Osteria La Sol Fa
Where? Osteria La Sol Fa (Esquilino, Rome, Italy) Map Menu
When? Saturday June 13, 2026
Who With? Me
Food Style? Italian
One of the things I love about writing a food blog is that I'm forced to learn things about different cultures. Did you know there's a difference between a ristorante, an osteria, a taverna and an enoteca? While a ristorante is a simply a restaurant in every sense of the word in English, an osteria is a local wine bar where customers would bring their own food to enjoy with the establishment's wine. These days, almost every osteria will have a simple menu that caters to the local crowd, fostering an environment for the neighbourhood to drink wine and eat food in a communal setting.
The one I am dining at today is named after three notes in the solfège musical scale, la, sol and fa, and is located a few minutes away from San Giovanni metro station, a bit away from the hustle and bustle of the Palatine Hill. I have just over an hour to dine before the table is required, but that shouldn’t be a problem. I’m sitting in the corner right by the kitchen and the smell of the food is heavenly.
Drink
I’ve started with the Chinotto. I have no idea how to pronounce everything but I try my best and the waiter corrects me at every step. “Ch” is a hard “K” sound. This soft drink is made from bitter citrus, and begins with a sweet, syrupy taste almost like port, but ends with a bitter yet somewhat pleasant aftertaste.
Mains
Matriciana: tomato sauce, bacon, onion, salt, chili pepper, pecorino cheese
For pasta, I’ve chosen the Tagliatelle Matriciana, which has a huge spiel on their website about whether it should be called Matriciana or Amatriciana. What it boils down to is a single ingredient: onion. An amatriciana does not have onion. The tagliatelle is cooked perfectly, having a springiness to each bite that you just don’t get with boxed pasta. I find this quite aggressively seasoned, with salt from both the bacon and pecorino making this full of flavour. It’s even more delicious with the bread, so I’ll make sure there’s absolutely no sauce left on the plate when I’m done.
Dessert
Tiramisol: house tiramisu with hazelnut cream
Of course, I have to end the meal with a tiramisu. The house special adds hazelnut cream to the classic recipe. It’s served in a hipster-like jar which doesn’t give it the opportunity to display all its layers, but I dig in anyway. Oh yeah, it’s good. It still has that coffee flavour but the hazelnut adds a nice nuttiness that takes the edge off the bitterness. The grated hazelnut also adds a nice crunchy texture. Despite its small size, it is quite rich, so I’m well satiated for this meal.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:50pm on Tuesday July 7, 2026 :: 0 comments :: 