I’m a former Chowhounder, and I’m in need of a few trattoria recommendations in Rome for a visit in late spring. I’ve been searching for a reliable dining resource since the Chowhound forums disappeared, and I’m hoping the Hungry Onion community can come through and fill the void.
My wife and I have been to Rome four times—three times as a couple and once with our two young boys. We prefer classic, modest Roman cuisine and menus that are built around the four Roman pastas and quinto quarto. When we traveled as a couple, we’d reliably dine at Checchino, Perilli, Roscioli, La Gensola, Armando al Pantheon, and Flavio al Velavevodetto. When we traveled with our boys in 2023, we returned to a few of the aforementioned trattorie and tried Al Pompiere, Piperno, and Emma.
We’re traveling to Rome for four nights this June. While we’d be content dining at any of the above trattorie again, we’re only making plans to visit Roscioli and Armando al Pantheon. We’d like to expand our horizons, so we’re looking for two suggestions and hoping one of them will be in Trastevere.
We’re considering Cesare al Pellegrino, La Tavernaccia da Bruno (tomt, 2025), Piatto Romano and Osteria Fratelli Mori (JenKalb, 2023), and Hosteria Grappolo d’Oro. Would anyone endorse or affirm these options? Or introduce other suggestions?
We’re also spending a total of seven nights in Orvieto and Lucca. I’m pretty sure we’ll go to I Sette Consoli in Orvieto for one night, but the other six are unplanned. We’re open to any recommendations within or near these two cities, too.
It’s been a few years, but we loved Cesare al Casaletto, as has everyone we’ve recommended it to since. Simple, homey, classic trattoria food with a strong local following. Go early even if that makes you look dorky. They get swamped by 8. All our other great trattoria meals were at pretty much the same spots you tried. Loved Gensola and would go back in a heartbeat. Was not that taken with Roscioli, but perhaps we ordered poorly or expected too much.
Not a trattoria, but Le Tre Zucche in Monti (the deli, not the attached restaurant), is a great place to grab lunch if you feel like clean, fresh, vegetabley food, with bright, interesting flavors.
Elizabeth Minchilli and Katie Parla, both former ‘Hounds, are still very reliable sources of Rome dining info. Both have blogs and give tours.
fwiw, I personally loved Pellegrino. My daughter is ride or die with the original. Not to say she didn’t like Pellegrino I think she just likes the familiarity of the original more. Also, both of our secondi were of the boiled/stewy type so we probably missed with that. (we’re sharers)
Not sure if you are putting pizza back in as a regular meal, but Ivo a Trastevere was really good. With a larger party you will get to sample more of their offerings…as I wanted to
Thanks for the post, ninrn. Cesare al Casaletto/Pelligrino seems to be universally loved. I understand that I can’t say the same for Roscioli. My wife and I love it, but I know that there are many others who have had mediocre experiences.
If we find ourselves near Le Tre Zucche, we’ll stop by. It sounds like it might offer a nice change of pace.
Content from Minichilli and Parla is on our radar. Hosteria Grappolo d’Oro is a Parla suggestion. I always loved it when Minichilli responded to one of my Chowhound posts, but the best of her current content is behind a paywall.
Thanks, tomt. Cesare al Pellegrino is just a few steps from our apartment. Totally understand your daughter’s view, but it’s hard to picture us going to the original when its facsimile is so convenient.
I’ve heard of Ivo. I assumed it was devoted completely to pizza. After reviewing the menu, I see that was a bad assumption. It seems like a great option for our Trastevere dinner.
As an aside, I enjoyed your reports from 2023 and 2025. I’m weird in the sense that I like seeing other people’s vacation photos.
Another place to look at in Rome is Clorofilla, a lovely restaurant tucked in an alley off the Campo de Fiore. It’s not a conventional trattoria, more of a cocktail bar serving modern Roman food with a few global, fusiony touches. Their prices are only about trattoria-level and they have a wonderful, very reasonably priced 6-course tasting menu (I think it’s 60 euros now). Might want to check out the website and see if it appeals to your group. We thought it was a special place.
We had a fabulous meal at Ristorante Giglio in Lucca. A Michelin 1-star, we enjoyed it more than 3-star Enoteca Pinchiori in Florence. Apparently they are trying to surrender their one star, saying it attracts the wrong clientele. Next trip we might book a night or two in the adjoining Grand Universe Lucca hotel, which is owned by the same group that owns Il Ciocco in Barga, one of the Gordon Research Conference sites that we frequent. Il Ciocco is worth a visit even if you are not there on business.
I dined at Hosteria Grappolo d’Oro based on Katie Parla’s recommendation in December and thought it was OK; it was definitely a good value but the food and ambiance was not something I’d rush to book again. The one place that I make a point to go to every trip is Trattoria Monti, which is mostly the cuisine from the Marche region and run by two brothers and their Mom. It is an absolute must visit. Delicious savory vegetable custards, lots of seasonal specials and game, and the very famous raviolo with the runny egg yolk.
So agree with recommendations of both Giglio in Lucca and Trattoria Monti in Rome… Agree as well that Grapple d’Oro is missable.
I know that Al Moro in Rome gets very mixed comments from travelers. But we’ve had some great meals in this restaurant, adjacent to the Trevi fountain. I think their carbonara was the best I’ve ever tried. They do make their disdain for foreigners a bit obvious but if you can get past that and just concentrate on the food, it’s well worth checking out. (I’ll put up with a lot in the quest for a great meal)
Request a seat in the front room, as they seem to stick foreigners in the back. And if possible, go at lunchtime.
Thanks for coming back to the thread to suggest Clorofilla. Superficially, it looks exactly like the sort of restaurant that we’d seek out at home, but also the sort of trattoria that we’d be shy of in Rome. We’ve tried contemporary Roman cuisine before, and each time we found ourselves missing the familiar and comforting dishes found at a classic, traditional trattoria. That said, I know we’ll be passing through this area on a daily basis, and I’ll make a point to walk by and check things out first hand. Thanks for the recommendation.
Totally understand. We probably wouldn’t have gone to Clorofilla had our hotel not been a short walk away, but we were glad we went. It was interesting and fun to spend an evening in a place full of Roman food-lovers as opposed to lovers of Roman food. But I don’t blame you for wanting to experience as much traditional Italian soul food as you can while you’re there.
Your description of Clorofilla as a “place full of Roman food-lovers as opposed to lovers of Roman food” stuck a chord. We’ve had more than one good meal diminished by a dining room full of English speaking tourists. Thanks for reminding me that a Roman experience doesn’t necessarily revolve around a Roman meal.
