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Roma Cucina Italiana is directly across the street from where we are staying in Maho and we have heard all positive reviews from friends we chat in the pool with
We finally decided to give Roma a try
Roma sits on the former site of Cheri's which was a St. Martin institution with a wacky drag stag show and decent food and fun friendly service
The front of the house is managed by Marco, long time St Martin restaurateur who we have followed from our first meal in St martin at La Gondola
He has also run successful Izi as well as Isola, all three offered wonderful food and service
One of the highlights of the decoy is a older light blue and white Vespa

We had high expectations and we were not disappointed
The modern decor featured open windows overlooking Maho and was well air conditioned
One of the highlights of the decoy is a older light blue and white Vespa
Our friendly and knowledgeable server Shana quickly delivered our cocktails and we reviewed the vast menu where we had to narrow down our choices
My wife started out with the fried calamari which could not have been better
larger tubes were lightly dusted with flour and flashed fried, they were served in a french fry cone basket with a red sauce with just a little kick
there were no bodies and truly perfectly prepared

The crudo of the day featured paper thin slices of pristine wahoo artfully presented on a triangle plate with a light lemon-basil emulsion and garnished with mild fennel slices and arugula
the light acidity allowed the mild flavors of the fresh wahoo to shine

We had a very difficult time deciding on our mains but finally decided on sharing the ultimate chicken parmesan and the Salsiccia & Funghi Pizza
Chicken parmesan is one of my favorite meals and Roma has a great version topped with prosciutto, shaved parmesan cheese, arugula and aged balsamic
the fork tender chicken was a good size portion allowing some to take away and enjoy our the next day's lunch

the thin crust pizza was perfectly baked with a crisp char, topped with sausage, mushroom and quality mozzarella
the pizza was quickly baked in a high temperature pizza oven imported directly from Italy

Dessert was another hard decision but narrowed down to the semifreddo
the crunchy almond-caramel gelato was finished off with an Amaretto sauce and garnished with a crispy cookie and kumquat

We watched our neighboring tables food and all looked equally good and noticed all the plates were cleaned completely on return to kitchen

Service throughout the evening was friendly and attentive with water glasses filled, silverware replaced and tables wiped down between courses
we also enjoyed Raphael, who delivered the food with a great smile

It is very rare on vacation when we leave a restaurant and make a return visit the same year
With such outstanding food, service, atmosphere and menu choices, pretty sure we will be back to decide on things we missed out on

Marco runs a great operation as he learned from one of the best. We go back to his days at La Gondola as well.

Glad you had a great experience at Roma. Marco is one of our personal friends. We have had him and his family over to our place at Flamingo many times both for pool time and dinner. We enjoy them very much.

Roma and Mr. Chow is our new favorite restaurants. We have eaten there several times during our vacations since they’ve opened .

Good food in a lovely setting. One of our favorites.

Really enjoying reading your food descriptions. Your chef experience really adds to the information you share.

almond caramel gelato dessert sounds absolutely wonderful. Thanks for continuing to share.

again, wonderful MMMMMmmmmm

We enjoyed Roma a couple of times already. Each time was fantastic. Last trip we chatted a while with Marco, and shared some memories of the Old La Gondola. My wife LOVED the ahi that they used to serve there, and no one else have ever been able to prepare it as well as she used to love. The additon to Roma is a huge assett to the Maho area, and for us who stay at Royal Islander. The only trouble is deciding on what to order!!! The pizza there is also great. We had it a couple of times when we weren't in the mood to ''go out''.