La Quercia
On its October menu, La Quercia dresses tonnarelli cacio e pepe with pecorino from Rieti aged eighteen months and a blend of Sarawak, Penja and Madagascar pepper.
Why go
Andrea Monteforte's osteria sits under the oak on Piazza della Quercia, by the church of Santa Maria della Quercia, a short walk from Campo de' Fiori. Annie Replogle of the Infatuation calls it one of Rome's smallest, quietest piazzas that even the pigeons haven't found yet
(The Infatuation, 2024). Monteforte had the room restyled during the 2020 lockdown and reopened it in June that year as La Quercia Osteria Monteforte. Marco Gallotta, formerly of Primo al Pigneto, took over the kitchen. The bread came from Monteforte's own bakery, Forno Monteforte (Puntarella Rossa, 2020). Valentina Marino put it in Gambero Rosso's 2026 guide to eating in the center without the tourist traps. The choice of raw materials is a fixed point,
she wrote, and rightly the suppliers, very carefully chosen, are named: farms, fishmongers, pasta makers, shops
(Gambero Rosso, 2026). Daria Reina, co-founder of the Rome boutique Chez Dede, is a regular (The Relisher, 2024).
Order the cacio e pepe. Replogle's verdict: Their glossy cacio e pepe comes with thick, chewy strands of tonnarelli dressed with some especially pepper-packed pecorino romano.
A year later she wrote that cacio e pepe is one of the most difficult pastas to perfect, and Osteria La Quercia gets it just right
(The Infatuation, 2025). She also found the amatriciana flawless,
tossed with mezze maniche (short pasta tubes) (The Infatuation, 2024). In a piece on Roscioli she wrote that it's hard for us to understand why anyone camps out online for a reservation
there, when La Quercia and its glossy cacio pepe is right around the corner
(The Infatuation, 2025).
The carbonara shows how far the producer list goes. When Luca Cesari of Gambero Rosso tasted twenty-one Roman carbonaras in four days in 2020, La Quercia's came fifth equal. Its cook built it on Felicetti mezze maniche, guanciale aged three months, mostly yolks from the free-range hens of L'uovo e la Canapa, three pecorini (Romano DOP, Carmasciano's Irpino and D'Ascenzo's from Rieti) and three peppers from the Emporio delle Spezie. Cesari found the sauce truly creamy and not aggressive, thanks to the blend that balances pecorino romano's usual saltiness,
with one reservation: The guanciale, not especially browned, is slightly soft to the bite and leaves a faint bitter aftertaste.
It cost 10 euros (Gambero Rosso, 2020). The October menu lists eggs from hens fed on hemp seed and guanciale from Mangalitza pigs (La Quercia).
Marino rated the polpette preparate come i saltimbocca (meatballs made like saltimbocca) excellent and told readers to leave room for dessert: a zabaione semifreddo with salted caramel or a tart au citron, a fitting end to a very interesting meal
(Gambero Rosso, 2026).
Order this / avoid
- Order: the tonnarelli cacio e pepe, for Annie Replogle (2024, 2025).1
- Order: the amatriciana, flawless for Replogle (2024).1
- Order: the polpette made like saltimbocca, excellent for Valentina Marino (Gambero Rosso, 2026).4
- Order: the spaghetti alla Nerano when it is a special,
loaded with provolone del monaco and meltingly tender zucchini slices
for Replogle (2024).1 - Order: the tiramisù,
layered with crunchy bits of chocolate biscotti
for Replogle (2024).1
What locals & experts say
- Puntarella Rossa (2010, before the 2020 relaunch):
Nothing special, mind you; if you want a refined dinner you have the wrong address.
7 - Anna Tortora, Scatti di Gusto (2020):
La Quercia keeps the osteria character with which Andrea Monteforte's place was born ten years ago, but ties itself still more closely to the producers, who work with the kitchen on the menu.
8
Good to know
- Booking: call 06 6830 0932.
- Price: Turismo Roma gives an average of 50 euros a head without wine (2025).
- Days: in 2020 the osteria served dinner Tuesday to Saturday and lunch and dinner on Sunday, and shut on Monday. Check the current days before you go.
- Where: Piazza della Quercia 23, Regola, with a few tables out on the piazza.
Verdict
should-visit — Go for the cacio e pepe and the amatriciana at an osteria on a tiny piazza near Campo de' Fiori that names its producers on the menu. The Infatuation's critic sends people here before Roscioli, around the corner. Expect about 50 euros a head before wine.