Cacio e pepe is Rome's three-ingredient pasta: tonnarelli or spaghetti tossed in a creamy emulsion of grated pecorino romano, pasta water and crushed black pepper. Nothing more.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Cacio e pepe predates carbonara by centuries. Shepherds in the Lazio mountains carried pecorino romano, black pepper and dried pasta on long transhumance routes from the 1700s onward; the three ingredients kept and combined into a hot meal at any inn. The Roman bistro form emerged in the 19th-century working-quarter trattorias. The dish has only three ingredients and zero margin for error: the emulsion must be glossy, not lumpy. Tonnarelli (Lazio's egg-pasta cousin to spaghetti) is the canonical shape. Da Cesare al Casaletto serves the famous fried-cup variation; Felice a Testaccio's table-side toss is the classic Roman service ritual.
Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Guided tour · 2 hours
Learn to make fresh pasta like the grandmothers of Italy during a class at a cooking school inside Florence's medieval tower. Learn every step of the...
2h 30m
Discover the secrets to making authentic homemade pasta and tiramisu from a local chef. The cooking class takes place in a locally loved restaurant,...
3 hours
Roll up your sleeves and discover the flavors of Naples by making authentic pizza and creamy tiramisù with a passionate local chef. Cook, laugh, eat,...
Guided tour · 2h 30m
Experience the flavors of Venice on a guided walking tour. Visit the Rialto Market, try tapas, such as "cicchetti," and admire historical highlights...
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Tip from the editors. The pecorino must be at room temperature, not cold from the fridge. Use less pasta water than feels right; the cheese needs heat and motion to emulsify, not flood.
Felice a Testaccio in Rome has served the Testaccio working-quarter cucina since 1936. Kitchen leans roman trattoria. At Via Mastro Giorgio 29.
OrderThe tonnarelli cacio e pepe tossed at the table, then saltimbocca alla romana and tiramisu.
TipBook a fortnight ahead on the website. Lunch is calmer; the 21:00 dinner sitting is the longest wait.
Armando al Pantheon in Rome has cooked the four Roman pastas and the quinto quarto canon since 1961, a few steps from the Pantheon. Located in Centro Storico.
OrderCacio e pepe, coda alla vaccinara, and the abbacchio when it's on the carte.
TipBookings open exactly two months ahead on the website. Walk-up tables exist but only for lone diners and only at 12:30.
Da Cesare al Casaletto (Italian) in Rome: Book a week ahead for Sunday lunch. Tram 8 from Trastevere terminates 200m from the door; cab back is 12 euros.
Why locals goTwenty minutes from Trastevere by tram 8, this Sunday-lunch trattoria stays off the tourist circuit while running the city's most-discussed fried cacio e pepe.
TipBook a week ahead for Sunday lunch. Tram 8 from Trastevere terminates 200m from the door; cab back is 12 euros.
Roscioli in Rome's Centro Storico runs deli, restaurant and wine cellar as one room. Kitchen leans roman, salumeria. At Via dei Giubbonari 21.
OrderThe carbonara, the burrata with anchovies, and any cheese flight from the counter.
TipBook three weeks ahead for dinner. Lunch is the easier seating and the same kitchen runs both services.
Sarah Cicolini's San Giovanni trattoria from 2017, Abruzzese cooking forequarters and offal; trippa alla romana, NYT-praised; moved to bigger room in 2025.
Why locals goOff the Re di Roma metro stop in the Esquiline edge, Sarah Cicolini's modern Roman kitchen runs trippa and pasta under most tourist itineraries.
TipClosed Sunday all day, Monday dinner. Book three weeks ahead for the 35-cover room.
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