Image by Zoc website

I was already madly in love with Urbana 47. When the sister resturant Zoc opened in Trastevere, I was beyond myself.

The whole culinary and cultural idea behind Zoc’s cuisine is mixing traditional local and fresh produce with foreign spices sourced in Rome’s ethnic Mercato dell’Esquilino. The principles of direct supply chain and locally foraged ingredients are not new concepts for the clients of both trendy eateries. Zoc, however is the one that manages the vintage furniture sales for both restaurants.

Yes, because the Tribeca-meets-Borough Market ambiance is home to a unique trait. Zoc is an elegant mixture between a creative bistro and a retro antiques store. On the menu, hors d’oeuvre, primi starters, entrées, sweets and furnishings. The last page is not a list of after dinner liqueurs, but rather an armchair catalog.

My latest meal at Zoc included the signature vegetable tempura in soy sauce, an awe inspiring pancetta-wrapped rabbit kebab, and the stracchino cheesecake with Gentilini biscuit crust and orange cardamom jam: a taste my palate is still longing for. Every course is paired with aromatic teas like bancha, ginger, lemon or pai mu tan, to mention a few. This adds even more gusto to each ambrosial morsel, and allows you time to calmly peruse the room for that special vintage object that will be coming home with you.

Sunday is “ethnic brunch” day. A definite must.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Zoc | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Starters € 12
Via delle Zoccolette 22 | Trastevere | +390668192515
Tue – Sun 19:30 – 00:00, Sat 12:30 – 15:00, Sun (brunch) 12:30 – 15:30

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Rome

Image by Sabrina Favoriti

This spot is a little gem of the house of blues in the Trastevere area where you can eat and drink as you listen to a Blues concert. The place is relatively small and therefore you have to call in advance if you want to reserve a table to sit at. But the cool thing about the place is that you feel that you are part of the group that is playing.

One of the first times that I went to listen to a Blues group, it was the “Blues Stuff” a group from Naples and some of their songs can be very entertaining, but the bar has other groups and singers that go there such as Andy Summers, Scott Henderson or Chad Wakerman.

I like Big Mama because of its small size. The groups or singer usually gets the crowd involved making it a more fun and interesting experience.

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Big Mama | Bars, Music | Membership € 12.00
Vicolo di San Francesco a Ripa 18 | Trastevere | +39065812551
21:00 – 01:30 daily

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Image by Roman65

This is the most famous flea market in Rome; it is an enormous market that extends from Portuense to Via Ippolito Nievo (a parallel of Trastevere).

Here you can find absolutely everything, from clothes to bicycles to furniture. You can find anything that you (don’t) need, from second-hand painting to antique books published in the 19th century in the about 4000 stands that it holds. Here you can actually barter for a better price too.

Make sure to go early before it gets too crowded. I like to go once a month to bargain shop on a nice Sunday morning. And you can find entertainment as well as performing artists in the street.

To reach it you can take Metro B to Marconi then the 170 bus or Metro B to Piramide and then take the 280 bus.

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Porta Portese | Shopping | Beads € 1.00
Piazzale Portuense to Viale Trastevere | Trastevere
Sun 07:00 – 13:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Rome

Image by franco Becerril

Trastevere is generous in options for everything. You want a bar? Pick one; there are several of them in any street. Feel like a good Roman pizza? It won’t be long for you to see before your eyes plentiful of pizzerias. Most of them follow European schedules for lunch and dinner, which means that if you’re hungry, say at 16:00, no restaurant or pizzeria will be open.

In the San Cosimato square, a few steps from Santa Maria in Trastevere square there is a restaurant that does not have this hourly restriction, and it’s open from noon until late at night. It’s Ai Spaghettari, roughly translated as “place where the spaghettis are made”, and they offer a varied menu specialized in roman cuisine. Pasta sauces like carbonara (parmigiana, egg and a type of bacon), ammatriciana (tomato and bacon and a touch of wine) have a very special taste in this very traditional restaurant. Pizzas and bruschetta are only served in the evening.

Make sure to not leave the table without having ordered a grappa barricata, it’s the perfect digestif after a good dinner like this.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Ai Spaghettari | Restaurants (Roman – Italian) | Entree, pasta & drink € 15
P.za di San Cosimato, 57 | Trastevere
12:00 – 00:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Rome

Image by franco Becerril

In one of the ways of pedestrian access to the bohemian area of Trastevere there is one special gelateria. Now, with Rome being full of ice cream shops, what can make this one so special? Well, the natural bio – cultivated flavors they offer, for one. Second, the high standard of quality they use, defined as the search for balance between the organic, nutritious and ethic properties of the ingredients. Isn’t this enough?

Inside you’ll find a good selection of water and cream-based tastes of high quality ice cream. The ingredients used are obtained only trough the organic cultivation, and obtained through fair trade agreements. S

Surprisingly, they only offer iced cream in cups but not in cones. And this is because, they say, the use of cones came only after a long time after the long-established method of ice-cream elaboration. While this may or may not be true, truth is the gelato tastes great and you can actually feel the sensation of no artificial ingredients added in your taste buds.

But you can also find other kind of products here, always from bio- produced. Here is where I get my marmalades and fruit preserves. They are usually low in sugars and have a natural taste that I really appreciate in my morning bread.

If you have extra room for more calories on your gelato, don’t forget to ask for whipped cream and a delicious wafer on top of your cup. You have to pay extra for these but they’re so worth it.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Fior di Luna | Snacks | Small gelato cup € 2.50
via della Lungaretta 96 | Trastevere
Tue – Sun 12:00 – 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Rome

Image by Franco Becerril

Spending holidays in Rome makes one think of, doh, Roman Holiday, the film starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck that immortalized their image riding on a Vespa through the Eternal City. I even have one small poster of that scene in my office.

It wasn’t easy to get hold of it, but I found in the Libreria del Cinema, (roughly translated as Films’ Bookstore), a small space with bookshelves, DVDs and a restaurant-bar in the Trastevere neighborhood.

Almost anything about cinema can be found in here. Whether it is a poster like mine, or a rare director’s cut of an old film, books or original scripts you’re looking for, you will surely in the meantime find something interesting to look at or to take home. The guys in charge know a lot about the topic, so if you are in doubt, just ask them.

The place opens after lunch. In the wifi area of the bar it is possible to spend hours and hours reading or looking at their extended catalogue. Keep in mind that here you will not find about the latest chick flick or the romantic comedy of the year. Their idea of cinema is more about the artistic side, the work of extraordinary directors, or cult movies. They, however, do not offer popcorn. Enjoy!

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Libreria del Cinema | Art & culture, Cinemas, Relaxing | Dvd € 10
Via dei Fienaroli, 31 | Trastevere
Mon – Sat 14:00 – 21:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Rome

Image by Franco Becerril

Picture yourself walking the city in the hot roman summer and after three or four hours of sightseeing and registering in your mind beautiful memories of the images of the Via dei Fori Imperiali, il Capitolio, il Pantheon and every single palazzo in between.

Suddenly you start feeling hungry and there’s nothing you want more than something to eat. And since your budget is reduced, you’d greatly appreciate a good meal and an affordable price. Why not enjoy a panino? A real panino, not those ones that American fast food chains and several Italian bars sell at disproportioned prices, if you consider the actual cost of the sandwich filling.

Well, if you happen to be in the Trastevere area, right behind Piazza Santa Maria your wish for a real panino can be easily fulfilled. In via San Francesco a Ripa you’ll find the Antica Caciara Romana, a cheese and ham store (what Americans call elegantly “deli”). Sounds simple right? Well, it is.

They have only the greatest selection of Italian cheeses and sliced cured meats like bresaola or speck, and not to mention the different kinds of bread they use to prepare their panini. It’s not a paninoteca, but is you ask them, they will prepare one for you. Enjoy.

Ps: my personal favorite is a rosetta (rosette-shaped bread) with bresaola (cured meat) and soft (morbido) pecorino (goat cheese).

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Antica Caciara Romana | Snacks | Ham & cheese panino € 5
Via San Francesco a Ripa 140 | Trastevere
Mon – Sat 07:00 – 14:00 & 16:00 – 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Rome

Image by Franco Becerril

Finding a place to sit and relax in Rome can be hard. Most restaurants will only serve you during lunch (12-2) and dinner (7-11) hours. What if it’s mid-afternoon and you’re craving for something salty that can help you resist until the time of your dinner reservation? Well, that is the reason for aperitivos to exist.

Following a recent trend from northern Italy, several Roman bars now offer a variety of snacks that are included in the price you pay for a regular drink. Although the idea of an aperitif is to stimulate the appetite, it is not unusual that it ends up replacing the meal itself, since it is cheap and hey! it comes with a drink!

In the historic centre you’ll see plenty of these bars, mostly in the areas of Piazza Navona, Campo di Fiori e Trilussa. Baylon Cafè, in the heart of Trastevere, is one of the best places for aperitif. Along with great mixed drinks and friendly waiters, you’ll find a good selection of dishes that will help you to better absorb that alcohol in your drink.

Even if it’s not late afternoon (the perfect time for aperitif), you’ll find there and open bar and, if you happen to be there early morning, the perfect cappuccino e cornetto for your breakfast.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Baylon Cafè | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Aperitif € 10
Via di San Francesco a Ripa, 151 | Trastevere
06:00 – 02:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Rome