Prati Restaurants

Somewhat removed from the chaos of more touristy parts of Rome’s center, this unassuming restaurant in Prati—which isn’t as warm or charming as other parts of the city, but blessedly calmer—offers excellent, locals-approved classics. You can’t go wrong with any of the pasta on the menu, but you’d be missing out if you didn’t order the restaurant’s namesake dish, which never disappoints. Note: During the week, the area swells with the bustle of workweek foot traffic from nearby business, so nights and weekends are actually a bit more relaxed here.

“Hipster” is not a word you would use to describe the restaurant scene in Rome, though this happy, light-filled spot is as close as you’ll get—in a way that’s not remotely pretentious. You can sit at the bar for a pastry-and-coffee breakfast, then move to the back room for a veggie-centric lunch (the menu changes according to the season’s harvest), aperitivo in the evening (the cured meats and cheeses sold at the front complement the cocktail menu), and a traditional Roman dinner after that (the fish is great, the pastas are even better).