All plates lead to Rome
If you want to appreciate traditional Italian cuisine, you have to eat like a local. Lee Marshall picks the Eternal City’s best restaurants
AS the capital of one of Europe’s most food-conscious nations, Rome takes eating out seriously. The accent is on serious: this isn’t a city where the foodie set flit from Mongolian yurt-themed diner to Peruvian pop-up restaurant. There are traditions to be respected: the great Italian threecourse starter, pasta and main line-up (except in the case of pizza, which is considered a meal-in-one); the Roman penchant for pasta with bacon and tomato ( amatriciana), sheep’s cheese and pepper ( cacio e pepe), and offal every which way. Beyond this, there is the Mediterranean insistence on olive oil rather than butter, local rather than exotic, and fresh rather than frozen. To sample real old-school Roman cuisine, head for a family-run trattoria such as Matricianella. But even a fine-dining establishment such as Il Pagliaccio — my top tip for a really special meal in the Centro Storico — roots its creative flourishes in what mamma used to make at home. Here is my pick of the best places to eat in Rome.
Armando al Pantheon
It’s a miracle that such a genuine, friendly and tasty family-run trattoria could exist within shouting distance of the Pantheon, and a miracle too that it is constantly chasing quality rather than resting on its laurels. The most recent tweak is a sensitive August 2013 makeover by the American-born designer Anton Cristell, which keeps key features — such as the marvellous stained-glass vestibule — but adds light and warmth. The menu offers local classics such as spaghetti alla
carbonara alongside lighter fare — in spring and summer don’t miss the asparagus tagliolini. Unusually for a Roman trattoria, it also has several vegetarian options. To sample a genuine Roman dolce try the Sapori di Roma dessert, a selection of dried fruit cakes and aniseed biscuits served with sweet wine for dipping and sipping. The wine list is another revelation. Thirty years ago it was little more than onesto (a polite way of saying unexciting); today it offers a serious panorama of some of Italy’s best small- and medium-scale producers, and the markups are reasonable. Price: lunch and dinner à40 Contact: armandoalpantheon.it
Enoteca Provincia Romana
Few tourists have cottoned on to it, but this super-friendly new slow-food-style wine bar on a cute little piazza overlooking Trajan’s column makes a perfect lunch or dinner stop after a slog around the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Set up by the local government to showcase the wines and produce of the countryside that lies within the Provincia di Roma, the bright, contemporary bar serves up light but tasty versions of dishes such as aubergine Parmigiana with basil pesto. Wines start at a very reasonable à3 a glass; if they have it, check out Poggio Le Volpi’s “Epos” cru, one of a brace of new-style frascatis. One hopes that the Enoteca will survive the mooted 2014 abolition of Italy’s penpushing provincial governments.
Price: lunch around à25; dinner around
à35 (two courses) Contact: enotecaprovinciaromana.it
Gelateria del Teatro
It’s just as well that Stefano Marcotulli’s ice-cream shop didn’t exist back when Via dei Coronari was one of the main pilgrim routes to the Vatican, as eternal salvation is no match for his sage and raspberry flavour, or the almond and fig, or the Vecchia Roma (a gelato version of a Roman Jewish ricotta and wild cherry pie). All ingredients are natural and the ice-cream is made from scratch on site. In 2012, Stefano opened a second branch at Lungotevere dei Vallati 25, not far from the Ponte Sisto footbridge. Price: cones and tubs from à2 Contact: 06 4547 4880
Il Pagliaccio
Anthony Genovese is a strong contender for Rome’s most talented chef. And a major plus point of the serenely welcoming restaurant he presides over is
that it’s in the heart of the Centro Storico — and not attached to a hotel. Genovese has worked in the Far East and on the Amalfi Coast, and there are influences of both in his playful but technically impeccable cuisine. Not least in his talent for presentation: I’m not one for food photos, but it’s all I can do not to whip out my iPhone when the tortelli filled with anchovies and broad beans arrives on the table — three jaunty little boats on a foamy green sea. It all tastes pretty good too, and with the help of the sommelier Matteo Zappile and pastry chef Marion Lichtle, Genovese has covered all the bases. To eat here at a (relative) discount, come at lunch, when there’s a
à75 tasting menu. Price: lunch and dinner around à135;
lunch tasting menu à7 5, dinner tasting
menus à130 and à150 Contact: ristoranteilpagliaccio.com
L’Asino d’Oro
Since he moved his culinary operation from Orvieto to the capital, Lucio Sforza has built up the same dedicated fan base he had in that Umbrian cathedral town, so book ahead to secure a table in his softly lit, rather hushed restaurant in the trendy Monti district. Sforza is a stickler for the freshest and best, and the menu changes frequently to reflect this. There’s often a sweet-and-sour note to his meat, fish and vegetable creations, and his novel ways with offal are legendary. The à13 three-course lunch menu (which includes a glass of wine) has to be the best-value waiter-service meal on offer in Rome. Price: fixed-price lunch menu à13, otherwise lunch around à22; dinner
around à40 Contact: 06 4891 3832
La Gatta Mangiona
If you want a really good sit-down pizza in Rome, it’s worth heading out into the suburbs, where in the past 15 years low rents and high demand have nurtured a handful of top-flight pizzerias. For centrebased visitors, one of the most accessible — thanks to the number 8 super-tram from Largo Argentina — is this busy, colourful evening-only place with cat-themed décor in the Monteverde Nuovo district. Using slow-rise pizza dough made from specially selected flours, the Greedy Cat does high-edged, Neapolitan-style pizzas, either with classic toppings or creative mixes such as smoked salmon, potato, fior di latte cheese and parsley. It also does a gourmet take on traditional pizzeria starters such as supplì (rice croquettes) and bruschetta (try the tuna, pesto and chilli version), as well as a few traditional pasta dishes and some good salads. And few Italian pizzerias can boast such a vast, curated selection of wine, craft beers and (believe it or not) single-malt whiskies. Price: pizzas from à8; dinner (three courses) around à22 Contact: lagattamangiona.com
Marzapane
This shoebox-sized bistro not far from the Macro contemporary art gallery does gourmet cuisine at family trattoria prices. A seven-course tasting menu at à35 is a remarkable offer even in recessionary Rome, especially given the bravura of the Spanish chef Alba Esteve Ruiz. The Mediterranean fusion approach is well illustrated in a starter of quail escabeche with figs and walnuts, in which Arabic, Iberian and Italian peasant traditions mix it up. The welcoming, funky interior is dominated by the open-to-view kitchen, which makes for a mesmerising show. The delicious “mono-portion” desserts, such as raspberry delizia, can also be bought to take away. Price: lunch and dinner around à35 Contact: marzapaneroma.com
Matricianella
Looking for a traditional trattoria in the Centro Storico with informal checkedtable-cloth ambience but better-than-usual food and service? Look no further. Matricianella is the place to which I take visiting friends when I want to introduce them to la cucina romana. Don’t miss the
carciofi alla giudia starter: whole artichokes, deep-fried Roman-Jewish style. But the fritto vegetale (lightly battered fried vegetables) is also delicious, and the spaghetti
all’amatriciana or alla gricia (that’s the tomato-less version) are so good that they should be taught in school. Among the excellent secondi, the saltimbocca (veal rolled up with prosciutto and sage) stands out. Featuring around 600 labels, the wine list is a cut above the usual trattoria standard. Reservations recommended for dinner, not necessary for lunch. Price: lunch and dinner around à30 Contact: matricianella.it