Trattoria da Augusto

Trattoria da Augusto is a legendary, gloriously old-fashioned Trastevere trattoria on the small Piazza de' Renzi, a holdout of cheap, no-frills Roman home cooking in an increasingly gentrified neighbourhood. Run for generations by the same family, it has barely changed in decades: paper-covered shared tables, a tiny kitchen turning out a short menu of daily dishes, brusque but warm service, and a perennial crowd of locals, students and clued-in visitors who come for the authenticity and the prices rather than any comfort or polish. The food is the essence of cucina casalinga romana—home-style Roman cooking—with a handwritten daily menu of dishes such as pasta al pomodoro, rigatoni all'amatriciana, polpette al sugo (meatballs in tomato sauce), bollito, trippa and seasonal vegetables, all cooked simply and served in generous portions. There is nothing fancy here, and that is precisely the point. The setting is a couple of cramped rooms and a cluster of tables spilling onto the cobbled piazza, where sharing a table with strangers is part of the experience; the atmosphere is loud, communal and unmistakably old Trastevere. Casual dress and cash are essential—the trattoria does not take cards. Prices are very low, with pastas around €8 and mains around €10, exceptional value. It is open mainly for lunch (with limited or no dinner service), does not take reservations, and forms a queue, so arriving early is wise. For travellers wanting a genuine, dirt-cheap taste of traditional Roman home cooking in atmospheric surroundings, da Augusto is a Trastevere classic.