The Best Places to Eat in Rome

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Customers are eating pasta on Rome Food Tour
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Rome Food Tour through Trastevere

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Everyone comes to Rome expecting to eat well. And rightly so, given the city's status as the Best Food Destination in the World. But with so many tourist traps scattered around the centre, how do know that you're not wasting your time and money on a meal that's bang average?

Fear not - our guide to the best places to eat in Rome explains all.

This guide was written by Alexander Meddings, a travel writer based in Rome. All our articles are authored by local writers who know their cities inside out & provide commission-free recommendations.

Types of Italian Restaurants

Given Italians' love for food and for making things complicated, you'll find that there are many different kinds of eateries specialising in many different kinds of dishes. If you want good pasta, you should not go to a pizzeria; if you want to be spoiled with elegant surroundings, you should choose a ristorante. As a rule of thumb, don't go anywhere that advertises itself as a restaurant, pizzeria, trattoria and gelateria.

Here are the main types of eateries in Italy.

  • A bar does coffee, breakfast, a sandwich or a beer but limited food options (and open early till late).
  • A ristorante is an elegant dining venue with quality tablecloths and nice wine glasses.
  • An osteria is a basic, local eatery with wine in a tumbler and paper place mats. Home kitchen vibe.
  • A trattoria is a more rustic venue with an intimate, familial feel.
  • A pizzeria specialises in pizza & fried food. Look out for signs saying forno a legna (wood-fire oven)
  • A tavola calda literally means 'hot table' and serves a wide range of premade dishes including sides pizza, chicken rotisserie and pasta.
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Typical al fresco restaurant in the backstreets of Rome

Where to Eat Pasta in Rome

Flavio al Velavevodetto

Address: Via di Monte Testaccio 97, 00153

You’ll never eat anywhere quite like Flavio al Velavevodetto. The restaurant is hewn within Mount Testaccio (Monte Testaccio) — a man-made mound of ancient pottery shards situated close to the River Tiber. Flavio has won awards for the Best Carbonara Pasta in Rome.

Try it for yourself and you’ll understand why.

Piatto Romano

Address: Via Giovanni Battista Bodoni 62, 00153

Nestled on one of Testaccio's side streets, just off the main square, Piatto Romano is a gem of a Roman restaurant. Not as well-known as its more prestigious neighbour, Flavio al Velavevodetto, it is smaller, more understated, and — for our money — offers better bang for your buck for great pasta in Rome.

Meaty pasta dishes and beautifully prepared vegetables are its main highlights, and while Piatto Romano does classics like carbonara and cacio e pepe especially well, its the ragù di pecora (sheep ragu) that really steals the show. Be sure to book at least a day in advance as they fill up quickly.

Maccheroni

Address: Piazza delle Coppelle 44, 00186

This classic restaurant serves Roman specialties but with an emphasis on the pasta. Maccheroni make their pasta and tiramisù from scratch every day! Located in the back streets of the historic centre, just a stone’s throw from Piazza Navona, we recommend it as the perfect finish to our Rome Walking Tour!

Learn to make Pasta and Tiramisù from scratch on this family-friendly cooking class!

Retrobottega

Address:

The innovative pasta-lab of Retrobottega is run by two friends who pride themselves in sourcing the finest Italian ingredients (they even go as far as to forage their ingredients from nearby forests!) We recommend their tasting menu accompanied with a glass of wine or two.

Although served in a casual setting, this is high-end food so be prepared to spend a little more.

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Small group enjoying Roman pasta dishes on a food tour

Ristorante Nino

Address: Via Borgognona 11, 00187

If the walls of Nino could speak, they would have some tales to tell. Going since 1934, this restaurant specialises in quality Tuscan cuisine such as pici with ragù al cinghiale (pici with wild boar ragu) and pappardelle pasta (thick, flat noodles that absorb meaty sauces beautifully.

They have a great wine list to choose from too, though you'll want to go for the Chianti or Montepulciano.

Visiting Florence? Don't miss our Florence Food Tour!

Settimio all’Arancio

Address: Via dell'Arancio 50, 00186

Close your eyes and choose anything from Settimio all'Arancio's menu and I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. Fish here is fresh and delicious, and if you like it raw then this is not to be missed. Meat options are often served on a raclette so you can choose exactly how it is cooked.

Where to Eat Pizza in Rome

Lucky for you, we have written an insider's guide to the best pizza in Rome, including a few that are rated among the best pizzerias in the world. Just click the link below and bookmark it for your visit.

Where to Eat Brunch in Rome

Coromandel

Address: Via dei Monte Giordano 60/61, 00186

Coromandel does without doubt the best brunch in Rome. It might not be your typical Italian fare, but this cozy little spot serves everything from eggs benedict to maple syrup pancakes and fresh, hand-made pastries, all served on dainty china. The coffee and freshly squeezed juices are also delicious.

Buddy's

Address: Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 107A, 00186

Don’t be fooled by the name. Buddy is authentically Italian, specializing in locally sourced plant-based food that's been given a Roman and Italian twist. They do a great vegan brunch (with options varying from anything as simple as an American Vegan Breakfast to pancakes with maple syrup.

Where to Eat Gelato in Rome

Gelateria Fior di Luna

Address: Via della Lungaretta 96, 00153

Situated in the heart of Trastevere, Fior di Luna is a tiny, family-run gelato shop with a big reputation. Its Slow Food ethos means it focuses on organic, fair-trade ingredients of local provenance—from single-origin chocolate to seasonal fruit sourced from Italian farms. The result is exceptionally pure-tasting gelato. Their cioccolato fondente (dark chocolate) is intense and silky, and the fruit sorbets taste like the essence of freshly picked produce (try the fig or wild strawberry when in season)

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Gelato from Fior di Luna, Trastevere

Gelateria del Teatro

Address: Via dei Coronari 65/66, 00186

Open daily from midday until 9 pm, this cute gelateria near Piazza Navona is famous for innovative flavours like sage and raspberry, lavender and white peach, or ricotta cheese with figs. Traditionalists will love their pistachio (often hailed as one of the creamiest in town) and dark chocolate sorbet.

Best Areas for Eating Out

Away from other tourists in the more peripheral parts of the city.

Locals rarely venture into tourist spots in the centre, so you're unlikely to find authentic places to eat around the Trevi Fountain or Piazza Navona. But walk even five minutes away – down one of the centre's little winding streets – and you're more likely to stumble upon a more typical Roman restaurant.

Several Roman districts are renowned for their restaurants some are off the beaten path. Trastevere is one, Monti is another. If you're looking for the most authentic Roman food of all, try Testaccio

What Time to Eat in Rome?

Italian restaurants and other eating establishments stick to these eating times and are not generally open all day for a wide range of food. While you'll always find places to eat in Rome, whatever time of day, it's not uncommon to find yourself wandering around more remote towns or villages looking for anywhere that's open if you want to eat outside of these windows.

Italians eat breakfast at home or a quick coffee and cornetto breakfast at the bar from early in the morning until 10:30. Restaurants usually serve lunch (pranzo) from 1 - 3 pm, but their kitchens open earlier and they can be contacted for last-minute bookings. Dinner (cena) is served from 7:30 pm onwards. If you can't wait until later in the evening, get a spritz and with nibbles (aperitivo).

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Can't wait for dinner? Grab an aperitivo! Image from our Rome Tipsy Tour

In general, when choosing where to eat, look out for locals (When in Rome, do as the Romans do).

Tips for Choosing a Restaurant

What's most important for Romans is the food, not the decoration of the interior. Despite usually dressing elegantly themselves, Romans don’t care much for the decor of their eateries (as the cold white lighting of most pizzerias will attest). If you want a more authentic feel, go for an Osteria or Trattoria

Good Signs

  • Restricted opening times. Somewhere open all day is not catering for locals.
  • Locations away from tourist spots. Explore off the beaten track… in the dark back alleys 
  • Reasonable prices. Carb-heavy primi (pasta dishes) should not be overly expensive. A cacio o pepe, carbonara, or amatriciana should cost in the region of €10-14. You should not be paying more unless there's seafood or gold dust on it! Pizzas should cost between €8-14 from a simple marinara to a pizza with all the toppings.

Red Flags

  • Welcome staff and buttadentro (literally "throwers-in" who push you to go inside)
  • Locations near main tourist attractions and squares. This is not always the case. Armando al Pantheon, for example, is a fantastic restaurant. But as a rule of thumb, you should avoid restaurants with lots of outdoor seating overlooking famous tourist attractions (the Colosseum, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon etc.)
  • Menus with photos and multiple languages. Every Roman knows what a carbonara looks like. If you see a menu depicting a sad-looking schnitzel with a small side of fries, avoid it like the plague.

Eat Like a Local on our Rome Food Tour

Winner of a Viator Experience Award in 2024, our Rome Food Tour steers you well clear of the tourist traps and treats your tastebuds to a wide range of Roman cuisine.

Your local guide will accompany you and a small group of fellow foodies through the medieval district of Trastevere, introducing you to all the must-try highlights of Roman cuisine. Try porchetta, pizza bianca, street food like suppli and pizza al taglio, several Roman pasta dishes, main meat courses, gelato and more! With plenty of local wine and drinks to pair with your tastings and meal.

Spaces fill up fast. Secure your spot today.

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Alexander Meddings
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Alexander Meddings is a professional copywriter and postgraduate in Roman history from the University of Oxford. After graduating with his MPhil, he moved to Florence and then Rome to carry out his research on the ground and pursue his passion at the source. He now works in travel, as a writer and content consultant, and in education as a university lecturer and translator.
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