
Checchino dal 1887
Photograph courtesy of Checchino dal 1887
Eat | Roman
Checchino dal 1887
If somebody is in Rome for one day and they only have one dinner this is where I tell them to go because it has everything. It’s been opened since 1887 and it has an Old World feel. It’s run by two brothers and one sister. One of the brothers runs the front house, the other brother is a chef at the back of the house. They look very similar. The manager is very by book, very formal, but also very good at what he does. His knowledge of Roman food and wine is next to none. Best carbonara I’ve ever had and best Amatriciana I’ve ever had. There are a lot of Roman staple dishes that I’ve never had a better version of. This is the place where you want to go to eat real Roman food. They have a lot of offal dishes, like pig’s feet and pajata, which is the lamb’s intestines.
Via di Monte Testaccio, 30, Rome, Italy 00153
T: +39/(0)6.574.3816
www.checchino-dal-1887.com

Cacio e Pepe at Felice
Photo Credit: Diego Cosenza [flickr]
Felice
It has a more modern look to it because they’ve recently renovated, so it’s a little more sleek and industrial looking with iron lamp fixtures that come down from the ceiling. The food’s amazing. They are known for their cacio e pepe which they toss tableside. The abbacchio al forno, roasted baby lamb, is amazing. Those are probably the two best things they serve here.
The execution of the sauce of the cacao e pepe is great because it’s sort of dressed. It is the proper amount of pasta, water, cheese and black pepper. The server will come to the table with a big bowl of Tonnarelli pasta, which is a fresh square-cut spaghetti that has been cooked and is sitting in a bowl with pasta water on the bottom of the bowl. Next to them they have a bowl of pecorino and a bunch of black peppers. They put in the black pepper and the pecorino and as they toss it you get those smells and aromas. The water and cheese emulsify together and the pepper coats everything. It is really awesome.
Via Mastro Giorgio, 29, Rome, Italy 00153
T: +39/(0)6.574.6800
www.feliceatestaccio.it

Pierluigi
Photograph courtesy of Pierluigi
Pierluigi
It’s the best place for fish and is in a beautiful piazza called Piazza de Ricci. I love it for afternoon lunches, particularly on Sundays because there are very few places open. I would definitely reserve in advance. When it’s nice out, the piazza here is amazing to sit and eat at. They’ve just spent a ton of money renovating the interior of the restaurant too, so it’s pretty inside, but the piazza itself is absolutely stunning.
I order the Moscardini Fritti, which are little baby sepia, cuttlefish and best fried calamari you’ll ever have. They’re like popcorn calamari, tiny thumb-nail sized pieces of squid that have been slightly breaded and floured and fried. They do a thing called Insalata Catalana, which is a Catalan inspired salad with potatoes, cherry tomatoes, arugula and usually cuttlefish, shrimp and a red onion lemon vinaigrette. It’s a gorgeous salad, especially great in the summer time. The Spaghetti alle vongole is one of the best in Rome, a perfect combination of sweet and briny.
Piazza de Ricci 144, Rome, Italy 00186
T: +39/(0)6.686.1302
www.pierluigi.it
Eat | Pizza
Pizzeria Da Remo
Brightly lit, classic neighborhood spot. It is super busy and open relatively late, at least until midnight. I often go here for Roman-style thin crust pizza with a Peroni or a Moretti beer.
Piazza di Santa Maria Liberatrice, 44??, Rome, Italy 00153
T: +39/(0)6.574.6270
Pizzarium
It’s north of the Vatican walls and a pain in the ass to get to. You can take the metro, which is pretty easy. Take it to the Cipro stop. If you’re going to go to the Vatican Museum and you’re taking that trip, which I usually discourage people from doing simply because Rome has so much to offer that you don’t have to wait on line for and going to the Vatican Museum kills an entire day. But if decide to go, then make sure you eat at Pizzarium either before or after the Vatican.
The guy that started it, Gabriele Bonci, is one of the city’s figurehead pizza makers. He uses all natural, artisanal crafted products. He sources his flours very carefully. His dough is amazing. You see as soon as you walk into his place that it’s different than all the rest. His toppings are so much more vibrant and fresh. He really takes good care of all the ingredients and the dough is out of this world. You can’t go wrong with any pizza that looks good here, just buy it.
Via della Meloria, 43, Rome, Italy 00136
T: +39/(0)6.3974.5416
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