Matricianella
Price guide: Mid-range
Via del Leone 4, Rome, 00186
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#12 of 40
expert-rated restaurants in Rome- Recommended for:
- Business travellers, Families with teenagers, First-time travellers, Mature travellers, Seasoned travellers, Relaxation
Expert review of Matricianella
Good Roman cooking in the heart of the centro storico at a fair price.
When friends come to Rome and ask me where they should eat in the area between the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon, I invariably end up recommending this family-run ‘upmarket trattoria’. So many other Roman restaurants need to be hedged around with provisos about the service, the menu, the wine list – whereas at Matricianella, everything is just right. It may not be the cheapest of the city’s trattorias, but you won’t come away feeling fleeced (at least not if you’ve had some experience of Rome prices).
Food and drink:
Run since 1995 by a keen and competent brother and sister team, the restaurant offers classic Roman cuisine with a light and fresh twist. As in many Roman trattorias, certain dishes appear only on specific days of the week - like the gnocchi in Bolognese sauce on Thursdays, or the pasta and chickpeas with baccalà (salt cod) on Fridays. But everything is based on the freshest ingredients, which the cook buys in the market early each morning. Their fried starters – like the carciofi alla giudia, or Roman-Jewish-style artichokes – are especially good, and not as heavy as you might expect. But it’s the wine list that is the real revelation: the envy of many a posher restaurant, it counts over 600 different wines.
Ambience:
Neat, sweet and rustic-elegant, the interior exudes Roman charm. A few outside tables in the quiet lane are good summer options.
Service:
No worries here: the service is informal, but also professional.
Location:
From Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina – a pretty pedestrianised square just off Via del Corso, around halfway along on the left if you’re coming from Piazza Venezia – take the lane that heads straight out of the square in its righthand corner. The restaurant is just along here on the right.
Price advice:
Count on spending around 40 euros a head for a filling meal with wine.
More information on Matricianella:
- Price guide:
- Type:
- Restaurant
- Food:
- Italian, Traditional
- Address:
- Via del Leone 4, Rome, 00186
- Telephone:
- 06 683 2100
- Website:
- http://www.matricianella.it
- Serves:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Opening times:
- Mon-Sat 12.30-3pm, 7.30-11pm. Closed Sundays.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Reservations:
- Essential at peak times
- Free tags / Keywords:
- Al fresco, Wine
