Nonna Betta Kosher Restaurant
While Rome’s Jewish Ghetto is famed for its abundance of restaurants serving up delicious and traditional Italian-kosher dishes, it can be hard to choose between them! There are simply too many great options lining Via del Portico D’Ottavia, one of the main thoroughfares of the Ghetto, with fragrant savoury scents enticing you into every doorway.
However, Nonna Betta’s fantastic reputation and charming outdoor seating area, right on the cobbled street, earns it a position as one of our firm favourites. With friendly waiting staff and delicious freshly prepared food it is a popular place, so consider booking a table to enjoy the perfect lazy Sunday lunch or special dinner in the heart of the famous Jewish Ghetto. Nearby you’ll also find some fascinating ruins.
At the end of the street is the imposing Portico di Ottavia, built in 146 BC and an impressive reminder of the might of the Roman Empire. Once the entrance for the returning triumphal processions following victory in battle, this gate was used from the 1600s to close the Jewish Ghetto at night and ensure no residents could leave outside curfew hours. This is just one clue to the darker period of history of this sunny corner of Rome, which you can learn more about at the nearby fascinating Jewish Museum of Rome. If you continue past the Portico di Ottavia, just around the corner you’ll stumble across a building that at first seems to resemble a miniature Colosseum! However, this grand structure is the Theatre of Marcellus, a Roman open-air theatre that dates from the last years of the Roman Republic, inaugurated by Augustus in 12 BC.
Perched on the side of this bustling street, Nonna Betta’s cheerful atmosphere and homely charm seems oddly juxtaposed with the solemnity of these structures, especially on a sunny Sunday when the streets are filled with lively groups of family and friends. While here you have to try the (rightly!) famous fried artichokes, carciofi alla giudia, but we also recommend their tasty grilled tuna polpette or meatballs, served with tahini sauce. All of the fresh pasta dishes are special in their own right, with the stand out option being the the gricia alla giudia con carciofi, a mouthwatering twist on a Roman classic. For dessert, we love the torta boccione style.
Address: Via del Portico D’Ottavia 16
Opening Hours: Open every day except Tuesday from 11 am – 11 pm
Website: www.nonnabetta.it
