Food in Rome, Italy! A Truly Tiny Guide for "Budget" Travelers - Download it!

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I always tend to put "budget" in quotes for a very good reason. I am not rich, so we're not talking about staying at expensive hotels or eating at expensive restaurants, but I am too much of a diva to share a room of bunk beds with a gaggle of college freshmen.

The Most Expensive place we ate:
Ristorante Tullio:
This place had been described as serving excellent Tuscan food, but I saw Roman food all around me and all over the menu. The rest of the clientèle was made up of finely tailored suits and Blackberrys...no joke! the crackberry is universal. I ate a stellar ossobucco (braised veal shank with a section of bone, complete with marrow and a lil spoon), broccoli rabe sauteed in garlic and olive oil (broccoletti aglio olio). The ragù (meat sauce) on fettucini is spectacular, as is the spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with buttah and clams). The clams were so tiny and fresh and tasted of the sea. Wonderful tiramisù. In Italian, this coffee-flavored dessert's name translates directly to pick-me-up...also can mean a quickie. You know what I mean by quickie. The final verdict? The food was quite good, but you'd be better off eating across the river for half the money and twice the personality. That said, white tablecloths are fun for a special occasion, and the house wine is killah.
Lunch for us three, 1/2 liter of wine, 2 pastas and a meat plate, dessert, greens on the side was €70 or so
Near Piazza Barberini. Via San Nicola da Tolentino, 26. (39) (06) 474 5560

Ahoy! the cheapies:

Ristorante Enoteca Corsi:
We popped in for lunch on the first day. The zuppa di pasta e ceci (soup with pasta and chickpeas) starter was savory and delicious, and miraculously didn't give me heinous gas. TMI? After that, I had an amazing piece of fresh cod that had been roasted with fresh parsley and other herbs. Potatoes were served along side. They were smuh-thered in buttah and infused with rosemary (rosmarino). Other plates at the table: Baccalà (saled cod roasted in tomato sauce - SO Roman) and veal steak cooked in white wine and buttah. As per usual, totally drinkable 1/2 liters of wine were a bargain. Clientèle was mostly local, with a smattering of polite, non-yelly tourists thrown in. Not bad!
Lunch for 3 Americans was less than €50.
Near the Pantheon. Via del Gesù 87, (39) (06) 679 0821

Forno Campo di Fiori:
I know this place is in a bunch of tourist books, but honestly I don't know how a passive, pasty fanny-packer could get a hold of any pizza in this elbow-to-elbow bakery. If you venture into the fray, make sure there is one. All the charm and flavor of this bakery is present at lunchtime, when Romans stand around outside shoving slices into their faces, and inside crows vie for their favorite. If it's not crowded, don't bother, as the pizza will be cold. Blech. Here's how to geterdone: just shove up to the tiny pizza counter as best you can. Find a nice balance between being polite and totally cutting. Order whatever is hot. Point at what you want. (Quel pezzo lì = that piece there!, mi basta = that's enough for me, va bene = that'll do) Go out to the piazza, sit on the edge of the fountain, holler "Get in mah belleh!" and eat. I ended up with zucchini flowers (fiori di zucca) and anchovies (alici).
Could be the best €2.50 I have ever spent.
Campo di Fiori 22

All the following are in Trastevere. We would go into town all day to tourist around, but come evening, we were tired and wanted to be near the hotel. Also, Trastevere can be much less expensive than the historic center. It's fast becoming a foodie haven in Rome.

BTW: If you sit at a table in any cafe, everything costs double. Notice the price lists!

Bar Er Trasteverino:
Great coffee near the Hotel Trastevere. Remember! If you care about local tradition, Italians only have milky coffee in the morning. Espresso shots are taken on the run all day long after that.
€1.60 at the bar for a cappuccino and a pasta (pastry. In this case, a croissant filled with heavy custard. omfg what a way to start the day.)
Bar San Francesco a Ripa 151

Bar San Calisto:
When my friend Big John walked into this place, he declared, "What is this, the pickpocket pub?" Rumor has it, Bar San Calisto hasn't changed their prices since they opened, as a result, you will see quite a colorful bunch at the counter. At aperitivo time (happy hour before dinner) or after you eat, sidle up to a communist or smelly painter for a glass of rotgut grappa or limoncello...for a pittance! I don't actually know how exactly much it cost, as I was already kinda drunk and my friend bought my drink. Everything is cheap. Sit at a table and listen to some Italian guy spout philosophy to a female American student, or just enjoy the people watching (Omg so worth the table prices).
Piazza San Calisto. Can't miss it. Follow the hammers and sickles.

Caffè di Marzio:
This bar/café on Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere doesn't have much to offer in terms of interior ambiance, but the tables outside have a lovely view of the church. The best reason to hit this place is the gelato (Italian ice cream. Better than ours by far. Except for Blue Bell). Here's the secret to finding good gelato: If the banana flavor is yellow, stay away. It's artificial. If it's gray, buy it all. The gray color comes from the natural bananas. My favorite is cocco (coconut). Even if you just go in and point at something random, I am sure it will be great. They also make a mean spritz. (pronounced spreets - aperitivo of white wine, soda and campari).
14 B Santa Maria in Trastevere

ChaKra Bar:
This is by far my favorite place to sit and share a bottle of wine. It's not particularly Roman in decor, but the vaguely Moroccan scheme is soothing after a day walking two and fro. They have amazing Barolos, Barbera d'Albas, and Amarones on the wine list. You'll also enjoy their cheap-n-delicious appetizers. My friend who lives in Rome said she'd heard about the place from her friends and it lived up to all reports. Two years ago Mary K and I spent every happy hour here - sacked out a table waiting for dinner time. We stayed too far out of town to have a nap in the afternoon. So sad for us.
Piazza San Ruffina 13

Enoteca Trastevere:
Enoteca Trastevere looks modern and lame from the outside, but inside it is so cozy and country! I love the teal painted shelves and rustic tables. The windows look out over Via della Lungaretta. Via della Lungaretta is a main thoroughfare to Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, so people-watching is top-notch. When I went in about 6:30 pm, II sat near a table of local men having their evening tipple. At one point a tiny doggie came up and tried to bully me out of my snacks. This is life, happening. Yay! The enoteca also serves light meals, so feel free to linger and eat for reals. If you pop in for a drink before dinner, they will bring you a few yummy toasts of melty cheese for free! My cousin loved the Itlaian Chardonnay, so I got him the bottle! A scant €12. The sweet fella at the profumeria (perfume shop) up the street recommended it. Thank him for me!
Via della Lungaretta 86 (39) (06) 588 5659

Here's another hint:
While you are wandering around, should you spy a restaurant that is crowded to capacity with noisy, happy, fat people - stop in and make a reservation for tomorrow! Never eat at the empty place next door.

Make reservations for all the following places, and be aware they they each close on Sunday or Monday. Best to check when you reserve, as I suspect that the closing-day changes according to the whim of the staff.

Osteria le Mani in Pasta:
This unassuming little joint is one of a series of reasonable, delicious eating establishments spotted around the back streets of Trastevere. In the winter you can tell them by the artichokes on the menu - steamed, fried, whatever. This place is better branded than most, as the waiters sport cute little Osteria le Mani in Pasta polo shirts. The restaurant's name means "hands in the pasta." That's reason enough to eat there. Inside, the tables are scattered between a main floor, a basement, and a srange party-table-in-the-sky. I had the saltimbocca ("jumps in your mouth" - a veal steak  smothered in prosciutto, buttah and wine. Yet again, omfg! I think anything you broil under prosciutto (cured ham) is going to be the best item on the menu, but the rest of my party seemed happy with their pastas and greens. Cutest thing ever? We got  €1 off the check because I spoke some Italian...It was listed as "amica lingua!" (friend-language) Could you die???
Via dei Genovesi 37 (39) (06) 581 6017

Da Enzo:
I hesitate to even share this place with youse...but I will cuz I love you. This is my favorite place to eat in the whole city. Instead of carciofi alla romana (Roman artichokes - steamed and served under buttah-wine), Da Enzo fries the lil dudes. Service is fun and boisterous, and everything on the menu is pretty darn good - homestyle, simple, filling, tasty. It's the ambiance you will swoon over...after the dang artichokes. I also had a silky and delicate coda alla vaccinara (oxtail in 'mater sauce) and Fiori di Zucca (zucchini flowers stuffed with salted cod and cheese, then deep fried in batter. Erm.. HI!). While we were eating, a party of ten women sat down behind us. The waitress walked up and asked them "Ok, who doesn't want artichokes and zucchini flowers?" (in Italian). If that doesn't tell you anything, you are forbidden to make your own choices from here on out. Refer to me for everything.
Via dei Vascellari 29 (39) (06) 581 8355

Yeah...you know how in Italy you get your own pizza and don't have to share? Well here in Rome, they are Domino's-sized and come with ANYTHING YOU WANT. Canned tunea? K. Arugula and spicy saudsage? K. Best of all, dinner for five with wine will run you only about €45! It made my head explode.

Pizzeria San Calisto:
It's next door to Bar San Calisto and catty corner to Pizzeria Cave Canum (following). Reserve if you can, but I have had success just stopping by. There is a huge basement that is chock full of nuts...er...tables. According to my friend Drew, this place is more Roman than Cave Canum...meaning more chaotic, loud and fun. Oh yeah... the pizza is SO GREAT.

Pizzeria Cave Canum:
Across the piazza and like that what you read above...but a little stiffer...more "HELLO MADAM!"*

That's it for eating!
I'll continue to add as I go return.
Feel free to send me your adjustments! 
info [at] leeannwestover [dot] com

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* You know when you are minding your own damn business and someone is standing out side of a restaurant in a foreign country shouting at passers by in every language possible?

"HELLO MADAM!" ...nope no fanny pack..."BUENAS TARDES SENORA!"...nope no response yet.."BONSOIR!"

I so cannot deal with that. I know I am a tourist...d'ya HAVE to point it out to me? Is a nice "Buona sera!" too much to ask? They don't stand out front at Cave Canum, but they are heavy on the english-speaking front. Good for some, sad for others.  Pizza still rox.