Il Margutta Veggy Food and Art

At lunchtime, this place does a reasonably priced buffet menu. In the evening, it becomes an up-market, some would say pretentious, expensive restaurant. The menu is very creative - we went for one of their 'taster menus' - admittedly the most expensive one (which WAS expensive). A couple of elements were not very inspiring (like the pasta course) but others were delicious - in particular the braised red onion with parmesan ice-cream (as a starter). Gluten free stuff all marked and plenty of choice.

Stopped in here on a recent trip to Rome after reading lots of good reviews. It lived up to expectations, the food was delicious and the staff were great. The menu was around half vegan too, so plenty of choice. Only thing to note is that it feels a little more up market and is a restaurant, would recommend if you're looking for a nice place for dinner and don't mind paying slightly more than your average prices.

the buffet was just closing, so we felt really rushed. so so service, but such tasty food! it was most satisfying dessert we ate in Rome!

The service is truly great and place is top-notch but I have tried five courses and absolutely everything was tasteless. It wasn't bad, rather bland and in this price tag absolutely disappointing. Also if you're not earning money in Euro it can be pricey for you.

I had the most wonderful brunch ever! There were plenty of vegan and gluten free options on the buffet.
But it gets crowded so be sure to book your table in advance to get one!

We went there to celebrate a birthday and we got a bit too early to eat, so we had a drink at the bar - the craft beer was very good. Then we got our table and the feast began - we all got different things, all dishes were very well presented, abundant and delicious, the wine was also very good and we got offered a grappa at the end ... the service was attentive, our waitress was very polite, the evening was a success and even the non-vegan among us had to admit that my restaurant choice was the right one!

First of all the amount of food, too damn small. It was a child proportion. Second of all they had leather seats and the staff wore leather jackets ON A VEGAN RESTAURANT!? Third of all do not enter if allergic to peanuts. I am and they served me salad(: Finally the price is NOT worth it! Do not come to this restaurant!

We went for dinner our first night in Rome and spent about 2.5 hours here with a 5- or 6-course meal. The staff was courteous but repeatedly confused our selections--my wife and I each picked one of their set price menus to check out the variety, and by the third course I had no idea what I was supposed to be getting and when. In fact, I think we may have even missed a glass of dessert wine at the end, but by that point we were pretty stuffed and ready to go. I thought everything that was part of my wife's menu was great, but mine had miss or two. I would definitely go again, but I might steer clear of the set menus. I thought our bill was rather expensive for what we received, but I liked the place well enough.

We went for a lunch during the week and it was great experience. They had a set price for lunch menu which consisted of one soup , one dessert and plate of goodies for the second course . The buffet selection was very good , more vegan options than non vegan one . Everything was delish and filling. Defending coming back next time we're in Rome !

Fantastic vegan/vegetarian fine dining with both prix fixe (€40-60) and a la carte (vary). Approachable and affordable menu and wine list. Carnivorous husband loves everything. Primavera vegan menu was light yet satisfying, creative combinations of sweet and savory. Worth a nice evening out.

We arrived at 8PM with a reservation. We got the vegan and spring tastings menus (4 and 5 courses, respectively). The place was nice inside, very trendy. Our first course was delicious, but then it went all downhill. They took almost 30 minutes between courses to get our next course. We had a 9AM flight the next morning and asked if they could be delivered quicker, but then they had a "kitchen" issue, and it took even longer. By the last course (around 11PM), we asked if they could just give it to us as take out or remove if from our order....they could not. We asked for the check immediately and wolfed down our food and they still took their time to take care of it, asking time and time again if we'd like a complimentary glass of wine or coffee for the delay. They didn't understand the urgency we were conveying about time. We left very frustrated, I would never return.

The atmosphere was very nice, the service was good and we had nice wine. My boyfriend had 'the worst vegan burger ever' and I had pesto pasta that was simply ok. For what we got, it was quite expensive.

I can't speak for myself but my husband thoroughly enjoyed a large plate from the entirely veg buffet. There is one price for a plate (no seconds) but it comes with soup and dessert. The bite I had of the berry pie was excellent! In a nice area with lots of little shops nearby.

Great stylish place, good prices, excellent food with vegan options!! The opening hours are a little complex and you should check them ahead because it may not be open.

The place is nice but the food is very poor, almost for a vegan.

Il posto è carino ma per il mangiare è davvero difficile parlarne bene: poca scelta di piatti vegani, porzioni minuscole (OK, io odio la nouvelle cuisine, mi piace "magnare", ma queste porzioni sono difficili da vedere, senza un buon paio di occhiali da vista), prezzo non giustificato.
La carta vini non è male ma per bere, a Roma, c'è decisamente di meglio...
Doveroso aggiungere che il mio giudizio è molto "parziale", perché ci sono stato soltanto due volte, ma sicuramente non ci tornerò una terza.

I am a connoisseur of flavour when it comes to vegetarian cuisine. After reading so many great reviews, I had been wanting to come to this restaurant for a few years now, so was in town and excited to bring a friend for dinner. However, after walking in the colourful dining room and to our outdoor table, it was all downhill from there.

While tantalisingly described in the a la carte menu, the actual food items when served were uniformly lacklustre, poorly seasoned, lacking any sort of sophistication and really disappointing in most every way. For example, we ordered the Vegetable Tempura (insipid vegetables lost in way overly-thick, unseasoned and gooey batter) tasted like thawed-out frozen leftovers one would end up tossing away. The three sauces were a joke: tiny portions of tasteless blobs of mediocracy. We also ordered an avocado appetiser, which sounded very appealing in the menu, but actually turned out to be so simple (an ice-cream scoop worth of pureed avocado served with raw unseasoned carrot strips and an unseasoned lifeless rice cake strip). The dish reminded me of items one might assemble at midnight by rumbling through one's own fridge, not what one would receive when ordering an appetiser at an upscale restaurant such as this. Its a real disappointing feeling when one realises that he holds a better palate than the chefs / kitchen staff working that night.

The entrees we ordered were equally unmemorable and actually at this moment, I cannot even remember what they were, nor do I care to recollect even for this review. All you need to know is the entire food experience was boring, bland and completely forgettable for all the wrong reasons. The wine list is well thought out and we did enjoy a wonderful bottle of Pietramarina Etna Superiore white (if I remember correctly), and aside from wonderful conversation with my friend, this was certainly the highlight.

The reception, the floor staff and certainly our waitress were all arrogant while simultaneously seemingly down-in-the-dumps; not a smile to be seen all evening from any of them. Nobody seemed to want to be there, and good floor manager would pump some life into these poor sad folks. More than a few times I witnessed confused waiters holding plates of bland food walking around seemingly lost. Perhaps they have been eating too many of their own bland vegetables. Even their credit card machine was so tired it conked out - and nearly 100€ later - we left after paying cash. I will not return

This is the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Rome.

They do a buffet lunch and an a-la-carte evening meal. We were informed that the evening meal could be quite expensive, and it was recommended that we go instead for lunch at the weekend, which is what we did. We hadn't booked, but we got there early (12.30pm), so no problem getting in.

For €25 per person we had an unlimited all-you-can-eat buffet with lots of vegan choices, clearly labeled. Choice of three soups, lots of starters and mains including pasta dishes, seitan, salads, rice, hummous, and lots more. As for desserts, the vegan options were almond sponge cake, chocolate cake, and fruit salad, and then they brought along some apple strudel! I was in vegan heaven.

We went back for lunch on the Tuesday. Weekdays they have a buffet for just €15 (or €18 if you want a glass of beer or wine). On weekdays it isn't all you can eat, but you get a bowl for your soup, a plate for your green salad, and a large plate for a mixture of everything else. Then you have a choice of one of the desserts. So still plenty of food -so much that we had to take our dessert away as we were stuffed!

The food was excellent, the decor was lovely, the waiters were friendly and understood English. It was excellent value for money. During the week the place is frequented by business people.

The only complaint I have was the toilets - the gents toilet had no toilet seat and no lock on the door. Considering this is an upmarket restaurant I was very surprised. However don't let this put you off visiting Il Margutta

We popped in between 3-4 pm when they served late brunch. The brunch had enough vegan stuff, but they weren't up to what you would expect. The experience was a bit surreal, high brow customers in expensive dresses eating odd brunch menu in surroundings that remind me of 80s and 90s (leather couches etc). By the way, the brunch menu didn't include any breakfast stuff, so they could've called it buffet. The food wasn't all bad, but veggies were a bit overcooked, all was very mildly seasoned and for my taste it contained too much carbohydrates.

The food and the atmosphere are nice. The vegan meals are great. I was there twice, you must try the seitan stew and the staff are very kind .

When you are in Rome, you must try this place. Try to make a reservation ahead of time, as it is fairly busy, but they took us as walk-in customers. On Wednesdays at 7pm, they have a happy hour with free snacks and music for only 10 euros. But really, you must sit down and have a meal here. The staff is excellent and the menu clear and simple, listing what is vegetarian and what is vegan. They also have price fixed meals that are well designed. Try what suits your tastes. It is all well-crafted food here. Yes, they have drinks and nice desserts. And, when done with your meal, stroll south on via Margutta to arrive at the address number 51. Look into the courtyard there. It is the setting from the film Roman Holiday where the main characters lived. It is now an institute that works with the blind, and if you wonder in on Saturday night, they will invite you to stay and enjoy a small social gathering and show you around. Great place. Great location in the center of Rome. Enjoy.

Amazing restaurant with many options for vegans and vegetarians. I applaud the owners for offering fine dining with vegetarian options only. The ambiance and service was outstanding, and the food was delightfully delicious. Our favorite is the Crispy” panzanella with date tomatoes, red onions, capers,black olives and celery, served with a basil ice-cream
Updated from previous review on Friday October 10, 2014

I went there only once and eat vegan nice stuff, like quinoa and cocconut dessert. It's good, but wouldn't say anything amazing for this price and I know totally better and more natural places which costs less.
However I have to admit that localization is pretty good, cause Via Margutta is really beautiful street of art and ivy covered houses!

Went there for lunch and paid the flat rate for the buffet. Very few vegan options, and all VERY blend and normal... pasta with tomato sauce, green beans with olive oil, ... And then lots of pasta with cheese. I took an omnivore there, and was quite embarrassed! The food had no flavor. Perhaps at night where the service is à la carte it might be better? I hope so...

We ended up getting three vegan dishes because everything looked so good we couldn't decide! Vegan dishes on the menu are clearly marked as vegan so it takes the guesswork out. Nice, quiet & modern atmosphere. Check it out. You will enjoy!

I will update my previous review (most of it is below) following our latest two visits, in May 2014. We had the lunch buffet one day - same price, and very satisfying. We also splurged one evening for the gourmet vegan dinner - at 55 Euros a person it had better be good! Well, it was superb. This is very classy cooking (menu changes, but I won't describe the 6 or so courses). The one downside of this place is it is very noisy. There are very bad acoustics, and at dinner there was also some loud music (perhaps it was some event), and even the regular conversation makes so much noise. It is difficult to have a decent dinner conversation over all the noise.
Previous review (a bit deleted to keep to the limit):
We went to this restaurant two times. One time was the tail end of the lunch buffet, for 12 Euros, which is quite a good deal in Rome. I assume that because it was the tail end, many of the offered items were already depleted or somewhat messy, but what we found was still varied, tasty, with many vegan options. The soup was excellent (you could fill a very large bown), and there were hot and cold dishes, fresh fruit salad, juice. We were quite full, anyway. We went to dinner there on another day (evening) and had the vegan menu. This was expensive (36 Euros). It was superb. It started with a salad, which tasted like fennel and apples (the menu said artichokes, but it definitely wasn't that). We then had a second course of kamut pasta, cooked al dente, with a very tasty vegetable sauce. We then were served seitan cutlets in lemon sauce. This was very nice, and the seitan is very light and tasty. The chef was very accommodating. The seitan on the menu was to be with a white wine sauce, but I and my companion do not want wine in our food, so we asked if there is a way to make it without wine, and the chef suggested lemon. It was great. We were served a delicious chocolate cake with hot chocolate on top and tea (for me)/espresso (for my companion). Sparkling (or still, if you prefer) water and bread was included, with whole grain bread in the basket. Even though it is expensive, we highly recommend this restaurant. Most times we find the typical grains/beans/vegetable stew and maybe veggie burgers in vegan or veggie restaurants, the kind of stuff I can make myself. It was really a treat to eat in a place with tablecloths, nicely attired waiters, and feel like we were eating a fancy meal.
Updated from previous review on Tuesday January 31,2012

I came here with my wife to celebrate 25 years of the vegetarian lifestyle. Been a lot of good meals in that time and happily this is without doubt one of the better experiences. The ambience and professional staff complement the delicately balanced menu perfectly but I feel the food can speak for itself. Having read such strong negative reviews on here before I went, I think I would sell a kidney to eat at what some reviewers consider an excellent restaurant if they geniunely find Il Margutta to be so poor.
The menu is seasonal and incorporates modern and vegetarian perspectives on tradititional Roman dishes. The brunch buffets are exceptional value and the evening meals seem more than fair in price for a restaurant of an international calibre.
Established in 1977, I wish there were more people with such a passion for vegetarian food willing to open restaurants and share their passion with us.

I keep reading the same reviews - "good vegan food at nice restaurants is expensive in Europe. 2 stars." (Luckily this seems to be the minority here...)

Again, I read the reviews before I took my wife there for a nice dinner in Rome close to everything - before our walk to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain to round our our beautiful, romantic night in Rome.

And then I got the check and started complaining to the waitress that back in the US food costs half as much and...oh wait, that part didn't happen.

What actually happened was that I read the reviews before I left and EXPECTED the good food at the nice vegan restaurant to cost more than Denny's. In fact, my wife and I also dressed for the occasion! So we took a stroll to an upscale vegan restaurant and had a great meal, and paid the check without complaining.

This is another "can't miss" restaurant. Food is good, it is priced right for what it is, we should all be so lucky to find restaurants like this in every city. And in fact, it was cheaper than eating at other places (Ops).

My partner and I came here for dinner. We were first impressed by the hip and modern setting as we walked in. The wait staff was all professionally dressed and looked spiffy. If only the food had measured up...

We only had the vegan dishes, so I can't speak for the quality of those with cheese, which seemed to be heavily used throughout the menu. Vegan options were clearly indicated, so ordering was a cinch. Instead of the €55 prix fixe vegan menu, we decided to go a la carte to keep our choices open.

Assuming this was one of those fancy restaurants that charge high prices for small quantity of food, we didn't think that our order of a pasta, a risotto, a three-soup combo dish, a seitan dish, and a salad would be too much. The pasta and risotto came first, and only when we saw the hearty portions did we realize we might have over ordered (actually we would've happily called it a night after those two plates). The rest of the food arrived in generous servings as well. Shame the food was nothing to write home about. Their homemade bread came in three varieties - carrot, rosemary, and plain white - but the colors were the only discernible difference. They were also too soft and fluffy for my liking. The mashed potato timbale in the seitan dish was cold and flavorless. The few rice grains on top were confusing as I couldn't figure out what, if anything, they added to the dish. Overall everything tasted rather one-note, lacking depth and nuance that I would expect from a posh restaurant like this. At times, I even felt the kitchen had been a bit sloppy - risotto was slightly undercooked, pasta overdressed, etc. Worst part was the warm chocolate cake we had for dessert, which disintegrated after (I suspect) being nuked in the microwave for too long. The accompanying ice cream was also melting into a puddle. I was actually taken aback when it got to our table by how unappetizing it looked - despite the alright taste - and that they would even brought it out in the first place.

I found the pricing very perplexing as well. For example, the pasta, rice, and other main courses were all around €12-€14. Yet, a lentil soup would cost €12; the simple tossed salad we ordered was like €11; all desserts were €10 and up. The chocolate cake was €12, which was disgustingly overpriced.

I reckon our mistake was getting way too much food while everything was just so average. If you do come here, order wisely and conservatively and you may fare better.

This restaurant is in a quiet street very near the Piazza del Popolo, so you can eat outside without being suffocated by exhaust fumes, as well as inside the stylish restaurant. The food we had for our evening meal was delicious, as was the wine, although the service was only ok, not brilliant. But still a good place to eat.

We had Saturday brunch for 25€. So not worth it! The food was okay, but the vegan selection was very poor. The restaurant itself is very nice and big and full of art in a very touristy, easy to reach area, but the vegan options in the buffet were grilled veggies, salads, soups and perhaps rice. The only vegan dessert was a cake that was just sweet bread with marmalade. Very boring food!

My husband and I ate there twice while in Rome. We tried dinner and brunch, and both times the food was excellent. The quality and taste is fantastic, and their desserts are delicious. We had one of the most memorable meal there in Rome at their brunch buffet. There were also plenty of vegan options to choose from on the dinner menu and brunch. If you go to brunch, you can ask them to point out which dishes are vegan. Then for dessert, you have to tell your waiter to bring it out for you. We had a great dining experience there and really enjoyed the food. Highly recommend it.

Excellent restaurant in very good location. Food is great, waiters are nice and soooo beautiful! (:D)
I love this place.

We went there 2 times during the trip in Rome. I asked the waiter to recommend vegan cuisines and the food tasted good. Considering the location/atmosphere of the restaurant and food quality, the price is acceptable. It just takes 5-minute walk from metro station Spagna.

Great food, fine dining. As some reviews state, it's not cheap (by Italian standards), but in our opinion the food quality is worth the price.

I've had dinner there twice (and I'm going back tonight!). Il Margutta is moderately priced, but it's totally worth it (for example, a lentil soup is 8 euro, and a main pasta is 10 euro...the cheapest wine is 18 euro). There were many many vegan options. On the menu when it has a "V" next to it, don't just think they take off the cheese or something to make it vegan, they in fact revamp the whole dish to make it suitable. We had zucchini flowers filled with delicious tofu and then tempura battered and FRIED! We also got to try the new spring menu which had a lime-avocado mousse on top of lovely asparagus, and then the homemade pasta which had sundried tomato and PEAS! If a vegan dish sounds boring based on the description, please know it's just something lost in translation. Our other dinner item was "pasta with porcini and chili" but that doesn't begin to describe the depth of flavor and the mastery that went into that dish. The service was beyond helpful and friendly, and they were super attentive on top of it. We did not need a reservation.

We thankfully found this place after being in Rome for 2 days. We were tired of eating plain white pasta and having small,expensive meals that left us feeling starved a short few hours later (this being at the regular places in Rome,not the veg places). This place was a saving grace! For 25€ a head,you get all you can possibly eat,just so it's before 3:30pm. It's an open buffet,where even the drinks seem to be in the cost (we only got one coffee and a bottle of sparkling water) so you don't pay more than the 25€ a head,unless you get tea,from what I understand. The vegan meals are all clearly marked and the staff is helpful if you have any questions. The variety isn't huge for vegans,but at least I got very,very full after a few days of being constantly hungry. I can't remember what all we had,but it was all good,if not a tad bit oily for my taste,but I was on vacation,so I accepted it.
Also, for other vegans,if you want dessert,just ask a waiter for a vegan dessert. If they have it,they will bring it out to you.
We went twice and they had the same food both times,so we're not sure how often they put out new things,if ever.

Went here twice for dinner during our week-long stay. Fantastic food, nice ambience. Menu says certain items can be ordered as vegan - they are marked with a green V; everything else is vegetarian. It might seem expensive, but compared to other dinner bills, this was on the lower end, even when we ordered a bottle of wine with dinner. First night there was about $40 euros, second was a birthday dinner and we spent about 80 (we also ordered too much food that night). Would definitely go back!

great buffet lunch. went just once for dinner because it is expensive, but if you are ok with that the food is really good and so is the atmosphere.

a good place for vegetarian and vegan. Nice location in a beautiful area of Rome. Reasonable prices.

During a long weekend in Rome in September 2012, we went here for dinner on our first evening. It was so good we returned for our final meal of the weekend - Sunday lunch. Lunch during the week is an absolute bargain with dinner being a little more expensive. One problem, it is very, very popular and you do need to book. It is very modern inside and the staff are very helpful and speak good English.

In all fairness, I didn't actually end up eating here so I cannot rate the quality of the food. However, I was so excited to visit a ristorante with vegan options but was upset to see the 4 vegan options contained both cheese and honey. The ristorante itself is nestled in a very nice area and is quite trendy inside, with the art gallery and all, but I had more actual vegan options at Numbs in both Campi di Fiori and the one off of Corso Trieste. My travel companion also felt as if he may have been under-dressed for the venue, as well. Just a heads up to all my veg-head travelers.

The Ristorarte is also a art gallery, very modern and bright, on a saturday evening they have a piano playing and advertise local yoga classes in a news section. the floor of the restaurant is very modern and not very relaxing so we choose to sit outside.

we had a lovely waitress who was rushed off her feet and so we waited 1 hr for our order to be taken. we were in no rush so it became funny watching, almost close to a faulty towers sketch.

We enjoyed our meals here, however they were very different to normal veggie places. There was a lot going on. Was hoping for more traditional italian but was happy and pleasantly surprised by the vegan fig and balsamic pasta dish. we also tried the carrot and wild rice puree soup nice but strange, would probably enjoyed a smaller serving of it. We also had Tempura Veg that was delicious but also too big a serve which ended up stopping us from being able to manage dessert.

it took some time to pay, but the waitress and waiter that night were very nice and kind and sorry for the delays in service. they gave us some top tips for rome and we exchanged some recipe ideas.

in the quest for a good vegan dessert whilst in rome we went back the following night just for drinks and the fig and almond tart. Again with the delight of another episode of italian faulty towers, the pudding was nice but was lacking something, it was a bit too basic. the sorbet made the the dessert. i would go back to this place for the service as even though it was possibly the slowest i have ever had it was polite and funny, it also helped i was on holiday i guess. they also have a different take on flavour which is always nice to explore.
Updated from previous review on Thursday August 30, 2012

Great menu and wine list. We have been back numerous times. They usually have a vegan tasting menu. It's upscale and pricey, but well worth it.

We sat outside to enjoy the evening weather, silly not to when Britain's summer is currently failing! It seems you are expected to want an alcoholic drink but both being dehydrated and tired we did refuse. They are certainly determined to upsell but then suddenly we were brought a little 'gift from the chef' a perfect little ball of veg with drops of sauce (I was ensured it was vegan). Very very happily received, it was lovely. We did accept the bread basket, without knowing the cost (€5), but its not any bog standard bread! The white loaf was gorgeous but then there were pink slices and yellow! The yellow bread had slight Indian flavours. I suspected turmeric. My boyfriend had the ravioli and I the Pacchetti, both sat eating in silence, and when we spoke we were just boasting our own meals. Clearly homemade pasta but being vegan I haven't had any fresh pasta in years, too lazy to make my own. This was stunning and perfectly cooked. The balance between the fresh tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, peas and broad beans was something I didn't expect! Just perfect. The ravioli consisted of three large gourmet parcels with a little bowl of creamy ricotta and a tomato and aubergine sauce. All together with water and one fizzy drink it was only €33.50, for the quality we agreed this was just great. Just to add I did read that the 7 course vegan menu is €50 per person. I wish we could it looks beyond amazing! The servers were helpful and spoke very workable English. Separate English menus are printed to help. We would recommend over and over!

We loved the Margutta. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful, reccomending traditional-ish Italian food for us tourists, as well as giving a good wine reccomendation to the food. Vegan dishes were marked in the meny, and there were plenty to chose from. I ordered seitan escalopes with lemon/orange rice, delicious. Ideally I would have preferred some veggies added to the dish but from what I've understood from Ialian restaurant- cuisine, garniture is ordered on the side. We will definitively visit again next time in Rome :)

We went for Sunday lunch buffet. Considering that you have to pay 25 Euros there was nothing fancy for vegans. The vegetarian dishes included gratins, but for vegans it was mostly like eating side dishes: plain spinach, noodles with tomato sauce, lentil soup, some grilled veggies (those were actually the tastiest items) and some salads that were not spectacular. Regular food you could easily cook at home -- and if you're into it, much better. The fruit juices included in the buffet were very diluted and as for dessert, there was fruit for vegans while there were four cakes for vegetarians. When I asked I got soy milk for the coffee, but the waiter took it back again immediately. So my partner had to drink his coffee black. The place was very crowded at 2PM, and the staff was stressed. I've never seen so many people wearing fur in a vegetarian restaurant. Maybe the dinner menu a la carte is a better option for vegans, but like this we felt a little cheated, as we had asked before whether there would be vegan options. We had gotten the answer that 'they were actually vegan heaven'. Which is definitely NOT true.

I ate at Il Margutta Ristorarte twice because it was just that good. It still is the best vegan restaurant I have ever been to. And classy! It is a high scale place as well as an art gallery. My mother was bitterly complaining about not having "real Italian" food while in Rome and she promised we would try at least one vegan/vegetarian restaurant while we were there. After much protest (and several nights of me eating cheeseless salads and pasta with marinara), I convinced her to try this place. She liked it so much she wanted to go again the next night! Figures.

They have seasonal menu's. For the summer menu, I had the "vegan menu" sample. I also had the Chef's Salad & the warm bean and pasta potage with courgette flowers and
basil garnish. Seriously... Heaven in your mouth!

For a complete review, please see my blog here: http://veganmiss.blogspot.com/2009/03/veg-rome.html

This restaurant is ideally located near the Piazza di Spagna. The staff and management are very friendly and helpful to recommend vegan option. They even have a dedicated vegan menu and made some suggestions so we could share different dishes. The Seitan was absolutely delicious. The food presentation is lovely. This was definitely a fantastic experience, which we'd recommend to anyone visiting Rome. The restaurant also offers an extensive wine list and outdoor sitting in the back street, which on a warm september evening was really appreciated.
Reservation is recommended, however after sending 2 emails to the restaurant which remained without an answer, I decided to call and got my confirmation immediately.
Don't forget that in Italy, bread and tap water are added to the final bill.

Has passed over 10 years since I ate the first time at Margutta's. Someone was paying for it back then and this time too... Went for Sunday brunch buffet; staff and cook were quite kind and explained what was vegan, probably 50% of the dishes. For the 25€ they make you pay, stuff is not so fancy or interesting enough. Classic home dishes you could expect at friend's house, probably not at some long running famous veggie place. Cakes were included in the brunch, but sadly no vegan cakes. Thanxt to the cook, he came after a while from the kitchen with a good slice of carrot cake which was very good indeed. Paying with the card was not possible cos something was broken; this must have been stated before sitting, probably...
I guess it's better at dinner a la carte, even if more expensive.

One of the best vegetarian restaurants I ever visited taking into account the quality of the food and the price. You can have a lunch buffet for only EUR 12 and it's really excellent.

Very friendly staff and nice restaurant.

Good atmosphere - upmarket and central restaurant.

Most dishes we had were good, bar one lame pasta dish on the vegan set menu.

As always in Italy, vegan options were nearly 100% carbs..

A dedicated vegan 4 course vegan set menu and other menu items, but not enough on there to entice us (two vegans) back for a second visit..

Taking into account value for money, this is one of the best vegetarian restaurants I have ever been to. Very tastfull, good food, healthy, friendly staff, fairly priced (12 EUR for soup & bread, hot & cold buffet (plenty of choice),fruit salad and water), nice to sit outside in the love Via Margutta. Good location. My favorite restaurant in Rome. Highly recommanded.

Don't spend your money on this pricey tourist trap with it's dated decor and bad food and rude lazy staff!!!

Watery tasteless gazpacho, greasy vegetable tempura with what tasted like McDonald's sweet and sour dipping sauce.

The slowest kitchen I have ever experienced, and a manager who just doesn't care.

As a Vegan chef myself I recommend you go to any other restaurant, get a pizza or pasta with no cheese , you will do much better.!!!

I am voting 2 cows because they won't let me vote one!!

The restaurant is in a posh area, surrounded by upmarket hotels and shops, and has quite a pricey a la carte menu in the evenings. At lunchtime, they offer an affordable buffet.
There are 3 choices for the lunchtime buffet, which all included water, fruit juice, soup, main course and fruit salad. This starts at 12E. The 15E choice has the above plus dessert and coffee or tea, a further 18E choice includes wine.
The chef went round the hot and cold buffet with us and showed us which items were vegan - would say it was pretty obvious, but nice and reassuring that they took the trouble. I think over 50% was vegan and there was definitely plenty of choice. They made up a vegan option for the dessert as well and vegan coffees (they made a mistake with the first one so made a replacement and gave me that too, so I had a caffiene high as well as a full stomach!).
Despite being a buffet, the food was really fresh tasting, italian style food. The only thing we didn't like so much was the soup which just wasn't our kind of thing.
The dessert was vegan carrot cake with a fresh sorbet - you picked the flavour for them to make andn that was a great end to the meal.
Really good value for the money, compared with the rest of Rome.

I ate here for lunch for a number of days when I was in Rome. They have a buffet that was great. I found the staff friendly, the food delicious, and my non-vegetarian friends like the place as well.

My friend and I ate brunch at Il Margutta twice, once for brunch, and once for dinner. Both were unforgettable, delicious experiences. Brunch is a buffet for 15 Euros, that includes the actual buffet (half of which is Vegan) a soup (both of which are Vegan) a glass of juice, and a dessert (one of which is Vegan.) The service was wonderful, and they are located on a really pretty street.

We had dinner there the next night, which was extremely upscale. They have a plentiful Vegan menu, which we both enjoyed. I highly recommend Il Margutta to anyone lucky enough to be in Rome!

Very nice restaurant in central Rome, elegant atmosphere, it also works as art gallery. I have been there quite a few times, but just for lunch, when they offer a buffet style menu at 15 euro. The price is reasonable, and the food is well cooked. Vegan choices are not many, but enough to fill in your dish. Staff is usually friendly and helpful, they will tell you which dishes don't contain any animal products. They usually also have a vegan dessert for lunch. Things change at evening, where choice is bigger, and there is the possibility to choose a vegan menu (prices are of course higher). I definitely recommend it for lunch/brunch, and I hope to try it for dinner as soon as possible.

I found the food in il Margutta to be superb. The choice of food was great and the staff were very friendly. I loved the place.

I went to Rome over Thanksgiving, and I'm so glad that we found this restaurant on Happy Cow! The food was fantastic! I was particularly impressed with the cauliflower-almond loaf, which isn't really a loaf so much as fried veggie balls. The desserts on the Sunday Brunch buffet, like the upside-down apple cake, were also excellent.

As a vegetarian restaurant, there are vegan options, but there were fewer than the friend I was with would have liked. Most of the entrees, especially on the buffet, include cheese, and there are no signs to label what the dishes are or if they are vegan.

The decor was very modern, with a crazy orange and black couch in the foyer and teal walls. Also, the waitstaff was perfectly nice to us, even during busy brunch times.

This restaurant is quite upscale, along the lines of Candle Cafe in New York City, so expect to pay somewhere between 15 and 50 euros to eat there. It was certainly more than I would normally pay for dinner most nights. However, the Saturday brunch was around 15 euros, and that is DEFINITELY be worth that price!

We ate dinner here twice during our trip, and enjoyed our meal both times. There's a separate vegan menu that's in English, and the staff speaks English, too. But I agree with the review below, they can be a little snobby and distant...especially if you're not a wine connoisseur and/or spending 200 euros in one sitting. But compared to some other places we ate at during our stay, the staff was helpful and cordial. It's a little expensive, but the food and atmosphere are worth a splurge. I really liked the seitan/rice/onion dish and the almond/cauliflower loaf. We tried both the chocolate cake and panna cotta desserts, but neither blew me away. I guess I liked the panna cotta better, as the "cake" was more like a torte. On a random note, one of the waiters looks just like the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl - if I saw him on the street, I would totally think it was him. I found him fascinating, even though he didn't seem to like us 'cause we knew nothing about wine, haha. Anyway, I would say definitely check this place out.

I went to Il Margutta a number of times on my trip to Rome.

I won't lie, the food was great. For lunch, they serve a buffet with a lot of vegan options. I found that the lunchtime staff was very friendly, and the chef would even come out to tell you which items were vegan. It was pre-prepared, of course, but very delicious. They even made us the vegan chocolate cake, which was not on the buffet, because the dessert of the day was not vegan.

For dinner, the food was exceptional. They had a spicy linguine with mushrooms that is probably the best vegan pasta dish I have ever tasted. Their seitan entree and spinach appetizer were also incredibly good.

A second vegan dessert, the soy panna cotta, was not so good. Strangely lumpy and bland.

The restaurant is a bit expensive. I guess that is ok, considering where it is and what it is like inside. But be prepared to dish out 40 Euros for a full dinner without drinks.

The real downside at Il Margutta is the evening staff. I ate dinner here more than once, and each time was met with a lot of rudeness and snobbery from the head host and the waiters. One time I didn't order wine, which seemed really offensive to the staff. They had no problem insulting me and my wife over this topic in Italian right in front of us (I'm not even sure if they were unaware that we could understand what they were saying). We did like the food a lot, and tried to get along there. You would think the more often someone would show up for dinner, he/she would be treated better as a valuable customer, but each successive time we showed up, we were taken more for granted, treated more contemptuously, and eventually outright snubbed. Our last dinner there: we were snarled at upon arrival, we were basically seated in an out-of-the-way corner, insulted in Italian, and ignored during our meal.

This is a lovely restaurant, with a proper vegan menu. It's upmarket, so the prices reflect that. We had 2 courses each - a main and a dessert. For main, I had what seemed to be blueberry risotto - it certainly had blueberries in it. Sounds a bit odd, but it was delicious and I really enjoyed it. For dessert I had the vegan chocolate cake and it was amazing. Be warned though, they successfully plied us with drink resulting in us spending much more than we'd intended! It started with topping up our wine - we'd already said we'd had more than enough, but it was free so great stuff! Bit tipsy by then though, then the waiter recommended limoncello - so we had a couple of them, then they they topped up our glasses. Then the special herbal liquer drink was mentioned - quite pricey it turns out, but we were sold by that point! Can't really complain though as we did get some for free. Overall a good experience here and I would definitely return.

Nicely decorated place, but expensive. I went there for lunch and dinner. Lunch is buffet style. The chef came out and told me which dishes were vegan (about 50%). Everything is very vegetable based (no complete proteins here!), but high quality. There was a vegan chocolate and nut cake. For dinner they have a separate vegan menu. I had the vegan tempura plate, and the crispy tofu, kamut bread and vegetables appetizer. The tofu was only two tiny pieces but it was good (like agedashi tofu). The tempura was good, with interesting things like zuchini flower and fennel. The vegetarian menu seemed to be mostly traditional italian food, but with the meat simply replaced by cheese (ex. canteloupe and cheese instead of proscuitto, and pastas with cheese).

Im vegetarian and who would have thought the need to go to a vegie restaurant in Rome? My husband thought I was insane taking him across town when there is plenty of pasta and pizza options but boy did he thank me afterwards.

This place is amazing. Had the lasagna (beautiful), the strawberry salad tasty (yum), and chocolate plate for dessert. The pre-dinner champagne and then red wine was lovely as well.

I would love a restaurant like this in Sydney!! Yes, its pricy but I was happy to pay this for a lovely evening out with gorgous food.

I would definatley make an effort and go out of my way to dine here - even if you think Italy has enough vegie choices.

We went here on Valentines night - and what a great choice. You must reserve though!

We had five courses, yes five! The food was exceptional throughout, and frankly it was too much - but after battling to arrive in Rome we certainly went with the flow.

We recommend the house wine, an entire bottle went swiftly :)

I've been here twice in 3 days, and plan to go again in a couple of days. The decor is elegant, and the staff and friendly and very well-mannered. There are fresh flowers on the tables and a huge bouquet in the restroom.
There is a wide variety of unique dishes - an amalgamation of different cuisines. The food is very fresh and presented attractively. If you want to have a complete meal then yes, it is expensive, but I found that one dish was enough, and I think that with water and the divine bread, I spent less than 15 euros each time.
It's in an easily accessible location, and also not at all difficult to find.

My husband and I got married on a Mediterranean cruise which left from Rome, so we came a few days early to enjoy Rome, as it was my first time. We are both vegans and were a little worried about being able to eat there. We discovered quickly that most restaurants have a hard time grasping the concept of "nessun formaggio." Fortunately my husband read about Il Margutta RistorArte on Happy Cow. We ate there on our second night in Rome and couldn't have been more pleased. The restaurant is on a very quiet street just off the equivalent of our Rodeo Drive, which seemed more like an alley to us. Lots of trees and plants and candles out front made it all the more romantic. We had munched on some freshly-baked olive bread and ordered white wine (forgot which one) which was amazingly delicious, as it is in all of Italy. We then started our meal off with a half of an avocado appetizer which was served with a scoop of pineapple sorbet and some greens and a light sauce. It was very refreshing after a long, hot day at the Vatican. We then had the creamy zucchini risotto with zucchini blossoms and Troffie alla Siciliana with aubergines, olives and capers from Filicudi, which was a pasta dish with the freshest eggplant you can imagine. I was surprised how large the dishes were! Next came the Seitan Escalope with lemon sauce and sauteed kale. We could swear we were eating veal! The lemon sauce had just the right combination of tart and creaminess and complimented the dish perfectly. Again, the plate was huge. (Whoever said Europeans eat smaller portions than Americans were wrong.) We left some food on our plates so we could sample their dessert, which was a chocolate torte that tasted like a brownie with a crispy bottom. It was pretty tasty, but hard to eat as it kept crumbling. Overall, the food was wonderful, the staff friendly (and spoke pretty good English), and the ambiance divine (even the bathrooms were nice, and in Europe, that's a big deal). Next time I'm in Rome you'll find me at Il Margutta RistorArte.

Il Margutta RistorArte--this is the name they call themselves, so take note when searching by name--has been vegetarian since 1979, in the middle of Rome, where vegetarian and vegan fare is not always convenient to find.

We decided to treat ourselves last week, after we had walked our feet to the ankles. (Rome is, of course, rich in art, history, architecture, and steps!) So glad we did. I was a bit worried, because when we arrived at 19:45 or so, we were the only patrons in a largish space. But I'd read others' positive reviews and also realized that our American sense of when dinnertime is just earlier than the Italian idea. So we trusted.

Also, a note that we were in Rome in the middle of January. The city is MUCH different, with "less crowded" being a hugely appealing factor.

The decor is mod and upscale. On one end of a swanky shopping block (closer to Flaminio Metro stop than Spagna, if your dogs are tired of walking). Lots of combinable two-tops and some beautiful banquettes for larger parties. Mirrors so you don't have to crane your neck to notice the beautiful people and the art suspended from the ceiling.

My husband and I each decided to order the vegan fixed-price option. Our vegetarian waiter was engaging and suggested some alternatives so that all our courses were not identical and we could sample more items. Fantastic!

Every course was carefully prepared and beautiful. Some delightful and surprising combinations. My salad near the end of the meal was the most creative and delicious salad I've ever eaten: fennel, pomegranate seeds, blood orange, greens. Flavors bursting all over.

Some great treatments of seitan: one escalloped (great orange sauce); one battered and substantial.

The food was expensive, yes. One should already be prepared that Rome itself can be expensive. The vegan fixed menu was Euro 32. There were other fixed menus ranging up to around E60 (these included wine or champagne). In addition to the fixed-price menus, there were a la carte choices. The concept might verge a bit on "precious," except for the care these folks put into the food. Everything was delicious! And such a reprieve from quick tourist fare and a lot of typical Italian fare. (I LOVE mediterranean cuisine!)

While it's true that, with diligence and research, one can eat well on the road, it was a real treat to know that our veg*n desires could be met entirely by Il Margutta RistorArte. I totally recommend.

Lovely, plush surroundings. Rather expensive for relatively small portions but is no more expensive than most Rome restaurants. Food is nice enough but nothing special. Service is very good.

The Best Vegetarian Restaurant in Rome. Now They have more Vegan options and a new Vegan meal with a good choice of vegan dessert too. Great and cheap Buffet at midday. Dinner is more expensive, but very good. The restaurant is an art gallery. I use to go there for dinner in special occasion. Excellent wine list. You can't find better in Rome!

self with many choices (except for dessert), ask the chef what is Vegan. It's very good, cheap and the portions are larges.
Big restaurant and great scenery!

I ate at Margutta many times, but finally I decided to not go there anymore. The location is simply amazing, the choice of food is huge, but the cuisine isn't more then ordinary.
There are in Rome better restaurants for a vegetarian and for a vegan too.

Lunch buffet is really great value and has a great selection of food, plenty of vegan stuff. Food is from 12:30.

Dinner menu is a little more pricey, with proportions on the small side, but still amazing. Alcohol, water, bread and courses all add up on the bill, be aware if you're on a budget! Everything's on the menu though.

The restaurant itself is an art-gallery and is really funky!!

It's a really special place, all the staff are really good at their job: they're friendliest waiters in Rome, most spoke really good english too.

We had a Saturday buffet here in June 2009 and we enjoyed it very much. The place opened at 12:30. There was plenty of cold and hot dishes to choose from, some vegan and some not. I am sure that the lovely staff will assist in explaining the ingredients.

The restaurant seemed quite popular with many of the tables reserved. The price for the all-you-can-eat buffet including water was very reasonable: 15 euros.

40 euros for a vegan meal? crazy world! i tell you... i have been there 2 weeks ago. the vegan menu includes pasta, fish from seitan with cold fried potatoes, salad and some fruits with ice cream. every thing is small and tasty. with a glass of cheap red wine and water i payed 38 euros. this is a place to bring your rich papa to show him that vegetarian diet can be honorable, but not for a reasonable vegan people who love life and believe that another world is possible.

It was great to see that Margutta has added a specific vegan menu now. This means much more choice - not used to this!. The salad of wild strawberries marinated in balsamic vinegar and black pepper starter was heavenly. Not a cheap place to eat, but excellent food and great for a special occasion and visiting Rome is pretty special.

Wow this is a NICE restaurant! They have a separate vegan menu (within the pages of the regular menu) and you can get a set vegan menu as well. Breaded Seitan & Risotto were amazing, but don't miss the carrot cake!

No one has mentioned that it's located just next to the apartment of Gregory Peck in the film " Roman Holiday "-- the green charming little yard. when he carried the drunk (actually drugged ) princess in a taxi, he said to the driver " Via Margutta 51" wow !!!

It was a pretty tasty place. Spaggetti in Italy is all cooked Al dente though and I like it cooked more.... but it was a very nice place. Vegan beer. Yesss.

We went to Il Margutta twice. The first time was for lunch and we found that they only serve buffet at lunchtime. We found the food to be just OK, not great, and one may only take one small helping of a selection.
We went back a few days later for dinner and found that the menu was extensive and very unusual. The quality was excellent, but as others have written, the portions were appetizer sized and the prices were remarkably high. To give you an idea of what we mean by portion size, we normally are light eaters and this was small.
It was good to try so I could get new ideas for cooking at home.

My husband and I went to Il Margutta to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. It was certainly the right choice!.

The restaurant itself was very stylish, with art hanging from every wall. The waiters were sharp and very efficient. The food was absolutely amazing!. I had the five course vegan menu and my husband had the six course Marghutta menu.

My vegan meal consisted of gazpacho soup to start, followed by a lovely tomato pasta, sweet and sour potatoes, avocado salad and a selection of fruits and sorbets for pudding.

The only con was that it was expensive, but on the whole was definitely worth it!.

An upscale fine dining experience. The menu has many vegetarian and plenty of vegan choices. The 5 course meal is a solid choice. Excellent presentation and well prepared and seasoned food. A bit pricey, but a great place for a last night in Rome dinner. Hard to find! Only a few minutes from the Spanish Steps (Spagna Metro Station) but a bugger to find. Wine can be a bit expensive there. OVerall, 5 stars out of 5!

J had a dinner there few days ago, and maybe for this reason j'm so excited. Sorry!
A little bit hard to find, but romantic street. At first it looks like leather, but it isn't. After this, j had a calorous welcome by the staff, and a good table too (j think!). Waiting for order j lost my mind above pictures around, j didn't know it was art gallery too! Amazing. Good Music selection. About the food you can choose among a lot of dishes, main courses, salads, desserts and dessert's wines too. Small portions if you have a singular tasting menu (j had one), but you are enough hungry for dessert too. Oh what a Fabulous dessert! High quality food. Fancy way to present. If you usually prefer to drink "by the glass" they can show to you a good selection from the welcome drink, trough the dinner to finally dessert wine. Good service, Fancy Service, Funny Service. J'm thinking about the "StrangeHairGuy" with the black shirt. He served me starting from the starter to the end of the dinner. At first j was thinking about a bad but funny service in an italian and expensive but romantic place. He was looking like unprofessional, but he surprised me not only for the fancy service but also because he knew everything about the food, wines and exposition too, everything! Finally he said that's vegetarian too.
'Cause that night Pos Machine for payment by credit cards was broken, and j hadn't more money to leave any tips, they said me "Don't care, on next time it will be better". That's because j think j will come back there.
If this is the Italian style to live Vegetarian, j think it's ...
Well Done

This restaurant is amazing. It is located near the Spanish Steps near different small art galleries. The decor is very pretty and upscale. The menu includes a 4 course set vegan menu, along with another a la carte vegan menu. Every thing was fantastic and rivals as my best vegan meal I have ever had! I had seitan skewers that were amazing, and a vanilla hazelnut gelato. The service was also incredible. Don't go to Rome without missing this place.

This has been a vegetarian restaurant since 1979. A stones throw from the Spanish Steps.
Although it is easy to be vegetarian in Italy - Il Margutta is a little pricey - but a very nice experience. Excellent food, nice decor and very good service. A wonderfully enjoyable evening.

We visited this place while on vacation in Italy. We actually went there twice for the lunch which was reasonably pirced. The food was quite tasty. Our first day we had quite a pleasant experience. However, on our second day the person who checked us out at the register was rude in that she basically threw our change at us and said very few words. We dismissed it as we did some of our other experiences in Italy with the fact that they were not use to seeing black faces. However, I won't hate on the place. The restaurant is beautiful and so was the food.

Spurred on by great reviews of Il Margutta, I visited the restaurant on my recent trip to Italy. I'd been travelling around Tuscany and the Italian Rivieraa for a week with my omni boyfriend and was just so tired of pasta pomodoro : )When we got to Rome, I insisted we go the first night and it didn't let us down. I had the fantastic vegan menu and my boyfriend had the classic vegetarian. All the food was great and the place was at the very end of a sweet little street (keep walking to the far end, I thought we'd missed it somewhere along the way).
The only thing weird was the huge leather sofas in some tables. I didn't go and check (sorry but could you get up so I could touch your seat? haha) but they did look like leather.. hoping pleather?
Anyways, a life saver and would def go back!!

Just back from Rome, was there for five nights and went here the first night. Fantastiic, so good we went back again. Food was great, menu changes each season and the service was also great. Price was a bit more than average, but you wont be dissapointed.

Not a typical Italian, but great selection. Great choice of organic wines. Limited vegan option but enough for one visit.

We found this via Happy Cow reviews - many thanks. We went there for lunch, (twice), and for dinner one evening during our recent visit to the city. Lunch is great value, and the atmosphere is lively without being overpowering with clientele ranging from students to serious business types. On both occasions we got in without a reservation, at 2.40pm the last time and we were still welcomed with a smile. Dinner is a more sophisticated affair with a choice of set menus or a la carte. We chose one of the former and enjoyed a very pleasurable evening as course after course of stylish delicacies were brought to our table. Dinner is more costly than lunch, but this is a very classy restaurant, rare for vegetarian establishments, and was worth every Euro. Please Margutta open a branch in London. We have some good veggie restaurants here but there is a very big gap waiting for you to fill.

This is, in many ways, an astonishing place. It is a very stylish restaurant, complete with pianist, pleasant decor, fancy food arrangements and very well-dressed clientele, and which is 100% vegetarian. The portions are quite small but very good indeed, although they bring a pre-starter without telling you that you have to pay extra for it. Unlike some reporters, we found them to be not very helpful with vegans. There is a 4 course vegan menu but little on the main menu is vegan. But, on a Saturday night in February, it was packed and booking is certainly recommended. It was not cheap and, for two people eating 3 courses with wine, don't expect much change from 120 euros.

We celebrated our wedding at IL Margutta and it was simply fantastic, food was delicious, staff were human and professional at the same time, the location is beautiful, decoration was also perfect...the only complain, everything was very yummy but we couldn't eat it all, large portions, excellent wine... what more can I say? I will recommend this restaurant to everyone. Grazie mile! Unforgettable

This is one of the most amazing places I have ever eaten even though they had only one thing on the menu that was vegan. The mean was about 70 euro but well worth it.