61 Best Restaurants in Rome, Italy

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.

Tucked away above the Auditorium della Conciliazione, this glamorous restaurant/lounge with sky-high ceilings, marble walls, and plush seating feels like something out of Paolo Sorrentino's award-winning film La Grande Bellezza. Renowned bartender Massimo d'Addezio shakes up creative cocktails, like a twist on a French 75 made with yuzu, while the kitchen whips up delicious modern Italian cuisine.

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 popular wine bar a stone's throw from Piazza Navona is among the city's oldest and has a book-length binder listing wines from Italy, France, the Americas, and elsewhere. It offers great value and pleasant service and is a lovely spot for a light late lunch or an early dinner when most restaurants aren't open yet.

In the quieter part of Trastevere, the family-run Da Enzo is everything you would imagine a classic Roman trattoria to be. There are just a few tables, but diners from around the world line up to eat here—a testament to the quality of the food. Because it's so small and does not accept reservations, there's almost invariably a wait, so arrive early for a better shot at speedy service. The best tables are outside on the cobblestone alleyway. 

Smack in the middle of the city, with the freshest produce right outside its door, this pizzeria features pies made with dough by Rome's renowned family of bakers, the Rosciolis. The menu also offers a good selection of pastas, mains, and local Lazio wines.

It's everything you're looking for in a true Roman eating experience: authentic, in a historic setting, and filled with Italians eating good food at good prices. In this very romani di Roma (Rome of the Romans) neighborhood, surrounded by discos and bars, you can enjoy classic local dishes, from vegetable antipasto to cacio e pepe (said to be the best version in the city) to lamb chops. The patio dining is lovely, but indoor seating offers a glimpse at excavated slivers of Monte Testaccio, an archaeological site made entirely of Ancient Roman–era pottery.

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.

Thought to be the oldest restaurant in Rome (a document dates it back to 1518), La Campana is well liked for its honest Roman cuisine and its old-school, slightly upscale feel—think white tablecloths and unflappable waiters in black tie who have been there since the beginning of time. This is the place to have one of the best coda alla vaccinara (oxtail stew) in Rome, along with other specialties like saltimbocca and pasta all'amatriciana (a classic Roman tomato sauce with bacon-like pork cheek).

This old-school Roman restaurant traces its roots back to 1870, when a woman from the town of Amatrice in northern Lazio arrived in Rome and started to cook her town's renowned bucatini all'amatriciana near Termini Station. Whether the story is true or a legend, this is indeed a great place to try the famous pasta and other Roman specialties in an elegant space with white tablecloths, plates emblazoned with the restaurant's name, and courteous and formally attired waiters.

Tucked on a cobblestone street at the edge of Monti, this cozy little family-run restaurant is one of the best places to eat near the Forum. An eclectic collection of sketches, photos, and paintings decorates the walls, and the menu offers traditional Roman trattoria fare as well as some creative twists on the classics, like cacio e pepe, usually a simple dish of pasta in a peppery cheese sauce but here featuring black truffle, and burrata-stuffed ravioli.

The shop in front of this beloved restaurant will beckon you in with top-quality comestibles like hand-sliced cured ham from Italy and Spain, more than 300 cheeses, and a dizzying array of wines—but venture farther inside to try an extensive selection of unusual dishes and interesting takes on the classics. There are tables in the cozy wine cellar downstairs, but try to bag a table at the back on the ground floor (reserve well ahead; Roscioli is very popular). The family also runs a coffee bar (Roscioli Caffè), bakery (Forno Roscioli), and a restaurant/wine bar/tasting room (Rimessa Roscioli).

This sleek wine bar and restaurant is just a short walk from the Spanish Steps, and its modern design looks the part among the fashion-forward streets. However, its unique focus is that its owners collaborate with the Regione Lazio (the state within which Rome sits) to showcase Lazio's regional products—from the cheeses to the wines to the olive oil and even bottled water—on its menu. Come for a glass of excellent Lazio wine and share a dish, if you don't want a full meal.

The nondescript entrance on a narrow side street leads upstairs to the main dining room of this neighborhood favorite, where those in the know enjoy dining on classic Roman fare under arched, frescoed ceilings. Fried zucchini flowers, Roman-Jewish style artichokes, battered salt cod, and gnocchi are all consistently excellent, and the menu has some nice, historic touches, like a beef-and-citron stew from an ancient Roman recipe of Apicius. If the porchetta is being offered, order it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Chef Ciro Alberto Cucciniello studied economics, pivoted to cooking, and then cut his teeth at renowned restaurants in Italy and abroad before opening this intimate eatery with a Nordic-inspired design. He plays with smoke and fire to elevate humble ingredients like carrots to avant-garde dishes (look for "Carote, Carote, Carote" on the menu, which translates to "Carrots, Carrots, Carrots"). You can order à la carte, but the prix fixe options with five or seven courses are among the most affordable tasting menus in the city.

This long-popular wine bar a stone's throw from the Roman Forum has a tight seating area in the front, so you might want to head to the larger, albeit darker, back room. The atmosphere is festive, almost like a rustic beer hall, though the focus is definitely on wine: there are about 25 options by the glass and more than 1,200 bottles. Food-wise, there is an excellent variety of cured meats, cheeses, and salads, chosen with a focus on locally grown, organic, and artisanal products.

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.

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.

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.

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.