honey and peppercorns. It was just ok. It was not cooked as I requested and was somewhat chewy. I also ordered the spinach and chicory side dish and was disappointed at the overwhelming bitterness because they did not season it at all. For dessert I had the cheesecake with jam, which was good (but much softer than NY cheesecake). My husband ordered a Sambuca and had to remind the waitress when she failed to bring it. While we enjoyed the first courses especially, we felt it is overrated on Trip Advisor, and found the credit card minimum off putting. We noticed another couple also upset about it, having had to forgo their taxi money to pay the bill. Visited September 2011

This is great place! You have to go when in Rome!! Food is spectacular and service is the best. Do not miss this place!!!