The Major Hotel’s rooftop gives Italian aperitivo a Middle Eastern twist

Between Monti and the multicultural streets of Piazza Vittorio, Masa sits on the top floor of The Major Hotel, with the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore so close it feels within reach and the rooftops of Rome stretching all the way to the Janiculum Hill. Opened in July 2023, this rooftop brings together Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking, with spiced dishes made for sharing and a cocktail list built around fermentation.

The name says a lot. Masa is a word found in many Mediterranean languages, and it can mean both a journey and something as precious as a diamond. At the table, that translates into conviviality: every meal opens with mezè, the small plates of Levantine cuisine, which arrive in the middle of the table for everyone to share.

The terrace

The rooftop is divided into three areas: the first part of the terrace, facing Santa Maria Maggiore, where you can have drinks and dinner; a bar that looks straight out of a Wes Anderson movie; and a more intimate dining area at the far end, with its own panoramic view over the city.

Aperitivo with a view

Aperitivo is served from 6 to 8 p.m. The Aperitivo Experience costs €35 and includes a drink of your choice with four mezè selected by the chef. The current selection includes a puff pastry tartlet with wild salmon and whipped sour butter, cured beef with sage mayonnaise and fried capers, Hummasa, the house chickpea velouté served with pita, and breaded anchovies with wild fennel and a sweet and sour sauce. If you want to stay longer, you can add more dishes from the all-day menu.

Cocktails

The drinks list by bar manager Alessio Di Stefano draws on fermentation, a technique with deep roots in the Middle East, using ingredients like milk kefir, fermented lime honey and fermented coffee and banana. The names come from Arabic. Na’ana, meaning “mint,” mixes Ketel One vodka, arak and mint cordial, softened by milk kefir. Shams Paloma, “sun,” is a golden take on the Paloma, with saffron-infused Casamigos tequila, Campari, lacto-fermented grapefruit and pineapple soda.

For bitter lovers, Marahmar brings the Mediterranean scrub into the glass with Campari, Fusetti bitter, sage, rosemary, basil, olives and lacto-fermented orange. Qadim Fashioned, “ancient,” reworks the Old Fashioned with Bulleit bourbon, Johnnie Walker Black Label, tonka bean, fermented banana and coffee, chocolate bitters and almond milk, while the Dāykiri pairs Zacapa 23 rum with jasmine and bergamot cordial, fermented lime honey and berry yogurt.

Dinner

Chef Danilo Mancini, who trained at the Hotel d’Inghilterra and worked as sous chef to Angelo Troiani, cooks with a lot of spices, but keeps them balanced. In his words, he had to test every dish “over and over again” to make this cuisine work for everyday dining in Rome.

Dinner starts with mezè, from €15 to €22. Highlights include the Giudea, a crispy artichoke with black garlic mayonnaise and fermented Moroccan lemon, the Altart, a lamb tartare with turmeric kefir, capers and licorice reduction, and the Samak, locally caught fish with truffle fumet, prunes, sesame and Tuscia hazelnuts. For a group, the Diyafah (€75) brings six mezè to the center of the table: the word means hospitality in Middle Eastern culture.

Pasta dishes include the Rishta (€25), Monograno Felicetti spaghettini with sour butter and homemade bottarga, and the Qamar (€24), fresh pasta filled with potatoes and chestnuts, with blue cheese cream and crispy leek. Among the mains, the fish shawarma (€32) comes with a root vegetable salad, BBQ mayonnaise, seaweed oil and lime gel, while the Asado (€28) features beef ribs slow-cooked and glazed with acacia honey. Vegetarians can go for the Shiflour (€24), cauliflower on a saffron and coconut milk velouté.

All desserts are €14, from the Rikota, sheep’s milk ricotta with almond and cinnamon crumble, spiced pear gel and warm salted caramel, to a crème caramel with sumac and lemongrass.

Lunch and weekends

On weekdays, the lunch menu is lighter: try the Roman-style artichoke, the pacchero with beef ragù, made from Asado trimmings in a no-waste approach, or a tajine with meat, fish or vegetables, served under its traditional conical lid. On Saturdays and Sundays, from noon to 4 p.m., the full dinner menu is also available at lunch.

Masa is open every day from noon to 3 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Masa sits on the edge of Esquilino, one of Rome’s most multicultural neighborhoods. If you’re staying nearby, see our guides to the best bars in Esquilino and where to eat in Esquilino.

The post Masa Rooftop: a Mediterranean Food & Drink Journey in Rome appeared first on Romeing.

Located on Via Veneto near Piazza Barberini, this is one of the most uncommon churches in Rome thanks to its unusual crypt of the Capuchin Friars.

The post Museum and Crypt of the Capuchin Friars appeared first on Romeing | Rome's english magazine, events and exhibitions in Rome.

Hotel Major’s Masa rooftop in Rome revisits traditional Italian aperitivo formula with a Middle Eastern twist.

The post Masa Rooftop: a Mediterranean Food & Drink Journey in Rome appeared first on Romeing | Rome's english magazine, events and exhibitions in Rome.