Heading to Rome and want to only dine at the best places to eat in Rome? We are heading there again soon (yay) but it’s been almost 10 years since I (megsy) was last in Rome – I can’t believe it’s been sooo long! So, I wanted to reach out to some of our favourite travelling foodies to put together Rome Travel Guide of the best food in Rome. Use this Rome food guide to decide where to eat and get the best food experiences in Rome.
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Top Tours and Cooking Classes in Rome
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- Expert Guided Tour of Colosseum Underground, Arena and Forum
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Top Hotels and Hostels in Rome
- Ingrami Suites and Spa
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- Generator Rome Hostel
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Rome Food Guide – Best Places To Eat In Rome – A Guide To The Best Food In Rome
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Rome Food Guide – 15 Best Places To Eat In Rome
Ba’Ghetto
Vanessa, Wanderlust Crew
Best Places To Eat In Rome – A Guide To The Best Food In Rome
The only thing I love more than food and travel is history, but when the three come together, it’s a recipe for something amazing. Ba’Ghetto offers all of these plus an incredible ambience. Baghetto is the oldest Jewish restaurant in Rome and a symbol of the traditional Jewish food in the heart of the capital city of Italy.
Ba’Ghetto is located in the Jewish district of Rome, in what used to be the Jewish Ghetto. You can still see part of the wall the kept them separate from the rest of the city of Rome from 1555 to 1888. More than 300 years!
Perhaps Ba’Ghetto’s most famous dish, carciofo alla giudia, or Jewish-style artichoke, actually got its start in the Jewish Ghetto more than 5 centuries ago. This dish, that is essentially an edible thistle was sold by Jewish vendors in the 1500s who were highly restricted in their employment but could work as food vendors. This often undersold item found many uses in Jewish cooking and is now symbol and specialty in the Jewish community in Rome that can be found being sold in the outdoor markets of Rome and also at restaurants like Ba’Ghetto.
At Ba’Ghetto you’ll also find other incredible kosher dishes such as fish, beef, chicken, and lamb. I love classic Italian food but can often tire quickly of carb loading on pizza and pasta for almost every meal. So dining on traditional Roman Jewish cuisine in the eternal city is quite a treat!
⇒ Looking for the best areas to stay and hotels in Rome? Check out our full article
Ginger
Abigail, Inside The Travel Lab
Rome Food Guide – 15 Best Places To Eat In Rome – A Guide To The Best Food In Rome
Rome. You’re beautiful but there comes a time when a splash of bright white and clean lines needs to balance up your ancient, honey-stoned curves. A time when crushed lime and hot chilli flakes serve as a tonic to your world class selection of carbs.
And when that time comes. When you’re looking for something unusual to do in Rome, it’s time to head to Ginger.
With one branch in Spagna and one near the Pantheon, you can quickly dip in from the tourist trail. Breakfast starts with pancakes, cold cuts or their signature açaí bowl. And organic coffee comes with a ginger cookie or flaky croissant.
After that, comes the mission to change how people have lunch. “Too often hasty and unbalanced,” Ginger wants people to rediscover the pleasure of a relaxed and healthy lunch.
Steamed baskets, vegan and vegetarian menus, organic quinoa salads make an appearance. But so, too, do beef burgers and grilled octopus.
The pleasure comes from the food, for sure, but also from the refreshingly modern interior.
Come il Latte
Dhara, It’s Not About the Miles
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If you are looking for the most delicious gelato in Rome, head to Come il Latte. Yes, it’s outside the historic center and a bit of a walk to get there, but, trust me, you will not be sorry you made the effort.
Come il Latte has a wide variety of flavors, but what sets them apart is the creamy luscious texture of their artisanal gelato. And the handmade cones. And the drizzle of dark or white chocolate inside the cone before the gelato is scooped in. Top it all with Chantilly cream and a crisp wafer, and you have a dessert made in heaven.
The experience is fabulous as well: the staff will patiently let you try umpteen flavors, and the prices are reasonable as well.
Come il Latte is not very far from the Borghese Gallery, so if you plan to visit the museum, make sure to stop at the gelateria on your way back to the center. Gorging on gelato at Come il Latte is one of the best things to do in Rome!
Spaghetteria L’archetto
Jyoti and Nirmal, Story At Every Corner
Best Places To Eat In Rome – A Guide To The Best Food In Rome
Right below our Airbnb apartment in Rome, in a little side ally, was this tiny hole in the wall restaurant called Spaghetteria L’archetto. Most of the seating was in the ally as the interior was quite small and looked too tight. So, from our window, we saw a steady stream of patrons enjoying dinner and usually there was quite a line too. On Friday evening we decided to have dinner there, only to realize that they had a long wait but they took a reservation for us and held a table for us. I would advice, always make a reservation before you come over.
The dinner was amazing, I still remember the pasta we ate. They had the most extensive pasta menu I have ever seen with many unique flavors. At that time, there wasn’t pizza on the menu, but reviews tell me they do have pizza now. We had a very pleasant experience with a friendly waiter, quick service and delicious food. Some reviews on trip advisor say they’ve had issues paying by credit card, so plan to carry cash. We returned another day during our trip for more awesome spaghetti. It did not disappoint.
Forno Campo De Fiori
Sima, The Curious Pixie
Rome Food Guide – 15 Best Places To Eat In Rome – A Guide To The Best Food In Rome
Campo Di Fiori is home to one of Rome’s most ancient markets and also one of the best pizza bakeries. The master bakers at Forno Campo De Fiori’s have been delighting customers with their baked specialties for the past 30 years.
Famous for its takeaway homemade rectangle sliced pizzas, the secret to their success apparently lies in the long fermentation process.
It’s the place to come for fresh crisp pizza bianca sprinkled with salt and dressed in extra virgin olive oil. Wrapped in brown paper and traditionally eaten as a snack, you’ll feel like a true Roman with one in your hand. Don’t forget to try the utterly delicious margarita and zucchini versions too. You’ll also be asked how wide you like your slice as you pay by weight.
Be prepared to queue, the small bakery is usually packed with tourists trying to get their hands on a slice of the best street food in Rome.
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Flavio al Velavevodetto
Erin, Never Ending Voyage
Flavio al Velavevodetto is located in the slightly off-the-beaten-track Testaccio neighbourhood of Rome, not far from 
the much more popular Trastevere area. There are many fantastic restaurants here but our favourite is Flavio al Velavevodetto. It’s built against the Monte Testaccio, a hill made of broken olive oil amphorae from Roman times, and you can see the amphorae if you sit inside the main dining room. In the summer there are a couple of terraces too.
This is a fantastic place to try classic Roman pasta dishes and there are always a few vegetarian options. Our favourite dish is the tonnarelli cacio e pepe, thick spaghetti in pecorino cheese and black pepper— creamy, slightly spicy and perfect comfort food. We also enjoy their ravioli and vegetable antipasti like caponata (sweet and sour aubergine) and zucchine alla scapece (vinegary courgette).
Whatever you decide on as your main dish, don’t miss the tiramisu! I’m not usually a fan of this creamy dessert but the chocolate version they serve here in a glass is absolutely delicious.
Flavio al Velavevodetto is very popular, so I recommend booking a table in advance on their website.
Goose Restaurant Pizzeria in Rome
Abby from TheWingedFork
Best Places To Eat In Rome – A Guide To The Best Food In Rome
When you visit Rome and plan on tasting the local culture, you’ll be spoilt for choice. There are many options to satisfy your tastebuds in Rome, from pasta to pizza, from dessert to limoncello. But sometimes, it’s difficult to find authentic cuisine.
On a recent visit to Rome, we visited the Goose Ristorante Pizzeria that was a short walk from the Vatican has been serving authentic Italian food since 1998. This restaurant is loved by locals and foreigners alike, more so by locals because of the traditional fare.
We loved everything we ate here, from the pumpkin flowers or Fiori Di Zucca that we had for starters, to the Tagliolini Al Frutti Mare (Seafood Platter) and Grigliata Carne (mixed meat grill) and finally the to-die-for crème brulee.
If you’re looking for truly authentic Italian Cuisine, head on down the Piazzale Greggrorio VII
to the Goose Ristorante Pizzeria and you’ll love it!
Nonna Betta
Katy, Untold Morsels
Rome Food Guide – Best Places To Eat In Rome – A Guide To The Best Food In Rome
Like all cities in Italy, Rome has specialty dishes that have evolved over the centuries. The Jewish community has had a huge influence on Roman cuisine and one of the best places to try their traditional dishes is at Nonna Betta.
Most people dine at Nonna Betta to try one of Rome’s iconic dishes – the famous carciofo alla giudia – Jewish style artichokes. The vegetable is deep fried and seasoned with salt and chilli and is the perfect start to your home style kosher meal. This is also the place to go to try hearty dishes like agnolotti pasta with stracotto (pot roast sauce), pumpkin flowers and baccalà (codfish) with tomato and onion sauce. If you have room for dessert, Middle Eastern style treats like baclava and or the house specialty ricotta cheese cake are delicious.
You will find the restaurant down a pedestrianised cobbled street in Rome’s Jewish Ghetto district close to the ruins of the Portico d’Ottavia, an ancient Roman walkway and Teatro Marcello, a huge amphitheatre and entertainment space founded by Julius Caesar, that predates the Colosseum. A two course meal without wine costs around €20-30 and bookings are recommended.
Cul de sac
Marta, Learning Escapes
My favourite place to eat in Rome and one I recommend to everyone for either lunch or dinner, is the small city centre enoteca called Cul de sac (address: Piazza di Pasquino 73).
Located just beside famous Piazza Navona, this is a small establishment with both indoor and outdoor seating areas and informal atmosphere. Inside, walls covered with dark shelves and wine bottles make this restaurant cozy for a winter night while the tables outside area great vantage point for people watching in summer.
The menu is extensive and covers typical Roman dishes and Italian staples such as lasagne and tiramisu. It is hard to go wrong with your order here but for something really special I recommend you try their country terrine, served with crispy bread, trippa, which is a Rome specialty and their vegetarian options (artichoke, aubergine tart etc) . All of them are surprisingly tasty and generous in size, without being overpriced, something rare to come by in this part of the city!
This is an excellent restaurant for solo diners and couples but is also welcoming to kids, making it an excellent choice for pretty much any type of traveller.
Bonci
Nicholas, Rambling Feet
Best Places To Eat In Rome – A Guide To The Best Food In Rome
When I visited Italy for the first time, I imagined there was no way they’d mess with traditional pizza recipes. A visit to Bonci upended that notion, however.
The shop near the Vatican Museums entrance serves up pizza al taglio (by the slice) and you pay for the weight of your order. While you won’t find Hawaiian pizza (thank goodness), the toppings aren’t what you’d typically find on menus elsewhere either – think potatoes, nuts and other local produce. I had a white pizza with fennel sausage and stracchino cheese; the crust, with its beautiful crunch and chewiness, was the perfect foil for those ingredients. I paired it with suppli (breaded and stuffed rice balls) and local craft beer to complete my meal.
There is another outlet in the Prati neighbourhood called Panificio Bonci that also sells other baked goods like bread, biscotti and pastries and jars of local produce. If you don’t want to mosh with other tourists to taste some of the best pizza you’ll ever get, go for a late lunch or a very un-Italian early dinner.
Hostaria Costanza
Carol, Wandering Carol
Rome Food Guide – Best Places To Eat In Rome – A Guide To The Best Food In Rome
Talk about atmospheric eats. The foundations of Hostaria Costanza, a classic Roman restaurant located at Piazza Paradiso 63/65, run deep. The restaurant is set within the subterranean ruins of the Theatre of Pompey, an ancient Roman structure built by Pompey the Great in 55 BC. The vast theatre, which could hold up to 20,000 people, is also famous for being the site of the murder of Julius Caesar, who was stabbed 23 times next to it in 44 BC.
The historic setting might take you there but the food will bring you back. Very near the Campo de ‘Fiori, Hostaria Costanza offers an upscale yet casual dining ambience complete with curved stone arches and white tablecloths. The focus is on fresh local ingredients and authentic Italian cuisine: Think Tagliolini with baby octopus and bottarga, Rigatoni alla Norcina, Jewish-style artichoke and Lamb with Scottadito. It’s a tantalizing way to explore taste and history at the same time. For reservations telephone +39 06 68801002
For more travel ideas visit unusual things to do in Rome.
Rifugio Romano
Wendy, The Nomadic Vegan
Rome Food Guide – Best Places To Eat In Rome – Vegan Rome
Trattoria Pennestri
Angela, Rome Actually
Rome Food Guide – Best Places To Eat In Rome – A Guide To The Best Food In Rome
Sora Lella
Sherrie at Epiphany To Travel
Located on the only little island on the Tiber River that runs through the city is the iconic and one of most historic restaurants in Rome is the Sora Lella. Italy’s famous actor Aldo Fabrizi’s sister Elena “Lella” Fabrizi an actor herself, opened Sora Lella in 1959 by. It immediately became a popular place for movie stars visiting the city like Alberto Sordi and Aldo himself.
Elena was an amazing cook and taught her family how to cook Roman style today the restaurant is still run by family members. The wonderful tradition of making delicious and very authentic Italian dishes continues. You will find some items on the menu that you will recognize but its the regional food that they are famous for. Like Sweetbreads of Lamb with Marsala wine, Roman-Style Veal tripe with tomato sauce flavored with mint and pecorino cheese, Home-made Gnocchi in a classic Roman sauce with seasoned pork cheeks, tomatoes and Roman pecorino cheese. The desserts especially their Tiramisu are delizioso! A well-deserved Michelin Star has been earned.
The best part is the family atmosphere and the history that follows this trattoria. We enjoy going every time we are in Rome. Letting them know that we are distant relatives when we take our seats, they treat us like close family members each and every time. The Roman people may have turned their backs on the Tiber River, but they will never turn their backs on Sora Lella.
Momart Cafe and Restaurant
Annalisa, Travel Connect Experience
Best Places To Eat In Rome – A Guide To The Best Food In Rome
Rome Food Guide – Best Places To Eat In Rome – A Guide To The Best Food In Rome
- Looking for somewhere to sleep off your food coma? Check out some of the best places to stay in Rome
- If you want some non foodie things to do in Rome here’s our 2 day Walking Map Of Rome Tourist Attractions
Don’t Forget To Grab A Copy Of our Free Tourist Map Of Rome – 70+ Rome Tourist Attractions
We’ve put together a google map overlay with all our top picks of attractions, restaurants, foodie experiences, accommodation, transport locations and more! Save yourself a bunch of time by having our huge list of Rome highlights instantly at your fingertips. Get Our Rome Tourist Map NOW – Click Here.
- Works on any device over 4G or wifi – follow the map as you travel
- It’s FREE!
- 70+ highlighted spots to visit
- Super easy to use on google maps
- Every Restaurant in the article – and more!
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