There’s been a lot of talk regarding Rome street food lately. Suppli, pizza al taglio and more panini places than you can count. You would think that street food has been ‘rediscovered’ by a new generation . But there’s one place that has been serving the same simple, quick and cheap Roman street food for generations.
Fried fillet of bacala’ is a Roman standard. The flaky fillets are dipped in a heavy egg batter, fried, and served piping hot. Although you can usually find them served at most pizzerias around town, the best place to enjoy them is Dar Filettaro.
This small hole-in-the-wall doesn’t kid around. They specialize in one thing, and one thing only: big, steaming hunks of freshly fried bacala’. Yes, there are a few other things on the menu, including a few different kinds of preserved pickled vegetables. And if you want to be really Roman, order a plate of acciughe con burro, anchovies with butter, to start.Â
But the main draw is of course the bacala’. You order it by the piece, and each is really quite big. I can barely make it through one, although Domenico can eat at least one and half. But don’t worry, you can always order until you are full. And don’t even think about using a knife and fork. Those flimsy little napkins that are hiding under your plate are there for a reason. Grab a couple and use them to hold your filetto, which is meant to be eaten with your hands.
If you are there winter through early spring, make sure you order the puntarelle, a salad of endive dressed with a lemony anchovy vinaigrette. And if you want to be truly authentic, order a carafe of the slightly fizzy house white, still decanted from taps in the vintage fridge. (I usually play it safe, and stick to beer )
In the summer the outdoor tables in the tiny pedestrian piazza are heavenly.
My only gripe is that they aren’t open for lunch. They do, however, open at 5:30 pm so you can actually make this a stop before dinner if you’d like. And if the lines are too much (there are always lines at dinner time), just head straight to the back to the kitchen and order your bacala to go. That’s what Romans do.
Dar Filettaro
Largo dei Librari 88
+39.06.686.4018
Monday – Saturday, 5:30 pm-11:30pm.
For more information on dining in Rome, download my app, Eat Italy, available on iTunes.
Dar Filettaro… what wonderful childhood memories you bring up, Elizabeth! This was our family stop returning from the beach, or the holidays… I still vaguely remember admiring the two towering “Nonnas” dipping fillets in the batter and then frying them, in the kitchen background.
A little trivia: the reason for the place odd opening hours (5.30-10.30pm), and the then severely limited menu (Burro e Alici, Salami, Fillets – that’s it!) was that the place was geared, and thought for, construction workers, which workday extended till 5pm typically; and all food was savory/salty food, to better stimulate wine consumption…
I thought it might have something to do with workers hours. Thanks for confirming that!
Delicious looking, do they do fries with those!!???
I love going for fish and chips in London, where I live.
No, no fries. Sorry! Just not a Roman – or Italian – thing.
when trying the fried cod it was a major disappointment i’m afraid: too much batter preventing one’s savouring of nice fish. less would be more …
only for those with an acquired taste?
Perhaps? But battered and fried fish is a favorite all over Europe, not just Italy.
I had this place on my radar when we visited Rome because as a Spaniard, I love Bacalao! Sadly, it was closed for vacation. I was so disappointed!
To put on your list for next time, for sure!
We’d been looking forward to lunching here on our last day in Rome in November. Checking out how to get there on your Rome app over breakfast I reLised it was not open for lunch: so disappointed!
Instead we went to the pizza place you also recommended near your home, can’t recall the name, and had a great lunch of wine, pizza and lovely fried veg ( oh and a little fried baccala too)
Alle Carette! They’ve only recently started opening for lunch, since they realized there was a real audience for that. Dar Filettaro could easily do the same, I’m sure, since so many people would come there for lunch if they were open
BTW, Alle Carrette does a mean Filetto di Baccalà also! They’re just smaller in size than Dar Filettaro, so my typical lunch there is a “Bruschetta” appetizer, 2 Filetti, beer and coffee – Satisfaction Guaranteed!
When we were in Rome December of 2014 for 8 days, we stopped in here after it had been recommended to us. I was very reticent, as I did not grow up with salt cod and on previous attempts at eating various versions of salt cod, I had been gravely disappointed.
We ended up stopping here three times in the eight days, went straight to the back, got our fried bacala and ate it on the street. What an amazing gastronomic discovery. It remains a highlight of our trip and we will definitely return.
It’s highly addictive. As you discovered.
I went there with my husband and daughter two years ago…the place was packed, so we walked to the kitchen and ordered. Delicious! There is a beautiful little church in that same piazza that we visited when we were finished, Santa Barbara. Dreaming and scheming on how to make it back to Italy. Love your posts, thank you!
Santa Barbara is a jewel!
I’m reading this in Santa Barbara, California, so I had to drop a note. Any Caravaggios or Michelangelos in la chiesa di Santa Barbara?
Thanks for keeping me up-to-date and informed on Roman food, Elizabeth. I visited Rome for a week in 2012 and am looking forward to my next visit. (I threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, so it has to happen, right?)
No, no major paintings in the small church. But beautiful and almost always empty.
One of our happiest memories from our June 2014 trip to Rome was eating take out bacala from Dar Filettaro whilst walking through Campo di Fiori to the sounds of ‘Summertime’ being played on a saxophone – absolute heaven!
I’m so happy you wrote about this place — I’ve always wanted to eat here but haven’t had the opportunity. My sixth sense thought it looked delicious and now you’ve confirmed it. Next time! 🙂
Thank you, Elizabeth! I was reminiscing about dar filletaro yesterday with my husband. Spooky. I was pregnant when I last travelled to Roma & the cod from the Nonna was my go-to for cravings. I can’t wait to introduce my little one to the joys of fried cod! Warmly, Danyelle.
It was your Sophie who introduced us to dar filettaro and we still dream about this delicious bacala! 😉
We have enjoyed this place many times, thanks to your recommendation in the Eat Italy app several years ago. At Christmas when we were there, we tried the “walk to the kitchen and order to go” method for the first time =) So delicious and fun. XO
always a favorite…..get the real roman feel under your skin…..and lately the fizzy white hasn’t been bad at all….so try it next time….
thomas
Finally made it to Filetti di Baccala after a dozen trips to Rome. . . thought it was pretty darn good, until a couple of nights later, when I finally made it to another Rome gustatory landmark for the first time . . . L’Obitoio (Pizzeria Marmi) in Trastevere. Ordered the filetti to have as an appetizer BEFORE their splendiferous pizza con funghi e fiori di zuccha . . . Sorry, folks, but Marmi gets my blue ribbon for the fattest most luscious, most light-as-air-battered baccal imaginable! I even went back a couple of times to each place just to be sure I wasn’t mistaken. Marmi it is, but Filetti di B. is a very respectable second.
I haven’t been to Marmi in ages! I guess that’s on my to do list now.
We will be in Rome in 2 weeks time and I am so excited to add this little gem to my list of places to try. Thank you for sharing it
Is there a gluten free option for the cod?
I’m afraid not. This is a VERY simple place.