Best Restaurants in Rome: Where to Eat, Neighbourhood by Neighbourhood

The best restaurants in Rome are not on the big piazzas, and most visitors eat their worst meal of the trip within sight of a famous fountain. This guide works the other way round. It splits the Rome food scene into six neighbourhoods, names the trattorias, pizzerias, bakeries and wine bars worth your time in each, and says which ones you must book and which ones you just queue for. Every place below was checked as open on 16 October 2026 against its own website or a guide updated in 2026, and the date sits next to each name. We do not rank them, and we do not print prices, because both change faster than a guide can. Roman food is a short menu cooked again and again, so there is also a quick guide to the dishes to order. Deciding where to eat in Rome gets easier once you know that most of the great restaurants in Rome are traditional Italian trattorias, not fine dining rooms. If you are still choosing a hotel, our guide to where to stay in Rome compares the areas; this page tells you where to eat in Rome once you have picked one.

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Short answer

• Base yourself in the Centro Storico, Trastevere or Monti and most good restaurants are a walk away.
• Book Armando al Pantheon, Roscioli and Trattoria Monti ahead; Da Enzo al 29, Tonnarello and Ai Tre Scalini take no reservations.
• Many popular restaurants in Rome close one day a week, often Sunday or Monday, and some close for part of August.

Where to eat it

Where to eat in Rome: the best places, neighbourhood by neighbourhood

Neighbourhood 1 of 6

Centro Storico and Campo de' Fiori: Armando al Pantheon, Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina and Supplizio

The Centro Storico, the historic centre inside the bend of the Tiber, has both the worst and some of the best restaurants in Rome. The bad ones line Piazza Navona and the streets around the Trevi Fountain, with photo menus and a waiter outside. The good ones are a street or two back. Armando al Pantheon, a family trattoria on Salita de’ Crescenzi opened by Armando Gargioli in 1961, is the one to book first: it takes reservations online only, and it closes on Saturday evening and all of Sunday. South towards Campo de’ Fiori, Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina on Via dei Giubbonari is a deli counter of cheese and cured meats with a restaurant behind it, famous for its carbonara and a wine list that runs to thousands of labels; book, because it is full every night. Round the corner, Antico Forno Roscioli on Via dei Chiavari is the family bakery, open every day, where Marco Roscioli took over an oven dating from 1824 in 1972; it also sells Roman biscotti such as brutti ma buoni. The family’s café, Roscioli Caffè on Piazza Benedetto Cairoli, is one of the best cafes in the area for a standing breakfast. For pizza, Emma on Via del Monte della Farina serves thin Roman pizza at lunch and dinner every day. Supplizio on Via dei Banchi Vecchi, from chef Arcangelo Dandini, does supplì in classic, cacio e pepe and carbonara versions; it closes on Sunday. The morning market on Campo de’ Fiori is now aimed mostly at visitors, so buy your picnic from the bakeries around it. In the Jewish Ghetto, Nonna Betta on Via del Portico d’Ottavia (closed Tuesday) serves Roman-Jewish dishes, including the fried artichoke. For the best gelato near the Pantheon, Giolitti has been scooping since the start of the last century.

Order hereCarbonaraPizza al taglioSupplì

• Armando al Pantheon

  Family trattoria (since 1961) · Salita de' Crescenzi, by the Pantheon · order: the Roman pastas

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina

  Deli and restaurant · Via dei Giubbonari · order: carbonara

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Antico Forno Roscioli

  Bakery · Via dei Chiavari · order: pizza by the slice

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Emma

  Pizzeria · Via del Monte della Farina · order: thin Roman pizza

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Supplizio

  Supplì shop · Via dei Banchi Vecchi · order: supplì

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

Neighbourhood 2 of 6

Trastevere: Da Enzo al 29, Tonnarello and a Michelin-starred table

Trastevere, across the river from the Ghetto, is where most visitors imagine eating in Rome: ivy on ochre walls, tables on the cobbles and the bustle of a Roman evening. It is also busy, so the rule is to arrive early or book. Da Enzo al 29 on Via dei Vascellari is the small trattoria with the queue outside. It takes no reservations, opens Monday to Saturday, and its menu is the Roman canon: cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, coda alla vaccinara and a house tiramisù. Arrive before opening at lunch or 18:30 at dinner. Tonnarello on Via della Paglia is bigger, walk-in only and open every day; it is named after tonnarelli, the square-cut fresh pasta that the kitchen calls its signature dish. Checco er Carettiere on Via Benedetta has been run by the same family for three generations, with a story that starts in 1935; it is open every day for lunch and dinner, cooks carbonara, Roman artichokes and tagliolini with scampi, and makes its own desserts. For a dining experience of a different kind, Glass Hostaria on Vicolo del Cinque is chef Cristina Bowerman’s modern Italian restaurant, whose Michelin star was confirmed again for 2026; it serves dinner Wednesday to Sunday and lunch at the weekend. For a cheap lunch, the Trapizzino counter on Piazza Trilussa sells the stuffed pizza pockets.

Order hereCacio e pepeAmatricianaTiramisù

• Da Enzo al 29

  Trattoria (no bookings) · Via dei Vascellari · order: cacio e pepe

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Tonnarello

  Trattoria (walk-in) · Via della Paglia · order: tonnarelli

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Checco er Carettiere

  Family osteria (since 1935) · Via Benedetta · order: carbonara and tiramisù

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Glass Hostaria

  Modern Italian, Michelin star · Vicolo del Cinque · order: the tasting menu

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

Neighbourhood 3 of 6

Testaccio: Felice, Flavio al Velavevodetto and the home of Roman cuisine

Testaccio, a working-class neighbourhood south of the Aventine Hill, is where traditional Roman cooking comes from. The city’s slaughterhouse stood here, and workers were partly paid in the quinto quarto, the fifth quarter of offal and tail, which the local trattorias turned into oxtail stew, tripe and rigatoni with pajata. Felice a Testaccio on Via Mastro Giorgio has served Romans since 1936 and finishes its cacio e pepe at the table; it is open every day and very popular, so book. Flavio al Velavevodetto on Via di Monte Testaccio is built into the side of Monte Testaccio, the hill of oil amphorae broken and dumped here in the days of the Roman Empire, and is known for carbonara and fried meatballs. Checchino dal 1887, across the street, is the old guard of quinto quarto cooking, with an extensive wine cellar. Pizzeria Da Remo on Piazza di Santa Maria Liberatrice makes thin, crisp Roman pizza and fried starters; it takes no bookings, so queue. The first Trapizzino counter opened on Via Giovanni Branca, and the covered Mercato di Testaccio is the place for lunch from a stall on a weekday.

Order hereCoda alla vaccinaraCacio e pepeTrapizzino

• Felice a Testaccio

  Trattoria (since 1936) · Via Mastro Giorgio · order: cacio e pepe

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Flavio al Velavevodetto

  Osteria · Via di Monte Testaccio · order: carbonara

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Checchino dal 1887

  Quinto quarto trattoria · Via di Monte Testaccio · order: coda alla vaccinara

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Pizzeria Da Remo

  Pizzeria (no bookings) · Piazza di Santa Maria Liberatrice · order: Roman pizza and supplì

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Trapizzino

  Street food counter · Via Giovanni Branca · order: a trapizzino

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

Neighbourhood 4 of 6

Monti: Trattoria Monti, La Carbonara and wine bars near the Colosseum

Monti is the old quarter wedged between the Roman Forum, Via Nazionale and the Esquiline Hill, and the best area to eat near the Colosseum. Skip the restaurants facing the monument and walk five minutes uphill to the fountain on Piazza della Madonna dei Monti, Via Urbana and Via Panisperna. La Carbonara on Via Panisperna has been an osteria since 1906 and still serves the classic Roman menu at lunch and dinner; it is closed on Sunday. Further up the same street, Ai Tre Scalini is an enoteca of the old kind, a wine bar with documents that date it to at least 1895; it is open every day from noon to midnight and takes no bookings, so come for a glass of wine and a few plates rather than a long dinner. On the Esquiline side, Trattoria Monti on Via di San Vito is a small family dining room cooking the regional cuisine of the Marche, the region east of Rome: stuffed olives, and a large ravioli with an egg yolk inside. It closes on Monday, serves only lunch on Sunday, and has around thirty seats, so reserve well ahead.

Order hereGriciaSaltimboccaAbbacchio

• La Carbonara

  Osteria (since 1906) · Via Panisperna · order: carbonara

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Ai Tre Scalini

  Wine bar (no bookings) · Via Panisperna · order: wine by the glass

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Trattoria Monti

  Marche cooking · Via di San Vito · order: the egg-yolk ravioli

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

Neighbourhood 5 of 6

Prati: Bonci Pizzarium and where to eat near the Vatican

Prati is the grid of wide, tree-lined streets east and north of the Vatican, built in the late nineteenth century. The restaurants right outside the Vatican Museums and St Peter’s are tourist traps, but Prati itself is a residential Roman neighbourhood with good everyday food. Bonci Pizzarium on Via della Meloria, by Cipro metro, is Gabriele Bonci’s pizza al taglio counter, the best-known slice in the city; it reopened in a larger space in 2025 and is the right lunch before or after the Vatican Museums. L’Arcangelo on Via Giuseppe Gioachino Belli, near Piazza Cavour, is chef Arcangelo Dandini’s trattoria, with a short menu of Roman dishes such as gnocchi all’amatriciana; it opens for dinner Monday to Saturday and takes bookings online. For dessert, Gelateria dei Gracchi on Via dei Gracchi is open every day until midnight. The covered Mercato Trionfale, a short walk from the Vatican walls, is a local food market rather than a sight.

Order herePizza al taglioAmatricianaGelato

• Bonci Pizzarium

  Pizza al taglio · Via della Meloria · order: pizza by weight

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• L'Arcangelo

  Trattoria · Via Giuseppe Gioachino Belli · order: gnocchi all'amatriciana

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Gelateria dei Gracchi

  Gelateria · Via dei Gracchi · order: gelato

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

Neighbourhood 6 of 6

Pigneto and San Lorenzo: Necci, Pommidoro and Tram Tram

Pigneto and San Lorenzo, east of Termini station, are where young Romans go out, and where you will hear more Italian than English at the next table. San Lorenzo is the university quarter, full of bars and street art; Pigneto, a little further out, centres on a pedestrian street of cafés and natural wine. Necci dal 1924 on Via Fanfulla da Lodi in Pigneto began as a bar and gelateria and is now an all-day restaurant with a garden, open every day from breakfast to late; Pier Paolo Pasolini filmed scenes for Accattone here. In San Lorenzo, Pommidoro on Piazza dei Sanniti has been run by the same family since 1890 and grills meat over charcoal; it was one of Pasolini’s regular tables, and it closes on Sunday. Tram Tram on Via dei Reti, run by the Di Vittorio family since 1991, mixes Roman cooking with southern Italian dishes from Puglia, Italian and Mediterranean food with plenty of seafood; it is closed on Monday. These are the places to eat in Rome when you want a night away from the crowds.

Order hereGriciaGrilled meat

• Necci dal 1924

  All-day bar and restaurant · Via Fanfulla da Lodi, Pigneto · order: breakfast or an aperitivo

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Pommidoro

  Family trattoria (since 1890) · Piazza dei Sanniti, San Lorenzo · order: meat from the charcoal grill

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

• Tram Tram

  Roman and Pugliese trattoria · Via dei Reti, San Lorenzo · order: the Roman pastas

  Checked 16 Oct 2026

How we chose the best restaurants in Rome

Rome, Italy, has thousands of places to eat, and a large share of them near the big sights cook for people they will never see again. So this guide sets three rules. First, every place sits inside one of six food neighbourhoods, because a great dinner forty minutes away by bus is a worse evening than a good one round the corner. This is not a list of every famous name; it is the best places to eat where you are likely to be staying on a trip to Rome, from hidden away bakeries to a Michelin-starred restaurant or two. The aim is to help you discover the best Italian food the way a Roman does, on foot. Second, every name came from a source with a reputation to lose: the restaurant’s own website, the Gambero Rosso and Michelin guides, or a city guide updated in 2026. Third, every place was checked as open on 16 October 2026, and the date is printed next to it.

That check matters. Old trattorias change hands, chefs move on, and a few much-loved names on older lists have closed for good: Primo al Pigneto, for example, shut in 2017 but still turns up in round-ups. Some other great Italian restaurants in the capital are missing here simply because we could not confirm them as open this month. We do not rank the places, and you will not find stars, scores or prices: the Rome restaurant scene moves too fast for a printed price to stay right. Treat the notes as a starting point and look at each website before you go.

How to book a restaurant in Rome

Eating well in Rome is mostly about timing. A few rules save most of the frustration.

• Book the famous names. Armando al Pantheon takes reservations online only, Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina is full most nights, and Trattoria Monti has about thirty seats. Book a few days ahead, or weeks ahead for a weekend.
• Queue at the walk-in places. Da Enzo al 29, Tonnarello, Ai Tre Scalini and Pizzeria Da Remo take no reservations. Arrive before opening and you rarely wait long.
• Check the closing day. Most trattorias close one day a week. Armando is shut on Saturday evening and Sunday, La Carbonara, Pommidoro and Supplizio on Sunday, Tram Tram and Trattoria Monti on Monday, Nonna Betta on Tuesday.
• Lunch is easier. The same kitchens are quieter at lunchtime, and lunch is the easiest way into a popular trattoria you could not book for dinner.
• August is thin. Many independent restaurants close for two or three weeks in August, around the 15 August holiday. Supplizio and L’Arcangelo, for example, close from 10 to 31 August.
• Expect a cover charge. Many restaurants add pane e coperto, a small charge per person for bread and the table. It is legal and should be on the menu. Tipping is not expected; rounding up for good service is a kind extra.

Avoid any restaurant with a waiter outside handing out menus, a menu with photos in six languages, or a “tourist menu”. Those three signs together are the best guide to where not to dine.

When Romans eat

Romans eat later than visitors from Britain or North America. Most trattorias serve lunch from about 12:30 to 15:00 and dinner from about 19:30, and the kitchen is closed in between. Bakeries, pizza al taglio counters and bars fill the gap.

Fine dining: the best restaurant in Rome for a special night, from La Pergola to Per Me Giulio Terrinoni

This guide sticks to neighbourhood trattorias, but Rome also has high-end Italian restaurants worth a special evening, and Italian dining at this level is some of the best in Europe. Here is the short list, checked like the rest.

La Pergola at the Rome Cavalieri

La Pergola sits on the top floor of the Rome Cavalieri hotel on Monte Mario, north-west of the centre, with a terrace and a view across the whole city. Chef Heinz Beck has led the kitchen for decades, and the hotel describes it as the first and still the only three-Michelin-star restaurant in Rome. It is a long tasting-menu dining experience with a wine list to match; book well ahead, and take a taxi, because the hotel is a drive from the centre.

Per Me Giulio Terrinoni

Per Me Giulio Terrinoni is on Vicolo del Malpasso, a lane off Via Giulia close to Campo de’ Fiori. Chef Giulio Terrinoni’s Michelin-starred cooking leans to seafood, and the restaurant is known for its small one-bite tasting plates. It is the easiest of the starred tables to combine with an evening in the centre.

Il Pagliaccio and Glass Hostaria

Il Pagliaccio on Via dei Banchi Vecchi, chef Anthony Genovese’s restaurant, was one of the Rome restaurants given the top Tre Forchette award in the Gambero Rosso 2026 guide; it opens for dinner Tuesday to Saturday and for lunch on Saturday. In Trastevere, Glass Hostaria offers contemporary Italian cuisine with a Michelin star confirmed for 2026. For any starred restaurant, check the current Michelin Guide before you book, because the list changes every year.

Good restaurants near the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain and Piazza di Spagna

The three places where most visitors spend their day are the three places with the weakest food, and the options in Rome get better the moment you walk away from a monument. Rome’s best food is rarely more than ten minutes from the crowds. Near the Vatican, walk ten minutes into Prati: Bonci Pizzarium is the obvious lunch. Around the Trevi Fountain and Piazza di Spagna, the streets are full of restaurants priced for the view. The best plan there is to eat a quick lunch standing up and keep dinner for Monti, which is a short walk away. Felice a Testaccio also runs a smaller counter, Felice On The Go, on Via delle Carrozze near the Spanish Steps, open every day. Near Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, cross into the streets towards Campo de’ Fiori, where the Centro Storico picks above are all within a few minutes.

What is in season on Roman menus

Roman cooking follows the calendar and the week. From late winter to spring, look for artichokes, fried alla giudia in the Ghetto or braised alla romana with mint, and vignarola, a spring stew of artichokes, peas and broad beans. Winter brings puntarelle, crisp chicory shoots with an anchovy dressing. Some trattorias still follow the old weekly pattern: gnocchi on Thursday, salt cod or fish on Friday, tripe on Saturday. In autumn you will see porcini mushrooms and chestnuts, and in summer zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovy and fried. If a menu offers the same dishes all year, that is a hint it was written for visitors.

Ordering words

Il conto, per favore

The bill, please.

Antipasto, primo, secondo, contorno

Starter, pasta course, main course, side dish. You do not have to order all of them.

Piatto del giorno

The dish of the day.

Acqua naturale / frizzante

Still or sparkling water. Tap water is acqua del rubinetto.

Vino della casa

House wine, often a white from the Castelli Romani hills of Lazio.

Un etto

One hundred grams: how you order pizza al taglio by weight.

Coperto

The cover charge per person.

Da portare via

To take away.

More Rome and Italy planning

Pick your neighbourhood with our guide to where to stay in Rome, decide on the length of your stay with how many days in Rome, and plan the sights with our 3-day Rome itinerary or the shorter 2-day version. To learn the dishes before you go, read our guide to Italian dishes by region, and for a dish-by-dish look at eating in the city, the best food in Rome. For the rest of the trip to Italy, see the 10-day Italy itinerary, the best time to visit Italy, and whether Naples, the home of pizza, is worth a day trip.

Best restaurants in Rome: FAQ