Here is a place in the heart of Rome where you can eat excellent traditional Roman cuisine in the right atmosphere and with the right service.
In Rome, in the very center that matters, in a narrow alley near the Spanish Steps and the Piazza di Spagna and the Piazza di San Lorenzo in Lucina, you will find this fine restaurant of traditional Roman cuisine. It has been open for some sixty years and has been owned by the Lo Bianco family for just under twenty.
To most it may seem strange to have to repeat it every time, but finding authentic and well-executed Roman cuisine is not so obvious. In Rome, in fact, in the multitude of restaurants offering fake Roman cuisine, it can be difficult to disentangle and land in the right place. Here, Matricianella is definitely one of the strictly safe places.
Here you will find all the traditional dishes, starting with the pastas, all strictly al dente: matriciana, carbonara, gricia, cacio e pepe, not forgetting those with the fabulous pajata and with coda alla vaccinara, the latter you can also enjoy as an excellent second course.
Coming to the main courses, the coratella di abbacchio, saltimbocca and, of course, tripe are not to be missed. In traditional Roman cuisine artichokes are very important. Here they are delicious in both versions: alla romana, alla giudia. The desserts are also very good, with a knockout zuppa inglese.
All the dishes are beautiful and tasty, served on well-set tables, including on the lovely outdoor veranda or in one of several indoor dining rooms. We ate in the one with the open kitchen. The dining brigade is welcoming and excellently coordinated by a very good and longtime manager.
Since you are reading DoctorWine, it is a must to give due prominence to the well-stocked wine cellar, made up of hundreds of labels, with some of the most prestigious, many champagnes and Italian bubblies, which will be a worthy accompaniment to even the most discerning drinkers, without swooning.
If you are a small group of about a dozen passionate drinkers, you might ask to reserve the social table in the cellar!
