Our history,
from its origins to the present day
If you wish to get to La Gattabuia, you should bear in mind a “tiny” detail…
You will be walking through the “truest” parts of Rome!
In Trastevere in a papal dungeon
“Trastevere” is the Italian version of the Latin expression “trans Tiberim”, that is “beyond the Tiber”. This was the first populated area on the west bank of the river. A really ancient neighbourhood, a magic place where you can breathe the truest Rome.
Among cobblestone alleys and secret little squares, in the heart of old Trastevere, you will discover a suggestive place, housed in the remains of a splendid XV century space, a former papal dungeon. Today, this is one of the most famous typical Roman restaurants.
Ciceruacchio & the movies
La Gattabuia was born in 2003, with the taking-over of the well-known Ciceruacchio, the historical restaurant that together with Meo Patacca and Ettore Fieramosca, had made up the famous triptych known as “the Taverns”, reference point for Roman typical cuisine for over 40 years.
A magically Roman place, leaving as a legacy to its new young management a prestigious tradition. Over the years, this restaurant has been the chosen location for several major films and TV series.
Let’s mention “Mamma Roma”, by Pier Paolo Pasolini with the superlative Anna Magnani, and more recently, the tv series “Una pallottola nel cuore” [“A bullet in the heart”] with Gigi Proietti and Marco Marzocca.
Recently renovated, the restaurant has 3 dining rooms, tastefully decorated and embellished with old antiques, including some ancient working tools. When you look up, you can see the original vaulted brick ceiling of the old papal dungeon cells, recreating the evocative ambience of the Roman tavern of yore.
History & Tradition, but with the lively and convivial touch which is the trademark of the very young team of La Gattabuia.
The Taitos & Betta’s cakes
Since 2003, the Taito family has been managing with great dedication this ageless place, a symbol of the true nature of the somewhat cheeky Roman commoner, who has inhabited this area since ever.
Congeniality, friendliness and irony are what La Gattabuia and its young team wish to communicate. Vincenzo manages restaurant and team in a fast and smart way: you can spot him taking photos of the inviting dishes and post them on social media, commenting them with the typical Roman irony.
And that’s not all. Dulcis in fundo, his sister Betta – a young pâtissière, class of ’94 – honours her Gambero Rosso pastry certificate by daily enhancing the menu with a touch of flair and creativity.
Betta’s cakes are the pride of the restaurant, a worthy closure to a unique taste experience, which is achieved thanks to the perfect blend between innovation and tradition.
Handwritten on a rustic board, in their various versions, are delicacies like the ever-present tiramisu, the maritozzo con la panna or the delicious cheesecake Betta style.
Bread & wine
The Taito family are vigilant champions of the time-honoured gastronomic Roman tradition, always putting it on centre stage, implementing and preserving it. That’s where their almost obsessive attention to the raw materials for La Gattabuia’s pantry comes from: they need to be local, genuine, seasonal and fresh. Even bread is home-made by the skilled hands of the pizza chef, who lets it rise a full 48 hours before baking it in the restaurant’s old woodfired oven.
In order to further enhance the food and wine tradition of Latium, Vincenzo personally takes care of lovingly selecting the ample choice of wine labels. If you are a lover of good wine, a cellar with over 140 labels, out of which 100 are regional, is right here ready for you!
Since, as they say in Rome … “When eating Roman, drink Roman!”
True to traditions
La Gattabuia is a first-rate Roman Trastevere restaurant, with a long and significant history behind it. Roots are therefore of the utmost importance to us and we will never forget where we come from.
On the other hand, to remain stuck in the past not moving with the times is a mistake. Therefore, while we hold on to our Roman tradition, at the same time we give a nod to the latest culinary trends, letting our skilled chefs get inspired by their creativity to offer our guests mouth-watering dishes!
Discover Roman traditional cuisine – origins and trivia.