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These are the 8 best restaurants in Rome, Georgia, according to the composite rankings

When in Rome, well, eat something!

Rome is located in the northwest Georgia foothills, its municipal population roughly 35,000. Rome was a textile factory town for most of its existence. However, relative to most other old mill towns in Georgia, Rome has succeeded in diversifying its economy and realizing that most of those old factory jobs are never coming back.

Part of that is promoting tourism, which lends itself to good eating and good restaurants.

Below is our nifty composite ranking of the best restaurants in Rome. A wonky article about our ranking system’s methodology is located towards the bottom of this article. Please note that the “total points” are not necessarilty a restaurant grade or score. All of the restaurants on the list are highly recommended, according to the different review sites.

Here’s who made our list:

1. Aventine Rome

  • TOTAL POINTS: 79
  • OFT USED DESCRIPTIONS: off the beaten path; Italian-based menu with odes to the Mediterannean; warm atmosphere; nice wine list
  • LOCATION: 01 W 3rd St SW, Rome, GA 30165
  • DOWNTOWN?  No
  • LUNCH?  Yes
  • DAYS CLOSED:  Sunday–Tuesday
  • Menu and More
  • RANDOM: Owner Kevin Dillmon also opened a pair of other restaurants in the area prior to Aventine – Riverside Gourmet and Honeymoon Bakery.
  • STRAIGHT FROM THE RESTAURANT’S MOUTH: “Our restaurant features artful farm-to-table selections inspired by the legacy of Southern hospitality while incorporating the European sensibilities of the culinary district of Aventine Hill in Rome, Italy — our sister city.”

2. Provino's Italian Restaurant

  • TOTAL POINTS: 76
  • OFT USED DESCRIPTIONS: generous portions; complimentary salad and garlic rolls; classic and traditional menu; wine menu
  • LOCATION: 288 Shorter Ave NW
    Rome, GA 30165
  • DOWNTOWN?  No
  • LUNCH?  Yes
  • DAYS CLOSED:  Monday
  • Menu and More
  • RANDOM: Provino’s has seven locations total, five in metro Atlanta and one in Rome and Chattanooga, respectively.
  • STRAIGHT FROM THE RESTAURANT’S MOUTH: “The popularity of our restaurants is due to delicious, Old World style food, warm and friendly service and the owner’s efforts to keep everything fresh, new and fun…We have taken this to heart and designed the restaurants as homey and comfortable as possible. Over the years we have become famous for our house salads and garlic rolls served family style.”

3. Bella Roma Grille

  • TOTAL POINTS: 63
  • OFT USED DESCRIPTIONS: good for casual or special occasions; near the minor league basetball stadium; something for everybody (Italian, Mediterannean and “American”)
  • LOCATION: 770 Braves Blvd NE, Rome, GA 30161
  • DOWNTOWN?  Yes
  • LUNCH?  Yes
  • DAYS CLOSED:  None
  • Menu and More
  • RANDOM: How fitting is it that the top three restaurants in our “Rome” rankings would be Italian?
  • STRAIGHT FROM THE RESTAURANT’S MOUTH: “Born out of years of dreaming, Bella Roma Grill is a family restaurant offering reasonably priced fresh food to Northwest Georgia. Bella Roma Grill is open for lunch and dinner daily. Come and enjoy a relaxing lunch on the patio, a romantic dinner, or a party for a special occasion.”

4. Harvest Moon Cafe

  • TOTAL POINTS: 45
  • OFT USED DESCRIPTIONS: bar open til midnight or later; menu has
  • LOCATION: 234 Broad Street, Rome, GA 30161
  • DOWNTOWN?  Yes
  • LUNCH?  Yes (and brunch on Sunday)
  • DAYS CLOSED:  None
  • Menu and More
  • RANDOM: Harvest Moon has been front-and-center in downtown Rome’s rebirth. Check out the “Moon Roof Bar.”
  • STRAIGHT FROM THE RESTAURANT’S MOUTH: Pulling from local and organic sources, we do our best to serve only the freshest produce here at Harvest Moon. We only use Certified Angus Beef (Gold Star Member), Southern-raised catfish, and all of our breads are baked in-house! We provide vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options (just ask your server).

5. Jerusalem Grill

  • TOTAL POINTS: 46
  • OFT USED DESCRIPTIONS: definitely has shawarmah; very reasonably priced; popular with college students
  • LOCATION: 223 Turner McCall Blvd, Rome, GA 30165
  • DOWNTOWN?  Yes
  • LUNCH?  Yes
  • DAYS CLOSED:  None
  • Menu and More
  • RANDOM: Jerusalem Grill opened roughly a dozen years ago, and it didn’t take long for the restaurant to develop a very loyal following.

6. El Zarape

  • TOTAL POINTS: 44
  • OFT USED DESCRIPTIONS: not pretentious; outdoor seating; reasonably priced; full bar
  • LOCATION: xxxxxxx
  • DOWNTOWN?  Yes
  • LUNCH?  Yes
  • DAYS CLOSED:  None
  • RANDOM: El Zarape celebrrated 40 years in business last year and is a piece of nostalgia for many people who grew up in Rome.

7. La Scala

  • TOTAL POINTS: 31
  • OFT USED DESCRIPTIONS: Mediterranean bistro; definitely not cheap, relative to northwest Georgia; very sharp-looking interior
  • LOCATION: 413 Broad Street, Rome, GA 30161
  • DOWNTOWN?  Yes
  • LUNCH?  No
  • DAYS CLOSED:  Sunday
  • Menu and More
  • RANDOM: La Scala is one of the very few places in its part of Georgia where you can find caviar. La Scala was another one of the businesses that rode the wave of downtown’s revitalization in the late 1990s.
  • STRAIGHT FROM THE RESTAURANT’S MOUTH:“La Scala now features a mix of local and seasonal cuisine with traditional familial influences. In addition to this, we strive daily to keep our menu fresh and original in concept and execution.”

8. Schroeder's New Deli

  • TOTAL POINTS: 30
  • OFT USED DESCRIPTIONS: sandwiches and pizzas, primarily; a downtown Rome insittution; laid back; a good place to have a drink
  • LOCATION: 406 Broad St, Rome, GA 30161
  • DOWNTOWN?  Yes
  • LUNCH?  Yes
  • DAYS CLOSED:  Sunday
  • Menu and More
  • RANDOM: Like El Zarape, Schroeder’s rode it out through the lean years around downtown and are now reaping the benefits of downtown’s comeback.
  • STRAIGHT FROM THE RESTAURANT’S MOUTH: “When Schroeder’s opened on February 6, 1981, brothers, John and Charlie Schroeder weren’t sure how the business would develop, but develop it did. Schroeder’s offers all the originals plus pizza, calzone, fried mushrooms, wings, potato skins, cold draft, bottled beers from an original menu featuring unique sandwiches, nachos, and salads.”

WONK ALERT: If you’re wondering what “points” means and how we narrowed down our list, HERE IS A LINK to a relatively comprehensive article about our methodology. Also, in this article, no restaurants with more than 10 locations were included. For example, Sam’s Southern rated fairly high in Rome, but Sam’s Southern is a chain with rougly 40 restaurants in many different states. Also, feel free to get to know more about our three super-talented and knowledgeable restaurant rankers – Google, Trip Advisor and Yelp!

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