Michael Martin
It's high season in Rome, and the energy in the city is electric as folks prepare for the August holidays. Now is one of the best times to visit Rome, as the warm weather fills the street cafes around the city's piazzas and alleyways with locals in designer sunglasses and freshly pressed linen.
Visitors come to Rome expecting to enjoy the best meals of their lives, as the capital city is a veritable Garden of Eden for pasta lovers, cheese connoisseurs and wine aficionados. With as diverse a collection of hotspot eateries as Paris or London, Rome's hotspots this summer are a mix-and-match of buzzing bistros and celebrity eateries that won't be clogged with tourists and yet won't require public humiliation just to get a reservation. Here are five to try. ObikaNeighborhood: Piazza di Firenze
Foodie Tip: Indulge in the affordable wine list that includes rare, limited-edition bottles available by the glass. On a summer afternoon, this Japanese-inspired eatery with signature sushi bar and industrial-style café of metal chairs and shiny concrete floors is often packed. But instead of refrigerators displaying sliced sashimi and sushi, this fashionista hangout is actually a mozzarella raw bar serving Italy's finest fromage with accompaniments like fresh charcuterie plates, subtle pastas and organically-grown salads.
Specializing in cheeses of the Campania and Puglia region, birthplace of the burrata, daytime diners arrive with Ferragamo and Tod's shopping bags and snag a seat at the counter-style bar or one of the coveted four-tops in the more formal seated-section of the restaurant. Open for all-day dining, Obika has inspired several spinoffs throughout Europe, including a location in Selfridge's London. The original is still the best.
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