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All Italy Rome C'è pasta... E pasta!
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

C'è pasta... E pasta!

Fried artichokes and other Roman-Jewish classics are executed with care at this no-frills cafeteria.

Rome, Italy

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Anya von Bremzen
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Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.   Alberto Blasetti for Gastro Obscura
All of the dishes here are certified kosher.   Alberto Blasetti for Gastro Obscura
Fritters here are wonderfully light.   Alberto Blasetti for Gastro Obscura
Pro tip: pack your roasted, marinated vegetables to go and eat them in a park.   Alberto Blasetti for Gastro Obscura
Pay close attention to any fish offerings.   Alberto Blasetti for Gastro Obscura
Come here for the tavola calda, a spread of cold appetizers and sides.   Alberto Blasetti for Gastro Obscura
Skip the tourist traps in the Roman Ghetto and head here instead.   Alberto Blasetti for Gastro Obscura
Cacio e pepe lasagna is a clever mash-up.   Alberto Blasetti for Gastro Obscura
Sea bream is roasted under a layer of thinly sliced potatoes.   Alberto Blasetti for Gastro Obscura
Be prepared to order too much and joyfully eat it all anyway.   Alberto Blasetti for Gastro Obscura
  Alberto Blasetti for Gastro Obscura
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Jewish people have been living in Rome for over 2,000 years. In 1555 a Papal decree confined the entire community to a ghetto near the Tiber. Here, some of the city’s cucina ebraica staples were perfected and codified: chrysanthemum-shaped carciofi alla giudea (fried artichokes), puffy fritters, rich ricotta crostatas. Lately, alas, Rome’s Ghetto Romano has been resembling a stage set for tourists with restaurants resting on their greasy laurels, and lines at the classic Pasticceria Boccione stretching for blocks. 

Where do actual Romans go for cucina erbarica? Follow them to this no-frills cafeteria in the unglamorous part of Trastevere near its famous Sunday flea market, Porta Portese. A combination tavola calda (deli with prepared food) and fresh pasta takeout shop (the name means “there’s pasta…and pasta!”) the homey spot with a few tables inside and some on the sidewalk delivers a primer of Rome’s Jewish flavors undiluted for tourists—and certified kosher. 

The huge selection behind the glass counter is daunting but the briskly friendly young staffers will annotate the food in English (or Spanish or French). Yes, there are fried carciofi in season (from winter to early spring) as well as blazing-red roasted peppers, fried marinated zucchini called concia, and plump rice-stuffed tomatoes. Among the pastas, choose the delightful cacio e pepe lasagna. And pay special attention to fish specials, such as orata (sea bream) roasted under a layer of thin-sliced potatoes, and aliciotti con indivia, an iconic Jewish dish of fresh anchovies baked in a casserole under a cap of slightly bitter green curly escarole. No way around it, you’ll order too much and won’t regret it a bit. 

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Do visit during the Sunday Porta Portese market, but arrive before noon, before the crowds get close to impassable.

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Anya von Bremzen

Published

June 3, 2025

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C'è pasta... E pasta!
Via Ettore Rolli, 29/35
Rome, 00153
Italy
41.874176, 12.462934
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