Rome eats by a tight set of rules: offal, guanciale, pecorino and artichokes, cooked the same way for generations in trattorie, bakeries and market stalls. Fine dining exists on the hilltops, but the soul of the city is a paper-wrapped slice of pizza or a plate of carbonara in Testaccio.
Rome at a glance
What to eat
The five Roman pastas (carbonara, cacio e pepe, gricia, amatriciana); Pizza al taglio, pizza bianca and supplì; Carciofi alla romana and alla giudia; Testaccio offal (coda alla vaccinara, trippa); Maritozzo, trapizzino and porchetta.
When to go
Best: May and October. Also good: April and September. Hardest: June–August.
Top tables
La Pergola, Michelin 3★ (2026); Il Pagliaccio, Michelin 2★ (2026); Enoteca La Torre, Michelin 2★ (2026); Acquolina, Michelin 2★ (2026). This guide lists 10 award-winning restaurants in all.
Where locals eat
Local favorites off the prestige lists include Pasticceria Boccione, Pizzeria Remo, Il Forno Campo de' Fiori and Mercato di Testaccio.
21 award-winning5 local favorites3 hot right now2 markets6 walking tour stops74 critics' picks10 chef's picks5 sandwich shops10 romantic dinners5 breakfast spots10 new openings23 dish spots84 more in our database
Food walking tour: Testaccio from market to cacio e pepe: a Rome morning4.5 hours on foot, 6 stops, in eating order. Add the whole tour to your trip, then give it a day.
Rome rewards eating the Roman repertoire (carbonara, cacio e pepe, supplì, pizza al taglio) at places with decades behind them, plus a Trastevere Michelin star for a dressier night. The discoveries are bakeries, fry shops and a family trattoria away from the Pantheon circuit.
The well-known five
Armando al Pantheon
Pantheon
Roman trattoria$$
Order: Spaghetti carbonara and amatriciana; Michelin notes offal, spring lamb, fresh anchovies and the sour-cherry tart.
A small trattoria steps from the Pantheon, run by the Gargioli family since 1961 and now in its third generation. It is the classic Roman menu done without fuss, in a spot where most neighbours sell tourist pasta.
Best for: classic Roman lunch near the Pantheon · Hours: Mon-Fri 12:30-15:00 and 18:00-23:00; Sat lunch only 12:30-15:00; closed Sunday (Michelin Guide listing)
Order: Cacio e pepe tossed at the table; bucatini all'amatriciana.
Time Out describes an old-school Testaccio room with checkered floors and white tablecloths, famous for the table-side cacio e pepe. Around 30-40 euros a head without drinks.
Order: Cacio e pepe, carbonara, porchetta sandwich, tiramisu, prosciutto and cheese plate.
A salumeria and wine-led restaurant where the pasta and the cured-meat plates are both the point. Reviewers through November 2025 describe it as pricey but worth it, packed and noisy.
Best for: wine and cured meats with a pasta course · Reserve: book ahead; reviewers report it is packed · Hours: Lunch 12:30-15:00 and dinner 19:30-23:00 on the day checked (full week not listed)
Order: Chef's tasting menus; Michelin names no specific dishes.
Cristina Bowerman's creative cooking draws on Lazio plus Asian and Latin American influences, in a former carriage workshop in Trastevere. One Michelin star in the 2026 Italia guide.
Best for: celebration dinner · Reserve: book ahead · Hours: Closed Mon-Tue; Wed-Fri 19:00-22:00; Sat-Sun 12:00-14:30 and 19:00-22:00 (Michelin Guide)
Order: Fried gnocchi in cacio e pepe sauce, tonnarelli cacio e pepe, gricia, oxtail, fried lamb chops.
A family-run neighbourhood trattoria at the end of the 8 tram, well outside the centre, popular with food writers and locals. Time Out puts it at 30-40 euros a head.
Order: Ricotta and sour cherry tart, the dense candied-fruit and almond cake, almond biscuits.
A tiny Ghetto bakery known for its ricotta and sour cherry tart. Spotted by Locals warns the pastries are not pretty and the service can be brusque.
Best for: pastry stop in the Ghetto · Reserve: walk-in · Hours: Sun-Thu 7:00-17:00, Fri 7:00-15:00; Saturday not listed, likely closed (Spotted by Locals)
Via del Portico d'Ottavia 1, Rome
Worth confirming: hours and that it is still open.
Order: Supplì classico, cacio e pepe, amatriciana and carbonara (3 euros each); smoked potato croquette.
Chef Arcangelo Dandini's fry shop turns the supplì into a tidy lineup of Roman pasta flavours. Roman press named it among the best supplì in the city in July 2025.
Best for: quick fried snack · Reserve: walk-in · Hours: Mon-Sat 12:00-15:30 and 17:00-21:30; closed Sunday; closes Aug 10-31 (official site)
Order: Margherita, pizza cacio e pepe, supplì such as gricia, leek and provola, or asparagus and taleggio.
A pizzeria out in the Cinecittà neighbourhood where margherita is 7.5 euros and supplì run 2.5-3.5; the 2023 reviewer called the margherita the best he found in Rome. A trip east of the centre that most visitors skip.
Best for: pizza and supplì off the tourist track · Hours: Closed Sundays (Food Me Tender, Aug 2023)
Via Statilio Ottato 110, Rome
Worth confirming: hours and that it is still open.
New places change fast. “Provisional” means a guide or directory lists it as new but we have not confirmed the opening date. Check hours and book ahead before you go.
Memorable breakfasts in Rome
The top pick here; the rest are on their own page.
Testaccio from market to cacio e pepe: a Rome morning
Maritozzo, market sandwiches, pizza al taglio, a trapizzino and tableside cacio e pepe, all within a few blocks.
Start 8:30 at Pasticceria Barberini, Via Marmorata 41Time 4.5 hoursDistance about 2.0 kmBest days Tuesday to Saturday. The market is closed on Sunday and Trapizzino is closed on Monday.
Testaccio is a compact neighbourhood where the covered market, a pizza by the slice counter, a trapizzino shop and a classic trattoria sit within a few blocks. The route runs from a pastry bar breakfast through the market stalls, then to lunch at Felice, which tosses cacio e pepe at the table.
Pacing: Order half portions or share a single plate at each snack stop; keep room for the pasta. If full, skip Volpetti Più.
Plan B: If it rains, stay in the covered market longer and swap Volpetti Più for Flavio al Velavevodetto (Via di Monte Testaccio 97, carbonara). On a Monday Trapizzino is closed, so go straight from Volpetti Più to Felice.
Avoid: Sunday (market closed) and Monday (Trapizzino closed). Late afternoon, when the market has closed (stalls shut by 3:30pm).
Bring: Cash for market stalls, and an appetite for halves: share everything.
Skip it if: You want a Sunday or Monday outing, or you eat no pork or beef (the market stalls and pastas lean meat).
Ends at: Felice a Testaccio, Via Mastro Giorgio 29.
Walking times and distances are approximate, and opening hours change: confirm before you go.
Guided food tours
Take a guided food tour in Rome
9 small-group tours led by local guides, run by Eating Europe. Prefer to go on your own? The self-guided route is above.
Twilight® Trastevere Rome Food Tour
From €944 hoursUp to 12 guestsWalking tour
Evening walk through medieval Trastevere and Campo de' Fiori across about six stops, including a wine tasting in a historic cellar.
You will taste: burrata with cherry tomatoes, cured meats and cheeses, supplì, white pizza with porchetta or mortadella, amatriciana and/or cacio e pepe pasta, maritozzo.
Meet: Trastevere, Campo de' Fiori (meet at Piazza S. Bartolomeo all'Isola)
Guided tours are run by Eating Europe, a small-group food tour company in 23 European cities. Chef Amazing earns a commission on bookings made through this page, at no extra cost to you. Prices are per person, from the operator, and can change: we confirm the date, price and availability with you before you pay.
Crazes move fast. “Just spotted” means one report so far, and most entries rest on a single source: confirm hours and expect a wait.
The Rome food map
Every place in this guide, pinned. Tap a pin to see what to order, then add it to your trip.
Open the full Rome food map: every place on our lists too (pizza, ice cream, romantic, where locals and the famous eat, cooking classes), searchable by dish.
· 28 of 29 dish places are pinned; the rest appear in the lists below. Pins are placed by address or name and can be a little off; always confirm in your maps app.
Plan my days in Rome
Tell us what you like and we will line up the places on this page into a day-by-day plan. Only places from this guide, never anything else.
What to eat in Rome, and where
Each dish comes with the places that do it best. Tap Add to my trip on the ones you want, or find them on the map above.
Lonely Planet: late spring and early fall are the top times (shoulder seasons, better deals, manageable crowds); June-September busiest and hottest (afternoon heat noon-6pm, higher prices); rain Nov-March/April; Jan-Feb quietest with easier restaurant reservations. Crowd spikes: 15 Mar, Rome Marathon weekend in April, 21 April. Month numbers are our mapping of the prose.
In season
Carciofo romanesco (Roman artichokes)Feb–Apr
Fave e pecorinoMayEaten on 1 May countryside outings
Nocciola Romana DOP hazelnutsAug–Nov
Abbacchio (milk-fed lamb)Mar–Apr, DecEaster and Christmas; Easter moves
Puntarelle alla romana
Food events
Gelato Festival World Masters RomaMayMid-May, 3 days, EUR 15 ticket
VinoforumJunMid-June, 9 days, wine fair at Tor di Quinto, EUR 25 evening pass
Sagra della Porchetta di AricciaSepEarly September, 4 days, free entry, in Castelli Romani
Taste of RomaSep
Festa di FrascatiOctEarly October, 3 days, Frascati DOC wine, free entry
Roma Beer WeekOctMid-October, 7 days across ~30 venues
Closures to plan around
August: guidebook claim that Rome shuts down is 'mostly outdated' and many restaurants stay open, but some close for ferie and around Ferragosto (15 Aug); article is from 2015 (The American Mag). LP (undated) says...
Individual restaurants close on set days, e.g. Armando al Pantheon closed Sat evening and Sunday; Checchino dal 1887 closed Mon-Tue (TableJourney) - check each venue
Typical hours: lunch ~12:30-15:30, dinner ~19:00/19:30-23:30; pizza al taglio ~11:30-15:00 and 19:00-23:00 (TableJourney)
Meal costs and tipping (EUR)
Casual: pizza al taglio 5-6 for two slices; pizzeria pizza 8-13; pasta 9-14
Mid-range: trattoria/osteria average 25 per person; fancier restaurant 40-50; tourist-area dinner near Pantheon/Colosseum 50-70 (ItalyPlanner)
Tasting menus from: one Michelin star tasting 80-150 (Italy-wide, ItalyPlanner)
Tipping: Lazio banned the coperto in 2006 but a bread charge or service charge may still appear - check the bill before adding a tip (TableJourney). Italy-wide: tipping voluntary, servizio 10-15% if applied (Learn Italian Pod).
From published guides and tourism boards. Months are our mapping of how guides describe the seasons; 2027 event dates are expected, not confirmed. Prices come from single sources of varying age, so treat them as a rough guide. Compare cities by month
What the city magazines named
Recent lists from Rome, with the date of each. These are the magazines' picks, not our reviews; our short descriptions are our own, and each list links to the original.
Rome-ing · 15 Restaurants and Pizzerias in Rome to Try in 2026 · Dec 2025 15 places
Locally loved places that are not on the big prestige lists.
bakery
Pasticceria Boccione
Jewish Ghetto (Portico d'Ottavia) · $
Order: Ricotta and sour cherry crostata, and pizza ebraica
Rome's oldest surviving Ghetto bakery (opened 1815) with a famously dark-crusted tart born of old restrictions on dairy. Go early, it sells out, and it closes Friday afternoon through Saturday.
Awards come from the guides named on each listing (Michelin Italia 2026; Gambero Rosso 2026). Researched October 25, 2026. Restaurants change; confirm hours, reservations and current stars before you go. Some addresses, phone numbers and websites come from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), so call ahead to confirm. Local favorites are editorial picks, not rankings.
Chef Amazing’s lists for Rome: where locals eat, new openings, romantic dinners, ice cream, cooking classes and more, each place with what to order. Cooking classes in Rome: who teaches, what you cook, how long and how to book.
