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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?
This well-established hot spot on the Jewish Ghetto's main promenade has pleasant indoor and outdoor seating. The kitchen is kosher (many places featuring Roman Jewish fare are not) and is known for its Judeo-Roman meat dishes mixed with Middle Eastern recipes. Down the street is Ba'Ghetto Milky, the kosher dairy version of the original.
The scent of cookies wafts out into the street as you approach this family-run bakery, where a small team makes sweet treats the old-school way in a massive oven bought in the 1960s. There are dozens of varieties of baked goods, mostly sweet but some savory. Try the brutti ma buoni, the dainty floral cookies with marmalade centers, and anything made with almond paste or covered in chocolate.
Wine bottles cover just about every inch of wall space in this intimate restaurant a few blocks from the Colosseum, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, also has an encyclopedic wine list. The friendly staff will happily help you navigate the options and suggest pairings for the dishes, which are rooted in tradition but often with a little twist, like the addition of artichokes in their version of la gricia (pasta with guanciale and pecorino romano).
This rustic-meets-glamorous bistro attracts locals for its flawless execution of Roman classics (many served photogenically in metal cooking pans) as well as original dishes. Its bar is known among amaro connoisseurs for having the largest selection in Rome, and the bitter liquors are the stars of the expertly crafted cocktail menu.
This family-run stall at what will forever be called the "New" Testaccio Market (it moved in 2012) sells the best sandwiches in town. Meatballs, tongue, tripe, and other Roman classics are generously smothered on fresh bread, and there is always a vegetarian option, too. Grab a seat at the bar tables they have arranged in the stall next door, and watch the general hustle of Romans lining up for their daily fix of panino perfection. It's open during market hours (Monday–Saturday 9–2:30).
Pigneto is full of hip restaurants and bars now, but Necci is the neighborhood's original hangout, the haunt of famed director Pier Paolo Pasolini, who grew up in Pigneto when it was still a rough-and-tumble working-class area. There's a full menu of pastas and other Italian fare, but the servers won't bat an eye if you just want drinks or a small bite; it also hosts wine tastings in its recently discovered, 1st-century-BC hypogeum. Inside, a white-and-orange color scheme gives off a mod 1960s vibe; outside, a street-art-style portrait of Pasolini overlooks a large patio where people eat and drink from morning till night.
The well-heeled, the business-minded, and those with refined palates frequent this outpost of tranquility. The owners hail from Le Marche, the region northeast of Rome that encompasses inland mountains and the Adriatic coastline, so dishes from their native region feature alongside seafood and meats ready to be grilled. There's also an excellent and well-priced wine list.
Though there's a full menu of pasta and fish or meat-based mains, those in the know head to this restaurant on Via Veneto specifically for the award-winning pizza. The decor is a bit over the top, and the prices are a little higher than at the average pizzeria, but it's a great option in this neighborhood. The Neapolitan-style pizzas come with a range of toppings, from standards like a margherita to creative pies like the Oro d'Ischia, which features two types of cheese, pollen, and fig jam from Ischia.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The window reads "Filetti di Baccalà," but the official name of this small restaurant that specializes in one thing—deliciously battered and deep-fried fillets of salt cod—is Dar Filettaro a Santa Barbara. If it's in season, be sure to try the puntarelle (crisp chicory) tossed with garlic and anchovy dressing. The location, down the street from Campo de' Fiori in a little piazza in front of the beautiful Santa Barbara church, practically begs you to eat at one of the outdoor tables, where service is brusque.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Reservations are a good idea (especially if you'd like to sit outside) at this popular spot, where the changing menu of Roman dishes reflects the use of seasonal produce. Start with one of the many foccacie, such as goat cheese, grilled zucchini, and thyme, and then move on to a primo—perhaps a hearty ragù in cooler months or a more-delicate vegetarian pasta dish in the summer. Main courses include fillets of salted cod or an excellent trippa alla romana (Roman-style tripe).
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.
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