Restaurants
The Roman meal is divided in four courses: antipasti, which could be bruschetta or a selection of meats, primo which is usually pasta or risotto, secondo which is meat or fish and finally the sweet course, dolci. People often round off the meal with a coffee and maybe a shot of grappa or a glass of Fernet-Branca. Of course, restaurants won't expect you to have every course, and plenty of people just have antipasti followed by a bowl of pasta or a piece of meat. (Meat is usually served on its own, so be sure to specifiy if you'd like a side salad or vegetables.)
Vegetarians
Although the more tourist-oriented establishments have cottoned on to vegetarianism now, if you go out of the way you're still likely to find yourself confronted with a waiter who doesn't understand the concept. Be patient, explain what you want and even then expect to be picking bits of meat out of your food. Be as flexible as you can be - if you're the type to periodically break over a bacon sandwich or a cheeseburger, you really ought to let yourself break when given the chance to experience Roman cooking at its fullest!
Menu Turistico
If you want to try a range of food on a budget, it might be worth looking out for somewhere that does a 'menu turistico'. These allow you to try all four courses, in relatively small portions, for €10 or so.
Recommended
Carlo Menta - Trastevere (Via Lungaretta 101, tel.06 5803733 / 5884450 fax. 06/5811052) A friendly place that does a good menu turistico.
Ripa 12 - Trastevere (Via San Francesco a Ripa 12, tel. 06 5809093) A fish restaurant that does an incredible fish carpaccio. Open 12.30-14.30, 19.30-22.30. Closed Sundays.
Vineria Il Chianti - Trevi Fountain (Via del Lavatore 81/82a, tel. 06 6792470) Given the central tourist location, this is a surprisingly nice restaurant with a good range of dishes. Try the €15 starter selection of meats and cheeses. There's enough there to feed 3 or 4 people. Open 12.00-2.00.
