Restaurant Review: Sora Margherita Rome, Italy “Unique Authentic Jewish-Roman Experience”

The Sora Margherita restaurant is located in the Jewish Ghetto in Rome, Italy.  It is not the easiest restaurant to find, but once you find it you will keep coming back.  The restaurant does not have much of a sign and is almost hidden away in a busy square.  It has been in the same place since 1927.  They serve Authentic Roman and Jewish dishes and it is always busy with locals and tourists.

Once the waitress puts the menu on your table you know you are not in Kansas anymore.  The menu is in Italian and the servers speak little or no English but you can get by well enough by pointing and gesticulating.  The servers do have enough English to help you if you work with them. The restaurant is small, family run and simple, don’t expect fancy, but the food is delicious and the atmosphere unique – extremely friendly and comfortable. It is not unusual to have regular local Roman diners get up from their tables to come and greet you and help you order.   Reservations are a good idea if you want to make sure to eat here.  The prices are not cheap, but they are reasonable.

We were in Rome in June 2013 and of course had to have lunch at Sora Margherita.  One of the things we always order as an appetizer is the Jewish Artichoke, it is fantastic.  They look pretty strange, but believe me they taste great, almost like fried potato chips.  We have had the artichokes at many places in Rome, but at Sora it is the best, the artichoke alone is worth the visit.

For our main dish we both had the homemade Gnocchi Al Ragu and it was the best gnocchi we have ever had in Rome – and we have had plenty!  The gnocchi was yellower than what we normally get in Canada/USA but the taste is to die for and light as a cloud – the meat sauce perfection.  Writing this is making me hungry for more 🙂

If you are in Rome this is a must visit gem of a restaurant and it is located just south of Via del Pottico d’Ottavia at Piazza delle Cinque Scole 30 – look for the red hanging curtains or ask a local “where is Sora Margherita?”

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