4 Best Restaurants in Aventino and Testaccio, Rome

This family-run institution has been serving seafood in the working-class Testaccio neighborhood for more than 40 years, and if you visit the local market early enough you might spot the owner selecting the freshest fish, which mainly arrives from Gaeta, south of Rome. The menu changes every day, but look for house specialties like paccheri (a very large tubular pasta) with totani (baby calamari), pasta with telline (small clams), or the wondrously simple spaghetti with lobster. Start with appetizers from the cart that the waiter can wheel over to the table, or opt for the excellent moscardini fritti (fried, small squid). Although the menu has non-seafood Roman classics like cacio e pepe and pajata (intestines of an unweaned calf), this really is the place to order fish.

Circus Maximus was a place for sporting entertainment, and now, just a few minutes’ walk from the ancient chariot track, Numa al Circo focuses on gastronomic spectacle. Carbonara pasta, melon-sized balls of mozzarella di bufala perched precariously atop massive platters of tomatoes, and traditional thin crust pizzas are the crowd favorites.

Arrive promptly at 7 pm or expect to wait in line at this pizzeria favored by students and locals. There are no tablecloths or other nonessentials, just excellent classic Roman pizza and boisterous conversation. Start with some fried delicacies like zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovy or a battered piece of baccalà, then order the crispy-thin pizza that many consider the best in the city. You can't go wrong with the simple margherita, especially if you opt for the buffalo mozzarella version.

Stefano Callegari is one of Rome's most famous pizza makers, but at Trapizzino he's doing something a bit different. The name of the restaurant is derived from the Italian words for sandwich (tramezzino) and pizza, and the result is something like an upscale pizza pocket, stuffed on the spot with local specialties like herby chicken alla cacciatore, or trippa (tripe), or roast pumpkin, pecorino, and almonds. The supplì (fried risotto balls) are also delicious. This original location is teeny, but more seating is available one storefront down.