Checchino dal 1887
Pro Loco Pinciano
Pro Loco Pinciano looks a bit like your Italian friends’ fancy vacation home, all brick and stone country house, with an open deli filled with cheese and jars of local jam, plus fat hams hanging from the ceiling. It’s not all show business: when you order a martini, the bartender garnishes it with a slice of prosciutto. As for the menu, there’s something for everyone here, including crispy pizzas, fluffy ravioli bowls, and platters of thinly sliced cured meats.
La Tavernaccia
La Tavernaccia is old school Roman all the way. Start with the misto affettati, a plate of cold meats and cheeses. Next, choose rigatoni all’amatriciana, a mixture of chunky pork in a tomato sauce topped with pecorino cheese, then move on to the main event, maialino al forno (suckling pig served with roasted potatoes). Wash it all down with a generous helping of house red and a palate-cleansing lemon sorbet.
Altrove Ristorante
The dishes at Altrove, a shiny new addition to the largely residential Ostiense district, are inventive, but not overly complicated. Lunch is an informal, canteen-like affair, with a daily changing selection of meats, cereals and sides. Even vegetarians, normally unlucky in this carnivorous city, will find something to their liking, with salads, soups and cheese, plus breads fresh from the oven. At dinner, the cosmopolitan menu offers creative takes on Roman dishes, such as “carbonara in giallo”: a Roman carbonara with saffron or prawn ravioli in a coconut, ginger and lemongrass broth.
Seu Pizza Illuminati
Fresh and minimalist with Saarinen-style furniture and contemporary art, Seu Pizza Illuminati is not your typical old-school pizzeria. The cakes incorporate local products in non-traditional ways; even the classics will outperform anything you’ve ever had. Keep an eye out for the antipasti; the fritti and fried tramezzino sandwich are delicious. It’s no surprise that the chef has won award after award for his incredible creative work.
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