Rome: Alfredo Alla Scrofa restaurant, birthplace of Fettucine Alfredo

Sylvia loves pasta.  She loves Fettuccine Alfredo.  So naturally in Rome she was keen to go to Alfredo Alla Scrofa, the birthplace of Fettuccine Alfredo.  We intended to go for lunch but were late and it closes between 3.30-6.30pm.  The above photo is from when we passed in late afternoon to check we couldn't eat earlier than 6.30pm.  We walked away with a business card and booked to return at 6.30pm.

When we returned and joined the queue of people who had booked, we walked in quickly.  We were given a choice between inside and outside.  I loved the photos inside but Sylvia wanted to eat outside.  She got her wish as this was her dream restaurant!

We were given a menu with a nice drawing of the restaurant dated 1914 when Alfredo di Lelio first made his famous fettuccine.

The first thing we were served was water.  I was not concentrating when the waiter asked and replied that I didn't speak Italian and was he able to speak English.  Sylvia was amused that I had not understood him asking in English if we wanted still or sparkling.  We then had a basket of fresh assorted bread (4 euros) because we were hungry.  It came with olive oil, balsamic and seasoning.

We ordered a mocktail of apple juice, elderflower syrup, lime and ginger beer (10 euros).  It was lovely but we had decided to share it.

Sylvia's order of Fettuccine  Alfredo was the star of the show.  The above photo looks like a penguin with pasta but behind them is a performance.  The waiter was tossing her pasta while telling us the story of Alfredo making a pasta dish for his sick wife with what was on hand: pasta, butter and parmigiano cheese.

Here is her pasta.  It was listed in the menu as "The Original Fettuccine Alfredo: Parmigiano Reggiano DOP 24 months and fresh butter from the Langhe" (23 euros).  She would have loved the optional extras of black "Uncinato" truffle or white truffle but it was hard to justify paying the prices of 30 euros for black and  80 euros for white.  She loved it.

I was happy to just taste Sylvia's Alfredo.  I ordered the mixed pasta with potatoes and smoked mozzarella cheese (16 euros).  It was delicious.  When it came it looked like a soup but I was surprised that there was no sauce left when I ate it with the fork I was given.  I really enjoyed the different pasta shapes, the slightly chewy chunks of mozzarella and the soft of potato, as well as just the right amount of smoky creamy sauce.

We ordered the deep-fried 'giudia' style artichokes (12 euros).  Sylvia had never had artichokes before and I was curious to have them in this Roman-Jewish style that was unlike anything I had had before.  The leaves were like artichoke crisps, shattering to pieces in our mouths.  The heart was cooked to soft melting goodness.  Sylvia was interested but not mad keen.  I am not sure it is a great way to try an artichoke as most do not taste like this but it was definitely a unique experience.

We ordered a green salad (7 euros) to share.  Like other salads we had in Rome, it came plain with oil, vinegar and seasoning on the side so we could dress it ourselves.  It was a great to eat with the pasta to alleviate that heavy texture.

Here is our whole meal.  It was very impressive.  Not surprisingly, it was one of the more expensive.  However the excellent service, the great flavours, the interesting textures, the performance of the story, the jazz music and the historic courtyard where we ate, all combined to make it one of the most memorable meals of our trip. 

 

It was a little sad to leave the lovely outdoor table on the square outside Alfredo's.  But we were out much later than we intended and were ready to catch the bus back to our apartment.

Alfredo All Scrofa
Via della Scrofa, 104/a
00186 Roma RM
Lunch: 12.30-3.30pm, Dinner 6.30-11.00pm
https://alfredoallascrofa.com/en/