I studied abroad last June and stayed at the UW Rome Center. Maranega gave us all a warm welcome (with limoncello shots) :) and was our daily hang out spot. The food was incredible and the service one of a kind. Elvis was great and took really good care of us every time we came in. Best cappuccino I've ever had!! This place is a MUST visit!

omg...happened to be in rome three days ago on my own for a 19 hours lay over to japan...had a walk on rome central and had lunch in this restaurant right in front of the market...(maybe to close to it actually..)food was on the allright side but this guy called Elvis..(if i remember right)completely made my short but intense roman experience...he's all over the show..he knows what customer service is all about...(and in rome its not very common i must say)...he made sure i was doing ok with my food and drinks and he was telling me all about his amazing holiday to australia all lunch long....felt really comfortable...very cool dude...So maranega and elvis are the right combination when on campo di fiori...strichly recommend it...

We arrived at 7 pm local time. The place was empty. We were told that we could eat there as long as we would be done by 8:10 pm, because the whole place was reserved for the 8:45 pm soccer semi-final match. Not the nicest of greetings, but I know how important soccer is in Italy. We were seated outside and given menus. The prices for appetizers were quite high in comparison with other restaurants in the area. The meals themselves were priced about the same. The waitress spoke perfect English, was did not seem overly friendly. Our order was taken right away, but it took longer than average for us to receive our food. All of the young waiters and waitresses stood around talking in a group not far from our table. Whenever anyone approached, they were given the same warning. It really seemed that they were trying to avoid working until game time. The food was good, but not great. After we received our food, we did not see our waitress again. No drink refills, etc. We still did not see her when it was time for our check, even though the place was almost completely empty. We had to ask another waiter--twice--before our waitress showed up with the bill.

Great spot! Food is great, especially the salads. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is welcoming and cozy, but trendy and cool. If you like to have an Italian, or Continental breakfast, followed by a lunch with linguine with fresh seafood, then home-made icecream, while you're getting a nice tan on the sunny side of the square, then an aperitif followed by a grilled fillet mignon and stay for drink until the closing time, you will find yourself thinking: how did I manage to actually spend 18 hours in the same place??? All kind of different people coming and going, while the morning food market leaves its place to street bands and performers... Just don't forget to see also the rest of Rome :)

One of missions this time around in Rome was to try the cacio e pepe, a Roman tradition. I tried it here and it was one of those means where you just moan with delight after each mouthful. And our waitress was very funny and engaging. There were musicians on the square, playing old 50's and 60's film classics and they were full of energy and humour. So, this overall makes for a completely unforgettable experience. Run, don't walk to Maranega.