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you with just a forgettable and overpriced meal. Restaurants in these areas are notorious for
surprise charges, forgettable food, microwaved ravioli, and bad service.
I enjoy the view by savoring just a drink or dessert on a famous square, but I dine with
locals on nearby low-rent streets, where the proprietor needs to serve a good-value meal and
nurture a local following to stay in business. If you're set on eating—or just drinking and
snacking—on a famous piazza, you don't need a guidebook listing to choose a spot; enjoy
the ritual of slowly circling the square, observing both the food and the people eating it, and
sit where the view and menu appeal to you.
Colorful Trastevere is now pretty touristy. Still, Romans join the tourists to eat on the rustic
side of the Tiber River. Start at the central square, Piazza di Santa Maria. This is where the
tourists dine, while others wander the back streets in search of mom-and-pop places with
barely a menu. My recommendations are within a few minutes' walk of each other (between
Taverna Trilussa
is your best bet for dining well in Trastevere. Brothers Massimo and
Maurizio offer quality and value without pretense. With a proud 100-year-old tradition, this
place has the right mix of style and informality. The service is fun-loving (they're happy to
let you split plates into smaller portions to enjoy a family-style meal), yet professional. The
menu celebrates local classics and seasonal specials, and comes with a big wine selection.
The spacious dining hall is strewn with eclectic Roman souvenirs. For those who'd rather
eat outdoors, Trilussa has an actual terrace rather than just tables jumbled together on the
sidewalk (€15 pastas, €20
secondi,
Mon-Sat from 19:30 for dinner, closed Sun, reservations
very smart, Via del Politeama 23, tel. 06-581-8918).
TrattoriadaLucia
letsyouenjoysimple,traditionalfoodatagoodprice.It'syourbasic
old-school,Trasteverediningexperience,andhasbeenfamily-runsinceWorldWarII.You'll
meet four generations of the family, including Giuliano and Renato, their uncle Ennio, and
Ennio's mom—pictured on the menu in the 1950s. The family specialty is
spaghetti alla
Gricia,
with pancetta (€9 pastas, €11
secondi,
Tue-Sun 12:30-15:00 & 19:30-23:00, closed
Mon, cash only, evocative outdoor or comfy indoor seating—but avoid back room, just off
Via del Mattonato at Vicolo del Mattonato 2, tel. 06-580-3601).
Trattoria da Olindo
takes homey to extremes. You really feel like you dropped in on a
family that cooksforthe neighborhood tosupplement their income. Don'texpect anysmiles
here (€8 pastas, €10
secondi,
Mon-Sat dinner served 20:00-22:30, closed Sun, cash only, in-
doorandfunkyoutdoorseating,onthecornerofVicolodellaScalaandViadelMattonatoat
#8, tel. 06-581-8835).
Dar Poeta Pizzeria,
tucked in a back alley and a hit with local students, cranks out
some of the best wood-fired pizza I've had in Rome. It's run by three friends—Marco,
