Chinese  
Via S. Martino ai Monti 33/c (corner of Via Merulana) 
Tel. 06.487.2732 no reservations (get there early) 
Open daily for lunch and dinner (closed in August) 15 - 40 euro 

It is not what you expect to see in the Eternal City -- red lamps hanging outside, Chinese characters on the walls -- but there they are. Rome's chinese restaurants are everywhere. In your first few days, you can't believe that anyone goes to them, but give it a week and you will find yourself craving a spring roll. Beyond a doubt, Hang Zhou is the place to go for your fried-rice fix. 

Located a few steps from the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, on the border of Rome's multicultural Esquilino / Piazza Vittorio neighborhood, Hang Zhou is a small, hardly noticeable place that looks just like a million other Chinese restaurants you have eaten at throughout your life -- except for the pictures of Mao and the Red Guards on the walls. Tables and chairs are put into place with a shoe horn as a large numbers of clients are ushered to and from their tables.  

And the quality? It is quite good. And while not competitive with the food in New York's or London's Chinatown, everything is fresh and well made. The Perfumed Duck Peking Style is tops, the soy noodles are perfect, and the pork with Chinese scallions (erba cipollina cinese) is a delight. In fact everything on the menu is solid and if it doesn't compete with the great Chinese restaurants in those other cities, it is still an excellent and inexpensive meal. With it's wide selection of dishes and helpful wait staff, Hang Zhou is certainly the best in Chinese that Rome has to offer.