LUDO Dine & Vibe 
3 Gluten-Free Pastry Shops in Milan 
In a large and populous city like Rome, the restaurant is one of those engines in constant motion that contributes to vibrate the urban fabric and to give gastronomic experiences and knowledge. As for meat restaurants, here are very numerous. For every “old” sign of the neighborhood that everyone talks about, there is always a new arrival who wants to impress. And for every address related to traditions, to things done as they were once, there is always another one that, on the contrary, likes to dare.
In this ranking, we have tried to include the best meat restaurants in Rome, mentioning the essential stops for those who are really fond of grills, hot embers and BBQ. Four steps to Italy and the world, discovering cooking, cutting and preparations to be enjoyed on the carnivorous tables of the Eternal City.
ERCOLI 1928
Via Montello, 26
The sign indicates the exact spot to take part in a dynamic taste tour. The same historic restaurant in Prati in 1942 had even attracted the attention of the painter Giacomo Balla who wanted to immortalise it in one of his paintings, predicting an era of success and word of mouth. Ercoli 1928 is, to this day, one of the best known landmarks of Roman eating. A ‘transversal shop’ in which a cocktail bar with champagne bar, a vermouth bar (Parioli location), a salsamenteria and, dulcis in fundo, a restaurant of temptations converge. Here, you can go for the abundant platters of cold cuts and cheeses – Italian and foreign excellences, or the main courses, but always leave room for the Argentine Angus tartare with organic yolk and mustard mayonnaise.
I BUTTERI
Piazza Regina Margherita, 28
With a name that unmistakably recalls the cowboys of the Maremma, I Butteri is a synthesis of Tuscan tradition and Roman veracity. The restaurant is a realm of fine cuts and hot coals; the meats, highly selected, come mostly from Italy, Europe and America. On the menu, therefore, you will find Prussian Manzetta, Danish, Argentine meat, Scottona, Chianina. The most daring gourmets and hungry travellers will be able to put themselves to the test with a giant Tomahawk steak (known as ‘brontosaurus’): a cross between the Black Angus breed and the extremely rare Wagyu, weighing between 800 g and 1.8 kg.
MACELLO
Via Flaminia, 451 – Ponte Milvio
The most famous ‘swords’ in Rome are those of Macello: an innovative restaurant where you can experience giant skewers of beef, fillet, chicken. The meat is baked to preserve its authenticity and is always tender to the palate, thanks also to the long marinades used that make it even tastier. Each swordfish goes well – in addition to the accompanying sauces – with cocktails, wines and beers ingeniously paired by chefs and drinking alchemists. Among the most mouth-watering offerings, then, we cannot fail to mention the hearty beef tartare and the Australian Wagyu, cooked according to the Oriental tataki preparation technique.
KILO
Via Tirso, 30
A restaurant-macelleria that stands out among Rome’s many addresses of taste for quality, imagination and attention to detail. Kilo is a realm of excellent products in the form of fillets, steaks, kebabs, burgers and meatballs. In both locations – the second is in Via della Lega Lombarda -, you choose directly from the counter what you want and how you want it (origin, weight and cut). The beef – domestic, Danish, Scottish – is grilled or barbecued with only coarse salt added, so as not to alter the flavour. Lovers of ‘food on a stick’, on the other hand, will find their happy island at the social table, dedicated to those who want unlimited skewers and swords at a fixed cost.
TBSP
Via Gallia, 83
Born out of the owners’ dream of bringing the overseas barbecue ritual to Rome, TBSP is the place dedicated to smoked and smoked cooking, where every bite tastes of America and Made in Italy. It is an original format that aims to be a nationwide franchise and that values the figure of the pit-master – the grill chef – who specialises in Brisket, Pork and Ribs. The menu offers, among other tasty alternatives, a line dedicated to burgers and some special cuts of meat, such as Pastrami Beef and New York Strip dry Aged. Absolute novelty is the Byob formula that gives customers the opportunity to bring their own bottle of wine.
BEEF BAZAAR
Viale Germanico,136
Beef Bazaar is a meltin pot of flavours and excellence from the world. It bases its philosophy on the concept of discovery – of traditions and cuisines – and the desire to encapsulate the experiences of gastronomic journeys between different cultures in one place. This refined market-restaurant between East and West offers only the highest quality meat, sourced from every type of beef breed and from the best cuts around. From the American Wagyu to the Finnish Sashi, via the classic Chianina, the prehistoric Tomahawk and the unusual Polish scottona with sugar beet: the grill here is all gourmet.
GIRARROSTO FIORENTINO
Via Sicilia, 46
It was the 1960s, the era of La Dolce Vita, the Rome of cinema, and Il Girarrosto Fiorentino began to be popular, attracting many actors from the silver screen. Today, some time later, the ‘new’ joins the ‘old’, yet the story seems to have remained unchanged: the restaurant continues to make its mark on the hearts of those who sit in the dining room for the first time and still attracts that fascinating American star system clientele. Don’t be surprised, therefore, if while eating a Chateaubriand, a Filetto Lardellato with black truffle or a Fiorentina – the queen of the grill – your eye will also be drawn to a few pictures of Francis Ford Coppola and Meryl Streep.
CANTERA
Via Ruggero Fauro 2
A flurry of novelty and fusion flavours has recently enveloped Rome. Cantera wears the sceptre and crown of the city’s first meat fusion restaurant , where refined oriental techniques blend with Mediterranean combinations and a good dose of creativity. The result is a highly original menu devoted almost entirely to Sushi di Carne, declined in different variations (starters, rolls, tartare, sashimi, tacos). Among the starters, one falls in love at first sight with the Australian Wagyu Gyoza; among the other dishes, El Gordo Rol, with Sorano sausage, DOP gorgonzola cheese and crispy Amatrice bacon, and the Roll Cantera, with Australian Wagyu tartare, philadelphia, duck speck, mayo, Avezzano potatoes, chives and lime, deserve special mention.
MAXELÀ
Piazza delle Coppelle, 10-13
At Maxelà’s, the Italian spirit is celebrated with tasty dishes that leave no room for frills in a well-thought-out menu that exalts Mediterranean flavours, sometimes revisiting them. The fame of the restaurant in Piazza delle Coppelle is linked, in particular, to a speciality: Fassona in the form of tagliata, rib eye steak or hamburger. Attention to the quality of the raw materials is a given: each product is carefully chosen before being brought to the table. Other meats on the menu to indulge in include those from Argentina, Scotland, Denmark and Ireland. And for a special accompaniment, try one of the chefs’ salads.
CHIANCHERIA GOURMET
Via Ostiense, 52
The name derives from ‘Chianchiere’, which in Neapolitan means ‘the butcher’, to be understood not only as a seller of meat, but as a true craftsman of taste who, working the raw material with wisdom, creates delicacies. The Chiancheria in Rome is, therefore, a hamburgeria, delicatessen and gourmet butcher‘s shop: three formats under a single sign where the concept of grilled food and eating well is revolutionised and refreshed. The innovative restaurant boasts the exclusive use of meat from the Carpineto Farm in Presenzano, offering an interesting menu whose undisputed protagonists are the Chiancamburger, for an imaginative and tasty twist on classic street food.
