Osteria Zaraza
Tucked into Via Regina Margherita in the old town, Zaraza has been feeding Frascati locals since the 1960s with the kind of Roman-Castelli cooking that never makes it onto tourist menus — rigatoni con pajata, abbacchio alla cacciatora and, on Fridays, a baccalà in umido that regulars plan their week around. The wine list is almost entirely DOC Frascati Superiore, poured in ceramic jugs the way it
What to Order
Start with the antipasto della casa: a wooden board of local salumi, sheep's ricotta drizzled with honey and bruschetta rubbed with lard — simple ingredients that taste extraordinary when everything is sourced from the Castelli Romani producers the owner has known for decades.
For a primo, the tonnarelli cacio e pepe is made with a hand-rolled pasta that has more tooth than the Roman version; for a secondo, the porchetta di Ariccia — slow-roasted pork perfumed with wild fennel and garlic — arrives in thick slices with a crackling that shatters like glass.
The Wine
Frascati Superiore DOCG is a blend of Malvasia di Candia and Trebbiano Toscano grown on volcanic tufo soil; the result is a straw-yellow wine with a faintly mineral, almost smoky finish that pairs perfectly with the fatty richness of the porchetta.
Ask the owner for a glass of the Cannellino di Frascati DOCG — a late-harvest semi-sweet version that is almost impossible to find outside the Castelli Romani and makes a revelatory match with the ricotta desserts.
More of Frascati
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Frascati →
