4 Best Restaurants in Aventino and Testaccio, Rome

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.

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.

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.