Roscioli

Deli, wine bar, and restaurant in one — a marble counter piled with salumi and cheese out front, and a serious kitchen in back turning out the carbonara most Romans consider definitive. Book two weeks ahead for dinner.

The front room — deli counter piled with salumi, cheese, and bottles — operates more casually and doesn't always need advance booking; it's the sit-down dinner tables in back that sell out two weeks ahead. If you can't get a dinner reservation, a lunchtime visit or standing at the counter for a plate of salumi is a genuine alternative, not a consolation prize.