Rome restaurants

There are dozens of indigenous pasta dishes within the country itself, more than can be listed here. Specifically for Rome, however, there are two:

Spaghetti alla Carbonara (made with guanciale, Pecorino Romano, olive oil, black pepper & egg). Best rendition I had was at Pizzeria Emma near Campo de' Fiori. Owned by the Roscioli family.

Bucatini all' Amatriciana (made with guanciale, Pecorino Romano, olive oil, San Marzano tomatoes, hot red pepper & parsley). At Da Giggetto in the Jewish Ghetto. Fabulous, although nothing else at the restaurant was.

Cacio e Pepe is another one, but still haven't had it in Rome. Next time!

parsley

Parsley? I'm afraid they'll ask your Rome's passport back.

Cacio e Pepe at Le Mani in Pasta Trastevere!!!

At Campo dei Fiori have the original Carbonara at Carbonara!

The best meals (as in authentic, not gourmet) are at Carlo Menta in Trastevere!

Parsley? I'm afraid they'll ask your Rome's passport back.

I figured one of the natives--Dario or Roberto--would catch me on that one. I make Amatriciana at home & I use a little bit of flat parsley, and (blasphemously) also a little bit of minced onion--so shoot me. I looked back on pics of my dinner at Da Giggetto and it was sans the green stuff. And FYI I've only been able to find guanciale in the past 4-5 years. Pancetta is a poor substitute.

check out katieparla.com for all things Rome and food. When I went to Rome, every restaurant she recommended was memorable, and almost every memorable restaurant was one she had recommended.

highly recommend armando al pantheon, rosciolo, and tavernaccia da bruno. go to the latter on a sunday and get lasagna baked in a wood burning oven followed by suckling pig. (more umbrian and sardinian, respectively, than roman, but delicious all the same.)

check out katieparla.com for all things Rome and food. When I went to
Rome, every restaurant she recommended was memorable, and almost every
memorable restaurant was one she had recommended.

Book it Dan-o...

I had researched with Katie after I had heard that in the winter not a ton of restaurants are open Sunday night for dinner. She turned me on to Pizzeria Emma (mentioned above) with the Carbonara. Yes, memorable. She's a great source!

Maria Pasquale - I Heart Rome author is a lot like Katie Parla and I believe they are friends. I follow both on Instagram and did before I left. They have a ton of great picks. I would love to do a food tour next time with either one or both of them.

The discovery of Cacio e Pepe during a recent 2 weeks in Rome has cured my lumbago & restored my faith in mankind.

I love Italian food, but at the risk of incurring the wrath of my fellow RS posters, I want to weigh in with a contrarian opinion on cacio e pepe. IMHO, it's basically glorified macaroni and cheese. Don't hate me.

How about alla gricia? It’s like cacio e pepe with the addition of guanciale.

I love Italian food, but at the risk of incurring the wrath of my
fellow RS posters, I want to weigh in with a contrarian opinion on
cacio e pepe. IMHO, it's basically glorified macaroni and cheese.
Don't hate me.

How about alla gricia? It’s like cacio e pepe with the addition of
guanciale.

We don't hate you, but you will be stopped at the border and questioned to what this macaroni & cheese thing is all about. Cacio e pepe is a nearly-perfect hangover dish, carb-laden & mild.

And...is 'alla gricia' the missing link between cacio e pepe and Carbonara? All that's missing is the egg...

We always have Buccatini Alla Amatriciana our first dinner in Rome. The Testaccio neighborhood has many excellent traditional restaurants. Rick describes several in his Rome book.