I was all set to write a blog post with a round up of all my favorite artichoke recipes. But then I realized that I’d been there, done that.
And while you might appreciate artichoke recipes, there is the sad, but true, fact that the artichokes you can get at home just aren’t the same as the artichokes you get in Rome (unless of course you’re lucky enough to call Rome home).
While I am one of the lucky few, and certainly cook up my fair share of artichokes while they are in season, if you get anywhere near any of my social media feeds then you know I’ve eat my fair share of artichokes out and about at Roman restaurants.
So here, my gift to you today, is a very short list of where you are most likely to find me eating artichokes. This is not by any means an exhaustive list. Almost all restaurants in Rome will have artichokes this time of year. But this is just my own personal list which has as much to do as where I end up during the day, as anything else.
But first, an carciofi primer: these are the three main ways that artichokes are eaten in Rome:
Carciofi Alla Giudea – deep fried, in the Jewish manner. You can read about them here.
Carciofi Alla Romana – slowly stewed with wild mint, parsley and garlic. You can read about them here.
Vignarola – A spring stew of artichokes, fave beans and peas. You can read about it here.
Artichoke Season: It varies, according to the weather. But the first artichokes start to show up at the end of January. These are usually from Sardegna, and while not local, are incredibly good. The next artichokes to show up in Rome are from the south, usually Sicily and Puglia. Finally, by the end of February or beginning of March the gorgeous, huge Roman artichokes show up. BUT: this year everything was much, much earlier. So there is no real predicting, especially with global warming.
If you do make it to Rome, I’d love to see your artichokes. If you can hold off long enough to photograph them before you dig in, that is. If you put them up on Instagram, use the hashtag #carciofogram and I’ll be able to see them. And on FB, just tag them with my name.
And if you want to see even more artichoke action, follow me on Snapchat. I’m eminchilli. (the next few weeks I’ll be in the USA. But I promise more artichokiness upon my return)
The Restaurants:
Piperno – This is the grandaddy of artichoke restaurants in Rome. Located at the edge of the Roman Jewish Ghetto, Piperno prepares and serves artichokes all year round. They not only have them Alla Giudea, but also alla romana and vignarola when it’s in season. There carciofi alla Giudea are more homestyle, served kind of squooshed and flattened, with more soft and tender leaves, and only the edges crisped. I also love their Coratella con carciofi. Read more about Piperno here.
Giggetto – I’ve probably eaten my weight in carciofi at Giggetto. Like Piperno, they are located in the Jewish Ghetto and their artichokes are prepared in the same style as Piperno. And like Piperno, they serve them pretty much all year long, swapping out local artichokes for artichokes imported from France when the season ends. So….the quality can vary, and they are definitely much better in season. BUT….if you are only in town during the off season, and really want to try one, go ahead. I do. Read more about Giggetto here.
Sora Margherita – This hole in the wall is located in the Jewish Ghetto and their artichokes are much different in style than either Piperno or Giggetto. They really fry the hell out of them, and the leaves turn a deep bronze color. Think artichoke chips. They are addictive. Sora Margherita usually has them year round, using imported French artichokes as well. And I have to say that their method of longer, crisper frying is a better approach for out of season artichokes which tend to be more fiberous. Read more about Sora Margherita here.
Pompiere – Also located in the Jewish Ghetto Pompiere’s fried artichokes fall somewhere in between the soft smooshed ones at Piperno and the crisp dark ones of Sora Margherita. Pompiere also can be counted on to have carciofi alla romana as well as vignarola when in season. Read more about Pompiere here.
Flavio Velavevodetto – This is my favorite of all. Located in Testaccio, Flavio is meticulous about using not only seasonal and local artichokes, he even waits for certain varieties to come into season for the specific methods of cooking them. So, don’t expect everything all year round here. But if you do see any artichokes on the menu, order one of each. Including Coratella con Carciofi. Read more about Flavio Velavevodetto here.
Perilli – This may be my favorite Vignarola in town. Vignarola is usually a deep, sludgey (but delicious) mess of artichokes, peas and fave beans. Instead Perilli keeps all the ingredients separate until the last minute when they are mixed together on the plate. Also? The fave are sauteed with huge chunks of guanciale. I also love their tender-as-butter carciofi alla romana. Read more about Perilli here.
Da Enzo – One of the only places I eat in Trastevere these days, they make an amazing Carciofi alla Giudea. Read more about Enzo here.
Note: I haven’t mentioned pasta, but all of these restaurants will also have some type of pasta with artichokes when in season. For instance Enzo had a great Artichoke Lasagna recently. Also please note: There are MANY MANY other great restaurants that I know and love and that serve fantastic artichokes this time of year (like Armando and Cesare to name but two.) These are only the places I end up most often, for one reason or another.
This is a very short list, so I’d love to hear where you eat artichokes in Rome. Please comment below and let me know.
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We at them with reckless abandon while in Rome at Christmas. Our favorites were fried and consumed at Ar Galetto where we ordered them and then had to reorder. There were 4 of us at dinner and two of the 4 had never tasted them before, hence the reason we had to reorder, they couldnt eat enough of them after having tried them. Have a great trip to the States and, as always, thank you for your suggestions.
I haven’t been to Er Galetto in ages. Must revisit.
Your photographs are breathtaking and heartbreaking. Oh to be there now!
Thanks
We will be in Rome in May. Will artichokes and fave still be in season?
There will definitely still be artichokes, but they will be a bit tougher. But that’s ok
I just want to thank you for your beautiful posts! I enjoy them so much and I should thank you after each one but I forget! The pictures are so wonderful and your information great!!
So thank you for all the posts I have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy!
Maxinemonaco
Oh I’m so glad! Thanks for letting me know.
Wonderful list of restaurants for the next time I visit. Thankyou.
I love artichokes but had no idea there were so many growing regions. We mainly see green artichokes in the US, not the big purple ones. Such impressive displays! Thanks, Brenda
Giggetto was bad last time we dined there in 2014. I would not return and would not recommend it to anyone. The food was poorly prepared, service was snobbish, and prices were probably double of what I remember from 2007 and 2004. I think you can safely take this spot off your list.
Hi Anna. I’m so sorry you had a bad experience at Giggetto. But was that based on one visit? I have been there at least once a week for the last few years, and have always had a lovely meal. As have many other people I’ve heard from. So I would give it another chance. Every restaurant can have an off day, especially in terms of the food. But as far as service goes, I would say that Giggetto is about as far away from snobbish as you can get.
We have been there once in 2014. Husband was madly in love with the pasta with pepper and cheese (cacio pepe?) this trip and I wanted fried artichokes, which I have always enjoyed at Giggetto. The ones I was served were small and barely had any “meet” on them. Husband’s pasta was just a huge glob on a plate (I think it was something like 16 or 18 euro), covered with cheese but totally unappetizing. The waiter was just plain odd. We have been to this restaurant twice before and always enjoyed our meal and, so, I will certainly take your comments under submission, since it makes sense that this was just an odd day. It certainly delivered every other time we were there.
Sorry to reopen a six-year-old can of worms so to speak, but I feel Giggetto has declined in recent years. Surely Covid didn’t help, but recent meals there have disappointed enough times that I don’t go anymore, although I do miss the staff. I hope I just had some bad luck but there so many other choices in the Ghetto…
So sorry to hear you had a bad experience. We’ve eaten there 3 times in the last month, and all excellent meals. I also have to add that while there were some tourists, most of the guests were local Romans. All happy.
When does the season end? I will be there in June.
By June the local artichokes will be long gone, I’m afraid. But you can still try them in the roman styles, made with imported French artichokes. Not the same, I know. But at least it’s somehting.
We had carciofi alla giudia at Velavevodetto ai Quiriti (Piazza dei Quiriti) on New Year’s Day. The leaves were crispy.
(Our airbnb host also had us over for dinner one night and made us carciofi alla romana. I was so sad to discover that the varieties of artichokes you can get in Rome aren’t the same ones you can get here in the US.)
First time visit to Rome. Spent a total of 6 days at hotel Manfredi and visited all tourist sites. We tried artichokes at every restaurant. We decided that Doris had the best Roman artichokes for dinner service. Doris also offered fried artichokes for lunch service. Frankly, the street vendors offered artichokes that we have never seen in the states. It was frustrating to see such wonderful fresh artichokes and not be able to purchase and cook them.
I don’t know the restaurant Doris, where is it? Glad you got to see them in the market too.
No il gardino Romano? Just had everything’ artichoke on the menu. Amazing.
Giardino Romano in the Ghetto? Yes, it’s good too! And I love the owner, who used to be a waiter at Giggetto.
This made me remember eating artichokes at Costanzas in Rome on two seperate occasions. I remembered them grilled but they may have been fried. One of tbe few things my wife and I have eaten and remember to this day. Over 20 215 years ago. I doubt I will have artichokes that good again. Unless of course we make it back!