Flavio al Velavevodetto

Built directly into the side of Monte Testaccio — a hill made of two thousand years of shattered amphorae — this is the trattoria for amatriciana, gricia, and coda alla vaccinara done the old way.

The restaurant is literally built into Monte Testaccio — cut into a hill formed entirely from broken Roman amphorae discarded over centuries — and part of the dining room's back wall is the exposed hillside itself. The quinto quarto dishes (coda alla vaccinara, trippa) are the reason to come rather than a fallback; if offal isn't for you, the amatriciana and gricia are excellent standalone reasons to book anyway.