Trecca – cucina di mercato in Rome
Located in an out-of-the-way corner of Rome near the San Paolo metro stop, Trecca is one of my favorite restaurants in the whole city. The food is Roman at its best – simple, savory, fresh and flavorful.
Read on for all the details!
Trecca – Cucina di Mercato in Rome
Brothers Manuel and Nicolo’ Trecastelli prepare traditional Roman recipes with local ingredients. In addition to some perfect classic pasta dishes like amatriciana and carbonara, you’ll find lots of offal on the menu.
The front-of-the-house staff at Trecca are another reason why I love going there. They’re friendly and welcoming, and the sommelier always has a great natural wine recommendation.
I’ve sampled many dishes at Trecca, which I will outline below (while drooling onto my keyboard).
The menu at Trecca
The menu changes regularly. Available dishes are written on a chalkboard on the wall, and you can also look at the menu via a QR code on the table.
Because the menu is always different, I can’t promise that the stuff I’ll cover below will be available, but honestly, I’ve never had a single bad bite at Trecca, so go with whatever sounds good to you.
Antipasti
I think the antipasti are one of Trecca’s strong suits. In my experience, they’re a bit different than the usual starters at other restaurants in the city.
If the marinated eggplant is available, definitely get it. Unless you’re on a first date – it’s mega garlicky.
I highly recommend the padellotto di rigaje di pollo e patate – a magical little pan full of saucy chicken giblets and golden roasted potatoes (in case you didn’t know, I kind of love chicken giblets).
Primi
The amatriciana and carbonara at Trecca are, if I’m not mistaken, always available, and they’re both excellent. I always regret not ordering them…
…unless, of course, I’m eating more giblets, this time atop a nest of thick fettuccine and dusted with cheese.
I’ve also had some rich meat sauces with pasta at Trecca.
Secondi
I’m a pasta person, so that’s what I generally go for (as you can probably tell from the photos), but I once had a fried, breaded pannicolo (beef diaphragm, or hanger steak) at Trecca that I would definitely order again. The coating was extra crunchy and the meat was tender.
A note on Roman offal at Trecca
To skip offal Rome would be a mistake. It’s the backbone of some of the city’s most well-known, typical dishes. If you’ve eaten carbonara, amatriciana or gricia on your visit, you’ve already had it – guanciale, or pork jowl, is offal.
If you want to try offal in Rome, Trecca is a great place to do so. They frequently serve coratella and pajata, which I’ll describe below.
I am sharing the following story for those of you who may be accompanied by a less-than-adventurous dining companion, because I craftily got my family to try all of the offal dishes at Trecca without telling them exactly what they were eating (if they had known, they wouldn’t have tried them, and I didn’t want them to miss out).
I brought them there a few nights before my wedding, when they were in town along with some of my forever friends.
What’s “co-ra-tell-a”, they asked, sounding out the unfamiliar word.
“Lamb!” I said, technically not lying (coratella is the heart, liver, lungs, kidneys and spleen of a lamb).
What about “pa-zhata?”
“Hmmm,” I said, buying myself time, “it’s…veal!” This was also technically not lying (pajata ([pronounced “payata”] is the chyme-filled intestine of a calf who has only ever ingested milk).
Disclosure: a friend of mine who was at the table was pregnant at the time, so I whispered to her what was guts and what wasn’t for obvious reasons.
The meal went perfectly. Yes, I told them what they had eaten afterwards, yes, they laughed, and yes, they thanked me for bringing them there. Two of them said it was their favorite meal of the trip.
Dolci
I’m pretty sure that any hard feelings about my little white lies dissipated immediately as soon as the torta di ricotta e visciole came out. It is a triumph of warm flaky crust with a heavenly light-and-dark mixture of tart cherries and creamy ricotta. If it’s on the menu, don’t miss it (but again, I’m sure any dessert they’ve got is excellent).
Trecca – cucina di mercato booking info
Via Alessandro Severo 220
Book online – reservations highly recommended!
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