Rome’s centro storico is the city’s beating heart, home to historic monuments, trendy boutiques, and stately palaces. And the very best neighborhood is the historic Regola, a cross roads of gorgeous Renaissance architecture, historic markets, and food. This micro-neighborhood has a history of culinary delights which have lately managed to stay miraculously under-the-radar.
Don’t be fooled by the tour groups, Regola is where Romans live, work, and most importantly, eat. Someone once told me the reason that Regola has great restaurants is because of all the butchers in the neighborhood. The magical triangle southwest of the Pantheon and Piazza Navona and due west of the Ghetto highest concentration of great restaurants and Michelin stars. No wonder the nickname for residents is mangiacode (name for oxtail dish coda alla vaccinara).
Tables to Book
Chef Antony Genovese may have a thing for clowns (look around the restaurant) but his intimate Il Pagliaccio does not clown around. Impeccable service, a very innovative Asian-inspired meets Italy cuisine and contemporary design are just a few reasons why Il Pagliaccio has two Michelin stars. The main reason, in my opinion, is Genovese himself, he is luminary and has mentored a constellation of top chefs.
After Il Pagliaccio opened its doors, Regola saw a deluge of other hot ticket tables, starting with Supplizio, a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that specializes in elevated Roman street food. Sink into one of the deep leather armchairs and order a few of the restaurant’s best-known bites: supplì (fried rice balls filled with mozzarella and chicken giblets), crema fritta (fried cream custard) and crocchette di patate (potato croquettes).
Chef Giulio Terrinoni’s Per Me Giulio Terrinoni hides on Regola’s ivy-covered Vicolo della Moretta. The Michelin-starred restaurant’s innovative “tappi” (tapas-style snacks) quickly won over the hearts (and stomachs) of epicureans around the city. The seasonal menu changes daily, but sample dishes include cappellacci pasta stuffed with guinea fowl and smoked pecorino and prawn carpaccio with foie gras and red onion jelly.
“Gluttony — Regola is the most calorific neighborhood in all of Rome and Lazio.”
Alessandro pipero
Pipero Roma has been one of the city’s top fine dining addresses for nearly a decade. In 2017, the restaurant’s acclaimed chef, Alessandro Pipero, found another home on the northeastern edge of Regola. A sleek open space, with high ceilings, contemporary art, and elegant arched doorways, Pipero is arguably the most stylish of Regola’s resturants.
Luciano Cuciano, home to chef Luciano Monosilio, aka the King of Carbonara. Luciano has a Michelin pedigree and a great sense of humor. His eponymous restaurant is what I like to call Next Gen trattoria- Contemporary design and contemporary dishes, as well as a few Roman favorites.
Hostaria Farnese is the place when I want home cooking and a great view of Palazzo Farnese. Here’s where I order Roman favorites like saltimbocca alla romana (pan-sauteed veal, sage, and prosciutto), carciofo alla romana (braised artichoke with mint), and puntarelle (chicory sprouts in a vinegar-anchovy sauce).
Roscioli Salumeria, the hard-to-get-a-table gourmet deli and restaurant that’s on everyone’s list. Its menu includes delectable pasta dishes, fresh seafood, and house-made desserts, and Roscioli serves ,y favorite cacio e pepe in the city. Its wine list is equally impressive, featuring a diverse range of regional and international varietals.
For cocktails and wine, head to my friend Massimo Enoteca Il Goccetto, a rustic wine bar with over 850 different labels on its wooden shelves, and The Jerry Thomas Speakeasy, a retro-styled bar making the best cocktails in the neighborhood, and in the world, according to 50s Best.
For Travel + Leisure, February 2019 I write about how Regola has become a foodie destination.
