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In Rome, the Eternal(ly culinarily conservative) City, simple yet traditional cuisine reigns supreme. Most chefs prefer to follow the mantra of freshness over fuss, and simplicity of flavor and preparation over complex cooking techniques.
Rome has been known since antiquity for its grand feasts and banquets, and dining out has alway been a favorite Roman pastime. Until recently, the city's buongustaii (gourmands) would have been the first to tell you that Rome is distinguished more by its enthusiasm for eating out than for a multitude of world-class restaurants—but this is changing. There is an ever-growing promotion of slow-food practices, a focus on sustainably and locally sourced produce. The economic crisis has forced the food industry in Rome to adopt innovative ways to maintain a clientele who are increasingly looking to dine out but want to spend less. The result has been the rise of "street food" restaurants, selling everything from inexpensive and novel takes on the classic supplì (Roman fried-rice balls) to sandwich shops that use a variety of organic ingredients.
Generally speaking, Romans like Roman food, and that’s what you’ll find in many of the city’s trattorias and wine bars. For the most part, today’s chefs cling to the traditional and excel at what has taken hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years to perfect. This is why the basic trattoria menu is more or less the same wherever you go. And it's why even the top Roman chefs feature their versions of simple trattoria classics like carbonara, and why those who attempt to offer it in a "deconstructed" or slightly varied way will often come under criticism. To a great extent, Rome is still a town where the Italian equivalent of "What are you in the mood for?" still gets the answer, "Pizza or pasta."
Nevertheless, Rome is the capital of Italy, and because people move here from every corner of the Italian peninsula, there are more variations on the Italian theme in Rome than you'd find elsewhere in Italy: Sicilian, Tuscan, Pugliese, Bolognese, Marchegiano, Sardinian, and northern Italian regional cuisines are all represented. And reflecting the increasingly cosmopolitan nature of the city, you'll find a growing number of good-quality international foods here as well—particularly Japanese, Indian, and Ethiopian.
Oddly enough, though, for a nation that prides itself on la bella figura ("looking good"), most Romans don't fuss about music, personal space, lighting, or decor. After all, who needs flashy interior design when so much of Roman life takes place outdoors, when dining alfresco in Rome can take place in the middle of a glorious ancient site or a centuries-old piazza?
Located at the base of the Spanish Steps, this family-run English-style tea house has catered to the refined tea and scone cravings of travelers since 1893. The blends are carefully designed and can be brought to your homey table accompanied by a tower of tiny sandwiches, a fully loaded salad, a club sandwich, or curry. Linger over a slice of homemade cake, and ask the server about the history of the tearooms.
For good food at reasonable prices around the Trevi Fountain, this Paris-inspired brasserie—open for lunch, dinner, and everything in between—is a great bet. Although it emphasizes seafood, the extensive menu has something for everyone, from salads to pasta and entrées. For lunch, the lobster roll is a fan favorite. The full bar has an impressive list of poured or mixed drinks.
Everyone in Rome knows Bar del Fico, located right behind Piazza Navona, so if you want to hang out with the locals, come here for a drink or something to eat at any time of day or night. In the mornings, chess players sit at tables outside under the shade of the fig tree that gives the bar its name; after sunset, the bar is packed with people sipping cocktails.
With eclectic vintage decor, colorful mismatched tables and chairs, and free Wi-Fi, this low-key neighborhood hot spot lures lots of expats and American travelers. In the evenings, order an aperitivo and you can accompany it with a variety of small plates brought to you at minimal cost. In the morning, the extensive breakfast menu makes it a popular stop, with the outdoor tables offering prime people-watching.
Bellacarne means "beautiful meat," and that's the focus of the menu here (though it's also what a Jewish Italian grandmother might say while pinching her grandchild's cheek). The kosher kitchen makes its own pastrami, but the setting is more fine dining than deli.
The rallying cry behind this cozy bistro on the edge of Rome's Jewish quarter is “happy animals make better cheese.” The interior is dominated by the deli counter that is piled with raw milk cheese from Italy and France—so naturally, a tasting platter is the popular choice and includes 3—10 cheeses to match any appetite. The menu of salads, toasted sandwiches, pasta, and polenta is limited but excellent.
The location near Piazza del Popolo makes Brillo especially convenient for lunch or dinner after shopping in the Via del Corso area. The menu is quite extensive, with fried starters, burgers, salads, pastas, grilled meats, and pizzas. You can eat at the recently expanded dining room, outside on the patio, or downstairs in one of several rooms.
With orario continuato, or nonstop operating hours (12:30 pm--10 pm), this sleek spot in the Hotel d'Inghilterra caters to jet-setters and hotel guests. There are a few international staples on the menu (a burger and Caesar salad), but for the most part the menu focuses on local dishes and ingredients. The tempting outdoor tables are close together, but perhaps you won't mind eavesdropping on your luxurious neighbor. In the evenings, Cafè Romano transforms into a swanky lounge bar with live piano music.
Attached to the Galleria d'Arte Moderna, inside the Villa Borghese, this retro-styled caffè with a pretty terrace is a favorite all-day rendezvous both for Romans from nearby upscale Parioli and for visitors to the Villa Borghese park and museums.
Esteemed director Federico Fellini, who lived around the corner on Via Margutta, used to come here all the time and even had an office in the back. His drawings and black-and-white stills from his films remain on display in the hallway that leads to the interior dining room, but the best place to sit for people-watching with a coffee, light lunch, or aperitivo is on the terrace out front. For a quicker—and cheaper—experience, order your coffee or sandwich and enjoy it standing at the bar like the locals do.
Set in what was once an industrial space, this cavernous all-day restaurant and bar—replete with soaring ceilings, Chesterfield sofas, and open shelves filled with wine bottles—is popular for coworking, aperitivo, and apericena (light evening meal with small plates). The menu eschews pasta and focuses instead on pinsa (Roman-style oval pizzas) as well as fritti (fried foods), burgers and steaks, and some salads and other light fare.
Literally carved into the side of a hill made up of ancient shards of amphorae, this upscale, family-run establishment has an exceptional wine cellar and stellar contemporary cocktails that incorporate traditional local ingredients. One of the first restaurants to open near Testaccio's (now long-closed) slaughterhouse, it still serves classic offal dishes—though the white-jacketed waiters are happy to suggest other options.
Tucked away behind Piazza Trilussa, family-run Checco er Carretiere is the archetypal Roman restaurant. A local institution for decades, the eatery started as an osteria with the eponymous Checco bringing wine from the nearby Castelli Romani into the city by horse and cart, while his wife, Diomira, cooked a few daily dishes. The lively dining room is lined with photos of customers who have frequented the restaurant for three generations, indulging in carbonara and amatriciana. In warmer months, seating on the small patio is in high demand.
For good, hearty Roman cuisine in an area filled with mediocre touristy restaurants, head to this trattoria that's been on the scene since the late 1950s. Stick with the classics, perhaps starting off with a mixed salumi plate featuring Parma ham and buffalo mozzarella before moving on to a primi (first course)—the amatriciana (with tomato sauce, guanciale, and pecorino cheese) is one of the standouts. Desserts are made fresh daily, and the tiramisu is always a winner. As at most Roman trattorias, the house wine is pretty good, but the wine list also has a decent selection of other options. In warmer months, tables spill out onto Piazza del Fico, making this an especially wonderful spot in the evening. On the upper floor of the same building is Bistrot da Francesco Su, a higher-end restaurant serving contemporary cuisine.
There's no shortage of old-school trattorias in Trastevere, but this one has a strong following. Both locals and expats enjoy the brusque but "authentic" service and the hearty Roman fare; snag a table outside in warm weather for the true Roman experience of cobblestone-terrace dining.
At this traditionally Roman, family-owned restaurant with picturesque outdoor tables, you can dig into classic Italian fare like veal osso buco, rigatoni all'amatriciana, and tartufo. The cozy piazza, where the restaurant is located, is just a little ways off of Via del Corso.
Hidden inside a covered arcade, this Sicilian pasticceria, which opened in 1955, has pastry cases filled with cannoli, cassata, cakes, and marzipan as well as savory items like sandwiches and arancini. Go for breakfast, and try the cornetto filled with ricotta and chocolate chips—this might be the only place in Rome where you can find it.
This impressive wine bar pairs modern decor with creative cuisine and three dozen wines available by the glass. There are some fantastic seasonal specialties, but you can also get cheeses, smoked meats, and composed salads. Try a risotto or spaghetti with kale, red shrimp, and burnt lemon for a primo and the duck breast with foie gras and red berries for a secondo.
Don't let the country-kitchen feel fool you. This little spot off of Campo de' Fiori goes a step beyond the ordinary with constantly changing offbeat takes on Italian classics. There are also several good options for vegetarians including fried artichoke antipasti and meat-free lasagna.
It dubs itself an American West Coast–style restaurant, and the decor is very Malibu beach house, with a patio out back. It opened in 1998 and feels a bit frozen in that time, but it's a nice change from eating Italian, and everything is high quality. Up front, the bar opens out onto the street and attracts the neighborhood's beautiful people.
A cornerstone of the neighborhood, this wine shop opened in 1929 and is now run by the third generation of the Bulzoni family, who added tables and turned it into a restaurant. Stop by to taste excellent wines by the glass and you might be tempted to stay for the eggplant parmigiana or carbonara.
Although this old-school, centro storico trattoria has been renovated, you wouldn't know it, and that's part of its charm. At lunchtime, it's often packed with a mix of civil servants from the nearby government offices, construction workers, and in-the-know tourists enjoying classic pastas, octopus salad, and secondi (second courses) such as roast veal with peas. The prices and decor are come una volta (like once upon a time) when the shop sold, as the sign says, wine and oil. You can still get wine here by the liter or by the fairly priced bottle.
The original location of Ercoli opened in Prati as a gourmet food store, and this newer location has a deli counter where you can buy cheeses, cold cuts, smoked salmon, caviar, and other delicacies. What this location has that the other two don't is a vermouth bar—and during aperitivo hour (6 pm until 8 pm), classic cocktails and select small plates are 50% off. There's also a full menu with pastas, salads, and mains. The third (and newest) location is in Trastevere.
At this welcoming osteria run by three young owners, wood-paneled walls, terrazzo floors, and green pendant lamps evoke 1970s nostalgia. The menu features homestyle dishes like tortellini in brodo, fried meatballs with salsa verde, and puntarelle (bitter greens dressed with anchovy sauce). The restaurant is connected to the pizzeria next door, whose pizzaiolo bakes the bread in his wood-fired oven.
At this spot on a quiet street near Piazza Vittorio, Scandinavian-inspired minimalist design is the backdrop for bread and pastries by fourth-generation baker Sergio Conti. You'll find staples like excellent croissants and pain au chocolat as well as special items like apple strudel, cheesecake, or brioche with salted caramel and peanuts.
A luminous contemporary bistro with skylights illuminating white walls, this all-day eatery offers diverse delights with a healthy focus, from acai bowls, smoothies, and juices to organic pancakes, salads, sandwiches, and pasta, plus a curated wine selection. There is a nearby location on Via del Corso and another near the Pantheon.
With wood-paneled walls, white tablecloths, and formally attired waiters, the vibe is old school at this Prati standby, so it's no surprise that the menu emphasizes culinary tradition. Homemade pasta with meat sauce is the primo to order; marinated anchovies and sardines or raw oysters quell seafood cravings, and thick Florentine steaks satisfy meat lovers.
The four owners of this pizzeria come from the deep south (Sicily, Calabria, Campania, and Puglia), and the influence can clearly be seen in the pizza, which is of the thicker Neapolitan variety. There are classic pizzas and interesting options like the Pizza dei Fratelli with 'nduja (a spicy Calabrian sausage), smoked provola cheese, and porcini mushrooms.
This charming osteria, with burgundy leather booths and vintage advertisements, serves forgotten recipes from Rome and Lazio in addition to classic dishes like carbonara and an excellent cacio e pepe with homemade tonnarelli. Don't expect artichokes in July or eggplant in December—the cuisine is strictly seasonal and made using the finest local ingredients.
