Fraschette Wine Taverns of Frascati
The fraschetta is the original Roman wine bar — a rough-hewn tavern where local Frascati DOC white wine is served straight from the barrel alongside platters of porchetta, cured meats and sharp pecorino. These are the places locals have been drinking since the 16th century, and they still feel like it.
What to Order
Start with a mezzo litro (half-litre carafe) of Frascati Superiore DOCG, a crisp, mineral-edged Malvasia blend that tastes entirely different poured from a cool cantina barrel than it does from a supermarket bottle. Pair it with a thick slice of porchetta di Ariccia — the herb-and-garlic-stuffed roast pork that is the region's street-food king.
Follow with suppli (fried rice balls), bruschetta rubbed with local olive oil and a wedge of aged pecorino romano. Most fraschette do not take reservations and portions are generous; this is communal, elbow-on-the-table eating at its finest.
Where to Find Them
The cluster of old fraschette around Via Regina Margherita and the lanes off Piazza del Mercato are the most authentic. Look for a green branch (frasca) hung above a doorway — the centuries-old sign that wine is being sold inside. Cantina Comandini on Via E. Filiberto is one of the most storied, with barrels visible from the street.
Most fraschette open from late morning through mid-afternoon and again in the early evening; many close on Mondays. Prices are deliberately modest — a carafe of house white and a mixed antipasto board rarely tops €12 per person.
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