The trattoria
Twenty tables in Garbatella, a blackboard, and pasta rolled in the morning.
Where we ended up
Via Antoniotto Usodimare is a quiet street in Garbatella, the kind where you can hear the televisions from the courtyards in the evening. The neighbourhood was built in the 1920s as a garden city for working families, and it's still one of the few parts of Rome where you can tell who lives there.
The place is small and exactly as noisy as it should be. There isn't a room for special occasions and a room for everyone else. There's a room.
How we cook
The fresh pasta is made by hand in the morning: tonnarelli, fettuccine, paccheri, and gnocchi on Thursday. Sauces are cooked slowly; the ragù takes three hours.
The shopping is done at the market and that decides the menu, not the other way round. That's why the first and second courses change daily: if the artichokes are good we cook artichokes, and if they're not we cook something else.
How it feels
Paper tablecloths, thick glasses, house wine by the litre if you want it and a short list if you'd rather. You can come alone with a newspaper at lunch, and you can come twelve-strong on a Sunday — just tell us first.
Children are welcome and there's no need to apologise for the noise. We're already making plenty.
The right question isn't what's on the menu. It's what's on today.
Frequently asked questions
Are dogs allowed?
Yes dogs are welcome
How much does a meal cost?
Lunch with a first course, a side, water and coffee comes in under twenty euro. A full dinner with starter, first, second and wine is around thirty-five.
Twenty tables in Garbatella. Best to call.
A phone call is best, especially in the evening and on Sundays. We answer during opening hours; if we don't pick up, we'll call you back.
- Monday – wednesday
- 12:30 – 15:00
- Thursday – saturday
- 12:30 – 15:00, 19:00 – 22:00
- Sunday
- 12:30 – 15:00
- Takeaway
- by phone, in advance
Via Antoniotto Usodimare 16/18 · 00154 Roma