Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Abbacchio scottadito is Rome's spring-lamb dish: milk-fed Lazio lamb chops grilled on a wood fire and eaten hot with the hands, the namesake scottadito meaning burns-the-fingers.
Abbacchio is the milk-fed Lazio lamb of the Roman Easter tradition, slaughtered at around 30 days old and weighing 8 to 10 kilos. The scottadito (burns-the-fingers) preparation is the cutlets, dipped briefly in olive oil with rosemary, salt and pepper, then grilled hot on a wood fire and eaten with the hands as the lamb is too hot for cutlery. The dish is the staple of Roman Easter lunch and runs on bistro menus from March through May. Felice a Testaccio, Armando al Pantheon and the city's trattoria canon all serve canonical versions; the lamb-bone gravy on the plate is part of the dish.
4 editor picks for Abbacchio scottadito in Rome, ranked by editorial score. All Rome signature dishes · Abbacchio scottadito across every city.
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.
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.
Trattoria Pennestri in Rome's Ostiense, opened 2017 by Tommaso Pennestri, runs the Roman canon with farmer-named meat sourcing. Priced at €€.
OrderThe rigatoni alla gricia, pajata when it's on, and any seasonal antipasto from the chalkboard.
TipClosed Monday all day, Sunday dinner. Lunch is much easier to book than the 20:30 dinner seating.
Perilli in Rome's Testaccio has cooked the rigatoni con la pajata and the bucatini all'amatriciana since 1911. Kitchen leans roman trattoria.
OrderRigatoni con la pajata (the dish of the house), bucatini all'amatriciana and a glass of Frascati.
TipClosed Wednesday all day. Cash and card; cover charge is €2 per head.
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