Let’s be clear: the menu at Checchino dal 1887 is offal-tastic. So if eating animal innards isn’t your thing, either head somewhere else or go for the vegetarian menu. Kick things off with the veal head served with citrus peel, then move on to the beef tripe cooked in pecorino, mint, and tomato sauce. Vegetarians will love the excellent pecorino-and-sage bruschetta and the spaghetti with artichoke cream, mint, and parmesan. The roast potatoes and chicory make for wonderful, flavour-filled sides, and the cup of cool, ever-so-wobbly panna cotta is a pleasing way to end the meal.
Address: Checchino Dal 1887, Via di Monte Testaccio, 30, 00153 Roma RM
Website: checchino-dal-1887.com
Mazzo
This popular trattoria has had a glow-up, reopening after a five-year hiatus in the up-and-coming San Lorenzo district. The 12-seat communal table has been replaced with a much bigger seating plan, but the menu remains as good as ever – with chef Baccannelli reinventing Roman classics like fried tripe with grated pecorino cheese.
Address: Via degli Equi, 62, Rome, 00185, Italy
Website: mazzoroma.superbexperience.com