Rome - Roscioli for one?

I will be in Rome for one night this week on business. The person I was meant to have dinner with rescheduled for earlier in the day and now I have the night open.
I’ve seen a lot of love for Roscioli on this board. Is it the type of place a solo diner could roll in without a reservation? Is there a bar or communal tables, or similar?
Rimessa has available reservations on-line. Is that a comparable experience? Thanks in advance for any advice!

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I would make a reservation for sure, pre COVID you’d never get in without one. I’d guessed the same now. Probably true for both places (but have only been to Roschioli),

Thanks for the advice! Unfortunately doesn’t look like a seat is available at Salumeria Roscioli that night. Does the food / experience at Rimessa compare?

Rimessa doesn’t have the classic menu of Roscioli, but it’s far and away the better choice for a solo diner. You are seated in communal tables and the Rimessa team is very welcoming. We’ve made new friends every time we dined there.

Someone mentioned counter seating at Roscioli. You’d want to confirm that. There may have been counter seating at one time, but the last few times we were there, they had little two tops along the deli case. I don’t recall there being counter-seating. Roscioli is really chaotic, too. Fun if you are a couple or small group. But solo, I think it would be noisy and lonely.

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I am very happy there as a solo. Yes, noisy.

The chef’s counter at Retrobottega is highly recommended for solo dining, or for small groups for that matter.

We were in Roscioli in early September and there’s no counter around the front deli, just small 2-person tables close to but not by the deli. Reservations is a must.

Thanks for all the advice.

Reporting back from dinner last night at Rimessa: it was indeed a great place for a solo diner. People all around were very friendly, good people watching, and the staff was incredibly enthusiastic and welcoming - especially the wine team.
I enjoyed paging through the wine list - lots of well-aged Piemonte and Tuscan selections, and very fairly priced - at least by my NY-based expectations. I ended up with a 2009 Ar.Pe.Pe Grumello Riserva Sant’Antonio. The nose on that wine was insane from the first pour, and I spent a lot of time just swirling and sniffing as it opened up over a couple of hours.
The food was really, really, great. Starting with a crusty sourdough bread and a few glugs of a brilliant emerald green olive oil - the brightest and fruitiest I have ever tried. By ordering the salumi and cheese board, I got to taste some of the goods from the Roscioli salumeria: mortadella, capicola, prosciutto, a bit of sausage. The cheeses were really memorable… there was an ash-covered goat cheese - same cheese from two different farmers side by side - one was almost crumbly and mild, the other runny and pungent; also a perfecty ripe Camembert ; and a very nutty 36-month Parmigiano Reggiano. The pasta dish was spaghetti with ricci di mare - sea urchin. There was no urchin visible on the plate - it must have been just whipped in with olive oil and a bit of pepper to make a slick of sauce that coated a healthy mound of thick and especially al dente spaghetti. One of the best things I’ve ever eaten… thank goodness for the bread to sop up the last of the oceanic deliciousness! My entree, which was really far more food than I needed by that point, was asino (donkey) shank with mushrooms. My first experience with this meat. Very flavorful and “beefy”, but just as tender as you would expect donkey to be…quite a workout for each bite. An interesting dish but I’m not sure I’ll be in a rush for my next plate of it. No room for dessert, so they poured me a wonderfully fragrant glass of bitter amaro from Siena (wish I had written down the name), to cap off an excellent and memorable meal.

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Sounds like a great evening! I ate at Roscioli a couple of years ago as a solo diner and loved it. I’m glad you got to try at least some of their offerings.

Yes there is a bar at roscioli, very small however. Rimessa has communal table so you can eat solo. I would definitely book though

i have eaten alone at the roscioli bar before on a walk in; pre pandemic it was buzzing and super lively, even a little cramped. the food came out in a hurry and while it was a terrific gastronomic experience, if you are looking for a place to order some bottles over a leisurely dinner i would probably skip it.

Well, better check beforehand if bar-deli counter is still at Roscioli. Last I saw, last month, they removed the bar counter and put up a couple of tables for 2 against the wall opposite the deli.

We ate at Rimessa a couple weeks ago and were very disappointed in the service. We had the 5 course tasting menu with wine. My husband asked the server for a recommendation for a dry white wine before we ordered. He said he would have the sommelier come over-never got the wine we wanted before the meal. They brought the glasses of wine for one course 20 minutes before they brought the food and we almost forgot we were supposed to be waiting for food!