Quite decent Italian dishes I had not expected: Restaurant Roma, Ceiricon Buildings Branch (10. December 2022)

Somehow, it gets more and more difficult to find new restaurants which have a Google Rating which is higher than 4.0, but I managed to find Roma. And frankly, I wasn’t really too keen on trying Italian food in Riyadh, but it turned out to be better than expected. Well, not necessarily with the complementary “bruschette” they served, as the dish was relatively simple and a bit bland.

The “Caprese Tricolore (mozzarella cheese served with tomato and basil)” (82.00 SAR) on the other hand was fine. Sure, not the season (or even the region) for tomatoes, as they were bland, but in combination with the mozzarella, it worked quite okay.

The “Zuppa di Gamberetti (shrimps cream soup)” (58.00 SAR) was finally a dish I really enjoyed. The soup was good, rich in flavour, and had a nice portion of shrimp. And actually much better than I had expected!

What I found cute, was that they “warned” me that one of the cheeses in the four cheeses was smelly! It somehow made me laugh. In any case, the “rigatoni quattro formaggi (rigatoni witz gorgonzola, parmesan, brie, and pecorino cheese in a cream sauce)” (85.00 SAR) were actually quite delicious and enjoyable.

Despite the fact that I didn’t really feel like having Italian food when walking into Roma, I must say, it was actually quite good. Nothing outstanding or exciting, but decent, and definitely better than expected. What was a bit confusing, to be honest, was the service. They are super friendly, but they try too hard. When they serve stuff, they are moving things around. When you move them back (because it bothered me where it was put), they move it back. I mean, hello? My table, I’m the customer here! Other than that, the Roma is absolutely decent for Italian dishes.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Roma, Ceiricon Buildings Branch

Shubah Ibn Al Hajjaj, Al Olaya

12241 Riyadh (KSA)

Tel.: +966 114 64 11 33

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.