Italian restaurants in Rome, GA, offer several different ways to do dinner, from an evening built around Mediterranean dishes to a family meal of pasta, pizza and garlic rolls.

La Scala and Aventine suit diners looking beyond familiar red-sauce favorites. Provino’s and Olive Garden bring the recognizable Italian-American dinner, while Bella Roma and Gondola give a mixed group room to choose pizza, pasta or Mediterranean dishes.

Roma Mia and Pasquale’s round out the comparison with more choices north of downtown, including baked pasta, calzones and pizza.

The useful question is what kind of meal your table wants. These eight profiles compare menus, settings and locations so you can choose an occasion before choosing a restaurant. Leave room for the accompaniments—and check current menus before settling on a particular dish.

Click a linked restaurant name to open its Seven Hills Spotlight directory listing, with a map and directions for your next visit.

La Scala: Mediterranean variety downtown

At 413 Broad Street, La Scala's menu reaches from pasta and risotto to seafood, veal and steaks.

Pasta choices include combinations built around sausage, pancetta, stuffed pasta and brown butter, while the broader menu gives non-pasta eaters plenty to consider.

Its Mediterranean identity makes it a useful option for an evening when dinner itself is part of the plan.

Choose it for variety beyond familiar red-sauce favorites, and check the evening's menu when reserving.

Aventine: Southern hospitality with European influences

Aventine, at 401 West Third Street, describes its approach through seasonal ingredients, Southern hospitality and European sensibilities.

Its published menus have paired pasta and Italian ingredients with dishes drawing on other traditions, making it a broader restaurant than its Italian-inspired name might suggest.

Think of it for a dinner party whose tastes extend beyond classic Italian-American cooking.

The menu can change, so confirm current dishes rather than arriving committed to an older menu item.

Bella Roma: pizza, pasta and Mediterranean choices

Bella Roma Grill, at 770 Braves Boulevard, is family owned and makes a persuasive case for the group that cannot agree on dinner.

Pizza and pasta share the menu with Mediterranean dishes, giving it a different emphasis from a restaurant focused mainly on a pasta course.

It is a sensible place to compare options when one companion wants a pie and another wants an entree.

For a change from the salad, consider the amazing lemon chicken soup—a distinctive choice worth trying. Complimentary garlic rolls with olive oil give you something to enjoy while you wait for your meal.

Provino's: the classic Italian-American dinner

Provino's, at 288 Shorter Avenue, puts baked pasta, spaghetti, Alfredo-style sauces and chicken or veal dishes at the center of the meal.

Its pasta menu includes salad and garlic rolls, making the accompaniments part of the experience rather than an afterthought.

This is the direction to take when everyone is picturing a familiar Italian-American supper.

The Rome location also serves lunch on its open days, a useful distinction from restaurants offering dinner only.

Olive Garden: familiar choices from a national chain

At 789 Turner McCall Boulevard, Olive Garden offers the recognizable chain experience, with pasta, soup or salad and breadsticks central to its appeal.

That familiarity can help a group that already knows what it likes to order.

The choice is about wanting that established menu and dining format, rather than discovering a distinctly Rome restaurant.

Compare the complete meal and your companions' preferences before assuming either a chain or an independent restaurant automatically suits the occasion better.

Gondola: Italian and Greek choices in West Rome

Gondola Pizza, at 1803 Shorter Avenue, is family owned, with employees who have worked there for multiple decades. It belongs in this discussion because the menu extends well beyond pizza.

Lasagna, stuffed pasta, calzones and Italian entrees sit alongside Greek salads, gyro dishes and souvlaki.

It makes sense when the table wants a casual mix of pizza, pasta and Greek-style food.

That combination sets it apart from the more narrowly Italian-American options. Enjoy breadsticks with crushed tomato sauce while you wait for your meal.

Roma Mia: an addition worth making

Roma Mia Ristorante Italiano, at 3401 Martha Berry Highway, deserves a place on the list.

Its menu includes baked spaghetti, lasagna, chicken or veal piccata, pizza and calzones.

It adds another choice for a traditional Italian-style meal, especially for diners looking north of downtown.

Pasquale's: a pizza-and-pasta stop in Armuchee

Pasquale's Pizza & Pasta, at 4011 Martha Berry Highway, also merits inclusion.

The locally operated restaurant serves pasta alongside pizza, sandwiches, calzones and salads.

Andiamo is another name to remember, although its focused New York-style pizza menu fits the separate pizza comparison more naturally.

Pick the occasion, compare current menus, and leave room for dessert.

A small favor for your weekly publication

If you enjoy Seven Hills Spotlight and would like to help us make the site more useful to residents and visitors, take a minute to share an honest review of one of your favorite haunts. Tell folks what you ordered and what made the visit worth recommending.

Click the restaurant’s name above to visit its directory listing. Where you see Leave a Review, add your experience there. If that option isn’t available yet, share your recommendation in the comments below. Your local knowledge can help somebody find their next favorite table.