Lilli

Located in the heart and soul of Rome, Lilli is one of the best roman trattorias that exist. A trattoria is a classic roman restaurant that is very easy and casual, who doesn’t pay much attention to the décor. Instead all their attention goes to their cooking and the quality of the ingredients (and their portions for that matter). If you end up with a gigantic plate of pasta then you’ll know you’re in the right place.

One of the most authentic and traditional places to go and eat a plate of pasta is Trattoria Lilli. A classic amongst Italians, Trattoria Lilli was opened in 1964, by Angelino and his wife who named their restaurant after his mother Lilli. The idea of this restaurant is to create simple dishes following traditional recipes.

One of the things I love about the restaurant is what you see is what you get. Do not expect fancy, Michelin star, decorative plates; if you ask for pasta you will get a gigantic dish of pasta which looks good and tastes better. If you ask for an antipasto of ham and mozzarella, you will literally get a few slices of ham with a mozzarella on the side. This is the classic Italian style of cuisine, we are simpler because we know that the food tastes incredible on its own without the need of adding random ingredients. This is reflected in the restaurants’ décor as well. It is a simple, classic restaurant with brick walls, some paintings of Rome and dark wooden tables.

The menu contains numerous options varying from their appetizers all the way to the desert. In the appetizers you can choose ham and melon, which is a typical Italian starter, or ham and mozzarella, another classic Italian starter.

The mains are the usual Arrabiata pasta, Cacio e Pepe (which is one of their signature dishes), Gricia, Amatriciana and Ravioli with Butter and Sage. I chose Bucatini all’Amatriciana whilst everyone else opted for the Cacio e Pepe. The portions as I previously mentioned are quite large, which meant I did end up eating half of the Cacio e Pepe my aunt left. The pasta is perfectly cooked al dente, and the sauce of the Amatriciana was delicious. You can tell that it had been slow cooking with the guanciale (Italian bacon which is mainly pig's cheeks).

The main meals include baked veal with either artichokes or potatoes on the side, meatballs, roman tripe (which I really would not recommend), boiled meat and chicken in a white sauce. Most of these options are a good shout however being in a traditional Italian trattoria you must try their pasta dishes; they are so good that even after 200g you’ll be wanting more.

Homemade desserts are also a typical Italian tradition. They had different tarts and pies on their display. I tried a cherry and ricotta homemade cake which was exquisite.

This restaurant is very well known and popular amongst Italians therefore I would highly recommend booking a table. For their contact details take a look at their website: Trattoria Lilli.