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 dishes: Bucatini all'amatriciana, Saltimbocca, Concia di zucchine
Must 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.
Address: Via del Leone 4, 00186 Roma, Rome
Trattoria Dal Cavalier Gino in Rome's Centro Storico is the politicians' lunch room near the Parliament, with frescoed walls and the coniglio alla cacciatora the unmissable secondo.
Signature: Tonnarelli cacio e pepe, Coniglio alla cacciatora, Saltimbocca
Order: The tonnarelli cacio e pepe, coniglio alla cacciatora, and a half-litre of house Frascati.
Tip: Closed Sunday. Book a week ahead; the back-room frescoed alcoves are the ask.
Volpetti in Rome's Testaccio is the 1973-founded salumeria counter with 300 Italian cheeses, a salumi case stocked from every region and a takeaway pasta lunch for €8.
Signature: Cheese flight, Salumi platter, Pasta lunch
Order: The cheese flight tasting at the counter and a salumi board with prosciutto di Parma.
Tip: Open Mon to Sat 08:00 to 14:00 and 16:30 to 20:15. Closed Sunday. Cheese tour by request.
Doppio Zeroo in Rome's Ostiense district is the all-day pizza-and-aperitivo room with a long deli counter, the city's most generous aperitivo bar at 19:00 and a craft beer list.
Signature: Pizza al taglio, Aperitivo, Tasting plates
Order: The aperitivo buffet from 19:00 with a glass of Lazio white, plus slices of pizza al taglio.
Tip: Open daily 07:00 to 02:00. The 19:00 aperitivo is the value entry; book the rooftop in summer.
Trattoria Dal Cavalier Gino in Rome's Centro Storico is the politicians' lunch room near the Parliament, with frescoed walls and the coniglio alla cacciatora the unmissable secondo.
Signature: Tonnarelli cacio e pepe, Coniglio alla cacciatora, Saltimbocca
Order: The tonnarelli cacio e pepe, coniglio alla cacciatora, and a half-litre of house Frascati.
Tip: Closed Sunday. Book a week ahead; the back-room frescoed alcoves are the ask.
Antica Pesa in Rome's Trastevere is the 1922-founded trattoria with a hidden walled garden, the celebrity-spot lunch room and the cacio e pepe that critics have argued over for decades.
Signature: Cacio e pepe, Tagliata di manzo, Carciofi alla giudia
Order: Cacio e pepe, tagliata di manzo, and the carciofi alla giudia in season.
Tip: Book the walled garden three weeks ahead for May to September. Closed Sunday all day.
Gabriele Bonci's Pizzarium near the Vatican in Rome is the pizza al taglio counter that re-wrote how the city does slices, with toppings that rotate every two hours.
Signature: Pizza bianca, Pizza al taglio with mortadella, Suppli
Order: Pizza bianca with mortadella, the potato slice with rosemary, a suppli on the side.
Tip: Open from 11:00 daily; line moves fast. Slices are sold by weight. Eat standing or take to nearby park.
Pizzeria Da Remo in Rome's Testaccio is the classic Roman pizza room with paper-thin crusts, the city's busiest suppli counter and a queue that wraps the piazza nightly.
Signature: Roman pizza, Suppli, Bruschetta
Order: Roman pizza margherita, suppli al telefono, and the bruschetta with anchovies.
Tip: Cash only. No bookings; arrive 19:00 or after 22:00 to skip the queue. Closed Sunday.
