Are you real food lovers? Do you value spending enjoyable time at the table when you are on vacation? How important is a friendly atmosphere during your meals? This small guide will help you to plan the culinary stops of your Rome vacation!
These are some themes you can explore during your gastronomic tour in Rome:
- “Aperitivo” (meaning aperitif and/or happy hour): this is a widespread Italian custom, which consists in having a break to eat something light and tasty and to have a drink (usually alcoholic). It is similar to the concept of appetizer before dinner, in fact it takes place between 6 and 8 pm, just before having dinner at the restaurant or at home. It usually consists of a buffet offering cold cuts, cheeses, small pizzas, salads and cocktail snacks. During your stay in Rome, you can choose a fancy venue in one of the main nightlife districts or you can give your preference to a picturesque location and a beautiful view.
- Drinks: if you are a wine lover, you can search for a wine bar offering local products. Beer halls and pubs are another good choice to taste some artisanal beers produced in other Italian Regions or abroad.
- Relaxed atmosphere: if you want to spend a quiet and pleasant evening, avoid restaurants and bars located in the city centre (packed with tourists) and in fancy districts (packed with locals). Choose a place in a low-profile area instead, and search for a typical trattoria offering traditional dishes or a pizzeria with a home-like atmosphere. These kinds of restaurants are usually cheaper too.
- Quick meals: if your trip to Rome is short, you’ll surely choose quick meals, so you don’t have to waste too much time, especially at lunch. Search for snack bars and kiosks but also pubs, bistrots, takeaway bars and food shops.
- Healthy eating: being on holiday does not necessarily mean having an irregular diet and come back with a few kilos more. Rome has many restaurants offering light and healthy dishes. Choose restaurants and bars with a wide selection of veggies and fruit salads, or the ones especially conceived for vegetarians and vegans.
- Regional products: you can benefit from your meals to enjoy a virtual tour of other Italian Regions and discover their typical products. There are many regional restaurants in Rome, but you can simply choose some cold cuts, cheeses, wines, pasta shapes or meat cuts which are typical of other areas of the Country.
- Trendy venues: if you like exploring trendy restaurants and bars in your own city, do the same in Rome. Aperitivo is the perfect moment to search for the fanciest and coolest bars in town. You can base your choice on their location, district, gourmet food or international atmosphere.
- Pizza: pizzeria is a kind of restaurant you cannot miss during a visit to Rome. To spend a quiet evening, don’t choose a in the city center, but prefer a venue with a home-like atmosphere and fewer people. If you feel like trying something different, choose a gourmet pizzeria instead!
- Street Food: the perfect solution for a snack or for a quick lunch while strolling through Rome’s city center. You’ll be spoilt for choice: other than “plain” sandwiches and pizzas, you can taste different kinds of fried snacks, meatballs, supplì (fried balls of rice with meat sauce) or piadine (thin discs of dough stuffed with cold cuts, cheeses, meat or vegetables), but also sweet treats (cannoli, ice creams or maritozzi).
- Location: you can find many venues offering a beautiful view of Rome’s monuments and skyline, but also some restaurants located inside fascinating historical buildings. Moreover, starred restaurants often offer a luxurious setting and a unique location. If you want something special for your night out, (other than excellent food of course) choose an open-air restaurant or try one of the many rooftops and panoramic terraces in Rome.
- Specific ingredients: look for a themed restaurant offering a cuisine based upon your favorite food. In Rome you can find a whole menu based on mozzzrella, fish, local cold cuts, rice or seasonal vegetables.
- Low prices: you’ll get the best value for money in trattoria and pizzeria, especially far from the city center and the most touristic areas. Of course, street food is always low-cost, but you can find many cheap restaurants too, especially if you like ethnic cuisine.
- Breakfast: a typical Roman (and Italian) breakfast is made of “cappuccino & cornetto”. Start your day at a local café and taste some other specialties like maritozzi, donuts or local pastries.
- Proximity to the main monuments and tourist attractions: you’ll find many restaurants and bars close to the main point of interests in Rome (pizzerie, trattorie, ice cream shops, cafés, street food kiosks etc). You’ll be spoilt for choice and you can also plan your meals according to your sightseeing schedule, but also the other way around, by planning your visits according to your favorite food locations!
- Typical dishes: have fun searching for the best places to taste Roman dishes and rank them according to your personal preferences. To taste: carbonara (pasta), cacio e pepe (pasta), Roman artichokes, pajata (meat or pasta), agnello alla scottadito (lamb), supplì, tiramisù and crostata con le visciole (cherry tart).
The best restaurants and bars in Rome
- Momart Cafè – Viale XXI Aprile, 19, 00162 Roma RM (Nomentano district)
A modern-style venue offering a rich but affordable buffet for the aperitivo. Here you can also enjoy a permanent exhibition of young artists that come here to show their creations. The staff is attentive and friendly and the ingredients are high quality and genuine. It is a good choice for people loving trendy locations.
- Trapizzino
A typical Roman fast food offering small pieces of pizza dough stuffed with different ingredients (Roman artichokes, sausage and broccoli, coda alla vaccinara (oxtail), chicken with peppers etc). Moreover, you can choose among a wide selection of beers. This snack bar is so successful that there are many other branches in other areas of the city, but also in Milan, Florence and even in New York. This is the perfect choice for a quick lunch or for the aperitivo.
- Ginger Sapori e Salute – Via Borgognona, 43-46, 00187 Roma RM (city center)
A great attention to details and a light and healthy cuisine are the strengths of this restaurant. You can find a wide selection of sandwiches too, for a quick meal. Try its smoothies made with fresh fruits and vegetables and their seasonal salads. The menu offers dishes for any occasion: breakfast (pancakes and tarts), snacks (smoothies and sandwiches) or entire meals including desserts.
- I Pizzacaroli – Via della Fossa, 9, 00186 Roma RM (close to Piazza Navona)
A tiny venue offering excellent aperitivi. Try their cold cut and cheese platters accompanied by a wide selection of wines. You can enjoy a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and taste traditional products from Umbria and Abruzzo Regions.
- Taverna del Seminario – Via del Seminario, 105, 00186 Roma RM (Campo de’ Fiori district)
Low prices and friendly staff. This restaurant is very popular among tourists, thanks to its central location close to the main points of interests of Rome’s city center. Sometimes is noisy and crowded. Its menu offers both pizzas and traditional dishes.
- Lo Scopettaro – Lungotevere Testaccio, 7, 00153 Roma RM (Testaccio district)
Authentic Roman handmade cuisine. Prices are quite low for an historical trattoria. Service is friendly and quick. Try classical dishes like carbonara and cacio e pepe. The area nearby is really nice too and it’s worth a visit.
- Antico Carlone – Via della Cisterna, 13, 00153 Roma RM (Trastevere district)
A simple and informal restaurant offering traditional cuisine and generous portions. Try its pasta dishes, especially carbonara, and its selection of wines. The restaurant it is always crowded and sometimes too noisy.
- Open Baladin – Via degli Specchi, 6, 00186 Roma RM (Campo de’ Fiori district)
A beer hall chain born near Cuneo but widespread all over Italy. Its menu is wide and tempting with lots of different foods and drinks (more than 100 kinds of beers). Try different versions of their French fries (handmade ketchup, cacio e pepe, ginger and mayonnaise etc) and their hamburgers (made with fassone meat from Piedmont). One of the best values for money. The is large but not noisy and the atmosphere is relaxing and friendly.
All the above-mentioned restaurants have been tested and the opinions are personal and don’t represent any kind of advertising nor agreement with the owners.
