Alternative Restaurants in Testaccio/Travestere

[llc45]

We are renting an apartment in Testaccio in the end of June and then heading off to Tuscany and Umbria. While I have found excellent recommendations in this forum for Rome in general, as well as the other two areas, I am thinking we will be eating a lot of our dinners close to our apartment since we will be traveling with our daughter and tend to not stay out too late. We chose Testaccio because we don't want to be in a tourist area and want to experience as many true Roman experiences as possible. I can't wait to shop at Volpetti and the outdoor market, as well as the flea market and Biscotti place across the river in Travestere.

I have found recommendations here and elsewhere for Remo pizzaria, Checchino, Da Bucatino, and Da Felice. That said, we tend to eat lighter than the types of restaurants getting the most recommendations in the Testaccio area (more vegetables, salads, fish, chicken). While I am sure we will enjoy trying a meat dish on one or two nights, I am looking for some alternatives beyond pizzarias. Are there any restaurants in this area that are more vegetarian or "alternative" focused that anyone can recommend? While it looks like there are plenty of places where we can find this for lunch, I am looking for some special dining spots for dinner. Maybe a place that focuses more on pasta?

Is it possible for me to order a salad or contorni and then a pasta instead of a secondi at some of the more traditional restaurants without offending? Other than not being big eaters or liking to eat too much red meat, we are very adventurous and like all types of food.

If not in Testaccio area, are there any suggestions for these types of restaurants in other parts of the city? Thank you so much for any suggestions. Also, does anyone know of a great place for gelato in Testaccio? It is our 20th anniversary and I can't tell you how much we are looking forward to it! Thank you so much!

[therese]

While I am sure we will enjoy trying a meat dish on one or two nights, I am looking for some alternatives beyond pizzarias.  Are there any restaurants in this area that are more vegetarian or "alternative" focused that anyone can recommend?  While it looks like there are plenty of places where we can find this for lunch, I am looking for some special dining spots for dinner.  Maybe a place that focuses more on pasta? 

Is it possible for me to order a salad or contorni and then a pasta instead of a secondi at some of the more traditional restaurants without offending?  Other than not being big eaters or liking to eat too much red meat, we are very adventurous and like all types of food. 

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No specific place to recommend near your apartment, but I can speak to the issue of eating only one or two courses rather than that full on antipasto/primo/secondo onslaught that was once the norm in Italy. The answer is that is no longer the norm, and that many people (Italians, I mean) will order only two courses, and nobody cares the least about what order you'd like them. So you could have a soup followed by a pasta (which is technically two primi) or figs and prosciutto followed by fish (so antipasto and secondo, skipping primo entirely) or just pasta or meat with a salad (which is technically a contorno, but you could also order it at the beginning of the meal).

Not infrequently restaurants feature a self-serve assortment of antipasti from which you can make a meal (and will be charged for a meal size portion, but it's not excessive). Roast vegetables, cheeses, fish. One that I particularly liked was at Ristorante S. Anna, on via di S. Anna near Campo dei Fiori (a tiny street, so locate it on the map). There's also a branch of a chain of restaurants called Insalata Ricca near Campo dei Fiori (right next to Sant'Andrea delle Valle church) that specializes in salads, offering bajillions of them. Very, very popular with the locals, and very inexpensive.

[llc45]

No specific place to recommend near your apartment, but I can speak to the issue of eating only one or two courses rather than that full on antipasto/primo/secondo onslaught that was once the norm in Italy. The answer is that is no longer the norm, and that many people (Italians, I mean) will order only two courses, and nobody cares the least about what order you'd like them. So you could have a soup followed by a pasta (which is technically two primi) or figs and prosciutto followed by fish (so antipasto and secondo, skipping primo entirely) or just pasta or meat with a salad (which is technically a contorno, but you could also order it at the beginning of the meal).

Not infrequently restaurants feature a self-serve assortment of antipasti from which you can make a meal (and will be charged for a meal size portion, but it's not excessive). Roast vegetables, cheeses, fish. One that I particularly liked was at Ristorante S. Anna, on via di S. Anna near Campo dei Fiori (a tiny street, so locate it on the map).  There's also a branch of a chain of restaurants called Insalata Ricca near Campo dei Fiori (right next to Sant'Andrea delle Valle church) that specializes in salads, offering bajillions of them. Very, very popular with the locals, and very inexpensive.

Many thanks - we love antipasti! It's good to know that about the traditional restaurants also. Thanks again.

[Kevin72]

Is it possible for me to order a salad or contorni and then a pasta instead of a secondi at some of the more traditional restaurants without offending?  Other than not being big eaters or liking to eat too much red meat, we are very adventurous and like all types of food. 

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From my limited observations when we were there, this approach is actually more the norm, or at least it is during the week. We were the turiste doing the full sweep (antipasti, primi, secondi, contorni, dolce) while the locals would get soup or pasta and then fruit for dessert.

Trastevere is such a wonderland of trattorie serving good, honest, straightforward food that it may be better to just lock in one or two "must haves" and then wing it the other nights. Most place post a menu and just go in where it looks good.

[Maureen B. Fant]

As long as you look as though you are ordering from conscious preference rather than ignorance, restaurants are getting very tolerant of people breaking with tradition. In any case, "offend" isn't the right word; you mean "amuse."

Even Checchino, the Testaccio heavy-hitter, can satisfy vegetarians, especially if they eat cheese.

For cafeteria style, Volpetti Più, right around the corner from the Volpetti shop, has lots of vegetable- and grain-based dishes and yummy things like supplì and other fritti. There are quite a few trattorias near the market and around Monte Testaccio (where there are also a lot of night spots), and you must never feel obliged to eat meat.

One of the big advantages of staying in Testaccio is cooking and eating in. In addition to the market and nearby shops, there's an organic indoor market inside the Mattatoio. I haven't been there, but it should certainly be worth a look. Looking at the Mattatoio, you turn left walk along the facade until you see a driveway coming out of a corral-looking area marked something like L'Altra Economia. Walk up the driveway and look to your right and you'll see a complex of low new buildings. The one on the left is the one I'm talking about.

Trastevere has some good trattorias and many bad. I don't eat there often enough to pay attention, since experiences have generally been negative. I do love Frontoni for pizza al taglio, however. When we eat in Trastevere we go to Paris or Antico Arco, which is on the Gianicolo.

[llc45]

Maureen and Kevin - Thanks for the input - I greatly appreciate it.

As long as you look as though you are ordering from conscious preference rather than ignorance, restaurants are getting very tolerant of people breaking with tradition. In any case, "offend" isn't the right word; you mean "amuse." 

That is so good to know. When we were in Paris a few years ago, I kind of felt like I offended a few times in some of the restaurants and then started ordering differently than I would at comparable restaurants here in the US. We really like to try a wide range of foods and restaurants from cafes to more high end. I just remember trying to understand how the French stay so thin when they eat so much! That only lasted until we got passed several days in a row during our walking tours by some pretty elderly people.

One of the big advantages of staying in Testaccio is cooking and eating in. In addition to the market and nearby shops, there's an organic indoor market inside the Mattatoio. I haven't been there, but it should certainly be worth a look. Looking at the Mattatoio, you turn left walk along the facade until you see a driveway coming out of a corral-looking area marked something like L'Altra Economia. Walk up the driveway and look to your right and you'll see a complex of low new buildings. The one on the left is the one I'm talking about.

The market, Volpetti, and nearby eateries are the reasons we ended up staying in Testaccio. We are so eager to try so many varieties of cheese, prosciutto, etc. We live about an hour outside NYC in the countryside so the thought of getting all this wonderful food is making us salivate. Maureen - I have been reading your website religiously about what is available in the market at Testaccio. I have also spent a lot of time scouring the web and guidebooks for bakeries, biscotti, gelati, and every other possible foodie type of place in the area. However, I didn't know about the organic market - thanks for adding another destination to my list!

[Andrew Fenton]

When we eat in Trastevere we go to Paris or Antico Arco, which is on the Gianicolo.

Antico Arco is absolutely worth going to. Walk home afterwards and you can work off your meal.

I'm not crazy about Trastevere; there are a ton of tourist traps, and after a year of living nearby (in Monteverde, just up the hill), I never found anything all that great. Still, Dar Poeta makes a good pizza. So does Ai Marmi (on Viale di Trastevere), but the really good dish there are the fagioli al fiasco.

In Testaccio, my favorite restaurant is Antico Forno (via Amerigo Vespucci), which is a simple, no-nonsense Roman restaurant. Their homemade ricotta is out of this world, and I really like their trippa alla Romana and coda alla vaccinara.

[llc45]

Just wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful suggestions. We just got back and the restaurant recommendations were spot on. Therese - we had lunch at both of the places you recommended and they were exactly what we were looking for. Andrew - we liked Antico Arco so much we ended up eating there three times. As soon as we arrived, we met an American couple who were both professors. They spend their summers in Rome and always stay in Testaccio. The first thing they told us was that their favorite restaurant in the area was Antico Arco. My daughter is still talking about the lasagna with homemade noodles.

Volpetti was also a real treat. I won't even mention how many times we were there!! When (not if) I return, I can't imagine staying anywhere else in Rome but Testaccio. It was so nice staying in a residential neighborhood and eating like a local and getting to experience the culture. The first night we got there, Italy was playing Spain in soccer. They set up a big screen in a nearby park and everyone in the neighborhood was there to watch.

In Trastevere, my favorite thing was finding the Innocenti Biscotti bakery. For about five euro, the wonderful baker gave us a wonderful assortment of cookies that pretty much included all of the cookies in the bakery. I highly recommend finding this bakery if you happen to be in the area.

Edited July 7, 2008 by llc45 (log)

[HungryC]