Best Restaurants in Rome
Introduction
Rome has thousands of restaurants, but it’s not always easy to sift the culinary gems from the tourist traps. And we cannot stress this enough: carbonaras are not created equal. Whether it’s a hole-in-the-wall reinventing classic pasta dishes, a restaurant set in a former convent, or a sprawling food hall that lets you grab and go, we’ve got the lowdown on dining and drinking in the Eternal City. Read on for our picks for the best places to eat in Rome, no matter how long you’re there, where you’re staying, or what you may be craving for your next meal.
Osteria Chiana
(MAP) More smart-bistro and less old-school osteria, Osteria Chiana offers an energizing menu of Roman classics, including an excellent tonnarelli pasta with cacio e pepe. But the ever-changing seasonal dishes are most inspiring, like breaded lamb cutlets served with fried artichokes or meatballs served with fresh tomato and arugula served with chicory. Save room for the tiramisu, which can be enjoyed in the garden on balmy summer nights.
Checchino dal 1887
(MAP) Let’s be clear: The menu at Checchino dal 1887 is offal-tastic. So, if eating animal innards isn’t your thing, either head somewhere else or go for the vegetarian menu. Kick things off with the veal head served with citrus peel, then move on to the beef tripe cooked in pecorino, mint, and tomato sauce. Vegetarians will love the excellent pecorino-and-sage bruschetta and the spaghetti with artichoke cream, mint, and parmesan. The roast potatoes and chicory make for unique, flavor-filled sides, and the cup of wonderful, ever-so-wobbly panna cotta is a pleasing way to end the meal.
Pro Loco Pinciano
(MAP) Pro Loco Pinciano feels like your stylish Italian friends’ holiday home, all farmhouse brick and stone. It has an open deli stacked with cheese and jars of local jam, plus fat prosciutto hams dangling from the ceiling. It’s not all for the show: when you order a martini, the bartender garnishes it with a prosciutto slice. As for the menu, there’s something to suit every taste here, including crisp pizzas, bowls of pillowy ravioli, and platters of finely sliced cured meats.
Lanificio
(MAP) There’s no place in Rome quite like Lanificio, a bar, restaurant, and creative work space all rolled into one. A case in point is the menu: combinations that shouldn’t work, like salmon with buffalo mozzarella, somehow do. Much like the wine list, plenty of thought has gone into every dish that spans the country. The fried octopus antipasto is a must, as is the quail served with taleggio cheese and soft polenta. Clever pairings work wonders, like the twist on Rome’s traditional cacio e pepe pasta, served here with vermicelli and a squeeze of lime.
La Tavernaccia
(MAP) La Tavernaccia is old-school Roman all the way. Start with the misto affettati, a plate of cured meats and cheeses. Next, go for rigatoni all’amatriciana—a mix of chunky pork in tomato sauce, topped with pecorino cheese—then move on to the main event, maialino al forno (suckling pig served with roast potatoes). Wash the entire thing down with a generous helping of house red and a palate-cleansing lemon sorbet.
Altrove Ristorante
(MAP) Dishes at Altrove, a bright new addition to the primarily residential Ostiense district, are inventive but not overcomplicated. Lunch is a casual, canteen-like affair, with choices of daily meats, grains, and sides. Vegetarians, typically unlucky in this carnivorous city, will find something to like, with salads, soups, cheese, and fresh-from-the-oven bread. Come dinner, the cosmopolitan menu offers creative takes on Roman dishes, such as risotto d’acqua (carnaroli rice cooked in tomato-tinged water with lashings of pecorino cheese and a sprinkling of salty fish roe).
Seu Pizza Illuminati
(MAP) Cool and minimalist with Saarinen-style furniture and contemporary art, Seu Pizza Illuminati isn’t your typical old-school pizzeria. The pies incorporate local products in nontraditional ways; even classics will surpass anything you’ve ever had. Keep an eye on the antipasti; the fritti and deep-fried tramezzino sandwiches are delicious. Unsurprisingly, the chef has been winning award after award for his unique and creative work.
(MAP) Cesare is a trattoria specializing in Roman cuisine, and it nails the classics; the starters, pastas, and mains get so much attention that the excellent pizzas can be often overlooked. But often from us: Share a paper-thin, delightfully crispy pizza rossa (a 16-inch round pizza brushed sparingly with tomato sauce and drizzled with olive oil, then baked in a wood-burning oven) as a starter. And don’t sleep on the excellent fried starters like eggplant croquettes and shredded beef balls.
Santo Palato
(MAP) Santo Palato is precisely what a Roman trattoria should be: unassuming outside and bright and welcoming within. The tiny kitchen opens onto the dining room to give you a peek at the setting where chef Sarah Cicolini works her magic. The menu’s packed with gems; depending on what’s fresh at the market that day, you might see comforting pasta bowls with chickpeas or the most satisfying pasta with cacio e pepe. Wash it down with some house red.
Assunta Madre
(MAP) Madre’s menu is tapas-style, so start with a helping of garlicky prawns, then move on to the tuna-and-avocado ceviche, served with just the right amount of lime. The pizza list isn’t long; we suggest the Parrilla, a mini barbecue cooked at the table, or the Sal—a fish of the day seared on sea salt stone and served with a mixed salad. Forgo the gelato and fruit, order di Giacinto’s chocolate stick with raspberries and hibiscus flowers, or try the “tiramisu,” made with mascarpone, cocoa, barley, and root vegetables.
Agustarello a Testaccio
(MAP) Agustarello is an institution in Testaccio, a former slaughterhouse district now one of Rome’s edgiest neighborhoods. You’ll jostle for elbow room with hungry locals to get a table—but that’s part of the fun. Like the best Roman restaurants, dining here is so much more than a meal: It’s about comfort, a reassuringly traditional menu, and company. Don’t be surprised if you make friends with the table beside you.
Trattoria Perilli
(MAP) Perilli’s been serving Roman classics to locals since 1911, and save for a few interior revamps, very little has changed—the menu included. But when you’ve got a list of some of the very best dishes in Rome, why alter course? The carbonara, widely considered the best in Rome, and the amatriciana. But span the plastic-sheathed menu, and you’ll see Perilli has so much more to offer, like a starter of Roman artichokes that have been softened in oil. The dessert list feels humbling, so opt for a coffee and a grappa instead.
L’Arcangelo
(MAP) The boiled meatballs and cod fish Panzanella are fine starters at L’Arcangelo, especially when followed by the tagliolini with butter and anchovies. Intelligent pairings of ingredients work perfectly, such as roast cod served with peppery olive oil and a hint of vanilla or quail served with wild cherries. Dessert-wise, try the bitter chocolate with saffron and coffee or the zuppa inglese, an Italian-style trifle with layers of custard and rum-soaked savoiardi biscuits.
Piatto Romano
(MAP) The menu at Piatto Romano may not be fancy, but it nails all the classics, serving gnocchi on Thursdays—when it’s traditionally eaten in Rome—and fish dishes on Fridays. The seafood is excellent, from the salt cod cooked with dried fruits and onions—a must—to the frittura mix of fried prawns and calamari, when it’s on the menu. But the star is the more meaty, milk-fed pajata: fat pasta tubes in an intestine-based sauce. Desserts are simple but good: market-fresh strawberries sprinkled with sugar or slices of still-warm ricotta cake.
Settimio al Pellegrino
(MAP) Walking into Settimio al Pellegrino feels a bit like stepping into Rome’s golden dolce vita heyday; there are a handful of tables, a couple of Roman posters on the walls, and a tiny kitchen where owner Teresa stirs vats of pasta as Mario, her husband, ferries orders back and forth. Crowd-wise, it’s all regulars, many of whom have been coming here since childhood. Now they bring their children’s children.
(MAP) Imagine you’ve entered the personal library of a contemporary architect—one where a minimalist-chic aesthetic pervades, and the bookshelves are lined with wine. It’s a gastronomic oasis for those looking for something otherworldly, yet it still feels like home. The cuisine here is contemporary Italian, which is artful and attractive. The best option for first-timers is a tasting menu (choose between four or ten dish options) or an efficient business lunch, which gives you a quick survey of the kitchen’s vast talents.
(MAP) Rome’s food, while consistently very good, can get a bit repetitive, so after your third consecutive carbonara, come to Osteria degli Amici for a plate of fettuccine with cocoa and oxtail sauce and an environment that’s a bit more low-key than other osterias around town. Try the paccheri pasta with fresh squid, olives, and potato cream, and cap the meal with the famous licorice gelato.
(MAP) You can’t come here without trying the namesake: an exceptionally creamy cacio e pepe made with the perfect quantities of pecorino cheese and pepper. The carbonara’s very good, too, with slivers of guanciale and just the right amount of pecorino. For mains, get the slow-cooked beef meatballs with sides of sautéed chicory and crisp oven-roasted potatoes. And save room for the sweets—the gloriously rich sachertorte should hit the spot.
Luciano Cucina
(MAP) Luciano Cucina is a next-gen trattoria that’s colorful, stylish, and open. Chef Luciano Monosilio elevated carbonara from its humble origins into an art form, and the quintessentially Roman dish takes the limelight here. But the rest of the pasta, which ranges from classic to contemporary, is just as excellent. To drink, there’s wine on tap, craft beer, and designer water. The staff is a well-organized crew that can anticipate your every move and make spot-on suggestions.
