14 Things That Will Never Get Old About Italian Trattorias

         A few weeks ago I wrote about “Ten Things That Will Never Get Old About French Bistros,” and was prompted by readers to write the same about bistros’ Italian cousin—the trattoria. First of all, a trattoria is not a ristorante, which is (generally speaking) somewhat higher end, larger and refined, with, of course, higher prices. The word trattoria comes from the French traiteur as originally applied to medieval cook shops. Trattorias are small eateries with small menus and big flavors. And they don’t go in for anything trendy.  Here are fourteen things about them to love.

Trattorias are largely family owned and operated, often generationally, with the sons and daughters, even grand kids, working. This assures consistency and a familial attitude towards their guests.

Trattorias focus on regional specialties, so in Rome you’ll invariably find the menu will include Roman dishes like bucatini all’arrabiata, cacio e pepe, alla carbonara, coda alla vaccinara, abbachio and others. And if the owner comes from outside of Rome, say Sicily or Abruzzo, he or she will feature the specialties of those native regions.

Trattorias cook seasonally and, except for tomatoes (grown year round in the South), rarely will they make dishes with out-of-season ingredients. Hence, this spring you’ll find fragrant basil, mushrooms, baby lamb and dishes made “alla primavera” (“of the springtime”). In autumn come the white truffles and game dishes.

Except for seasonality, trattorias don’t change their basic menu very much beyond offering one or two specials for an evening because a good ingredient was found that morning in the market. So, if you enjoyed that plate of linguine with clam sauce ten years ago at a favorite trattoria, it will likely still be on the menu, and just as you remembered it.

There will always be bread on the table, usually already there before you sit down. There might also be breadsticks called grissini, or perhaps focaccia. While it’s okay to dip your bread in olive oil, Italians do not use butter on their bread, so don’t ask for it. 

The most varied part of the menu, often arrayed on a buffet table, will be the antipasti, which will contain everything from red peppers and marinated zucchini to fresh mozzarella and salami. Indeed, this is the principal way to eat your veggies in a trattoria, where side dishes of anything but spinach and potatoes are rare.

While the antipasti may well be the savoriest items on the menu, every trattoria prides itself on its pastas as the glory of Italian cooking. The simplicity of the pasta sauces and the perfect al dente cooking of the pasta itself are paramount and allow the chef to compete in a big market by personalizing favorite dishes.  

Main courses are almost always very simple and unadorned. Fish will be grilled and graced with olive oil and lemon; meats and poultry will be grilled and served the same way; stews will usually be a daily special and be more complex but never gussied up on the plate. On the side may be polenta or potatoes, never, as in old-fashioned Italian-American restaurants, a portion of overcooked macaroni. 

No matter how casual a trattoria may be, it is most likely to have tablecloths, often checkered, even in a pizzeria. It is not an indication of formality but of hygiene and graciousness.

While there’s no dearth of tourists eating at highly recommended trattorias, they are most frequented by locals who eat there with friends and family and order dishes they have grown to love over the years, which means the owners wouldn’t dare change a successful, popular recipe. You, therefore, should not ask the chef to “go easy on the garlic” or ask for your meat to be cooked well done.

Service, as noted, is familial. Staff in trattorias love their guests, and, given the restricted menus, food can seem rushed out, but that’s because it’s served when it is ready and hot. Lukewarm pasta is considered a betrayal of national pride, so if the pasta plate is set before you, start eating immediately and do not wait for the rest of your party of six to get theirs.

You do not have to tip in a trattoria (or a ristorante). In Italy the service charge is built into the price of the dish, so tipping on top of that is a nice but wholly unexpected gesture. If you do, then a few euros would be appreciated. There may be a minor coperto (cover charge) on the bill for bread.

Desserts are an afterthought in trattorias. There might be a lemon tart or chocolate-hazelnut cake, but the gelato, sorbetto and biscotti are probably purchased up the street. Trattorias do not hire pastry chefs. 

Wine lists at trattorias were once banalities and the house wines (vini della casa) poor. These days any decent trattoria is likely to have a more interesting list, often with local wines featured, and, since the overall quality of bulk wines in Italy has improved so much, the house wine is going to go quite well with the cook’s food.