Pasta, pizza, potatoes, bread, and rice are still off the menu for us, so OWP continues to bring you other great Roman restaurants for your vicarious pleasure. This week, we ventured across the Tevere to Siciliainbocca, which means “Sicily in the mouth.” Break it down: Sicilia in Bocca. We loved the food on our trip to Sicilia in 2013, and Siciliainbocca is the closest approximation we have found in Roma. Wonderful fresh fish, delightful Sicilian pasta dishes such as pasta alla Norma, and a broad selection of Sicilian wines, all at what the Italians would call honest prices. (A review on Tripadvisor that says prezzi onesti is quite the praise from a Roman.) And we were able to maintain our lowish-carb diet.

A can’t miss it exterior on an obscure street in Prati, Siciliainbocca is a 10-minute walk from our tram.

This was our fourth or fifth trip to Siciliainbocca. Mostly we visit as a couple, but one night a few months ago, The Rome Dining Club, consisting of 3 couples from the embassy, enjoyed a convivial meal here. The place attracts a lot of large groups: families out with Nonna as well as groups of friends. Unlike many Roman eateries, it fills up early. By 20:15 on this particular Saturday night the place was half-full while most of Rome was vacant due to the August ferie. 

Our mixed seafood antipasto had carpaccio of swordfish, insalata del mare, and more. This is only half of the serving! Plenty for two.

Service is brisk but pleasant. Although I speak passable Italian, when it was time to order, our server brought along an English-speaking colleague, who laughed when I ordered in Italian and said he clearly was not needed. The menu is in both languages and despite a couple of odd translations, is easy enough to understand. (I love this misplaced modifier: “peas with a heart of cheese.”)

I’ll let the pictures speak for the food. The quality is excellent, the pacing perfect. As with any good restaurant in Italy, we owned the table for the evening and could have lingered. We left not a drop in the bottle of our fine Donna Fugata Anthilia, and a perfect shot of espresso ensured we would stay awake on the tram ride home.

Please pardon the yellow tinge to the pictures. I used my phone’s camera and the restaurant itself is so very YELLOW that everything came out looking a bit jaundiced.

A very pleasant room, semi-outdoors, tented but brightly lighted. Not exactly designed for romantic trysts. More for dinner with Nonna.

A mixed seafood grill for Ric. As usual, the diner has to do some work. I never order shrimp in Italy because I hate that they are presented with shells on. Messy.

I can eat cozze e vongole (clams and mussels) all night. And did.

Caponata is a fine Sicilian dish and everyone has a different approach. This is good; Ric’s is better.