{"id":2340,"date":"2019-02-20T13:32:53","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T13:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/devourromefoodtours.com\/?p=2340"},"modified":"2025-02-25T09:53:46","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T09:53:46","slug":"best-restaurants-testaccio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devourtours.com\/blog\/best-restaurants-testaccio\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Favorite Rome Restaurants by Neighborhood: Testaccio"},"content":{"rendered":"

If we had to pick one central neighborhood that just oozed Rome—<\/em>for food, people and ambiance—it might be Testaccio.

Located on the banks of the Tiber, Testaccio is one of Rome’s most popular neighborhoods right now, for its many restaurants, markets, and tranquil daytime atmosphere coupled with a whole section of nightclubs.<\/p>

It wasn’t always like this.<\/p>

From 1891 to 1970, Testaccio was Rome’s meatpacking neighborhood, with many of the residents working in the gigantic slaughterhouse<\/a>. The abattoir has since been converted into a museum<\/a>, and Testaccio from an industrial periphery into a quarter known throughout the city for food.<\/p>

Down-and-dirty trattorie<\/em>, once the haunts of meatpackers, still serve traditional Roman cuisine, especially the beloved dishes that used the by-products of the slaughterhouse: sweetbreads, calf intestines, lamb lungs and liver. If that’s your idea of a good meal—or even if you’re more into cacio e pepe<\/a><\/em>, pizza and Roman-style doughnuts—here are the best restaurants in Testaccio.<\/p>

\"If<\/figure>

1. Agustarello<\/h2>

Nothing fancy, nothing innovative, just a small menu and a few wood tables in the dining room. That’s all there is at Agustarello<\/a>, and after 60-some years in Testaccio, that’s all you would want.<\/p>

Still more of a locals’ place, even as Testaccio becomes increasingly visited by tourists, here Alessandro the chef expertly prepares plates like rigatoni con sugo di coda alla vaccinara<\/em> (pasta with “tanner-style” oxtail ragù, spiked with pine nuts and warm spice), or cicoria ripassata <\/em>(bitter green chicory sauteèd in garlic and oil).<\/p>

Also a good spot to try some of that slaughterhouse cuisine, like tripe or pajata alla piastra <\/em>(calf intestines, still stuffed with milk, grilled until crispy on the outside and molten inside). Trust us, it’s really<\/em> good.<\/p>

2. Passi<\/h2>

Passi (Via Mastro Giorgio, 87<\/em>) is that rare bakery whose pizza is way better than its bread. And by pizza, we’re talking about pizza bianca<\/em>.<\/p>

Bubbly, crisp, almost-fried-tasting because of the generous amount of olive oil brushed on top, it’s pretty hard to pass Passi and not stop in for a strip wrapped in wax paper.<\/p>

What’s better than pizza bianca<\/em>? Piazza bianca con la mortazza<\/em>. That means slicing it horizontally, and draping porky handkerchiefs of mortadella on one half before closing with the other, a salty-sweet-savory package perfect for munching on during a walk.<\/p>

 <\/p>

Check out the video below to find great recommendations and tips for Rome’s Testaccio Market.<\/p>