Trattoria Quaranta: cacio e pepe without the tour groups
Ten blocks off the obvious route, a twenty-table trattoria where the pasta is still made in the morning.
The basics
- Address
- Via Esempio 40, Roma, Italia
- Cuisine
- Italian
- Price
- $$$
- Spend per person
- €45 por persona
- Visited
- June 2, 2026
(DEMO EXAMPLE — replace with a real story)
Rome has a well-known problem: the best-located trattorias are the worst ones. Quaranta sits far enough from the center that most of its customers speak Italian, and that is already half a review.
The pasta
The cacio e pepe arrives on a hot plate, properly emulsified, without the film of lumps that gives away cheese added too late. You get the pepper in your nose before your tongue.
Everything else
The menu barely changes, and that is the point: they cook six or seven dishes and they cook them every day. House wine comes in a carafe and costs what it should cost.
What does not work
Service can be brusque if you show up outside Roman hours. There is no English menu, so keep a translator open.
Is it worth it?
Worth the metro ride. It is one of the few places nearby where the price and the plate are having the same conversation.
The verdict
What works
- Properly emulsified cacio e pepe
- Fairly priced house wine
- Local crowd, not a tourist one
What to know
- Brusque service outside Roman hours
- No English menu
- Small room, fills up early
Frequently asked
Is it near the center?
No. About 20 minutes by metro from Termini, and that distance is part of why it is good.
We always pay our own bill. No restaurant pays to appear here or reviews the story before it runs.
