La Carbonara

One of several Roman kitchens that claims to have invented the dish it's named after. Whatever the truth, this Campo de' Fiori institution has been turning out carbonara since 1912 and remains a benchmark.

Several Roman restaurants claim to have invented carbonara, and this one's case rests on its name and its 1912 opening date rather than hard documentary proof — the dish's actual origin is genuinely disputed among food historians. Whatever the truth, it's a reliable, unpretentious version of the dish two minutes from Campo de' Fiori's morning market, useful to know about if you're already in the area.