Amatriciana is Rome's tomato-and-guanciale pasta: bucatini tossed in a sauce of guanciale, peeled tomatoes, white wine, pecorino romano and chilli. The dish comes from Amatrice in the Lazio mountains.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
The amatriciana originated in Amatrice, the Lazio mountain town in the province of Rieti, as a shepherd's pasta with guanciale, tomato and pecorino. The dish reached Rome with Amatrice migrants in the 19th century and was rapidly adopted as the city's third great pasta after carbonara and cacio e pepe. The 2016 earthquake that devastated Amatrice prompted Roman restaurants to add a €2 supplement to every plate of amatriciana, raising funds for the town's reconstruction. The canonical recipe omits onion and garlic; guanciale (cured pork jowl) is mandatory, not pancetta. Perilli in Testaccio, Matricianella in the Centro Storico and Trattoria Pennestri all serve canonical versions of the dish.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Tip from the editors. No onion, no garlic. The canonical Roman amatriciana skips both; let the guanciale, tomato and pecorino speak for themselves.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Perilli in Rome's Testaccio has cooked the rigatoni con la pajata and the bucatini all'amatriciana since 1911. The pajata is the dish that defines the room and the quarter.
Signature: Rigatoni con la pajata, Bucatini all'amatriciana, Coda alla vaccinara
Order: Rigatoni con la pajata (the dish of the house), bucatini all'amatriciana and a glass of Frascati.
Tip: Closed Wednesday all day. Cash and card; cover charge is €2 per head.
Matricianella in Rome's Centro Storico runs the canonical Roman trattoria carte: amatriciana the dish that named the house, saltimbocca alla romana, and Lazio wines by the carafe.
Signature: Bucatini all'amatriciana, Saltimbocca, Concia di zucchine
Order: Bucatini all'amatriciana and saltimbocca alla romana, with a quartino of house Frascati.
Tip: Closed Sunday all day. Book a week ahead for the courtyard terrace; the indoor room is calmer.
Why locals love it: Hidden in the south Ostiense industrial edge, Tommaso Pennestri's modern trattoria runs the rigatoni alla gricia and pajata under most tourist radars.
Tip: Closed Monday all day, Sunday dinner. Lunch is the calmer service. Book ten days ahead for dinner.
Armando al Pantheon in Rome has cooked the four Roman pastas and the quinto quarto canon since 1961, a few steps from the Pantheon. The Gargioli family still runs the dining room.
Signature: Cacio e pepe, Coda alla vaccinara, Abbacchio
Order: Cacio e pepe, coda alla vaccinara, and the abbacchio when it's on the carte.
Tip: Bookings open exactly two months ahead on the website. Walk-up tables exist but only for lone diners and only at 12:30.
More cities are in research. Want bucatini all'amatriciana covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.