Recently there is much talk of One hundred cells and not all are flattering comments. The attacks on the Electric Sheep and the Baraka Bistrot have affected (but certainly not sunk) the spring of one of the emerging districts of the Capital. It is therefore necessary to talk about what is good about this former borough, on which some enlightened entrepreneurs such as the Fooders di Mazzo and Vincenzo Mancino of Pro Loco Dol had already invested 6-7 years ago. It is in recent years, however, that there has been a real cultural revolution, accompanied by the gentrification of the neighborhood, where the old township families have been replaced by swarms of amatriciana yuppies, looking for a house to rent or buy at a good price and in a former borough, also favored by being well connected. And where there are plenty of interesting addresses for eating and drinking well.

Pro Loco Dol

Let's start from Pro Loco Dol, where Dol means of Lazio origin. He was the first of the three (the others in the richer Pinciano and Trastevere districts) "children" of Vincenzo Mancino, guru of typical products of Lazio, despite being Lucan by birth. Specializing in cheese and cold cuts – how not to be enchanted by the counter! – Mancino has designed for the first creature a menu that ranges from chopping boards to excellent pizza focaccia, which often features, in fact, cheeses and cured meats, through the dishes of the Lazio cuisine or creative dishes, but strictly based on products of territory.

Legs

We wanted to put Deck on this list, but closed a few months ago because the "fooders", Marco Baccanelli and Francesca Barreca, decided to take a sabbatical (or a little more). They had opened a wonderful bistrot in a favored format, just over ten places, in full Centocelle, starting the gold rush in this neighborhood. In recent months I have been traveling around the world, having fun cooking and learning techniques from other cultures, but on the other hand have not left their admirers completely dry-mouthed. Thus, in what was the venue of Mazzo, they opened their Legs. Fins, thighs, strips: here, almost everything is based on chicken, strictly breaded Italian and not battered, but still fried. There is no shortage of excellent potatoes that have made them famous and some sandwiches with a hand of the friend Bonci, while for drinking there are the seven different thorns of beer and a passion for fooders, gin and tonic.

Waraku

First a former martial arts gym, where you walked on tiptoe, trying not to disturb. Today a real Japanese restaurant, but woe to expect to find sushi. It was one of the first ramen bars in the capital, born from Maurizio Di Stefano's passion for Japan. Here you will inevitably find two broths, one based on meat and one 100% vegetarian, in which to dip various types of ramen and udon. Then, again, the Okonomiyaki, a sort of Japanese omelette, the gyoza and so on, depending on the fantasy of the moment.

Geppy Sferra Ice Cream of Essai

Geppy Sferra is a volcano. Not only is he a good ice cream maker, with two stores between Colli Aniene and Tor De Schiavi, but also a person who got involved, teaching middle school kids to make ice cream. And there's more, because recently in the new store in via Tor de Schiavi Geppy Sferra also launched the ice cream restaurant. This does not mean producing gourmet ice cream, the salty one so to speak, but it means creating a menu combining savory dishes with the flavors of the counter, whether they are more or less sweet. Any examples? From the last season menu: pumpkin cream, crispy speck and croutons with chestnut ice cream; Sweet and sour pork stew with pineapple sorbet.

Rude

Do not think that there are rude men, at most the boys of Ru.De are the classic bartenders a bit tattooed and bearded. Ru.De stands for Rumors Delete and their place has revolutionized the concept of drinking well in Centocelle. For a few euros more than the fourth-category Spritz, here is a selection of gin and whiskey not just and a drink list based on pre-batch cocktails rigorously homemade, on which an enormous amount of work was done on the dilution and on ice. There is little attention, as well as a selection of accompanying dishes.

Maulbeere

The name in German means Gelso and we are in via dei Gelsi, however in the choice has certainly influenced the assonance with the beer, a real killer application of this club of Centocelle. To manage it, three friends with catering experiences and great love for craft beer and the neighborhood in which they are located, to which they have just dedicated their last beer, a pale ale with mulberry with a label designed by cartoonist Franzine (in photo), which portrayed an unmistakable tram 19 that plows through Prenestina. Six options on tap, plus a card of countless bottled craft beers. To accompany, cheese and salami platters, but above all lots of meat.

Menabò

Enosteria: they define themselves this way because this place with the journalistic name is first of all a wine shop, where one also eats. Its creators are the Camponeschi brothers, Paolo in the kitchen and Daniele, who used to cook and today gave himself to wine, is in the room. The menu changes practically every day and arrives at the table written on a blackboard, among the dishes we notice an eye to tradition, but without being imprisoned in the cliché by cacioepepe-carbonara-amatriciana. While for the choice of wine we rely on Daniele's advice and tales, with a look at the shelves where there are wines also of value.

The Snap

Again Tor de Schiavi, where he opened a restaurant mainly in Puglia, because three of the partners are from Bari and also the young and talented chef Daniele Colace has Pugliese blood, which also emerges in his kitchen, together with a preference for the Asian due to his previous work experience. Perhaps it lacks a bit of identity, but on the other hand we enjoy more than fair prices, with great classics masterfully executed like the focaccia from Bari, to combine with the platter of cold cuts and cheeses that come directly from Puglia, and more modern dishes and xenophiles like tuna tataki. Here you can go to breakfast and find pasticciotti, until evening, when you eat a la carte.

Fassangue

Have you ever eaten meat sushi? Here for the hardened carnivores he arrived at Centocelle Fassangue, where one can exercise to become new Dracula because, yes, it is all raw, not only in blood. Tartare, raw meat sandwiches, diced scottona, sushi: all strictly with extinguished fires, with the only exception of the fillet to be cooked at the table on the salt tile. The meat is guaranteed by the Caputo family, since this bistrot is a direct derivation of the nearby Caputo Macelleria, which is sourced from strictly non-intensive Italian farms, with a preference for scotton and some digression depending on availability.

The Ombralonga

Yes, in Centocelle there is a real Venetian-style bacaro (so much so that they call it "the Venetian"). Spritz at will, but above all abundant cicchetti to accompany the aperitif, in the purest Venetian spirit of shade and cicchetti. University students really like it for the low prices and the plentiful platters, so much so that at aperitif time it is practically assaulted and it is always advisable to book. Among the drinks, we go from a classic Spritz to the Hugo. Or a glass of wine.