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In Rome, the Eternal(ly culinarily conservative) City, simple yet traditional cuisine reigns supreme. Most chefs prefer to follow the mantra of freshness over fuss, and simplicity of flavor and preparation over complex cooking techniques.
Rome has been known since antiquity for its grand feasts and banquets, and dining out has alway been a favorite Roman pastime. Until recently, the city's buongustaii (gourmands) would have been the first to tell you that Rome is distinguished more by its enthusiasm for eating out than for a multitude of world-class restaurants—but this is changing. There is an ever-growing promotion of slow-food practices, a focus on sustainably and locally sourced produce. The economic crisis has forced the food industry in Rome to adopt innovative ways to maintain a clientele who are increasingly looking to dine out but want to spend less. The result has been the rise of "street food" restaurants, selling everything from inexpensive and novel takes on the classic supplì (Roman fried-rice balls) to sandwich shops that use a variety of organic ingredients.
Generally speaking, Romans like Roman food, and that’s what you’ll find in many of the city’s trattorias and wine bars. For the most part, today’s chefs cling to the traditional and excel at what has taken hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years to perfect. This is why the basic trattoria menu is more or less the same wherever you go. And it's why even the top Roman chefs feature their versions of simple trattoria classics like carbonara, and why those who attempt to offer it in a "deconstructed" or slightly varied way will often come under criticism. To a great extent, Rome is still a town where the Italian equivalent of "What are you in the mood for?" still gets the answer, "Pizza or pasta."
Nevertheless, Rome is the capital of Italy, and because people move here from every corner of the Italian peninsula, there are more variations on the Italian theme in Rome than you'd find elsewhere in Italy: Sicilian, Tuscan, Pugliese, Bolognese, Marchegiano, Sardinian, and northern Italian regional cuisines are all represented. And reflecting the increasingly cosmopolitan nature of the city, you'll find a growing number of good-quality international foods here as well—particularly Japanese, Indian, and Ethiopian.
Oddly enough, though, for a nation that prides itself on la bella figura ("looking good"), most Romans don't fuss about music, personal space, lighting, or decor. After all, who needs flashy interior design when so much of Roman life takes place outdoors, when dining alfresco in Rome can take place in the middle of a glorious ancient site or a centuries-old piazza?
In addition to serving the usual array of sandwiches, salads, pastries, and gelato, this caffè—conveniently situated at the No. 660 bus stop on the corner of Via di Cecilia Metella—has teamed up with Bicycle Roma to rent bikes to use on the Appian Way and arranges guided tours (book via www.bicycleroma.com). There's lots of outside seating in the back, where your meal will be accompanied by birdsong.
Set in what was once an industrial space, this cavernous all-day restaurant and bar—replete with soaring ceilings, Chesterfield sofas, and open shelves filled with wine bottles—is popular for coworking, aperitivo, and apericena (light evening meal with small plates). The menu eschews pasta and focuses instead on pinsa (Roman-style oval pizzas) as well as fritti (fried foods), burgers and steaks, and some salads and other light fare.
Though she hails from Abruzzo, the young chef-owner Sarah Cicolini earned her place as one of the rising stars in Rome's restaurant scene at this trendy trattoria, where she embraces quinto quarto—or the fifth quarter of an animal, like tripe, tail, and heart. Be sure to book ahead for the vintage vibes and superlative carbonara.
At this award-winning pizzeria in the Appio-Latino area between San Giovanni and the Appia Antica, the dough is thicker than traditional Roman-style pizza and sturdier than Neapolitan-style pizza. Creative offerings include a cacio e pepe pizza and the "Tropeana" topped with mozzarella di bufala, Tropea onions, taggiasca olives, 'nduja from Calabria, and lemon zest. There's also an ample selection of fritti, including mozzarella in carrozza, zucchini blossoms, and several types of supplì.
If you fancy a cocktail with your pizza, head to this hip pizzeria created by the team behind the award-winning bar, Freni & Frizioni, in Trastevere. Six of the eatery's 18 taps are used for beer; the rest dispense cocktails that have been pre-batched and carbonated, resulting in perfectly blended, easy-to-serve drinks. Choose one of the classics, like a Spritz or G&T, or an original creation like the Saint-Tony, a sparkling riff on a Garibaldi. The thin, Roman-style pizzas are made with four kinds of flour and topped with premium ingredients. Fritti, like supplì and mac and cheese, are top-notch too.
