On our weekend trip to Rome this past January, 2025, we had very little time to explore tons of restaurants, but for one of the nights, I chose one-Michelin-starred Moma for dinner, mainly because it was a few blocks from our hotel in Piazza Barberini. We loved Moma for it’s very solid prix fixe menu with lovely wine pairings and impeccable service. Absolutely nothing was bad here, and we were constantly “ooohhh-ing” and “aaahh-ing” at the beautifully plated food. We chose the eight course “Creativity” menu, and had a lot of fun here.

Moma is a very small restaurant with only about 10-15 tables depending on the set-up. It’s very sleek and modern inside, and the tables are cozy, but not crowded at all. Service here was absolutely top-notch, with each server very closely paying attention to pacing and ensuring that our wines were poured at appropriate times. We spent almost three hours here, which was longer than I was expecting, but it didn’t seem too long or drawn out at all. The courses were also all plated as though each one was an individual work of art. The meal was a feast for all five senses!

The evening started with some snacks which were all very whimsical and fun on the palate. There was bread service too, and if we let them, they really would’ve kept refilling the basket. They served the bread with a really wonderful Sicilian olive oil that was super herbaceous and bright.

The main portion of our dinner service started with oysters in a cabbage compote, followed by Langoustine with liver mousse, which were both rich and very seafood-y. These were very small bites, though, which were almost forgotten when they served the veal terrine with sweetbreads, which were so rich and delicate at the same time. A really nice course.

The next two courses were easily my favorite of the evening. First came mushrooms with miso sauce and truffle which was an umami flavor bomb. This course was served with a primo Gevrey Chambertin Burgundy, which complimented and tamed the uber flavors of this course extremely well.

Following this was a beetroot infused mezze rigatoni with gorgonzola, which was just as pretty to look at as it was to eat. The pasta really did have a strong beet flavor, and was super al dente, so even though it only looks like a very small number of rigatoni, it was very chewy, and took some time to eat and savor the really unique flavor.

Next up was a really simply prepared cod with a lime butter sauce, which we both really enjoyed with a stunning red wine from Unterhofer winery in Alto Adige. The grape is called Leitn, which was a new-to-me grape, and paired perfectly with the cod, being light bodied and fruity. This producer is tiny, and family owned, and the only languages you can view their website in are Italian and German! This was some legit stuff!

Finally, rounding out the savory courses was a lovely, melt-in-your-mouth sliver of duck breast, perfectly prepared, and paired with an absolutely lovely Montepulciano wine.

The desserts never seemed to stop coming either, and we were first served a mango and cream palate cleanser, followed by a completely scrumptious pumpkin raviolini with chestnuts and chocolate. A couple additional bites including a yummy gelee were served at the very end.

All in all we loved our experience here, although I must say it was overshadowed by our amazing, and more pocketbook friendly dinner at Retrobottega the next night. What really stood out here at Moma, though, was the extraordinary service, and the gorgeous, artistically plated dishes. If you’re staying near the Piazza Barberini, this is a wonderful spot for a special occasion!