Li Scalini de Marisa

Comfort food, Roman style. This place is dangerously close to work, I know of some colleagues venturing out for lunch now and then, I can’t imagine being productive after any meal from Marisa: everything’s delicious, and deliciously fattening.
The neighborhood offers the quintessential Roman experience outside of the walls: the list of food is recited to you with the daily availability, because paper menus are apparently démodé. Appetizers are either cold cuts and cheese, or fried everything. Go for the fried everything (eggplant croquettes, broccoli croquettes, zucchini flowers, baccalà — cod — and hand-​cut potato fries), it’s what every table around you is ordering, and for a good reason.
All pastas are good, with all the classic Roman fare (gricia, amatriciana, carbonara, mushroom fettuccine etc.), but I’m more partial to the entrees, having tasted an exquisite dish of «straccetti with rucola». Tasty, with an extra kick from the olive oil «al crudo» (poured raw on top).
Li Scalini de Marisa is a local classic, deservedly so. They accept all major credit cards and take reservations, since it gets crowded fairly easily. Always a good sign, although it wouldn’t be my first option in the area. While it makes for a rewarding experience, it’s not as sophisticated as other restaurants nearby, for more creative dishes you might want to explore other venues.