When in Rome… Trattorias with True Roman Cuisine

by Alessandra Tibollo Contributor
November 3, 2019

November 3, 2019

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If you’re looking for a taste of real Rome, here’s a list of trattorias put together by born-and-bred Romans.

Looking for a fancy gourmet restaurant? Love organic food? Then the list below is not for you. Rather, it’s for anyone who comes to Rome and wants something so authentic that it feels perfectly at home amid the splendor of the monuments and cobblestone piazzas (up in the gallery the best traditional dishes you should taste in Rome).

There are many trattorias that fit the bill, several of which are in the historic city center. Excluding several tourist traps that we’ll simply ignore, here are a few osterias and trattorias where pasta all’amatriciana and carbonara, artichokes (alla romana or alla giudia), and abbacchio (lamb) rule the menus. These places are often unpretentious, with dated decor, (the inevitable checkered tablecloth, when it’s not made of plastic or paper), with generous portions, and where service is decidedly informal, if not downright coarse.

Roma

Sora Lella

This might be the poshest restaurant on this list, and certainly the most expensive. It’s a worthy destination because of its location right on the Tiberina Island and its distinctive history, being a product of Sora Lella, the great actor Aldo Fabrizi’s sister. She was well known and well liked in ...

Mejo de Betto e Mary

What’s the best thing about Betto e Mary’s? Their children, of course! It all began with Betto and Mary, whose restaurant is a veritable institution in Mandrione, the neighborhood much beloved by Pasolini. It’s the right place for people who love eating offal, known as quinto quarto. These goodies i...

Pommidoro

Despite its name, which could make you think of a pizzeria, Pommidoro is a historic restaurant, in the heart of the San Lorenzo. It’s been located on Piazza dei Sanniti for 120 years and has seen history pass through its tables. At this restaurant, where he felt at home, Pier Paolo Pasolini dined wi...

Il Quagliaro

What could you possibly eat at restaurant whose name derives from the word quail? Quail, obviously. Single, double or triple, depending on your hunger. They have other things, too, but the fame of this restaurant in Quarticciolo, a neighborhood in the southern part of Rome, lies entirely with its ma...

Sora Margherita

We are now in the heart of the Ghetto, Rome’s Jewish quarter. All you have to do is turn the corner and you’ll be able to recognize the small door of Sora Margherita by the line of people in front of it. With a decidedly vintage décor and very narrow tables, its menu is anchored in the great classic...

Trattoria der Pallaro

This is one of the restaurants that are part of the cultural education for any newcomer to Rome, like the pizzeria Baffetto or Pompi with its tiramisù. Anyone who has moved to Rome and been there for any substantial length of time has likely been taken by a friend to this prix- fixe restaurant. It’s...

Cencio la Parolaccia

We couldn’t leave this Trastevere restaurant out. It’s one of those places you go to more for the show than the cooking. Convent schoolgirls should give it a miss, since the waiters are on a mission to insult customers in dialect, and with plenty of cursing (indeed, parolaccia means curse word). Thi...

Ai Spaghettari

Also in Trastevere, this trattoria has made pasta its core business. Spaghetti, and more, strictly cooked using traditional Roman recipes, from cacio e pepe to amatriciana. It opened in 1896, so has more than 100 years of history behind it. They also make pizza, but let’s say it’s their strong point...

Domenico al Pigneto aka Er guercio

There’s not much Romanesque about the name Domenico, but the restaurant gets an honorary place on this list because of its nickname, “Er guercio,” which in Roman dialect means “visually impaired.” Plastic paneling, a plaster fountain in the middle of the terrace, a TV chained in the corner: the déco...