Restaurant in Rome - Roma Sparita
General Introduction to the area around Santa Cecilia
Piazza Santa Cecilia
The restaurant is nestled into a charming piazza with the church of Santa Cecilia at its back. It has ambiance in abundance both inside and outside. To reach the restaurant you are almost forced into a meandering walk in the scenic streets of Trastevere’s quiet side. This area of Trastevere is perfect for a ramble, and no one describes it better than the literary legend and late 19th century travel writer (my hero, at least) Henry James. This quotation is from his early novel Roderick Hudson. What I love about Roman travel writing is the applicability; although first published in 1875, the description of Trastevere is germane in 2020:
Some days afterward it happened that Rowland, on a long afternoon ramble, took his way through one of the quiet corners of the Trastevere. He was particularly fond of this part of Rome, though he could hardly have expressed the charm he found in it. As you pass away from the dusky, swarming purlieus of the Ghetto, you emerge into a region of empty, soundless, grass-grown lanes and alleys, where the shabby houses seem mouldering away in disuse, and yet your footstep brings figures of startling Roman type to the doorways. There are few monuments here, but no part of Rome seemed more historic, in the sense of being weighted with a crushing past, blighted with the melancholy of things that had had their day. When the yellow afternoon sunshine slept on the sallow, battered walls, and lengthened the shadows in the grassy courtyards of small closed churches, the place acquired a strange fascination. The church of Saint Cecilia has one of these sunny, waste-looking courts; the edifice seems abandoned to silence and the charity of chance devotion. Rowland never passed it without going in, and he was generally the only visitor.
The courtyard to the church of Saint Cecilia
The only thing missing from James’ description leading so close to the doors of the present-day Roma Sparita is a parmesan encrusted bowl with, according to Anthony Bourdain, “the greatest thing in the history of the world” inside.
Restaurant Specifics
Address- Piazza di Santa Cecilia, 24, Trastevere
Phone- +39 06 580 0757
Website- http://www.romasparita.com/en/
Hours- Open every day for lunch and dinner except closed on Monday and closed on Sunday night for dinner.
Price- Middle Range
Reservations- You can make them on the website, here.
Emulating Anthony Bourdain in his black and white episode featuring Roma Sparita
This restaurant was made famous by the late Anthony Bourdain when he visited and experienced the divine cacio e pepe. Ironically, he centered this segment of No Reservations on not wanting to reveal the name of the Trastevere restaurant as he stated, ‘I kill what I love.’ Inevitably, he was right, and on top of that, the mystery probably heightened the attention; English speaking tourists soon discovered where it is (Piazza di Santa Cecilia, 24,) and started to flock after the episode was aired in 2011. My friend Lauren and I were some of those early explorers and I have been going to the restaurant ever since. Now, if you visit other Rome food blogs, and some of the most prominent ones, you might find that this restaurant is missing from the recommended lists. I urge you to try Roma Sparita and make your own assessment. I admit that I am very attached to this restaurant, and I have a good relationship with the owners and many of the waiters who have been there for years and years. To ensure a positive experience, I encourage you to make a reservation via email at least a week in advance. You can even write the email in English or a quick Google translate to Italian will get the job done.
I am a big believer in setting up your restaurant experiences so as not to be disappointed. A good experience at Roman restaurants starts with securing a reservation in plenty of time, in my experience. Ugo, the owner, should respond to you with a confirmation email in a reasonable amount of time. I have seen the ownership pass from father to son, as Ugo mostly manages the reservations and Ettore, his son, will ‘greet’ you when you arrive. Ettore may seem a bit cantankerous, but do not be deterred. All of the waiters are jovial and if you great them with cheer they will return the love. My favorites are Roberto and Antonio, so send my regards if you are served by them.
My hunch is that the boom just after Bourdain success and influx of foreign customers was a bit overwhelming for the restaurant. It took some time to work out growing pains in the light of more volume and more international customers. In my experience the growing pains are now worked out.
Cacio e Pepe
Besides, the celestial cacio e pepe is unwavering and eternally good. In fact, in spite of some critical stances, I have never heard anyone criticize this fêted dish. Check it out in the Bourdain clip and begin to salivate for yourself.
The price of the cacio e pepe is a bit steep at 13 euros, but if you are looking to dine on the cheap, it is also quite filling. Start with a fiori di zucca (an inexpensive but delicious classic Roman antipasto) and some house wine and you have yourself a reasonably priced meal.
Recommended Dishes
Happy consumers
Antipasto-Carciofi alla giudia or fiori di zucca (stick with fried stuff here)
Primo-Cacio e Pepe (always and forever)
Secondo- Stracetti di manzo o Abbacchio
Dessert- skip it! (unless you are really craving something sweet)