Trattoria Da Bucatino

First night in Rome, Bucatino did not disappoint. Not a tourist joint, the real thing. Dirt cheap with fast, rough service. And amazing food. And romantic as hell. This place is what you want.

Stumbled on this little restaurant — out of the very touristy areas. We were able to get a table outside but it looks like you should make a reservation if that is your preference. Almost all the tables had reserved on them. The food was very good but seemed a bit pedestrian. The waiter barely acknowledged us — somewhere between businesslike and rude. We were there at 1pm and only a dinner menu was available. We had hoped for pizza for lunch. If you want a meal with locals and family fare this is the place for you. If you want a special meal out, I don’t think so.

This is a fun neighborhood place. They love my friend Sasha. I think I accidentally ate a ghost pepper here from the antipasto bar (BEWARE!) I went for Thursday — Rome’s gnocchi day — and I had it a la matriciana. The service was very attentive and friendly.

As for many other traditional restaurants in Rome easy profit with tourists has sadly become a priority versus providing good quality.
Food is still ok but it’s plain sad to see so many of your certainties turn to dust over the years.
The stuff on the antipasti buffet was old and tough, the pasta dishes were ok.
Service is basic but friendly.

We stayed in the neighbourhood and wanted to try some local fare. This restaurant did not disappoint. The service was good, certainly a million times better than we had at Il Cantinone the night before. We were helped by a friendly mamma who seemed to own (definitely run) the place.
The food was great. The most flavourful pasta we’ve had thus far during our month in Italy. Not much English going on here, but when you play your part and try to order some things in Italian, they’ll go a long way to make your evening enjoyable.

I was at this establishment last week. We were told to go to this area of Rome for some of the local food and our guide was right. The food was excellent and the wine was fabulous. I had the steak and spaghetti both which were very fresh and very tasty. In particular, the red house wine was my favorite of all the wines in Italy. Does anyone know the name of the house red wine?

Does not look very attractive, but don’t you worry ‘the madré’ had seen iT All!
Very good restaurant with very nice waiters who even entertain the kids without exageration. Food far too good and too much for a very reasonable price. Too bad we could taste the desserts.

I bit away from the touristy sections of Rome, ’twas a good find — this place is a corner restaurant a block back from main streets, has a nice laid back atmosphere, and decent service.
House white wine was nice, very subtle — so .750ml kind of… disappeared somewhere. @_@
Now the rest of the dinner i can’t remember… (i kid i kid…)
So Thursday night is gnocci night (says the menu) — enjoyed some good gnocci. Texture and flavor both.
Shrimp risotto was great as well. The shrimp were pretty tiny, but the flavor was all there, I’d order this again.
Finally, enjoyed the tiramisu. It was pretty good, though I think I was hoping for a bit more of a sweeter flavor, that’s just a personal preference I spose.
Overall — a great neighborhood option if you find yourself in this area of town

This is a no nonsense restaurant focusing on Roman cuisine, with a specialty in Quinto Quarto, roughly translated as the «fifth» quarter of the animal (entrails, trippe, etc.). This is typical of the more pedestrian class of Roman cuisine historically and forms an important and creative part of the current foodie oeuvre.
This all sounds more risqué than it actually is, so rest at ease: the food is very approachable and comforting. Lots of locals and definitely some foreigners, but they were foodies…
Antipasto buffet: will not disappoint. I’m sure the selection changes daily as it changed during our self-​served plating.
PRIMI
Bucatini Amatriciana: a house speciality, this dish is hearty, rich and amazing. Think hollowed out nintendo game controller cords (when they existed) cooked very al dente, with a tomato-​based Amatriciana with huge chunks of pancetta/​bacon that were super flavorful.
Rigatoni w/​Carciofi, et al: this dish was somewhat disappointing, especially given the rec from our waiter. Possible reason was that the original pasta to be served with the sauce was not available…
SECONDI
Coniglio alla Cacciatore: super good version of rabbit on the bone, cooked in the oven (al forno) with olive oil, garlic, and vinegar. This is one of the lighter options and is very well done.
Coda alla Vaccinara: Oxtail braised in celery and tomato broth. Think lamb osso buco or braised beef stew. Very succulent, heavy stuff. I’d order it again, happily.
All in all, an affordable peak into non-​glamourous Italian/​Roman cuisine. I like this place!
side note: solid wine list.

OK, so Testaccio is not exactly Rome’s friendliest neighborhood, but I came here to eat, not make friends! This was our first meal in Rome, and it did not disappoint. With a bit of finger-​pointing at the menu, and a few awkward silences, we managed to get our order in and sat back to enjoy the wine and water.
I enjoyed the Coniglio alla Cacciatore or Huntsman’s Rabbit, and my wife had the Pollo con Peperone, or Chicken with Peppers. The Delizia al Pistacchio and Tiramisù were amazing for dessert.