11 Best Restaurants in Aventino and Testaccio, Rome

It's everything you're looking for in a true Roman eating experience: authentic, in a historic setting, and filled with Italians eating good food at good prices. In this very romani di Roma (Rome of the Romans) neighborhood, surrounded by discos and bars, you can enjoy classic local dishes, from vegetable antipasto to cacio e pepe (said to be the best version in the city) to lamb chops. The patio dining is lovely, but indoor seating offers a glimpse at excavated slivers of Monte Testaccio, an archaeological site made entirely of Ancient Roman–era pottery.

Cheese sprinkled with flower petals, jars of jewel-tone sauces, and dramatically lit salumi are just some of the high-quality products that dazzle behind Aventina’s swanky deli counter. Everything is available to purchase and take away for a gourmet picnic, but the best way to sample the spread is as a tagliere (meat and cheese platter) in the contemporary dining room before moving on to the standout pasta dishes. While there are some vegetarian options, the butcher counter offers a clue that the menu has a meat-y focus.

Pastries rule supreme at this popular shop on Viale Aventino that imports French butter for the tasty creations. There are elegant cakes and tarts for indulgent occasions, but even the humble cornetti (Italy’s spin on croissants) are elevated to everyday treats. Street-side seating is available most months of the year for sipping coffees outside.

This family-run institution has been serving seafood in the working-class Testaccio neighborhood for more than 40 years, and if you visit the local market early enough you might spot the owner selecting the freshest fish, which mainly arrives from Gaeta, south of Rome. The menu changes every day, but look for house specialties like paccheri (a very large tubular pasta) with totani (baby calamari), pasta with telline (small clams), or the wondrously simple spaghetti with lobster. Start with appetizers from the cart that the waiter can wheel over to the table, or opt for the excellent moscardini fritti (fried, small squid). Although the menu has non-seafood Roman classics like cacio e pepe and pajata (intestines of an unweaned calf), this really is the place to order fish.

In addition to innovative Italian-inspired cuisine and one Michelin star, this intimate restaurant has a lovely terrace bar as well as a romantic plant-draped dining room. Twirl your fork into a bowl of spaghetti with a delightful oyster, sausage, and turnip-top sauce, or save room for the lamb with butter, anchovies, and pistachios. In warmer months, the rooftop patio transforms into a cocktail lounge where guests can snack on octopus takoyaki and codfish croquettes with 'nduja (spicy Calabrian salami) at sunset.

Circus Maximus was a place for sporting entertainment, and now, just a few minutes’ walk from the ancient chariot track, Numa al Circo focuses on gastronomic spectacle. Carbonara pasta, melon-sized balls of mozzarella di bufala perched precariously atop massive platters of tomatoes, and traditional thin crust pizzas are the crowd favorites.

Arrive promptly at 7 pm or expect to wait in line at this pizzeria favored by students and locals. There are no tablecloths or other nonessentials, just excellent classic Roman pizza and boisterous conversation. Start with some fried delicacies like zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovy or a battered piece of baccalà, then order the crispy-thin pizza that many consider the best in the city. You can't go wrong with the simple margherita, especially if you opt for the buffalo mozzarella version.

Set in a structure so massive that it takes up the better part of a block on a street that's gone from gritty clubland to popular nightspot, Porto Fluviale is a bar, caffè, pizzeria, lunch buffet, and lively evening restaurant with a sprawling design that honors the area's industrial past. The menu is all encompassing, too, with dishes that highlight cuisine from all over Italy.

Pizzamaker Antonio Ruver may be young, but he has already spent years working alongside Rome’s pizza master Gabriele Bonci. Now setting out on his own solo venture, Ruver specializes in preportioned pizza by the slice. The expertly crunchy base comes topped with all the classics, but there is plenty of experimentation too, if you’re more in the mood for chicken curry pizza or hearty ragù on pizza bianca. The small shop is standing room only.

Stefano Callegari is one of Rome's most famous pizza makers, but at Trapizzino he's doing something a bit different. The name of the restaurant is derived from the Italian words for sandwich (tramezzino) and pizza, and the result is something like an upscale pizza pocket, stuffed on the spot with local specialties like herby chicken alla cacciatore, or trippa (tripe), or roast pumpkin, pecorino, and almonds. The supplì (fried risotto balls) are also delicious. This original location is teeny, but more seating is available one storefront down.

Sitting between Testaccio and Ostiense, Trattoria Pennestri manages to strike a careful balance between tradition and innovation. The thoughtful takes on Roman classics brighten up heavy dishes and add a more appetizing spin to some of the city's beloved entrails recipes. The wine list, which features many natural and organic producers, is also excellent.