There’s something comforting about the dependable, the quotidian, the downright normal. Roman pasta is just that. Amatriciana, carbonara, gricia and cacio e pepe are the main pastas of Rome, and most restaurants have at least two of them on the menu at any given time. They are, by and large, the things Romans love about their food. […]
Carbonara
Our Favorite Rome Restaurants by Neighborhood: Where to Eat in Trastevere
This blog post was originally posted on February 6, 2019 and was updated on October 28, 2020. Trastevere is Rome’s most charming neighborhood, and that’s saying a lot. A bit overrun with tourists and students, yes—but no one who’s walked its winding streets can deny there’s something magical about it. The word Trastevere literally means […]
Best-Ever Traditional Roman Carbonara Recipe
Forget everything you think you know about carbonara. Outside of Italy, carbonara pastas are often unrecognizable. Drenched in a thick cream sauce and studded with peas and bacon, these international adaptations are a far cry from the traditional carbonara recipe used in Rome. But here in the Eternal City, real carbonara is one of the […]
Ultimate Guide to the Best Pasta in Rome
Pasta is the gorgeous yellow ribbon that binds Italian cuisine together, and no trip to Rome would be complete without it. But where can you find the best pasta in Rome? It’s hard to beat seasonable, handmade pasta. Photo credit: Maria Bortolotto Every region of Italy has at least one traditional pasta dish to its […]
The 5 Best REAL Carbonaras in Rome That Italians Love
As we say here in Rome: it’s never too cold to eat gelato, and never too hot to eat carbonara. Compared to Rome’s other pasta classics, pasta alla carbonara is the new dish on the block. No trace of it can be found before the 1950s, but in these few years it has become, perhaps, […]
A Love Letter to Cucina Romana
I have a standard quip with those who come to visit me in Rome: When you’re hungry, there’s nothing quite like Roman food to satisfy that hunger. When you’re full, there’s nothing you’d less like to eat than Roman food. Cucina Romana isn’t for everyone. It’s full of bold, unusual flavors like sheep’s-milk pecorino and bitter […]
The 7 Traditional Foods You Have to Try in Rome
From pasta to pudding, you’re spoiled for choice in the Eternal City. Here’s our guide to traditional food in Rome. Italian food is very regional and every city has dishes which are peculiar to it. Knowing which dishes to look out for when visiting a city is, therefore, of the utmost importance since they will […]