Rome is a striking amalgamation of food and history. To gratify your hunger and satisfy your taste buds, here we give you a rundown on the best eats in the city.
Many people get the Italy tourist visa and flock to the country to devour the array of gastronomical delights, from pasta and meat dish to pastries at the best restaurants in Rome or Milan, and also savour wines at great bars.
The overpowering and attractive historic sights at Rome, and the longstanding culinary tradition, both concoct to create a fantastic destination. We have heard a lot about the ancient structures which are well-preserved and beautiful, and cherishing this while eating the most delicious Pizza in the world, keeps you over the top of the world.
The Roman cuisine is characterised by a unique set of ingredients, menu and process. The trattoria, street outlets and restaurants in Rome are filled with aromatic and appetising meals, little different than the other Italian cities.
Explore Varieties of Food
Not just the pizzas and the gelato, but here are the top 10 lip-smacking dishes you can’t miss on-
1. Carbonara – For all the pasta lovers, this is one of the dishes with several rumours of its origin, where one says that it originated in World war II when American desired bacon and eggs and the chef toasted it with pasta along with hard cheese, guanciale, and black pepper.
Where to eat : The Carbonara
2. Suppli – Continuing the tradition of Roman cuisine that involves fewer ingredients but full of character, it is ball rice made of tomato sauce, piece of mozzarella, egg, and bread crumbs. It is the favourite Italian snack cooked to perfection.
Where to eat : Suppli
3.Maritozzo – The typical bun breakfast, cut open, that dates back to 1800s has got an oomph in Rome and is packed with whipped cream. Variations involve eggs, flours, honey, salt and more.
Where to eat : Il Maritozzaro
4.Cacio e Pepe – Pasta is the go-to food here and this is another variety of it. The ingredients are not at all fancy or rare, and the black pepper steals the show.
Where to eat: Felice A Testaccio
5.Pizza al Taglio – Everyone loves Pizza. And what makes this dish special here is you can order Pizza by slices. Yes, if you like a pizza that has toppings of marinara sauce and olives & mushrooms, or tomato sauce with parsley, or pumpkin cream with mozzarella, you can order only the required slices of all of these.
Where to eat : Pizzarium
6.Baccalà – Another mouth-watering roman cuisine on the list is this fish dish that has been dried after salting. it’s great as an appetizer or as a main course.
Where to eat : Dar Filettaro
7. Carciofi – It looks like a bronze fried flower. This is an artichoke that is filled with bread crumbs, garlic, mint, and parsley and sautéd in olive oil and water.
Where to eat : Nonna Betta
8.Tripe – Traditionally served only on Saturdays, today you have the opportunity to relish it everyday because of the huge demand. Made out of thin precooked tripe, and fried with onion, carrot and celery, and seasoned with salt and pepper, it has a pleasant flavour.
Where to eat : Trattoria Da Cesare al Casaletto
9. Allesso di Bollito – Mastering the slow cooking, this is one of the incredible beef dishes. The simmered meat is placed on the bread and dipped in the savoury juices making it a wholesome dish.
Where to eat : Mordi & Vai
10. Saltimbocca – So flavoursome, that it ‘jumps in your mouth’, literally. Made of veal, it is wrapped in prosciutto and sage, which are pressed onto the chicken breast, and later marinated in wine or saltwater.
Where to eat : Cantina & Cucina
How To Find A Good Roman Restaurant?
Since you have collected information on what to eat, another question that pops up is which restaurants are the best. Italy is not credited for lousy food at all. But if you seriously ask us, it is expected to stumble upon petty food experiences. Here is a set of advice that would let you sit in top-notch restaurants and experience the quality of service that you would admire –
1. Ask locals
Hectic, it may sound, but the results are genuine. Their recommendations will be based on regular eating in the city and knowing which restaurant can serve the expectations- whether you want nothing fancy, just a simple, authentic dish, or an upscale restaurant with a beautiful view. A tip that works is to look around to see what locals eat and what people have ordered; this would help you get some delicious dishes on the table.
2. Skip restaurants that are continuously opened
Italians have a routine of eating on a timetable. Generally, the lunch is served from 12:30 until 3 p.m., with a final seating around 2:15 p.m. And dinner from 7:30 to 11 p.m., where the last guests are expected at around 10:15 p.m. So, an eatery or restaurant opened outside these hours to serve only the tourists.
3. Avoid restaurants at hotspots
Sitting at a restaurant nearby is quite tempting when you have come out of any attraction or tiring sightseeing. In Rome, do not order near the main tourist sights, such as Piazza Navona and Pantheon, because here the hustle is more than the grade of service- food could be warm but not fresh, and the reception is expensive and unsatisfactory. Ideally, walk for a few minutes and explore better options.
4. Pitch in a food-tasting tour
This idea works everywhere. Several Italian food tours let you gorge on the ace dishes in the different parts of the city for hours. The tour is a boon for foodies, from fascinating stories and interacting with locals to eating on off-beaten paths. Savor fancy local specialties and sip some classic wines. Choose from the Roman Foodie, Fresh Market Lunch Our, and Trastevere Evening Tour. Through this, you will also find street food in Rome, which are cheap and delectable.
5. Don’t be lured by the staff on the streets
You may find a staff or a duty man with an English menu on the streets, lined by restaurants, telling you how their food store is outstanding and will also give you attractive offers like a welcome drink on the house. Just say no because a reputed restaurant won’t be required to pay staff for this; instead, it would be stuffed with reservations.
6. Grab the menu with seasonal ingredients
Fresh and seasonal ingredients are one of the highlights of Italian cuisine that binds the varieties from all cities together. So, when you see a menu, check if the vegetables and fruits are made of the particular season’s vegetables and fruits. It is an alert for pasta with Asparagus in November because this is an ‘April-May’ ingredient.
Tip- Select menu fisso for lunch.
7. Go gelato
Keep yourself cool by trying some artisanal ice creams, and this could be best found in places with a sign of ‘gelato artigianale’ or ‘gelateria artigianale’. They hold a platter of sweet, eye-catching ice creams in flavors you would have never tried, like coffee, pomegranate, rice, and much more.
Where To Eat Cheap And Tasty?
Roman restaurants are popular because you can take your bae for romantic exquisite dining and hang out with friends at a subtle, cheap eatery. A few inexpensive options include:
- Panella
- Suppli
- Giselda
- Pianostrada
- Piccolo Arancio
What Are The Restaurants In The Hit-List?
The top trattoria and restaurants that you must dine at-
- Roscioli
- Pizzarium
- Felice e Testaccio
- Bistro 64
- Epiro
- Altrove
- Trattoria Pennestri
- 100% Bio and Pionastrada are the vegetarians’ loved restaurants.
With a new wave of chefs in town, the local cuisine remains the roots but the dining scene has become more delectable and healthier. Get your forks ready!
5 Best Restaurants In Rome
1. La Pergola : It is an elegant restaurant with three Michelin stars, known for its creative contemporary Italian testing meals.
Address: Cadlolo 101, 00136 Rome RM, Italy.
2. Metamorfosi : It is a trendy eating space with a contemporary flavor of classic Italian cuisine made with high-quality ingredients. It specializes in offering excellent quality products like no other.
Address : Via Giovanni Antonelli, 30/32
3. Peppo al Cosimato : Peppo al Cosimato has been open since 1960. It specializes in seafood, homemade pasta, and Neapolitan-style pizza made in the neighborhood’s oldest wood-fired oven. Their specialty is their pizza Franky, which is named after the pizzaiolo. It contains fresh buffalo mozzarella from Paestum, yellow and red datterini tomatoes, basil, and extra virgin olive oil.
Address : Via Natale del Grande, 9.
4. Patriots Restaurant : Il Ristoro dal Patriota, located near the Trevi fountain, offers its visitors superb food and service. Popular culinary items include cacio pepe, spaghetti carbonara, and bucatini all’amatriciana. You could sit outside to soak up the ambiance and people-watch.
Address : Piazza Accademia di S. Luca 76.
5. Flavio al Velavevodetto : Flavio al Velavevodetto remains a popular restaurant in Testaccio, regarded as one of Rome’s top dining neighborhoods. The restaurant serves cucina romana, gnocchi on Thursdays, and fish on Fridays, customarily eaten in Rome. The big restaurant provides courteous service and a lively, relaxed atmosphere.
Head chef Flavio de Maio keeps the locals coming back with typical Roman delicacies such as fried artichokes, abbacchio (roasted baby suckling pig) with potatoes and broccoli, and polpette di bollito (Roman beef croquettes).
Address : Via Monte Testaccio, 97.
Tips When Exploring Rome Eateries
Here are seven recommendations for choosing a fantastic spot to eat in Rome, each with a two-line description:
- Get off the usual road – Explore Rome’s quiet side streets and districts to discover hidden trattorias serving freshly prepared pasta, pizza, and more.
- Ask locals for ideas – Talk to your Airbnb host, hotel concierge, or Rome residents to receive great insider tips on their favorite restaurants.
- Arrive early – To secure a table and avoid crowds, arrive when restaurants open, usually between 7 and 7:30 p.m. Many places do not take reservations.
- Look for quality ingredients – Choose restaurants specializing in artisanal pasta, locally produced meats and seafood, and wines from small Italian producers.
- Bring cash – Many smaller, family-run restaurants only accept cash payments, not credit cards.
- Avoid tourist traps – If a restaurant has waitresses outside attempting to entice you in, the cuisine is probably pricey and mediocre.
- When in doubt, eat pizza – When the ingredients are high quality, Rome’s thin-crust pizza with fresh mozzarella and basil is simply unrivaled comfort food.