Curator’s statement
Like many others, Rome was the first city in Italy I ever visited, and it’s only become sweeter to me in every visit since that first one over fifteen years ago. I’ll never get over the juxtaposition of stepping out of the modern subway system to face the ancient Roman Colosseum head-on. But what I love even more than Rome’s old-meets-new vibe is its pastas—four of them in particular that the city is known for. This guide is a love letter to my favorite one, pasta all’amatriciana, a sauce made with tomatoes, guanciale, and pecorino cheese.
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Places to eat & drink in Rome
Eating rigatoni all’amatriciana at Da Tonino in Rome | Photo credit: Jillian Emory
My favorite of the traditional four Roman pastas, l’amatriciana is a tomato-based sauce made with guanciale (pig cheek) and pecorino cheese. You’ll typically find it served atop either bucatini or rigatoni pasta. Check out my top spots below to try this classic Roman dish.
La Matriciana dal 1870
Located not too far from Termini Station, this family-run restaurant has been around since 1870, when it claims a woman from Amatrice (the original home of this pasta dish) traveled to Rome to set up shop and share her recipe for bucatini all’amatriciana with others. Today, the restaurant provides beautiful stone floors, white tablecloths, friendly staff, and a commitment to honor this historic dish.
Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina
A Roman tradition, Roscioli combines a meat and cheese shop, traditional restaurant, and wine cellar. With its increasing popularity, it’s best to make a reservation in advance online so that you can be sure to try their rigatoni all’amatriciana.
Vecchia Trattoria Roma
Another popular spot located near the train station, this trattoria offers a unique take on its amatriciana made flambè style. Before it’s served up on a plate to diners, it’ll take a spin in a giant pecorino cheese wheel with a bit of fire to give it a richer taste! Perfect for showing off on TikTok or just for appreciating this novel presentation.
Da Tonino
My husband and I stumbled upon this trattoria not too far from our favorite piazza (Piazza Navona), and it quickly became one of our favorites. It offers no-frills Roman pastas at incredible prices. Visit this local spot for dinner before a late-night gelato back at Piazza Navona.
Bonus spot
Make your own amatriciana! Roscioli mentioned above has a second location, Rimessa Roscioli, which is a wine bar, restaurant, and cooking school. We had the pleasure of doing a Roman cooking class here, where we got to make our own cavatelli all’amatriciana (among many other yummy things!).
Need to know
While amatriciana is my favorite of the Roman pastas, no trip is complete without sampling all of them! Each one riffs slightly off the others: carbonara is made with egg, pecorino, and guanciale, gricia is made with pecorino, guanciale, and black pepper, and cacio e pepe is made with pecorino and black pepper. Try them all to decide on your favorite!
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Jillian Emory
Jillian Emory
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