Where To Eat In Trastevere – updated for 2018

I love the Trastevere neighborhood. Vibrant, colorful, yet lazy and ironic. So totally Roman in every aspect.

Wedged between the River Tiber, Vatican State, and the Janiculum Hill, Trastevere is a village within a city. The Trastevere village is then divided itself into two distinct worlds, cut in half by the Viale Trastevere thoroughfare: on the Santa Maria in Trastevere side, tourists and international students mingle in and out of raucous pubs and tavernas; on the southern side of Viale Trastevere is instead a quieter, more authentic 'old Rome' atmosphere that permeates the cobbled alleys.

Four years ago I created a list of my favorite restaurants in Trastevere. It's time to update it, adding new places that have opened, and taking out others that no longer excite me.

Trastevere, in fact, offers a lot of places to eat... not many of which are really any good. The density of touristy eateries in the neighborhood has sadly increased over the years. So it's important for me, as a fan of the Rione XIII, to prove that we shouldn't simplify the old Roman "left bank" to strung laundry and tourist traps.

Here is my shortlist of favorite places to eat in Trastevere.

Photos © thedishstance.com

Da Enzo
Cucina romana classics in this tiny osteria include a very well assembled carbonara and sublime cacio e pepe. The menu is seasonal and depends on whatever is fresh and available at the market on the day, so expect entrées to include coda alla vaccinara (stewed oxtail) or baccalà (cod) baked with a potato crust and blistered cherry tomatoes. Leave room for dessert, especially if the mascarpone mousse topped with wild strawberries is available that day. This hole-in-the wall trattoria has a line out the door every night, and does not take reservations after 7:30pm.

Photo © anamericaninrome.com

Osteria Der Belli
Outdoor seating in this Sardinian restaurant overlooks a charming piazza in Trastevere. The menu is seafood-based, so you can go crazy ordering spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, fresh anchovies and pecorino; various crudo and tartare platters; grilled scampi and the catch of the day baked in a salt crust, or any way Leo suggests. Cucina romana classics are also available.

Tavernaccia Da Bruno
I squeezed this in my Trastevere list, but this family-run restaurant is actually closer to Testaccio. In addition to traditional Roman and Lazio cuisine, expert pizza makers bake pies and focaccia in the large wood-fired oven. The five decades of family ownership and consistently delicious pastas, delectable mains, and appealing desserts make this one of those places that indemnify Trastevere's bad dining reputation.

Pianoalto
Again at the southernmost tip of Trastevere, not far for the Trastevere train station is Pianoalto, a game on words brought to us by the same brilliant female foursome behind Pianostrada. The rooftop location is set across two floors including the landscaped terrace boasting a stylish bar counter and offering views across Rome's ex-slaughterhouse, the Aventine hill and Monte Testaccio. The menu is seasonal, in summer think ravioli filled with burrata, candied tomatoes, crispy eggplant, basil and ricotta salata; or spaghetti with grilled mussels, zucchini flowers, pecorino di Falisco and candied lemon.

STREET FOOD & PIZZA

Photo © kittyskitchen.it

Seu Pizza Illuminati
Located on the edge of Trastevere near Ostiense is a stellar new pizzeria that has definitively spolied us Romans: after tasting Pier Daniele Seu's pies we no longer settle for average. Highlights of the rich menu include the pizza Margherita Gialla (topped with yellow vine-ripened tomatoes, mint and smoked provola cheese), the Origini pizza with fior di latte, porchetta, myrtle liqueur reduction and rosemary, and the Indiviata pie topped with fior di latte, Belgian endive, mortadella, pistachio-flavored whipped ricotta and nutmeg.

La Casa del Supplì - Sisini
This minuscule family run take-away place is buzzing with activity all day long and serves Rome's best supplì (fried rice balls). There's also a good choice of other fritti, like zucchini blossoms, battered cod fillets and potato corquettes, as well as pizza al taglio (slabs of thin-crust pizza baked in large pans, squares of which are sold by weight). Lazy cooks can purchase their lasagna, rotisserie chicken and french fries to go.

Trapizzino
Rome's street food craze, the famed triangular pizza corners, have landed in Trastevere, and this too has contributed to raising the neighborhood's bar of quality. Fillings of the hot pocket of your dreams are the franchise's fame, and include classic Roman gastronomy ranging from chicken cacciatore, tongue with salsa verde, braised oxtail, meatballs drenched in tomato sauce, zighinì (spicy slow cooked Eritrean meat dish), picchiapò beef stew, pork belly Roman style and much more. Good beers and bubbly.

La Boccaccia
This tiny––when I say tiny, think 'broom closet' tiny––pizza al taglio joint serves some of the best arrabbiata pizza topping I've had to date. Their pork sausage and broccoli is equally amazing, as is their pumpkin one. If there's no room to sit, have your pizza wrapped, walk to Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere and eat your squares of happiness sitting on the steps of the fountain.

Photo © apronandsneakers.com

Il Maritozzo Rosso
If you thought maritozzo could only be a decadent breakfast bun filled with whipped cream, you'll have to think again. In the location that once housed the first Pianostrada, savory buns are filled with all manner of cucina romana classics: crispy guanciale and pecorino; cacio e pepe, or stracciatella (the filling in burrata), anchovies and seared spinach. These are only a few of the 30 different fillings available on rotation. There's obviously sweet maritozzi too, so save room for dessert.

COFFEE, PASTRIES & GELATO

Photo © kukkulalta.com

Bar San Callisto
This charming dated neighborhood bar is a Trastevere must. Sit outside at the rickety tables, drink Peroni beer from the bottle, watch the old men play cards at impromptu sidewalk tables and receive automatic Trastevere citizenship. Just to give you a clue as to the usual clientele, the bar's license was recently suspended for three days, on accounts of disturbing the peace (a late-nigh jam session). The homemade gelato is limited to a few simple flavors, served with freshly whipped cream. Don't miss the house specialties, sambuca con la mosca (anise liqueur with a toasted coffee bean in it) and sgroppino: lemon sorbet mixed with (non-equal parts) chilled vodka and served with a spoon and a straw.

Otaleg!
When Marco Radicioni opened his second gelateria in Trastevere the loud roar of exultation was heard as far as Malta. Favorite flavors of the moment (they change on quick rotation) are white chocolate-licorice-mint, Madagascar vanilla-bourbon with ginger, and all the phenomenal seasonal fruit scoops.

Fatamorgana
Regarded as the the gelato maker that bought gourmet gelato to Rome, Maria Agnese Spagnuolo churns mainstream classic as well as adventurous flavour combos like pear & Gorgonzola; tobacco flavored chocolate; black srice and rose petals, and whatever else is in season. All flavors are organic and gluten free. My favorites are bacio del principe (hazelnut praline and toasted hazelnuts), pistachio di Bronte, and cinnamon-apple. As far as summer fruits, I always go with peach, watermelon and cantaloupe.

Photo © Andrea Di Lorenzo for italyfoodandwinetours.com

Biscottificio Innocenti
Stefania and her family make hundreds of types of biscotti in a 1960s vintage oven that's 14 meters long and works with a conveyor belt. When the German company that sold it to Stefania's parents came to install the "beast" in the cookie shop, the neighbors told the couple that they were crazy investing their life savings in that horrid thing. The oven is still there, producing sweet morsels of joy. Do yourself a favor and buy a bag of brutti ma buoni ("ugly but good" hazelnut macaroons), shortbread hearts half dipped in chocolate and the wafer-thin "stracci". The coffee vending machine makes surprisingly good espresso. Sip and nibble on the bench, while you listen to Stefania's perfect trasteverino dialect as she tells you stories of her fascinating life in the Rione.

Le Levain
This tiny French-inspired bakery-boulangerie uses sourdough natural starter yeast in almost all of their recipes. That alone should be a guarantee of quality. Le Levain is popular for homemade pastries, breakfast buns, mini-cakes and bread. Savory preparations include quiches filled with anything from pancetta and cheese, to broccoli and potato. I come for breakfast and binge on their delightful buttery croissants and pain au chocolat (which are made with actual French butter), macarons, eclairs, and original tartes. Beware, though: once you do too, you'll never settle for a margarine-soaked cornetto ever again.

What's your favorite place to eat in Trastevere?

Best Gelato in Rome

Not to be mistaken with fattier (and colder) ice cream, you can find gelato artigianale — artisan gelato made using strictly non-industrial guidelines — in gelato parlors, which in recent years have acquired fine dining status. They include ingredient pedigrees, unusual flavor combos, and savory haute cuisine savory variations. They also get social media coverage worthy of prime minister sex scandals.

The number of new and top-notch gelaterie seems to increase with each passing summer, making your choices seemingly boundless.

Needless to say, I'm an avid gelato consumer. I also love lists. Here are my Rome favorites.

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Where to eat: the updated list

Many of you like to stop by here at Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino for recipes, or to hear the latest news on the sweet (and sometimes bittersweet) life in Italy. Some like to keep up with my freelance writing, and therefore are familiar with my column "In Cucina" I pen for The American Magazine in Italia, or my lifestyle correspondent-work for The Travel Belles, or the pieces I've done for other online press. In most of these, I like to share lists. I love lists, I'm a list maniac, I think I suffer from an acute form of list-fetish.

Over the years I have also shared lists of favorite restaurants and places to eat in Rome on this blog as well. And I've collected all these lists, divided by topic on a where to eat page. It has its own tab at the top of this blog, under the masthead.

If you trust my opinion, or are simply looking for a personal list of tried and tested, say– vegetarian restaurants, or gluten-free kitchens, or simply an inspirational index of favorite pastry shops, pizza joints, gelaterias, cafes and such, you can head over to the mother of all lists, and click on the various listed links to be redirected to the specific article.

If you have any suggestions for future lists you'd like to see here, please leave them in the comment box below, and I will take all requests into serious consideration. You know me and lists.

Where to eat in Rome near the monuments

If you're sightseeing in Rome, make sure you know where the good wine, gelato and pizza are first!

History, archeology, art, food and wine — Rome is generous with its variegated goods. The only real risk is overkill. The wise thing is to alternate sightseeing with food breaks.

But where to pause the cultural spree with some well-chosen snack nosh? Here's my shortlist of favorite places for smart (and tasty) intervals, arranged by sightseeing neighborhoods.


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Gluten-free Rome

Please read my 2018 update! 

Not many gluten-free travelers realize that coeliacs exist in Italy too.

The boot-shaped peninsula seems like the last place where you'd enjoy a gluten-free meal, what with all the pasta, pizza, bread, focaccia, salumi and other Italian specialties and staples. But celiacs in Italy can enjoy a large variety of gluten-free foods at every meal.

For example, mornings can have a sunny start with gluten-free croissants (cornetti senza glutine) along with steaming cappuccino. Midday snacks and main meals can include gluten-free panini, gluten-free pasta, gluten-free beer, gluten-free pizza, and even gluten-free gelato, served in a flour-less cone.

gluten: substance present in cereal grains, especially wheat, that is responsible for the elastic tissue of dough. A mixture of two proteins, it causes disorders in people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivities.

Prompted by a celiac friend skeptical of traveling to Italy, I did a little research, tried various products and after a number of wheat-less meals, I came up with this little list of gluten-free dining options in Rome.

Baiamonti Lounge Bar - Charming pizzeria, cafe and tavola calda (informal, cafeteria-style) that caters exclusively to celiacs. Via Baiamonti, 12 (Prati) - Tel. +39 0637351954

Hotel Diana Roof Garden - Dine sans wheat on a breathtaking terrace with sweeping views of the Vatican and tiled rooftops. Via Principe Amedeo, 4 (Esquilino) - Tel. +39 06478681

Il Capriccio di Trastevere - This fun trattoria offers a large number of gluten-free options along with their regular menu of Sicilian specialties. Via Roma Libera, 19 (Trastevere) - Tel. +39 065816469

Polenta (slow-cooked cornmeal) is a typical northern Italian staple, and totally gluten-free.

Il Viaggio - Sitting in the pastel rooms of Il Viaggio, celiacs can pick from an impressive list of wheat-less dishes, from antipasto through dessert, and choose between 3 variegated tasting menus. Via Isonzo, 14 (Nomentano) - Tel. +39 0697997043

Insomnia - Great seafood and homemade desserts in this restaurant and pizzeria that has prides in providing numerous gluten-free preparations, including pizza, pasta and fried goodies since 2007. Via Portuense, 469 - Tel. +39 0655389376

Giancarlone al 19 - Giancarlone cooks up some of the city's best homestyle Roman cuisine, with an eye for celiac pizza-lovers. Via Durazzo, 19 (Prati) - Tel. +39 0666014164

'O Masto - Pizzeria in EUR that serves Napoli-style thick crust pizzas, receives daily deliveries of mozzarella di bufala and limoncello from Naples, and coats its ambrosial fritti with celiac-approved breadcrumbs. Largo Salinari, 8/16 (Tre Fontane) - Tel. +39 065413448

Mama! Eat - Appealing joint that serves up a plethora of delicious gluten-free options, including pizza, several pasta dishes, tasty grilled panini, desserts and beer. Via di San Cosimato, 7 (Trastevere) - Tel. +39 065806222

Renovatio | La Soffitta - Home to some of the best gluten-free cuisine in town. Specialties include antipasti, thin crust pizza, Roman pastas classics like carbonara, and homemade desserts. Piazza Risorgimento 46a (Vatican) - Tel. +39 0668892977

Tramvì - Within the compound of the children's museum Explora, celiacs can enjoy palatable dishes in a colorful setting. And free parking in a virtually carless zone. Via Flaminia 82 (Piazza del Popolo) - Tel. +39 0632600432

Universale Caffè - Wheat-less pastries and sweets are served along side freshly brewed espresso and exotic teas, as well as gluten-free appetizers with drinks. The place is located at a stone's throw from Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. Via delle Coppelle, 16/a (Pantheon) - Tel. +39 0668392065

Voglia di Pizza - Bakes flour-less pies, served with gluten-free beer, both at deliciously small prices in otherwise costly surroundings. Via dei Giubbonari, 33 (Campo de' Fiori) - Tel. +39 066875293

Beyond the city center:

Agriturismo Santa Anastasia - In the lovely setting of this rustic working farm and B+B minutes away from the center of town, the wood-fired brick oven and grill churn steaks and gluten-free pizzas until late at night. Via Torre Sant'Anastasia, 83 (Ardeatina) - Tel. +39 0671350361 - temporarily closed for renovation (2018)

Al Colle - Besides the delightful wheat-less pizzas, this place rocks a lush garden and a romantic terrace overlooking the Tuscolo winelands. Via di Passolombardo, 212 (Romanina) - Tel +39 067201032

Stella Marina - The special gluten-free menu includes wheat-less ravioli, potato gnocchi, and fettuccine, all dressed with delicious seafood condiments, plus stellar homemade breads, cakes, crostate, tiramisù, and sorbets. Via Nino Taranto, 29 (Acilia) - Tel. +39 0652440215

Favorable facts for celiacs in Italy:

• In Italy celiacs receive a monthly allowance from the government for gluten-free foods.
• By law gluten-free foods must be available to celiacs in schools, hospitals, and public places, like malls and cinemas.
• All pharmacy products are required to indicate the presence of gluten on labels.
• All food labels must indicate the presence of gluten.

Soy–, yeast– and gluten–free "occhi di bue" cookies

Useful resources:

Associazione Italiana Celiachia ~ Italian celiac disease association
Cose dell'Altro Pane ~ Artisan GF products
Celiachiamo.com ~ Intolerance-awareness website, has now opened 2 shops in Rome
Glutenfree Roads ~ GF travel website
Celiacando ~ GF grocery store

Fruttini

 

Don't you love these?

They're called fruttini, and they're a clever little dessert. The concept is easy, fruit pulp gets scooped out, made into sherbet or gelato, which then returns back in the empty fruit peel, in the form of delicious, chilled filling!

The one portrayed above is a typical citrus display of fruttini, but the seasonal selection is virtually boundless. I've seen fresh frozen and gelato-filled pears, strawberries, whole pineapples, melons, figs, grapes, apricots, bananas, papayas, a huge watermelon at a party, and then chestnuts, walnuts... and even fennel, radishes and onions!

The futtini-mania has picked up momentum over the years, and I'm sure they've become popular overseas too. There's an artisan gelateria, Matteo Napoli (fruttini's presumed inventor) that sells them online–but ships to Italy and Europe only.

There are plenty of sherbet recipes on the web, I found this one particularly easy, that's of course if you own an ice cream maker. I don't, so what I do for "homemade" fruttini is even better.

I purchase the best quality artisan gelato I can find in flavors corresponding to what fruits I have in the house. I then scoop out the pulp from my fresh fruits and use it for fruit salads or marmalades. All I have to do then is simply fill the emptied fruits with the purchased gelato. It's easier to do with fruits that have a thicker rind, and I'm not trying this trick with kiwi fruits ever again.

I store the self-assembled homemade fruttini in the freezer and take them out 10 minutes before serving.

Furba, eh?

Italian gelato 101

Gelato is among Italy's most loved and consumed foods, but where do its origins reside? And exactly how is it produced? Grab a scoop and discover the evolution and characteristics of Italy's most popular product.

The history behind gelato is uncertain. There are two theories, and the first asserts that the inventor of Italian ice was a Renaissance artist who lived off his sculptures, paintings and set designs for the sumptuous parties Cosimo I de’ Medici would throw at the Florence court. Bernardo Buontalenti was his name, and, according to a legendary tale, his frosty invention happened during the majestic plans for a banquet honoring very important Spanish guests. On the night of the event, he managed to astound his VIP audience with a curiously chilled concoction made with bergamot oranges and lemons, obtained through a clever use of ice and rotating barrels.

Before Bernardo's engineering inventions, the only chilled foods in existence had been "sorbet" hailing from the Middle East, imported to Italy by the Crusaders. Astonishing how a foodstuff made with crushed ice mixed with citrus-based beverages could survive the Arabian Peninsula's climate. Today we call that miracle granita.

The second theory on the birth of gelato relies on the figure of Francesco Procopio de’ Coltelli, a Sicilian who invented a machine specifically intended to blend cream, fruit and ice into a homogeneous mix.

Francesco knocked at the Versailles doors of the Sun King Louis XIV, bearing tubfuls of the new food which immediately fascinated the monarch, and the royal entourage in his wake.

With the king's endorsement, in 1686 Francesco opened a cafe on Rue de la Comédie Française, in Paris. His creamy chilled specialty became the leading attraction, with Parisians flocking in droves just to taste the Sun King's ice cream.

Whether it was indeed Buontalenti or Procopio who invented gelato is still open to question.

Fortunately, the first true chronicled gelati we know of were those created by Italian immigrants from Veneto and Friuli, who at the turn of the century, established in Austria and Germany–two of Europe's leading industrial ice cream manufacturing countries.

The turning point in the ice cream industry came when, in 1927, a gentleman from Bologna–Otello Cattabriga–invented the first automated gelato machine, thus making the product available to a wider public.

So its precise origin may still be debatable, but one thing is for sure, gelato was invented by Italians.

What is the difference between gelato and ice cream?

I get asked this question a lot.

Gelato is not simply an Italian word for ice cream. It is, in fact, an entirely different and unique product, separate and distinct from ice cream. Gelato contains many ingredients as ice cream–water, milk, sugar, flavorings and air–but in uniquely different proportions.

The three most distinctive differences between gelato and ice cream are low butterfat content, low overrun, and extreme freshness.

Butterfat content

In many jurisdictions, a frozen dessert cannot be called "ice cream" if it does not have at least a certain percentage butterfat content. Gelato butterfat content is typically one tenth of regular ice cream. The majority of gelato flavors are made with whole milk instead of cream.

Overrun

Overrun is a measure of air which is injected into the ice cream during production. A high overrun means a lot of air is added to the ice cream during the making, low overrun means there is not much air added. Typical North American-style ice cream can have an overrun of 100% or more. This literally means that half of the ice cream by volume is composed of air. In contrast, artisan gelato has a much smaller overrun, around 30-40%. But some less scrupulous Italian gelato makers have figured out that a higher overrun can cut ingredient and raw material costs. So steer clear of frothy, excessively sculpted and over abundant gelato: it's mostly all air.

Freshness

At an authentic gelateria, the gelato is made from scratch daily. Unlike many overseas ice cream parlors, the gelato here is made on the premises. True Italian gelato is not produced in large quantities and then stored. There are no preservatives added to create an artificially long shelf life, so typically, gelato is made fresh for consumption within a day or two.

The combination of extreme freshness, low butterfat and low overrun results in a product that is denser, creamier and more intense than traditional ice cream. Gelato is served at a warmer temperature than ice cream and has a cleaner, more smooth perception on the palate.

The best artisan gelato can be divided in two greater families: those which are egg/cream-based (chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, hazelnut, zabaglione, etc.) and those that employ fruit as their main component.

The blend that will eventually end up in a generous scoop in your wafer cone, usually starts with the mixture of liquid components, like water and milk. Next are added the slightly thicker components, like evaporated milk, eggs (obviously only in the "creams" category, not in fruit gelato), and glucose.

At this point this blend is heated to maximize homogenization (process in which the fat droplets are emulsified and the cream does not separate). When the heated blend reaches 40° C (104° F), the solid components are added, like sugar, natural thickeners (like agar-agar, or carob flour), ground coffee and cacao powder. This blend is then further pasteurized to guarantee absence of bacteria.

The following stages of production involve vigorous mechanic agitation and brisk stirring; churning in low temperatures, and maturing. These are two very important steps. By resting, the proteins in the milk and eggs absorb the moisture present, which stops the forming of irksome ice crystals, a veritable gelato no-no. Gelato should be velvety, smooth and creamy. If it's sandy and tooth-gritting because of grainy ice in its texture, it definitely is not gelato. This is also the delicate stage at which perfect gelato is whisked just enough and not pumped with too much air to obtain low overrun.

During the churning at low temperatures, gelato finally ices and becomes the creamy frozen delight that we know. At this point the water present in the blend changes from liquid to solid state, and most importantly, this is when artisan gelato makers add the typical ingredients which will define their gelato flavor: freshly squeezed fruit juices, fruit chunks, cacao, gianduja, vanilla, hazelnuts, pistachios, etc.

The final stage of the gelato production is when it is set to harden. The mixture is refrigerated at lower temperatures (-20° C/-4° F), and will be stored like that until beautifully dollopped on a wafer cone or in a coppetta, the typical Italian 3 to 8-oz tub.

Although gelato can be a year-round treat, strolling the avenues of the Eternal City in summer, we always discover newly elected ice cream shrines, where coppette and cones come filled with unconventional new glacial flavors.


The whim and talent of genuine Italian gelatai are beyond measure. Here are a few personally tried and tested fashionable flavor combinations:

Nero d'Avola Sicilian red wine and dark chocolate
Wild strawberries and spumante
Raspberry and sage
Basil, honey and walnut
Ginger, cardamom and almonds
Provençal lavender
Gorgonzola and pears
Poppy seeds
Wasabi, made with dark chocolate and horseradish
Kentucky, which is a blend of chocolate, tobacco, coconut-ricotta, and a splash of pure zabaglione
Candied rose petals
Rice and cinnamon
Saffron and ricotta

The list goes on...