Casa Coppelle, a restaurant in Rome’s divine piazza delle Coppelle, has quickly become one of the city’s most sought-after dining options thanks to a heady collision of French interiors and tastes with Italian seasonality and invention.

Interiors created a few years ago by French designer Jacques Garcia tease a chateau-boudoir vibe, with slick Napoleon III tables and armchairs sourced in France set off by designer Italian lamps and textiles, plus the warmth of exposed brick.

Rumour has it that Casa Coppelle is equally loved by local aristocrats as Hollywood royalty, but if you’re an ‘ordinary’ guest like yours truly, expect to get the full VIP treatment too.

While the main dining room is excellent people-watching territory, VIPs and the privately minded can also choose a series of intimate salons through a curtained rear area, dressed with books and statuettes plus sumptuous upholstery.

Request an intimate table for two if you have a romantic night in mind, or pick the main hall for convivial cheer. Set back from the principle dining room, Casa Coppelle’s noir bar is a theatrical corner promising vintage cocktail recipes and carefully-sourced wines.

Chef Fabio Rossi is an artistic and insightful cook, driving Casa Coppelle’s mission to offer Mediterranean cuisine with a strong sensorial impact. By paying serious attention to the development of sauces and desserts, two foundations of French gastronomy, Rossi channels the excellence of France while leaving plenty of space for Italian and European influence to invade the plate.

I recently visited Casa Coppelle in winter, where the restaurant cast a cosy spell over diners lit by tasteful decorations. We opted for one of Casa Coppelle’s tasting menus, comprising five courses priced at €90 without beverages, €140 with a deluxe wine pairing, and €190 with an exclusive wine pairing.

Dinner commenced with a wonderfully light dish of steamed lobster on parsnip cream, with scorzonera and bisque chips. The flavours were well balanced and this was an indulgent but fresh start to the meal.

Next, we moved on to one of my favourite dishes of the night – handmade foie gras and a Martin Sec pear marinated in red wine, served with a Parisian brioche. Simply sensational.

The second dish was served with this wonderfully fresh Umbrian Cuvee Secrete, a wine made from ‘mystery’ grapes by Arnaldo-Caprai.

Our third dish of the five course meal were these delicate pasta parcels with gricia sauce, comprising crispy pancetta and pecorino cream. After this, we were served a palate cleansing bite before the main course.

The main dish was a tender lamb fillet cooked in a black sesame and pecorino crust, with seasonal vegetables. The meat was perfectly cooked and the textures finely balanced.

Dessert was this intriguing dish which turned out to be one of the finest desserts I have tried this year. Dubbed “The Noisette”, this oversized faux hazelnut comprised gianduja cream, hazelnut dacquoise, and hazelnut mousse, accompanied with a caramelised hazelnut. Not only beautifully fashioned but an impeccable, not oversweet homage to the hazelnut!

I loved my evening at Casa Coppelle and can heartily recommend this collision of modern European cuisine with the wonderfully chic vibe that has been created here. Apart from Casa Coppelle being happily located in one of Rome’s prettiest piazzas, it really is a worthy option for a special dining experience in the heart of the Eternal City.

Highly recommended.

Testaccina was a guest of Casa Coppelle

Casa Coppelle restaurant | Piazza delle Coppelle 49 | Rome | Italy | Tel +39 06 6889 1707