Surrounded by Rome’s history, Tribuna Campitelli is a delightful spot to “savor the sea” right in the heart of the city. The project stems from the vision of Francesco Brandini, Roberto Bonifazi, and Daniele Gizzi to offer excellent seafood cuisine in the capital, where the cornerstones of maritime tradition are skillfully interpreted (and reimagined), both in terms of presentation and flavor.
Photo by Marco Scichilone
Located between the Capitoline Hill and the Palatine Hill, in the city’s least populated neighborhood, the Rione Campitelli makes up for its lack of residents with the charm of Ancient Rome. The Roman Forum, various archaeological sites and museums, and cobblestones stretching as far as the eye can see tell a story of timeless beauty. And right in the middle of this setting, just a few steps from the Teatro Marcello, the restaurant Tribuna Campitelli has made its mark over the past year. The restaurant is the ambitious new project of three partners—Francesco Brandini, Roberto Bonifazi, and Daniele Gizzi—who have made a name for themselves on the Roman scene with Bottega Tredici—a restaurant dedicated to Roman cuisine—and Tartarughe Bar e Bottega, a historic establishment revitalized by the trio’s vision. Friends before partners.
Tribuna Campitelli (which was just added to the Michelin Guide in the August updates, ed.) is thus the culmination of a journey marked by patience and hard work—both essential before opening a restaurant of this caliber, where expectations run high, from customer service to the culinary offerings to the wine selection.
Authentic flavors in a prominent location
Francesco Brandini and Roberto Bonifazi are the chefs, while Daniele Gizzi serves as the maître d’ and is the mastermind behind the wine and cocktail offerings.
Gianluca Franceschini, on the other hand, is the restaurant manager at Tribuna Campitelli—a key figure in ensuring consistently high standards in the dining room of this establishment, which features approximately 500 wine selections, an excellent selection of Champagne, and an intriguing mixology menu, including signature drinks and a section dedicated to the various variations of the Negroni.
While at Bottega Tredici the culinary philosophy pays homage to tradition and comfort food, in the beautiful setting of the Campitelli district, inside a Renaissance-era palace, the two chefs place greater emphasis on the aesthetics and precision of the dish. The menu makes it clear that Brandini and Bonifazi’s cuisine remains deeply rooted in their native region, featuring slightly reimagined recipes and a genuine familiarity with seafood.
The excellent selection of ingredients—as evidenced by the many raw dishes on the menu, including scampi alla pizzaiola and scallops with grapefruit and basil—is the starting point for serving elegant, flavorful dishes, striking a good balance between fine dining and casual dining. The highlight of the experience? The interior design, which pays homage to Renaissance Rome through three distinct dining rooms designed to ensure guests’ privacy and tranquility, creating the feeling that you have the restaurant almost entirely to yourself.
The Sea Takes Center Stage, Without Forgetting the Land
The chefs have crafted Tribuna Campitelli’s menu by focusing on seafood ingredients. One of the two tasting menus, the “Offerta di Nettuno” (eight courses for €60), is built around seafood appetizers—both raw and cooked—that showcase their skills. Among these, the Yellowtail tartare with lime, avocado, and lettuce brings out the freshness of the fish, enhanced by the lettuce extract. The restaurant’s signature dish, however, is a first course: Spaghettone Mancini with Campitelli clams, a perfect rendition of a great classic of seafood cuisine.
In addition to its rich creaminess and the excellent selection of clams, the dish is finished at the table with a parsley infusion, a key element that makes the dish truly worthwhile. The use of chili pepper is also spot-on, pleasantly complementing the flavor. While the Risotto with Scampi is yet another demonstration of how Brandini and Bonifazi hold dear the culinary cornerstones that should never be missing from a good seafood restaurant, the Campitelli Fish Soup excels both in presentation and in the selection of ingredients: red mullet, tomato confit, potatoes, red shrimp, scampi, oysters, and cuttlefish. In other words, a delicious dish.
Another strength of the restaurant is that it doesn’t disappoint meat lovers, serving a small but carefully curated selection of dishes such as Fettuccine with white farmyard ragù and beef tenderloin with green pepper, pomme gallette, and mushrooms. Not to mention the traditional dishes that are always a hit (especially with tourists), such as Tonnarello with cacio e pepe or Carbonara.
Tribuna Campitelli
Via della Tribuna di Campitelli 18, 00186 Roma
