A decent carbonara is pretty easy to come by in Rome. But no one visits the Italian capital in search of a merely passable pasta dish. After several thousand Roman restaurant meals over the past dozen years—including more misses than I care to recall—I have narrowed down the top plates of pasta in the Italian capital, from cult classics to signature dishes, each expertly crafted, extraordinarily delicious, and worth a flight. For the inside scoop on gricia, you’ll have to check out Carla Lalli Music’s article in this month’s Bon Appetit, but my favorite pasta dishes in town are on BonAppetit.com now.