Aart Heering
Like every Dutchman living in Rome, my compatriots regularly ask me for a good, typical restaurant, preferably not too touristy and of course – we know – not too expensive either. The answer to that is not so simple.
Rome has a small 8.000 restaurants en Inns of which I myself have seen a few hundred inside in the more than 30 years that I have lived here. Plus, you can find dozens of guides to luxury, folk, modern, classic, monumental, intimate, Roman, Italian, and exotic eateries in bookstores and on the web, so what else could I add?
Eat like the Romans eat
Well, in this article I have chosen 17 restaurants where I have eaten to my full satisfaction and which I can therefore recommend with confidence. The first 15 of these are most old-fashioned Roman Inns and the last 2 are devoted to vegetarian and ethnic eateries, which are gaining interest.
Roman gastronomy has become a lot more versatile in that respect in recent years – but I assume that the tourist who wants to do as the Romans do, first of all want to get acquainted with the traditional local cuisine and kitchen masters.
After that you can always opt for an evening of Japanese, Turkish, Eritrean or vegan. I also realize that in this overview everything is missing. Such as the districts of Garbatella, San Lorenzo and Pigneto, where it is teeming with cozy eateries, but where you as a tourist do not come easily. The fish also came off a bit sluggish, but we'll fix that sometimes.
Follow here 17 good and affordable restaurants in Rome.
1. Ai Balestrari
Close to Campo de Fiori, in the Via dei Balestrari (the Crossbow Makers' Road, which clearly dates back to the Middle Ages), the best food in my opinion is prepared in the wood-fired oven of the trattoria of the same name. roman pizza Made in Rome: wafer-thin, large, and crispy, unlike the somewhat smaller, more risen Neapolitan pizza. There are many variations, but keep it simple, because a pizza base with too much stuffing will become limp and soggy.
In addition, Ai Balestrari is also a restaurant, with a wide choice of starters, pastas, seconds (no fish) and homemade dolce del giorno (dessert of the day). And as it should be, with a summer and winter menu and side dishes (vegetables) according to the season. Also the Fried may be there, so that a deep-fried fiore di zucca (stuffed zucchini flower) or a portion Ascoli olives is a good start to the session. They also have draft beer and a wide choice of wines, while the red and white house wine – for 10 euros a liter – can also be drunk well.
Ai Balestrari Campo de Fiori
Via dei Balestrari 41
www.aibalestrari.com
(A few years ago, two more restaurants opened under the same name: in the Prati district and at the Porta Pia. So make sure you book at the right one.)
2. Dar Filettaro a Santa Barbara
Cod is eaten all over Italy, usually in the form of stockfish. The preparation varies by region, and the Roman specialty are the filetti di baccala, soaked and desalinated bars in a thick layer of deep-fat fryer. Many restaurants have them as an appetizer, but at this address it is the main dish. The filetti were once the only thing served here, but now there are also starters, lettuce and desserts on the menu. His success has fillet steak however, this is mainly due to the ambiance: a rustic square in front of the church of Santa Barbara de Librai, the patron saint of booksellers, which, when the weather is nice, is filled with long tables, where the guests sit together in a brotherly way.
Do not have the illusion that you are alone as a tourist – barely a hundred meters from Campo de Fiori – but a moochie who pays attention to that. Have a few filetti, accompanied by a Roman salad – chicory in the cold season, gurnard of rocket when it gets warmer – and topped off with a carafe of house wine, then another, and it could be a night to remember.
Dar Filettaro in Santa Barbara
Largo dei Librari 88
tel. (0039)06 6864018; no website
3. Da Sergio alle Grotte
Not far from the previous two, hidden in a narrow alley, is another of those typical rather Spartanly decorated old-fashioned eateries with red and white checkered rugs. You have to search specifically for it, because Sergio's shop is hardly indicated, so that the clientele consists largely of habitués. Also with Sergio you can, after a solid antipasto misto all'italiana, get the usual Roman pastas, in addition to the anchovies, olives, capers, actually a Neapolitan specialty, but also popular in Rome. Or the spicy one angry, which is usually not really sharp, because the Romans are not used to that, so feel free to ask for some - preferably fresh - Chili pepper Bee. if according to Sergio serves fish (not really special, but I once had a good one mixed fry enjoyed and on the menu it is neatly indicated which ingredients come from the freezer). With the different types of meat, the lamb (lamb cutlet) out, in addition to typical Roman folk dishes such as coratella (all kinds of organ meats: delicious!) and Beans with pork rind (with rind boiled white beans). And all that for very reasonable prices.
Da Sergio alle Grotte
Vicolo delle Grotte 27
tel. 00396 6864293; no website
4. Armando al Pantheon
Armando is a classic in the touristic heart of Rome and also close to the Camera dei Deputati, the Italian House of Representatives. As a result, this small family restaurant is almost always full for both lunch and dinner, and I've seen prices rise quite a bit over the years as well. But it is a unique location, the atmosphere is cozy and the kitchen good. With old-fashioned Roman food like Roman tripe (beef stomach) and oxtail (in tasty sauce braised oxtail), in addition to its own specialties such as duck with plums and guinea fowl in dark beer. Of course, the typical pastas are not missing either – gricia, amatriciana, cacio e pepe and homemade ravioli – and the waiters know everything about the wine they serve.
Arming the Pantheon
Salita dei Crescenzi 31
www.armandoalpantheon.it
5. Antica Birreria Peroni
Close to the foreign press association, but also to Via del Corso and Piazza Venezia, the Antica Birreria Peroni has offered a unique mixture of a German beer hall and a Roman beer hall since 1906. hostaria. Everything revolves around beer here, especially the indigenous Roman beer par excellence, Peroni. (Try a mug of Gran Riserva on tap!) The cuisine is simple, but of an exceptional Roman-Middle European fusion: I don't believe you are anywhere else in Rome spaghetti already Goulash can get. The mixed fried is excellent, the bratwurst with sauerkraut too, but you can also have a very Italian one bresaola, carpaccio of Florentine steak to get. Those who are not afraid of a little one can throw themselves into the spacafegato (liver splitter): bratwurst, frankfurters, pork rinds and white beans. One mug is not enough, I know from experience. You don't have to leave it for the money and that is why the clientele is also mixed Italian-touristy.
Antica Birreria Peroni
Via di S. Marcello 19
www.anticabirreriaperoni.it
6.Vecchia Roma
They are still there, also in the heart of the center, those cozy old-fashioned dining tents do' se magna bene e se paga poco (where you eat well and pay little). Vecchia Roma is one such, in the trendy and nightlife-filled district of Monti. The name is appropriate, because since this trattoria opened more than a century ago, not much has changed in the decor. In addition to pizzas, the menu includes all the classics of Roman and Abruzzese cuisine, with the rigatoni con pajata stand out. It can't get more Roman than this pasta, but relatively few restaurants have it on the menu. I won't reveal what pajata is here, but every Dutch person I let taste it loved it. Also interesting is the scamorza radicchio and gorgonzola, grilled curd cheese with red chicory and gorgonzola cheese. If desired, you can also get a discounted three-course menu here. (Most restaurants in Rome don't do that.) And 4 euros for half a liter of house wine isn't bad either. Make sure you don't get stuck in a corner in the summer, because it can get quite hot when it's full.
Trattoria Vecchia Roma
Via Ferrucio 12 BC
www.trattoriavecchiaroma.it
7. Trattoria Montic
This other restaurant in Monti is a lot less popular. Decor, menu, wine list and bill, everything exudes more prestige, and that makes the Trattoria Monti an interesting change. The menu is small, which is necessary if you have little ready-made, but offers tasty finds. What about the tagliolini (flat spaghetti) with fresh anchovies, cave-aged sheep's cheese and sultana raisins? More Sicilian than Roman, but certainly original. Slightly more traditional is the back of lamb with a sauce of boiled must and baked potatoes. For enthusiasts, there are also fried brains with courgettes. And as befits a modern eatery, the menu also has a vegetarian section, where you can play around with vegetables and different types of cheese. In short, something different in Rome.
Trattoria Montic
Via San Vito 13
Trattoria Monti is on Facebook
8. Perilli a Testaccio
The Testaccio entertainment district is gastronomically the domain of the fifth quarter (the fifth quarter), traditionally in Rome denoting the organ meat, or that which was left for the people after the prelates had reserved the better parts for themselves. Around the Mattatoio, the former municipal slaughterhouse that is now a cultural center, dozens of eateries have sprung up with this speciality. One of the oldest and most famousChecchino valley 1887, an excellent restaurant with a luxurious appearance, which is already in all guides and is quite expensive. (www.checchino-dal-1997.com) But in Testaccio you have plenty of alternatives, where roughly the same fare is served at significantly more affordable prices. One of these is Perilli, where of course everything from the quinto quarto is on the menu: trippa, coratella, pajata, ossobuco, animelle (sweetbreads). Other specialties are the, also typically Roman, fegatelli di maiale con lauro, fried pork livers with bay leaf, and the maialino al forno, suckling pig from the oven. For less adventurous spirits and stomachs, there are of course still the standard dishes.
Perilli a Testaccio
Via Marmorata 39
www.trattoria-romana.it/perilli
9. Roma Sparita
Trastevere is the Roman entertainment district par excellence. Lots of authentic trasteverini you will not find them and most of the year you can almost walk over your heads. There is no shortage of dining options, but Roma Sparita distinguishes itself from most other eateries because of its location. The rustic Piazza di Santa Cecilia, which the spacious terrace in front of the restaurant overlooks, is near the heart of the movida, but is remarkably calm and thus really a piece of 'lost Rome'. As with most other taverns in Trastevere, the same applies here: don't expect fine cuisine, but if you stick to the local specialties, you can't go wrong. Therefore choose for example tagliolini cacio e pepe (specialty of the house) and coda alla vaccinara. Or go for a simple pizza. With a liter of house wine and pleasant company, it is very pleasant here in the summer.
Ristorante Pizzeria Roma Sparita
Piazza Santa Cecilia 24
www.romasparita.com
10. Ba'Ghetto
The former jewish ghetto has quickly become a gastronomic center of importance. Traditionally you could find Jewish restaurants here like Piperno, where still the best Giudia artichokes (large artichokes double fried in olive oil) from Rome, but now also serves non-kosher fare. (www.ristorantepiperno.it) In recent years, a dozen more Orthodox establishments have been added, offering an interesting mix of local Jewish dishes (considered the most original Roman cuisine) and influences from North Africa and the Middle East.
One of these is Ba'Ghetto on Via del Portico d'Ottavio, the 'main street' of the ghetto, with a mainly tourist – Jewish or non-Jewish – clientele. Couscous, falafel en dotted, but also bucatini all'amatriciana with dry beef instead of bacon, spinach with raisins and pine nuts, kosher risotto alla pescatora and baked sweetbreads with artichoke: the menu is a textbook example of Mediterranean fusion. The menu also offers three full menus, one of which is vegetarian.
And while you're at the Portico d'Ottavio, stop by the kosher pastry shop at number 1, where there is always a line for the pizza pizza, cakes of unleavened dough with a multitude of candied fruits, which stand in the stomach but nevertheless taste for more.
Ba'Ghetto
Via del Portico d'Ottavia 57
www.baghetto.com
11. Tre Pupazzi
If you want to have lunch near it Vatican, don't let the Via della Conciliazione, the gaudy wide avenue that leads from the Tiber to St. Peter's Square. Instead, head to Borgo Pio, the main street of the adjacent working-class quarter. You'll find about a dozen trattorie here, which serve reasonably priced Roman fare and are frequented by clergy and seminarians from around the world visiting the Vatican. I liked coming to Tre Pupazzi, with its small terrace, spacious internal use and unique ministry by two older, immeasurably grumpy brothers. These have since disappeared from the scene and the tent has been thoroughly renovated, but now has a different specialty: in addition to Roman cuisine, Portuguese dishes are also served, including no fewer than 17 different dishes. cod (cod) dishes. On the other side of Pieterplein, past the parking garage, is La Vittoria, another not too expensive trattoria, where you will soon run into a pack of bishops. An extra attraction here is the spacious terrace with a view of the Vatican, from where you can watch the Pope recite the Angelus prayer on Sundays. (Via delle Fornaci 15; www.ristorantelavittoria.it)
Tre Pupazzi
Borgo Pio 183
www.ristorantetrepupazzi.it
12. Osteria di Birra del Borgo
If a visit to the Vatican has given you a healthy thirst and appetite, walk a few hundred meters from the main tourist crowds to an original beer tent with excellent food. In this stately but inconspicuous Roman street, a former garage has been converted into a modern beer temple with large leather armchairs, cozy tables and a long bar where you can order wine and cocktails in addition to beer. The tap is enthroned in the middle of this large space, with 24 different beers from the cask (and not from a metal keg, as is usually the case in Italy). Some of these, such as the Trenta Denari (thirty pieces of silver: the Vatican is close by), a peppered pale ale, are brewed in the Osteria itself and the kettles are an attraction in themselves. The offer is something for everyone and the bartender can tell you all about his beers and let you taste them too.
But it's all about eateries here and so is Osteria. Classic starters like supplì, flowers of "zucca" (fried zucchini flowers), Meatballs (meatballs in tomato sauce), cheese and tartare go well as appetizers alongside the beer. In addition, the pot purchases a series first dishes, including original ravioli di ricotta with pesto. As a main course you can choose between meat from the grill and vegetable dishes such as stuffed peppers from the oven. But the real recommendation is the extra-long risen, feather-light Roman pizza that is served here in bars (in trance) is served. For enthusiasts there is an 'atypical course' of five different types of pizza with five matching beers.
Osteria di Birra del Borgo
Via 26 Silla
www.osteria.birradelborgo.it
13. Cantina Cantarini
Just outside the center, near the busy Via XX Settembre, are the Horti Sallustiani, the ancient Gardens of Sallust. On the square of the same name is a trattoria where not much has changed since the 60s, including waiter Nello who has been working here for 60 years. The menu is also still the same and that's a good thing, because I think the Cantina Contarini makes the best Tripe from Rome. (Indeed, organ meats again, but the innardsare the defining element of Roman cuisine.) In addition to the usual pastas, the Cantina offers classics such as rabbit to the hunter (hunter-style rabbit) and pollo alla romana con pepperoni (chicken braised with red and yellow peppers). Fish is also served on Fridays and weekends. Last time I was here I fell in love with the fegato alla marchigiana (liver in the way of De Marken, the pride of the owner and staff, who all come from that region): lies breaded veal liver, fried buttery soft with sage. With a very good Spaghetti alla gricia (carbonara without egg) in advance, a firmly prepared chicory salad on the side and a bottle of Verdicchio with it, you really don't miss the haute cuisine!
Cantina Cantarini
Piazza Sallustio 12
www.ristorantecantinacantarini.it
14. All'Orsetto
Close to Piazza del Popolo and Piazzale Flaminia, this is an excellent place to have a real Roman lunch on checkered tablecloths after a nice city walk. You will not be among only tourists, because the Orsetto is also a popular destination for employees of the surrounding offices: easily accessible, hearty food, attractively priced and with a very cordial service that is already known as Mamma Silvia among Dutch journalists in Rome. . It is recommended here antipasto della casa, a mixture of ham, cheese, sausage, olives, pickled vegetables with a freshly baked cake (white pizza).
One antipasto for two is enough, because the portions are generous and if you want another spaghetti carbonara there is really no room left for the according to and that would be a shame. The choice is traditional, but varied: lamb (lamb), braised veal (my favourite), salti in bocca alla romana (the local variant of the slavink), grilled fish and baked potatoes (potatoes from the oven, much tastier than the French fries). Add to that the fact that the red and white house wine is best to drink – for only 6 euros a litre! – then you can imagine that many lunches here end somewhat swaying.
All'Orsetto
Via Flaminia 8
tel. 06 3219809; no website
15. Il Calice d'Oro
Finally, an address outside the center, in the working-class district of Tufello, a long way outside the center but easily accessible by Metro B1. Il Calice d'Oro (Golden Chalice) is located between uninteresting apartment blocks, but close to the beautiful Città Giardino, the graceful Roman Garden City dating from the 20s. The simple interior is decorated with halberds, swords and shields of crusaders, because the proprietor is a fanatic lover of Grail legends. The strength of the restaurant lies in the spacious courtyard, where as soon as the weather is nice you are really outside under a canopy of mulberry trees. Many local residents do that too, so that it is often full of families and groups of friends, while a tourist hardly ever comes. The cuisine is quite sophisticated for a simple restaurant, with fish specialties such as moscardini (small squid) al sugo, tonnarelli neri al ragù di spigola (fresh black pasta with sea bass ragout) and the cod cooked at a low temperature with various vegetables and herbs. In the neighborhood and beyond, Il Calice is best known for its tonnarelli alle vongole en polpette alla casalinga (housewife's meatballs). In nice weather it is recommended to book and if everything is full, you can visit a little further as a second choice Goat and Cabbage (the cabbage and the goat, www.capraecavoli.net), where you can also eat outside on a spacious terrace. Here the pizza is good, alongside an original parmesan sprinkled potato skins fry.
Il Calice d'Oro
Via Monte Beni 16
www.ristorantecalicedoro.it
16. Il Margutta (vegetarian)
Vegetarian cuisine is also on the rise in Rome, but it is not yet teeming with specific vegetarian restaurants. That is actually not necessary, because vegetarians generally get their money's worth in traditional eateries. After all, classical Roman cuisine was based on poor man's food, from people who rarely served meat. (That mainly went to prelates and potentates.)
With the pastas there is therefore plenty to choose from: pasta ai ceci (with chickpeas), tonnarelli with cheese and pepper (square spaghetti with melted cheese and pepper), penne pasta with arrabbiata sauce (with tomato and chili pepper), ravioli with ricotta and spinach (filled with ricotta cheese and spinach): it's all vegetarian and you don't have to be a vegetarian to like it.
Also typically Roman antipasti starters are often vegetarian, such as the fritto alla romana (a frying pan of vegetables and cheese) and mozzarella (di bufala) and pomodoro† Essentially the same applies to the pizza. Choice enough and if you want a simple seafaring orders (with Chili pepper and extra garlic), then meat is really superfluous and even the vegan happy.
With the main courses the choice is less rich. In many restaurants you can still choose between piatti di terra e di mare, either meat and fish, but you always get away with a parmigiana (aubergine and mozzarella from the oven), a omelette (omelette) or a soufflé.
By the way, you can also do without such a second dish† A starter, a good pasta and a vegetable is usually more than enough, even without a piece of meat that has been grilled too often with little imagination.
More and more restaurants, such as the Ba' Ghetto mentioned above, now also have a vegetarian menu in addition to a meat and fish menu, while others have meat and fish-free dishes marked as such. And of course you can always ask the waiter for advice.
That said, here's another tip for a restaurant that boasts Italy's oldest vegetarian cuisine.
Il Margutta is beautifully situated in the street of the same name near Piazza di Spagna, which is the domain of gallery owners and artists. That doesn't make it the cheapest place to eat in Rome, but it's not outrageously expensive either.
The menu offers interesting dishes such as carpaccio of raw and cooked artichokes, basil soup with tomato, risotto with broad beans and pecorino cheese, homemade small (thick spaghetti) in garlic and oil, vegetable tempura and fried aubergine balls. The number of dishes is limited and varies per season, because the vegetables come from our own garden, according to the ecological kilometer zero-principle.
If you really want vegetarian food in Rome, this is the place to be.
Il Margutta veggy food & art
Via Margutta 118
www.ilmargutta.bio
17. Asmara (ethnic)
Foreign food was uncommon in Rome until recently. If a Roman went to dine exotically, he would go to a Sicilian or Tuscan restaurant, but the interest did not go much further. That has now changed. About 20 years ago you saw a lot pizza a taglio (bits of pizza from the griddle) tents are being replaced by Chinese eateries, which often suddenly became Japanese 10 years later, when they realized that you could get a lot of money for pieces of raw fish.
The dozens of Chinese restaurants that Rome now has are cheap but generally nothing special. And they have been adapted to Italian customs, so you first have to cook the rice or noodles (tagliatelle cinesi) and only then vegetables or meat. The Chinese takeaway and the all you can eat-Japanese are now also established in Rome, but you don't have to come directly to Rome to learn Chinese.
This does not alter the fact that the city now also has refined oriental restaurants such as the excellent gourmet Chinese Dao Restaurant on Viale Jonio (www.daorestaurant.it) and Hamasei (www.roma-hamasei.com), the first real Japanese in Rome, in the central Vai della Mercede.
Dozens of kebap tents and Indian restaurants have sprung up for a quick lunch, especially near the Stazione Termini.
In addition, Italy also has its own colonial gastronomic tradition, in the form of Erite and Ethiopian restaurants. One of the better ones is the seemingly unsightly Asmara, close to the Stazione Termini.
It has a vegetarian menu based on vegetables, chickpeas and lentils and a menu that includes couscous with beef and veggie braised mutton. Attempted zighini, a kind of sourdough pancakes filled with meat, vegetables and the typical spice mix berbere.
Asmara
Via Cernaia 36
www.ristorantecucinaeritrea.roma.it
More best restaurants in Rome?
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