I think the being in the heat and also potentially the fact meals were a bit heavier I only really ate out once a day. I had picked up some fruit so I ate that besides what’s posted here.
100% BIO
While I walked around on my first day in Rome I did a quick Happy Cow search and spotted 100% Bio on my path. Once I arrived I found out that they did a buffet style lunch that started at midday. It was about 11:40am at that point. I sat down and had a coffee while I waited for the lunch service. I had been walking around for a bit and I was just filling time before I had to be at the Catacombs tour.
The buffet works on a per weight rate. Once lunch was up I went up to the buffet counter and there is someone there who serves the food up for you. It’s a point things out type deal. Items are just written in Italian so I went off looks. I obviously had to add some pasta considering I am in Italy and I can’t go past potato. It was all pretty tasty. Nice fresh ingredients and it was a solid hearty meal. I hadn’t eaten since the previous day so I was in another one of those ‘oh yeah, I’m hungry’ moments and enjoyed eating it all up. I was satisfied though and didn’t need to have anymore.
BUDDY ROMA
This place was popping up on both Happy Cow and Google Maps so had saved it in my to go to list. I found myself close by after taking myself out to look at the Trevi Fountain. This was the moment I really realised I was in Italy and it would be a good idea to eat a pizza. This place had so many amazing options to choose from. I was close to picking the potato and truffle one but instead opted for the beetroot hommus pizza with a glass of wine for the same price.
This was super yumm! It had a nice base and it was tasty. Eating a whole pizza like this is definitely one of the reasons I think that one meal a day was mostly enough for me in summertime Rome. I would recommend checking out Buddy Roma if you visit Rome. They had a great selection of vegan pizzas and pastas.
Saravanaa Bhavan ROMA
After the epic tour of the Colosseum, Palatine, and Roman Forum I was ready to just chill out for a bit. Especially as later that night I was heading out on another tour. I had spotted this Indian joint literally 1 minute away from my hotel so decided to go there for lunch. I hadn’t eaten yet today and it was the perfect one meal to have for the day. This restaurant is apparently a chain of Indian restaurants and they have heaps of vegan items on the menu and options for others.
I ordered a samosa entrée and then a full feed of rice, roti, and curry. The curry had a good kick to it, and it was super filling. I opted for my usual choice of an Aloo Matar (potato & pea). There was so much food and I think I did it in about 4 servings. This was not a quick meal but I did enjoy every bite of it.
It was a great place to visit between my tours and I did just end up going to my room afterwards and having a bit of lie down.
VITALITY FOOD
I started my day walking here for breakfast. It was a nice stroll from the hotel and this place offers a vegan breakfast deal, coffee, croissant, and orange juice for $6EURO ($9). It was nice, just a simple little breakfast and can’t really fault coffee or a croissant.
This was a good way to kick off my day of just wandering around Rome and what turned into an epic day of street art photographing. I did use a bit of the time I was sitting and enjoying my breakfast to check out the maps and see what direction I was going to head.
VEG JOY
After a few hours walking about looking at graffiti and street art I decided to find somewhere for lunch. I cam across Veg Joy using the Happy Cow app and decided to go as it was in the same direction I had planned to keep walking in. They were still setting up as I arrived so sat inside and ordered their burger with lettuce and tomato. Knowing how much people are paying for lettuces back home makes me appreciate ordering a burger with lettuce over here. I also got a side order of the potato with it of course.
This was nice, not the best burger I had had over the last few weeks. It was a bit dry. The potatoes were amazing and wonderful. I would happily eat those again. I wouldn’t order that burger though if I visited again. While sitting eating there was a loud crash that did not sound good. The guy who was sitting outside got up from his table to run and check as did the woman of the cafe. I was just staying seated instead of sticky beaking. It’s not like I could offer any assistance in this situation. After the cafe woman returned she got some water to take back over. Turns out it was an accident with a scooter and a car. I was expecting it to be either one of the death E-Scooters or a Moped Scooter. I didn’t clarify which one. Either way I think there was someone not comfortable. I was heading in the complete opposite direction when I left so I didn’t walk past then either.
LATTUGA
This was my last day in Rome and after visiting the Vatican and before I headed back to the Metro I did a quick search for nearby places. This is literally just around the corner from the Vatican so if you are visiting and looking for a bite this place is pretty cute. Watch out for all the people down this way trying to catch people trying to find their way to the Vatican. They are much pushier then the guys who stand just outside the Vatican. The ones here are trying to catch you and give you information on visiting the Vatican. It looks like there is a ticket place or something next to this cafe and some dude on the street started trying to get me to go another way. I had to just tell him off for assuming what I am doing and to leave me alone while I go get some lunch.Then as I sat down I had another guy come and try to sell me a scarf telling me I need one to cover up to go to the Vatican. I said no thanks and he kept pushing until I just had to pull my wrap top I had made for this exact purpose out of my bag and say I said NO and I have already been.
Anyway, this is just a cute little sandwich (panini) shop that also has some cake/slices available. I just opted for an avocado, lettuce, and tomato panini. The bread was nice and fresh as was the filling. The woman in the place was friendly and spoke a little bit of English. I don’t have a photo but I also purchased a slice of a chickpea flour tart that was there to take away with me for later.
