Where to Eat in Rome: the Best Spots

Ok, no beating about the bush: I’ve been to Rome twice and, honestly, I can’t tell you two identical meals. And I don’t mean the restaurants were different (well, yes), but that it’s impossible to eat badly here. Pasta, pizza, supplì, gelato: every cobblestone has its temptation, and the price has nothing to do with it.

So I’ve put together this where-to-eat-in-Rome guide by neighbourhood, with the spots I tested myself and the dishes each one is for. Reading the list, ordering and eating has never been so easy. Let’s get started!

1. Where to eat in the Historic Centre (Centro Storico)

Everything in the centre has to be taken with a pinch of salt and, above all, an eye on the reviews, because there are classics and classics. With that said, these two are a safe bet:

• Maccheroni (via delle Colonnelle): fresh pasta to eat in or take away, at honest prices. It’s one of the few places where you’ll eat without tripping into the tourist clampdown.
• La Montecarlo (vicolo Savelli): a very-central, no-frills restaurant that sins by popularity; its sweet pizzas are famous, that’s saying a lot in the eternal city.

2. Where to eat near the Vatican (Prati and the Borgo)

After the museum visit, you’re going to need the nearest good restaurant. And in Prati you’ll find it:

• Alice Pizza (via delle Grazie): pizza al taglio, that is, by the slice; you choose, they cut and weigh it. It’s one of the perfect spots to eat on the way.

3. Where to eat in Monti, the hipster quarter

The Historic Centre’s neighbour, with a young and trendy vibe. Here you can get one of the most genuine meals of the whole trip:

• La Bottega del Pastaio (via dei Serpenti): the atmosphere of a traditional bottega with a very modern touch. Ideal to try a fresh pasta you’ll remember.

4. Where to eat in Trastevere

Trastevere is the quintessential eating-out neighbourhood, the one where you go with your stomach already planning the comeback. And the top one here is:

• Osteria Da Fortunata (via del Pellegrino): pasta made by hand, on the spot. Their tonnarelli, which in Rome you eat with cacio e pepe, are the stuff of legend.

5. Where to eat in Testaccio

If you want the true Roman food, the real one, you’ll have to go where the Romans actually eat: Testaccio. Kitchen markets and century-old trattorias, you know, the ones that only open at lunchtime.

• Trattoria Pennestri (via dei Conciatori): the novel of Italian cooking in one sitting. Their carbonaras and their Roman pastas are a splendid piece of work, by the book.

6. Where to eat in San Lorenzo

The student neighbourhood, far from the centre, where you’ll eat well and cheap among the young people. The go-to here:

• Il Tramezzino (via degli Aurunci): the tristop of the bohemian. You won’t find tourists, only locals who are crazy about its sandwiches.

7. Pizza by the slice in Rome: where to eat it

Because not everything is pasta, the Romano’s great ally is pizza al taglio, by the slice, and it has its own temples:

• Alice Pizza (multiple locations), which we’ve already covered, is on everyone’s lips when talking about pizza al taglio.
• Pizzarium (via della Meloria): in the words of the experts, a temple to pizza al taglio, with a passionate following of regulars.

8. The best sandwich in Rome

Forget the tourist traps and look for a schiacciata: the strappy sandwich that has become the city’s talk of the town. There are several, but if you ask for recommendations, everyone points to the same one:

• All’Antico Vinaio (optional tourist trap or not, it’s on every foodie list): its schiacciata are a symbol of Rome, with stacked fillings and a lot of personality.

9. Gelato in Rome: where to have the essential one

Rome without gelato is not Rome. It’s the essential snack, the one that saves your afternoon, and these are the two most loved addresses:

• Gelateria della Palma (via della Maddalena): one of the most famous in the city, right in the centre.
• Gelateria S.M. Maggiore (via Merulana): the golden ticket if you’re already at Santa Maria Maggiore.

10. Seafood in Rome: the essential taste of the sea

Who said seafood doesn’t exist in Rome? There it is, on the table, and the classic presentation involves lots of ice:

• Il Margutta / La Leccheria (via Leccheria): seafood always fresh, always simple, always delicious.

11. Desserts and sweets in Rome

To close the meal, the eternal city has the sweet corner:

• Pompi (via Albalonga and other locations): the tiramisù king, with its pistachio version that drives Rome’s sweet tooth crazy.

12. Eating in Rome without splashing out

Because not every meal has to be a feast, Rome also plays the budget game:

• Pizzerias and focaccerias are your allies: eat standing up, on the way, with your hands.
• Markets at closing time: a secret that not everyone knows, and that rewards whoever listens.
• Local bakeries (fornelli): slices, pizzas and focaccia that taste of the real thing.

In short: Rome is eaten, not told. And if you also want to know what to see in Rome in 3 days, I’ve put together a guide with the 15 essentials and, as a gift, the two best tours. See you at the table!