The carbonara arrives in a shallow white bowl — rigatoni, not spaghetti, the pecorino emulsion glossy and tight, no slick of grease at the rim. It is the dish Nabil Hadj Hassen cooked for the better part of eighteen years at Salumeria Roscioli before he carried it a hundred yards from the Trevi Fountain, into a corner most Romans will tell you to avoid. Gambero Rosso called it the city's best carbonara in 2024. They were right, and the crowd tossing coins into the fountain outside has no idea it is here.
The Kitchen
Hadj Hassen spent close to two decades at Roscioli, the deli-restaurant near Campo de' Fiori that taught a generation of Romans what carbonara could be. At Baccano, Via delle Muratte 23, he runs a kitchen that reads like a French brasserie wearing Roman clothes. The rigatoni carbonara is the headline, and it earns it: pecorino with a whisper of parmigiano for depth, guanciale rendered crisp, no cream, no shortcut. Beyond it, the tortellini in brodo are made with pasta brought up from Bologna, and the spaghettone in French butter with bottarga and anchovy is the dish to order if the carbonara feels too obvious.
The menu runs wider than pasta. Buffalo mozzarella from Paestum arrives cool and milky; the hamburger is, improbably, one of the better ones in the centro storico; the oyster bar and the cocktail list are reasons to come on their own. Dinner runs roughly €30 to €40 a head before wine, with the pasta in the high teens to low twenties — fair money this close to the fountain, where a worse plate fifty metres away costs the same. The Infatuation's Gillian McGuire put Baccano on her best-pasta-in-Rome list in 2023; the Gambero Rosso carbonara nod followed in 2024.
The Room
Baccano takes up half a city block, all Art Deco lines, marble and brass, the kind of room that would not look out of place in Paris or New York. It is handsome, and at the height of dinner it is loud — closer to a brasserie hum than a hushed Roman dining room. Tables sit close together. The light is warm but not low; you can read the menu without a phone torch. Dress is smart-casual and no one will glance twice at an open collar. Come at 7:30 and you can hear each other across the table; come at 9 and you will lean in.
Best for an Easy First Date
Book this room for a first date that doesn't want to announce itself as one. The all-day format means no tasting-menu theatre, no three-hour commitment, no sommelier hovering over a decision neither of you is ready to make. Order the carbonara to share or one each, a negroni from the bar, and let the room do the work. If the evening is going well, you stay for dessert and a second drink; if it isn't, the bill comes quickly and no one has lost a night. The buzz is an ally here — a silent room amplifies an awkward pause, and Baccano never falls silent.
Not For
Skip Baccano if you came to Rome for a candle-low, whisper-quiet dinner. At peak hours the room is loud, the tables are a forearm apart, and you will raise your voice to be heard across the table. For that evening, book somewhere with space between the chairs.
Common Questions
Is Baccano worth it so close to the Trevi Fountain?
Yes, which is rare for a restaurant this close to a major monument. The checkered-tablecloth traps fifty metres away survive on location alone; Baccano survives on a chef who cooked at Roscioli for eighteen years. Gambero Rosso named its rigatoni carbonara the best in Rome in 2024. You are paying a small Trevi premium for genuinely good cooking, not tourist prices for bad food.
What should I order at Baccano?
Start with the rigatoni carbonara, the dish that made the room's name. The tortellini in brodo, with pasta brought up from Bologna, and the spaghettone in French butter with bottarga and anchovy are both worth the table. For something lighter, the buffalo mozzarella from Paestum is the real thing, and the hamburger is among the better ones in the centro. The cocktail bar justifies an early aperitivo.
How expensive is Baccano?
Dinner runs roughly €30 to €40 per person before wine, with pasta in the high teens to low twenties. For a sit-down meal a hundred yards from the Trevi Fountain, that is closer to fair than the surrounding restaurants would suggest. Cocktails are priced like a serious bar rather than a tourist cafe, which the quality earns. Lunch and aperitivo run lighter.
Do you need a reservation at Baccano?
For dinner, yes — particularly Thursday through Sunday and in high season. The room is large and turns all day, but the good tables go to people who booked. Walk-ins can usually find a perch at the bar or an off-peak afternoon table. Reserve through the restaurant's site or by phone a few days ahead; for a weekend dinner, give it a week.
Also in Rome
Explore the full Rome dining guide, or read our Best for a First Date and Best for a Birthday occasion guides for more Rome picks.