The order of the courses
A full Italian meal starts with the antipasto (bruschetta, cured meats, mozzarella, fried bites), continues with the primo (pasta, risotto or soup) and then the secondo (meat or fish), served with a contorno, a side of vegetables. It ends with dolce (dessert) or fruit, and coffee.
You don't have to order everything: many Italians have just a primo and a secondo, or a starter to share and a pizza. On our menu the courses are organised exactly like this.
Meal times
In Italy lunch is usually between 12:30 and 14:30, and dinner from 19:30-20:00 onwards. Many restaurants close the kitchen between lunch and dinner; we are open from 12:00 to 23:00, every day.
Bread, water, coperto and tipping
Bread comes to the table to go with the meal (and to mop up the sauce, a very Italian habit called fare la scarpetta). Water is either naturale (still) or frizzante (sparkling). The bill may include a coperto, a small cover charge for service and bread, which must be shown on the menu.
Tipping is not compulsory in Italy: if you enjoyed the service, it is customary to leave something or round up the bill, with no fixed percentage.
Small table manners
By tradition, cappuccino is a breakfast drink: after a meal Italians have an espresso. Cheese is usually not added to seafood pasta. Pasta is a dish in its own right, not a side, and spaghetti is never broken. To get the bill, ask the waiter: "il conto, per favore".
And the most important sign: a menu with a price for every dish and an asterisk on frozen products, as the law requires, means a restaurant that works transparently. To enjoy an Italian meal 300 metres from the Colosseum, you can book here.