Date Night in El Dorado Hills

Every couple needs a place. Not the loud one with the big screens, not the stiff one where you whisper. The one where the candles are lit, the pasta is real, the wine is poured like someone actually wants you to enjoy it, and nobody’s rushing you toward the check. That’s the room the Dedier family built at Vacanza Romana: a family-owned Roman osteria with Californian roots and an Italian soul, tucked at the back of El Dorado Hills Town Center.

What to Order for Two

The best date nights here are shared ones. Order a little of everything, pass plates across the table, and steal the last bite.

Start with something to share. The supplì al telefono, fried risotto with rigaglie, pomodoro and mozzarella, is made for breaking in half. The carciofi alla giudia, Roman fried artichokes with parmigiano fonduta and lemon, is the dish that explains the whole city in one bite.

Split two pastas. One Roman classic and one from the season is our favorite way to do it. The cacio e pepe is tonnarelli with toasted tellicherry pepper, two pecorini and a touch of white truffle butter. The carbonara is rigatoni, tempered egg yolk and pepper-cured guanciale, and never a drop of cream. For autumn, the cappellacci di zucca come filled with roasted delicata, finished in brown butter with amaretti and hazelnut.

Still hungry? Share a secondo like the saltimbocca alla romana, a pounded Berkshire pork chop with prosciutto di Parma and sage. Then one tiramisù, two spoons. Some traditions don’t need improving.

Handmade pasta twirled on a fork, a dish to share on date night at Vacanza Romana in El Dorado Hills — Pasta rolled by hand, every morning.

Something to Pour

Start the night with a Negroni Classico, or end it with a Bella Notte, our espresso martini with salted brown-butter caramel. The wine list runs deep through Italy and California, by the glass and by the bottle, with a nitrogen tap program and sparkling for a toast. Ask your server what’s pouring tonight; that’s what we’re here for. See the wine list or read more about our wine bar.

The candlelit, green-walled dining room at Vacanza Romana in El Dorado Hills, set for a date night dinner — The dining room, set for the evening.

When to Come

We serve dinner only, every night of the week. Doors open at 4:30.

An early table. Come at 4:30 and you’ll catch the room as it settles in for the night, with time for a second glass before anyone else has ordered their first.

A weeknight. Sunday through Thursday the kitchen cooks until 8:30, and you’ll usually have the most choice of times. If you want a slow, easy evening, a weeknight is your friend.

A later table. Fridays and Saturdays the kitchen runs until 9:30, which makes room for a movie at the theater above us first, or a dinner that becomes the whole night.

How to Book

Reserve on Resy; it takes about a minute. Celebrating an anniversary or a birthday? Put it in your Resy notes and we’ll bring a candle and a toast. Planning to ask the big question? Call us first at (916) 673-9620 and we’ll help with the timing. More ideas on our celebrations page.

Decided last minute? We hold a handful of bar seats for walk-ins each evening. And if date night turns into a night with all your friends, we host private dining for bigger groups. Want to know why the menu reads the way it does? Start with what Roman cooking actually is, and find parking and directions here.

Questions

Is Vacanza Romana good for a date night?

We think so. It’s a warm, candlelit Roman osteria with handmade pasta, a deep Italian and California wine list and nobody rushing you out the door. Dinner is served nightly from 4:30.

Do we need a reservation?

We recommend booking on Resy, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. A handful of bar seats are held for walk-ins each evening if you decide last minute.

What should two people order?

Share a starter like the supplì al telefono or carciofi alla giudia, split two pastas such as cacio e pepe and carbonara, and finish with tiramisù. Add a secondo like saltimbocca alla romana if you’re hungry. See the full menu.

It’s our anniversary. Should we tell you?

Please do. Add the occasion in your Resy notes when you book, and we’ll bring a candle and a toast to the table. More on celebrations.

Where do we park?

Park anywhere in the upper or lower Theater Plaza lots at El Dorado Hills Town Center. We’re at 2023 Vine Street, Suite 101, below the movie theater. Directions and hours.

Save us a table for two.

Dinner nightly from 4:30, until 8:30 Sunday through Thursday and 9:30 on Fridays and Saturdays. 2023 Vine Street, Suite 101, El Dorado Hills Town Center.

The Dedier family

Reserve on Resy See the menu