I discovered Trattoria Monti many years ago even before moving to Rome. It was listed in the pages of a guide to Roman restaurants and for some reason it inspired me. And since then it has remained one of my favourites.
It is in the area near Santa Maria Maggiore and it is managed by a family, mother the cook and two brothers. Daniele is so nice and smiling and both of them know about hospitality. The result: friendly service and ambience, excellent, good-value food, and a surprisingly extensive wine list with very reasonable markups. The cuisine, like the family that runs the place, is from the Marches – so meat, fish and game all feature on the menu. Vegetarians are well served by a range of tortini (pastry-less pies) such as Tropea onion in cheese sauce; pasta-hounds will be kept happy by such treats as tagliolini with anchovies, pine nuts and pecorino cheese. My favourite: a big Tortello filled with spinach and cheese with in the center liquid egg yolk. In season it is covered in black truffle.
Lunch is generally the only time you can walk in without a booking and be fairly sure of a table. Otherwise you need to book well in advance.
Telephone 06 446 6573