There are plenty of places to eat in Rome. Hell, there ain’t no shortage. Great places, snack places, fine dining places and crap places.
But historic, family run, local institutions are my favourite. And while I do get around on the food front, my list of places still to try in Rome just gets longer and longer.
And then your Roman friends take you a place that wasn’t even on your ‘list’ and you realise that a lifetime won’t be enough to uncover all that Rome has to offer.
That place is Er Buchetto. And all you need to know is that it’s a porchetta, cheese and wine joint.
Er Buchetto in roman dialect means the little hole. This hole-in-the-wall place is literally a hole in the wall. I mean it. You’ll probably have to look twice to find it on Via Viminiale just by Termini station and around the corner from Piazza Della Repubblica. Actually this place takes hole-in-the-wall to a whole new level. It’s tiny. Literally 3 tables. No kitchen. No bathroom. Just enough room for a few people to sit and eat porchetta and wash it down with house wine.
The owner slash manager slash head waiter slash waiter is Alessandro Fioravanti and Er Buchetto has been in his family since 1890. He does it all. Pours your wine, slices your cheese, carved up the porchetta, weighs it and serves it to you. And hangs around for a bit of a chat too!
The porchetta is from Ariccia in the Castelli Romani, pork and wine country just outside of Rome, and is deliciously tender with the perfect crunch to it’s crackling skin. Served with fresh bread, you literally cannot stop eating it.
They don’t take bookings; places are obviously limited but the wait (if you don’t get there early) is worth it.
After copious amount of mouth watering porchetta we were in need of something sweet. We took a short walk another historic Roman haunt Dar Sorchettaro bakery on Via Cernaia.
This place – in Rome forever and a day – is open daily from late evening. They bake through the night and in the early hours of the morning there’s a line right up the street. You’ll find anything from pizza by the slice to cornetti and sweet baked treats.
Their signature dessert is the Sorchetto doppio schizzo – a flat cornetto pastry topped with fresh chantilly cream and chocolate sauce. It’s. To. Die. For.
Their Sacher torte was a bit of a let down, but their apple fold-over was pretty special.
If you’re on the lookout for these two Rome favourites, here are the details:
Er Buchetto
Via Del Viminale, 2F
www.erbuchetto.it
Dar Sorchettaro
Via Cernaia, 47
Just another day on the Rome food discovery trail, really.
Signing off from Trastevere (on a sugar high and craving porchetta)
Baci, Maria
