Trippa alla romana is Rome's tripe dish: honeycomb tripe simmered in tomato sauce with celery, mint and a generous shower of grated pecorino romano. The Saturday lunch of the Testaccio quarter.
Trippa alla romana is part of the Testaccio quinto quarto offal canon that grew out of the city's old slaughterhouse trade. Honeycomb tripe (beef stomach) is poached, cut into ribbons, then simmered for 90 minutes in a tomato-celery sauce with the surprise of fresh mint at the end (the herb that distinguishes Roman tripe from Florentine or Milanese versions). The Saturday lunch of trippa was the Testaccio worker's tradition, with the dish often appearing on weekend menus only across the city. Sarah Cicolini's Santo Palato has put the dish back on Rome's must-eat lists since 2018; Checchino dal 1887 has cooked it as a Saturday-only special for over a century.
4 editor picks for Trippa alla romana in Rome, ranked by editorial score. All Rome signature dishes · Trippa alla romana across every city.
Santo Palato ★ 4.6
esquilino · Via Gallia 28, 00183 Roma
Sarah Cicolini's Santo Palato in Rome reads the quinto quarto offal grammar as modern technique. Trippa alla romana and the cacio e pepe make every Roma food list since 2018.
Checchino dal 1887 ★ 4.5
testaccio · Via di Monte Testaccio 30, 00153 Roma
Checchino dal 1887 in Rome's Testaccio is the dynastic temple of the quinto quarto. The Mariani family has cooked rigatoni con la pajata and coda alla vaccinara for five generations.
Trattoria Pennestri ★ 4.5
ostiense · Via Giovanni da Empoli 5, 00154 Roma
Trattoria Pennestri in Rome's Ostiense, opened 2017 by Tommaso Pennestri, runs the Roman canon with farmer-named meat sourcing. The rigatoni alla gricia is the lead order.
Perilli ★ 4.3
testaccio · Via Marmorata 39, 00153 Roma
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.