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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?
Parallel to posh Via del Babuino, Via Margutta was once a street of artists' studios (including Fellini's), and this chic vegetarian restaurant, with changing displays of modern art, sits on the far end of the now-gallery-lined street. It turns out tasty meat-free versions of classic Mediterranean dishes, as well as more daring concoctions. On weekends, brunch is a vast serve-yourself buffet, while dinner offers à la carte and prix fixe options.
Some of the most innovative interpretations of fine Roman cookery can be found in this starkly chic restaurant on a backstreet between upscale Via Giulia and the Campo de' Fiori. Chef Anthony Genovese was born in France to Calabrese parents and spent time cooking in Japan and Thailand, so his dishes make use of nontraditional spices, ingredients, and preparations—garnering him a loyal following and multiple accolades. The prices are exorbitant, but the food is exemplary. Dishes include pasta bundles filled with onion, tapioca, and red currant in a saffron broth or duck with black salsify, caramelized pear, and chocolate sauce. You can choose one of the elaborate tasting menus that range from 4 to 16 courses.
A gorgeous space, with chandeliers and soaring original brickwork ceilings, is the setting for one of Rome's best seafood restaurants. Order à la carte, or if you're hungry, the eight-course tasting menu (given the quality of the fish, a relative bargain at €90), which might include cuttlefish-ink tagliatelle with mint, artichokes, and roe or shrimp from the island of Ponza with rosemary, bitter herbs, and porcini mushrooms. There is a great wine list, as well as an extensive list of bottled waters for perfect pairings.
At the most upscale wine bar in town, you come for the vino but return for the food. Everything here is appropriately raffinato (refined): raw and marinated fish; spaghetti with garlic and minced raw shrimp; and saffron risotto with red prawn carpaccio. Main courses might be seafood or meat—all of which complement the vast offerings of top-notch wines.
In an unassuming location between the Colosseum and Piazza San Giovanni, this elegant restaurant with exposed brick arches and white tablecloths serves some of the freshest seafood in the city—with tanks full of live lobsters and crabs to prove it. Owner Francesco Tripodi personally goes to the fish auctions in Fiumicino every day and presides over the dining room, charismatically dispensing suggestions and taking orders, which are expertly prepared by his brother Giuseppe.
This always-crowded pizzeria opens early and closes late, and in between it's packed with locals, tourists, and sports fans who know they can watch the Roma soccer team play on big flat-screen TVs. The selection of pizzas is extensive, with delicious mains available as well. The coveted street-side tables are a great spot from which to view Trastevere's people parade. The service can be slow, so don't go for a quick meal.
Named after the Pink City in India, this restaurant serves high-quality curries in a large space just off the main Viale di Trastevere. It's a festive and fun destination if you're craving a change from Italian food. The portions are small but made for sharing, so you can order an assortment. There are tables outside when the weather is good.
There's something about this cozy wine bar that makes it feel as if it's in a small traditional village instead of a bustling metropolis. The walls are lined with a tempting array of bottles from around the Italian peninsula, and the counter is stocked with cheese and salumi that can be sliced and piled on plates to order. Plus, the kitchen stays open until the wee hours on weekends.
With its long wooden tables, hard-back booths, and free-flowing beer, this Art Nouveau–style, circa-1906 restaurant in a 16th-century palazzo evokes a kitsch Munich beer hall. There is a full Italian menu, but hearty sausages or goulash make a nice break from pasta and tomato sauce, and this is one of the few places in the historic center where you can fill up on protein for very few euros. Be sure to put your name on the list inside when you arrive because reservations aren't accepted here.
In this circa-1804 farmhouse you can dine beside the fireplace in cool weather or in the garden under age-old vines in summer. Specialties include risotto with robiola cheese, beets, and hazelnuts, rack of lamb with Jerusalem artichoke, and fresh seafood. The atmosphere is friendly and intimate, but the vast property can also accommodate large parties.
Right near the Vatican Metro stop, the "Island of Pizza" is also known for its copious antipasti. Ask for the house appetizers, and a waiter will swoop down numerous plates of salad, seafood, bruschetta, prosciutto, and crispy pizza bianca to choose from. Though it's easy to fill up on starters—you can order just one, or a selection for a fixed price—the pizza is dependably good, and meat lovers appreciate the steak.
Romans are starting to recognize Monteverde as a foodie hub, and this trattoria is one of the neighborhood's outstanding spots. The food ranges from the classics to carefully thought-out modern creations, but whatever you order, the quality of the produce shines. Dishes include hearty pastas, toasted veal tongue, and delicious onion soup. Desserts like cinnamon and pear cheesecake or tiramisu pair well with the selection of local dessert wines, like moscato from Terracina, a coastal town not far from Rome.
A large glass wall to the kitchen and massive skylight in the dining room hint at the contemporary leanings of this restaurant built atop the ruins of the Baths of Agrippa behind the Pantheon. The emphasis here is on high-quality ingredients and classic Italian culinary traditions interpreted for modern diners.
Fraschetta is the name given to one of the casual, boisterous countryside spots just outside Rome, where the menu focuses on porchetta, the Italian version of roast pork. This is a city-styled version of such an establishment, and the atmosphere is typical, with waiters yelling across the room and frequently breaking into song. Order porchetta (of course) and a cheese and charcuterie board, and follow it with pasta carbonara or amatriciana. The tiramisu here, served in a jar, is worth saving room for. Don't bother asking for a wine list—the only choice is the daily house wine, served in a tumbler, as it would be at a true fraschetta.
A coffee bar by day with specialty brews and excellent pastries, this popular enoteca has an impressive selection of Italian, French, and other international natural wines on the menu. The brunch menu offers bacon-and-egg sandwiches and healthy breakfast bowls, while the lunch and dinner offerings lean more traditionally Italian. In the summer, sit out on the patio just outside the walls of tranquil Villa Sciarra and you'll feel a million miles from the hectic clamor of Rome.
The crusts on the pizza at this casual, perennially popular spot just off the Piazza Navona are super-thin and charred around the edges a little—the sign of a good wood-burning oven. This is one of a few pizzerias open for both lunch and dinner, and it's busy day and night. Service is brusque, so don't expect to be invited to linger, but prices are low. When the weather is nice, there are tables outside, making this one of the most pleasant places for a cheap meal in the neighborhood.
This no-frills pizzeria al taglio (by the slice) and bakery is hidden a few minutes away from Piazza Trilussa. As in many traditional bakeries, pizza is sold by weight, so get yours sliced to the size you want. In the mornings, the pastries hot out of the oven are equally enticing, and you can order them from the window on the street if you prefer to snack and stroll.
Chef-owner Massimo Riccioli may have taken the nets and fishing gear off the walls of the trattoria he inherited from his parents, but this is still widely known as the place to go in Rome for first-rate seafood. The experience here includes friendly staff and undeniably high-quality fish, but be prepared for simple preparations and high prices. Make sure to start with any of the marinated seafood appetizers, like carpaccio of fresh, translucent fish drizzled with olive oil and perhaps fresh herbs. Pastas tend to mix varieties of shellfish, usually with a touch of oil, white wine, and lemon, and classic secondi like zuppa di pesce (fish soup) deserve top billing. At lunch, the restaurant's oyster bar also serves smaller plates, including sushi.
Run by the third generation of a family of restaurateurs, this casual restaurant near the Vatican serves reliably tasty Roman classics, plus a rotating list of specials. As a member of the Associazione Italiana Celiachia (Italian Celiacs Association), they take gluten intolerance seriously and can prepare gluten-free versions of their pizzas and pastas upon request.
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.
This bright, white-subway-tiled bistro functions as a bar, café, and restaurant all in one, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Salads, pastas, steaks, and seafood run the international gamut, but the beef burger is a standout. Although the restaurant buzzes from morning till night, things are especially busy in the late afternoon and early evening, when the waitstaff serves cocktails and light bites.
Formerly a fine dining restaurant, this sleek caffè and bakery now serves brunch every day until 4 pm. When you tire of pasta, come here for international standards like eggs Benedict and avocado toast, plus specialty coffee (including the oh-so-rare-for-Rome filter coffee) and sweet treats.
Family-owned neighborhood staple with its quintessentially Roman wooden tables and wood-beamed ceilings, Matricianella charms with hearty Roman dishes and a biblical wine list. Try any of the Roman pasta trifecta—amatriciana, cacio e pepe, and carbonara—or other classics like crispy fried artichokes or saltimbocca alla romana (thin veal slices with prosciutto and sage).
This gourmet food hall is in the last place you'd expect—Termini Station—and it's great for a quick bite even if you're not catching a train. There are stalls from some of Rome's best food purveyors, including Stefano Callegari (of trapizzino fame), pizzaiolo Marco Quintili, and fritti by Arcangelo Dandini. In addition to pizza, pasta, and gelato, you'll also find sushi, empanadas, hamburgers, truffle dishes, and Sicilian specialties.
This neighborhood institution serves all the Roman-Jewish classics. Like most of the starters, the carciofi alla giudia (Jewish-style artichokes) are outstanding, and a perfect meal might also include the carbonara, which incorporates dried beef instead of guanciale, or the semolina gnocchi baked in a terra-cotta ramekin. The restaurant gets extremely busy, so don't expect service to be all that attentive; the food more than makes up for it, though.
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.
The craft beer movement has taken hold in Italy, and this stylish, sprawling space tucked down a tiny side road near Campo de' Fiori is headed up by the Baladin beer company. Staff members take their jobs—and brews—seriously, and they're helpful with recommendations from the more than 40 choices on tap and the over 100 options in bottles. For food, there are chicken strips, hand-cut chips, and savory burgers.
Helmed by Colombian-Italian chef Roy Caceres, Orma boasts a modern mix of inventive gastronomy, sleek wooden interiors, and attentive service. The rotating prix fixe menus offer delicacies like egg tortelli stuffed with pig head and drizzled with roasted onion broth. Choose a five- or eight-course prix-fixe menu, or a mixture of dishes from both menus. At lunch, it offers more casual bistro fare.
This casual, trendy place—vibrant with colorful paintings by local artists—is a great spot to enjoy an ancient piazza while savoring a glass of wine or a gourmet meal. The simple but innovative menu includes dishes like Roman artichokes with baccalà, beef tagliata (sliced grilled steak) with a red-wine reduction, and a perfectly cooked duck breast with red fruit sauce. Outdoor tables (April–October) make you feel as if you're in an open-air museum since your perch looks out over the Tempio d'Adriano (AD 145). If ever there was a place to linger outdoors over limoncello, this is it.
