Fiumicino, Italy: The Twelve Best Seafood Restaurants
Fiumicino is best known as the town that hosts Leonardo da Vinci International Airport of Rome. It's the main airway hub of Italy so it gets a large movement of travelers who enter and leave the country. But it is also known among Romans as a destination fishing town on sunny weekends because its proximity to the center of Rome validates it as the best day trip for basking in the sun while seated in excellent seafood restaurants along the Tyrrhenian Coast. It has the capacity to welcome throngs of seafood lovers because the town is full of restaurants but the main question that always arises is where should you go? Having lived in this town for two decades and being in the enogastronomic sector, let me pave the way for the best contemporary and traditional restaurants that I patronize in town. My criteria is simple - excellent quality and fresh local ingredients that you can taste in the dishes (no one wants them covered up by too much dominant tastes), preferably a good wine list to accompany the dishes, good dining service and a relaxing ambience.
1. Osteria dell'Orologio
Owned by Chef Marco Claroni and his wife Sommelier Gerarda Fine, Osteria dell’Orologio, is one of Fiumicino's best restaurants for contemporary seafood cuisine where the seafood are genuinely local and the rest of the ingredients as best as you can get. From its time of conception in 2009, the restaurant has continuously received accolades. Marco is a well-respected chef and teacher at one of Rome's important culinary schools. The restaurant has a great team between the dining staff and the kitchen brigade wherein Sous Chef Alessandro Lambiase takes second in command. When you want a truly good dining experience, head to Osteria dell’Orologio where the food is always exceptional, accompanied by an impressive wine list that complements well the dishes and exemplary professionalism in the dining area. The menu changes every season witch proposals from Marco's unending creativity. He puts different components that knit together into gastronomic delights that are visually striking and decidedly delectable. Book ahead as the restaurant tends to fill up quite fast. Indoor and outdoor seating available all year round. Tasting menus available between €45 to €75 with varying number of dishes. There is also a tasting option of 6 plates of appetizers at €45. Average prices of appetizers and pasta dishes between €18 to €22 each, main dishes between €22 to €26 and desserts at €8.
Address: Via Torre Clementina, 114
Tel: +39 06 6505251
Website: https://osteriadellorologio.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/osteriadellorologio.orologio/
2. Pascucci al Porticciolo
Giancarlo Pascucci is an icon of Fiumicino in the gastronomic sector. His restaurant, Pascucci al Porticciolo, received the Michelin star in 2012 and has since been a destination for seafood gourmands. It is a place where you are assured of excellent seafood cuisine using the fresh harvests from the Tyrrhenian Sea. Gianfranco has a vast source of ingredients right in front of him, where fishes of different kinds are taken to the dock by the local fishermen of Fiumicino as soon as they come in from fishing. He doesn’t limit his ingredients to the usual sea bass or turbot, because he feels impelled to take out the immense supply that the sea can provide us, more the unknown than the ones we are used to. The restaurant assures you of an unforgettable experience wherein the food is paralleled with an impressive wine list and commendable dining service in the hands of Giancarlo’s wife, Vanessa Melis and her staff. Aside from the singular entries in the menu, two tasting menus are available: Classic Tasting Menu at €100 that consists of 6 dishes while the Tasting Menu of €120 has more dishes. The menu changes every season and the proposals for Appetizers, Pasta and Main Dishes are between €23 to €30 each.
Address: Viale Traiano, 85
Tel: +39 06 65029204
Website: http://www.pascuccialporticciolo.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pascucciaporticciolo/
3. Il Tino
Il Tino opened in Ostia, a town next to Fiumicino, in 2006 and stayed there until 2016. In the year 2015, they received their Michelin star, the first in that area. The move to Fiumicino in 2016 changed the face of the restaurant from a simple one to an elegant structure which shares the space with Quarantunododici, overlooking the Tiber River in the compound of Nautilus Marina Yacht Club. With the move, they have also divided the kitchen to two different concepts. The bistrot as a casual place to eat on the ground floor while Il Tino, open only at nighttime with a limited number of 8 tables, provides more a more intricate and contemporary cuisine. Behind both kitchens is Chef Lele Usai who conquers the kitchen with his innovative approach to haute cuisine using modern techniques and creativity. His key ingredients are the strength of the Tyrrhenian coast which he marries only with the best ingredients. Accompanied with an exemplary wine list, dining at Il Tino is an assurance that your dinner is of supreme quality. Appetizer prices range between €25 to €28, pasta dishes between €26 to €30, main courses between €35 to €48 and dessert around €16. Tasting menus of 7 courses is €95 and 9 courses at €120.
Address: Via Monte Cadria, 127
Tel: +39 06 5622778
Website: https://www.ristoranteiltino.com/en/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ristoranteiltino
4. QuarantunoDodici
QuarantunoDodici (41-12) is translated to forty one - twelve in English and is pronounced as (kwa-ran-tù-no-dò-di-chi) and it stands for the geographical coordinates of the place, 41-12, along the Tiber River in the town of Fiumicino where the river meets the Tyrrhenean Sea. As previously mentioned, QuarantunoDodici and Il Tino are both co-owned by Lele Usai and partners. Both restaurants are located in a building in the premises of Nautilus Marina Yacht Club Complex. The location of the restaurant requires a car to reach since it stands along the Tiber River that divides the next town, Ostia, from Fiumicino. The bistrot is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It has indoor seating enclosed in glass, as well as outdoor seating which is right in front of the Tiber River. As opposed to the Michelin-starred restaurant upstairs, QuarantunoDodici’s cuisine is quite simple and linked strongly to the territory, using of course, the daily catch from the sea and ingredients of high quality. Average prices of appetizers is €13, pasta dishes at around €17, main courses at around €20 and dessert at €6. Book ahead as it gets full especially on weekends.
Address: Via Monte Cadria, 127
Tel: +39 06 6581179
Website: https://quarantunododici.it/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quarantunododici/
5. Host
Alessandro Capponi opened his restaurant along with wife Francesca Mangia. He runs the kitchen while she takes care of the dining room. Alessandro’s kitchen is innovative, using seafood from the Tyrhennian Sea as the protagonist in his dishes as well as vegetables for his vegetarian dishes. He highlights the freshness and quality of the ingredients and he always follows what are in season. Wines come from a selected few of interesting Italian producers from all over Italy while there are also some artisan beers to choose from. The restaurant is located in a quiet corner among residential buildings and across the town's community building, just a short walk from the main hub of the city. Tasting menus of six courses are available at €55 if chosen by the chef or €65 if you choose the dishes. Appetizers are around €15, pasta dishes at around €18, the main courses between €18 to €25 and the desserts at €8.
Address: Piazza Gen. Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa (angolo Via Sandro Pertini)
Tel: +39 06 92597477
Website: http://www.hostrestaurant.it/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hostrestaurant.it/
6. Tiber 41°
Tiber 41° is the restaurant of Hotel Tiber, a four-star hotel along Via della Terra Clementina. The restaurant, open to the hotel guests and the public, is divided into two levels in the hotel, one on the ground floor and another on the rooftop where you can have a picturesque view of the port of Fiumicino and the mouth of Tiber River leading to the Tyrrhenian Sea. In the kitchen is Agostino Valente, a young chef, who, after his travels abroad, based his kitchen on fundamental experiences, flavors and knowledge. Like the others, he's an advocate of quality ingredients that speak of Italian excellence. The menu is a mixture of Italian proposals with some international options that has both seafood and meat. The appetizers are between €12 to €15 while a raw seafood platter goes at €28 and a tasting experience of raw and cooked seafood appetizer plates costs €40. Pasta and risotto average at €15, main courses at €20 and desserts at around €7.
Address: Hotel Tiber, Via della Torre Clementina, 276
Tel: +39 06 65048255
Website: http://www.hoteltiberfiumicino.it/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tiber41-100989465024082
7. Allure Restaurant Patisserie
Allure Restaurant Patisserie is created by Giampaolo Zhan, a young chef who came from the kitchen brigade of Heinz Beck and his wife Elisa Jin. Giampaolo's restaurant background is already in his genes as he was born and raised in Rome in a family of restaurateurs then he gained his culinary education and training in Rome. He became a part of the team of Heinz Beck at the triple Michelin-starred restaurant La Pergola in Rome for almost a decade aside from experiences in other Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy. Backed up by professional international exposure, his foundation of culinary knowledge and techniques has strengthened him to what he has become now. Elisa Jin instead has obtained her professional educational preparation in the dining room at Alma Scuola Internazionale di Cucina Italiana, a renowned Italian culinary school where the late Gualtiero Marchesi, the founder of modern Italian cuisine functioned as the rector of the school. Pastry making marked the true beginning of Giampaolo’s passion in the kitchen which was notably influenced by his first teacher, Giuseppe Amato, the head pastry chef of La Pergola. Having opened at an untimely moment in the summer of 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic, the full project of Giampaolo to open a fine dining restaurant, bistrot and patisserie altogether in one roof was stalled. At the moment, only the bistrot (open for breakfast, tea, lunch, cocktails and dinner) and patisserie are open. Croissants, leavened products, cakes and salted pastries are available all day while the bistrot offers lunch and dinner proposals of easy options like burgers, sandwiches, salads, pasta dishes (€16 to €20), fish and meat main courses (€15 to €25) and appetizers (€12 to €15) that sometimes change depending on the availability of the seasonal raw materials and catch of the day.
Address: Viale della Pesca, 43
Tel: +39 06 8778 0304 / +39 389 9862266
Website: https://allurerestaurant.it
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allure.restaurant.patisserie
8. Altavela
Another new addition to the restaurant scene in Fiumicino is Altavela Ristorante where the young proprietor Luca de Lisi is focusing his restaurant’s approach to something more than traditional in the menu. A gourmet seafood cuisine using raw materials of high quality is the format that he has developed for Altavela. A sense of being different and dynamic while still approachable in the palate resonate in his proposals. And this concept is embraced by Chef Flavio Trambaiolo along with Sous Chef Roberto Micali in the kitchen. The options are interesting and seasonal so Chef Flavio creates new concoctions when seasons and the availability of raw ingredients change. They don’t limit themselves to what can be locally procured in Fiumicino because there are some seafood of prestige that are only acquirable in other parts of Italy. Appetizers are between €11 to €15 with a 3-tiered plate of raw seafood at €50 and the appetizer tasting of 8 dishes at €45, pasta dishes between €14 to €20, main courses beatween €15 to €24 and desserts at €5. Although the restaurant is not centrally positioned in the seaside part of Fiumicino, Altavela has become one of the destinations of gourmet seafood enthusiasts in Fiumicino.
Address: Via Passo Buole, 97
Tel: +39 346 6068943
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/altavelaristorante
9. Ristorante La Marina
When Alessandro Pietrini took the helm of
the kitchen of Ristorante La Marina in 2019, the restaurant received a
steady stream of clients who believe in his cuisine. He affirms
utilizing raw materials of excellent quality and the promotion of
seafood from the local waters, thus his menu often changes according to
the availability of what the local fishermen catch. The dishes he
creates are traditional Italian plates which capture the world of
remarkable flavors of the sea, a kitchen that has a room for everyone's
palate. It's the kind of cuisine that you will find mostly in a fishing
town like Fiumicino but because of the value he puts towards quality,
tradition, technique and perception of genuine flavors, he excels in
what he does. His experience started in the kitchen alongside his
grandmother at La Caletta of Ostia, his family's restaurant in the next
coastal town. Raw and cooked appetizers are from €10 to €20, pasta,
risotto and main courses at around €14, and desserts at €6. The wine
list has an ample selection of interesting wines to pair with his
dishes. Recently opened next to the restaurant is La Marina Sushi Bar
where he creates sushi using locally sourced fish.
Address: Via della Torre Clementina, 140
Tel: +39 0665047360
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lamarinafiumicino
10. Il Pesciolino Innamorato
Il Pesciolino Innamorato is a very pleasant intimate restaurant in a back road, parallel to Via Torre Clementina. It was originally opened about a decade ago as an antipasteria (appetizer restaurant) which is a first of its kind in Fiumicino, by Chef Diego Gioia, wherein you can order a succession of appetizer dishes instead of the regular Italian courses. After a few years, the menu widened to more courses of pasta, risotto and main. Diego's style has a creative flair but he remains attached to the traditional Italian flavors. Tasty, well-executed and always pleasant to the palate, the proposals are never disappointing.The menu changes according to the availability of the ingredients and season but the theme remains on seafood. New additions have been introduced to the menu like the pokè which work perfectly in his takeaway menu. Appetizers are between €12 to €18, pasta dishes and main courses between €14 to €20 and desserts at €5. A tasting menu of 5 courses is at €35 while a tasting menu of 7 appetizers is at €25. If you want a small and cozy place away from the usual throngs where you can eat well, this is the right place to be.
Address: Via Giovanni Battista Grassi 15 / 17
Tel: +39 06 97990792
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilpesciolinoinnamorato.antipasteria/
11. Reef Village
Reef Village, operational since 2003, is a simple small restaurant run by Pino Vaccaro and his family. It is located right on the beach along Lungomare della Salute, the main beach road of Fiumicino. When the warm season starts, usually around May and ends around September, the tables are set up outside the small structure. And that's when Reef Village takes on a new life. Inside the structure, there is a bar that's open all day while the restaurant operates for lunch, cocktails and dinner during summer both inside (perhaps when the weather is not right for outdoor dining) and outside. The menu is composed of appetizing classic dishes of appetizers between €8 to €14, abundant pasta dishes around €15, main courses between €15 to €20 and desserts at around €5. Howeve, the wine options are quite limited while cocktails can be interesting. If you want to have a truly relaxing meal on the beach with the sand between your toes, this is the best place to be.
Address: Lungomare della Salute, 105
Tel: +39 3273469908
Website: https://www.reefvillage.it/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reefvillagefco
12. Al Molo - Bastianelli
Al Molo - Bastianelli is one of the
historical restaurants of Fiumicino which was opened
by the Bastianelli family. It had left its mark of success among the
Roman upperclass, once the place where people of importance congregated for good seafood dining. The big white building located at
the very end of Via della Torre Clementina had seen its decline over the
years but thanks to its new owner, Francesco Polito, a seasoned and
successful restaurateur in the coastal Roman area, it has been revived
again when he took over at the end of 2018. Al Molo is a spacious
two-storey building where internal casually elegant dining rooms exude
an air of relaxing ambience. The main veranda, open on all sides which
gets the sea breeze and overlooking the sea, functions as the principal
dining room while some internal rooms are ensconced in warm walls and a
fireplace. On the rooftop, where cocktails are served, you can admire
the sea view at 180°. In the menu you will find the big classics of the
Italian cuisine along with some interesting dishes to experiment in
tasting. Appetizers are from €14 to €18, pasta dishes at around €18,
main courses between €18 to €28, and the catch of the day at €8 per 100
grams in which the chef can suggest the method of cooking, and desserts
at €7.
Address: Via della Torre Clementina, 312
Tel: +39 066505378
Website: https://www.almolobastianelli.it/ristorante/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/almolobastianelli
