11 of the best restaurants in Rome

Annabelle Schweineberg

As Assist. Marketing & Communications Manager Annabelle knows the concept of Le Petit Chef like no other. If you have any questions, she is the right person to contact.

Rome is one of the most visited cities in Europe, the most popular tourist location in Italy and the capital of ‘Bella Italia’. There is lots to see in Rome and of course lots to eat. Italians are proud of their homemade speciality, which includes pizza and pasta, but also so much more. Here are our 11 best places to eat in Rome, must visit restaurants and funky food spots.

Tip #1: Bonci Pizzarium

In 2003 Gabriele Bonci opened Pizzarium, a pizza by the slice shop, close to Vatican City. In a large shop, Bonci, the so-called master of dough, is offering a dozen different pizza options.

Bonci’s Pizzarium is quite famous and known from TV shows and Netflix, popular with tourists and locals, lining up especially around lunchtime.

Chef Bonci is known for his love for local, supporting agriculture and using the freshest ingredients. The base of his pizza is different to other pizza places in town, an almost bubbly base with crispy edges but still some softness inside.

Visitors take a number and choose a pizza, which is cut with scissors. The toppings vary with the seasons and are the chef’s inspiration and creation.

5 Reasons Why You Need to Visit Le Petit Chef

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Tip #2: Colline Emiliane

It is a love letter to the Emilia Region of Italy, that Anna and Paola Latini are serving to their guests of Colline Emiliane. The little family restaurant is all about tradition, family, quality and artisanship.

Dated back to 1931, for the first time Le Colline Emiliane opened the doors. In 1967 the Latini clan took over the kitchen and still makes traditional meals with the freshest ingredients.

Fresh pasta made with a rolling pin and daily stretched by hand, the traditional way. Desserts made in house sourcing the best ingredients. This is what Colline Emiliane is known for. Tortellini, Gnocchi, Lasagna, but not only pasta, also Roast Beef and a variety of traditional beautiful Italian starters, show up on the menu.

Don’t forget the ‘dolci’: Mousse di zabaione, Torta di noci e caramello and Torta di pere caramellate after a family recipe.

Tip #3: Trattoria Al Moro

The Trevi Fountain is just a few steps away from this family Trattoria with over 100 years of tradition. Despite its location, Al Moro is beloved by locals and not a very touristy spot.

Typical dishes of the Roman cuisine, with a modern twist, served in a formal dining room and on a handful of outdoor tables. Every morning, Al Moro’s chefs browse the local Farmer’s Markets for fresh and high quality, local ingredients.

The third generation of Romagnoli family members are operating Trattoria Al Moro. They are feeding not just locals, but also famous regulars like Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts or Richard Gere.

Tip #4: Felice a Testaccio

Felice is a traditional Roman Trattoria in a very traditional Roman neighborhood. Founded 1936 by Felice Trivelloni, the restaurant was a lunch place for the street workers and poor folks in the neighborhood.

Testaccio changed, but it’s still a true residential neighborhood and Felice is still run by the Trivelloni clan. In the meantime, son Franco took over and is dedicated to modernizing the space but keeping the old family recipes and traditions in the house.

Cucina Romana with selected, local and fresh ingredients. Folks rave about their Tonarelli Cacio e Pepe, a basic but delicious Roman pasta dish with grated pecorino, romano cheese, and black pepper with spaghetti. It’s also very hard to resist the Carciofi alla Romana.

Tip #5: Marigold

Marigold is coffee, pastries and lunches. The modern coffee shop and micro bakery, opened in December 2018, with a certain Scandinavian flair. Marigold does everything mentioned really well, but especially the pastries.

Make sure you don’t pass on the Cinnamon swirl, a fluffy brioche with cinnamon and cardamom, or the autumn kringle, with vanilla pastry cream, almonds, apples and prunes. All the pastries pair excellently with their own specialty coffee, Chicci by Marigold, using green coffee beans from direct trade farms.

Owners, baker Sofie Wochner and chef, Domenico Cortese, believe in organic and local ingredients, sourced from small farms for their weekly changing menu.

Their bread is naturally leavened and only organic wines are offered. The lunch menu is short but sweet and not afraid to make vegetable dishes the stars.

5 Reasons Why You Need to Visit Le Petit Chef

Continue reading to find out how Le Petit Chef will turn your next evening into an extraordinary experience you’ll be talking about for years to come.

Tip #6: Trapizzino

Street Food is trendy all over the world and Trapizzino is what Italians call their most beloved street food. Of course, some kind of pizza has to be involved in the Italian version of street food.

Trapizzino is a play on words that comes from the union of the two words tramezzino, the Italian sandwich, and pizza. It was invented ten years ago by pizza maker Stefano Callegari and is a triangle shaped pizza pocket, stuffed with all the Italian goodness.

The stuffings reach from classic Roman recipes to traditional recipes from other regions of Italy. Another street food the restaurant is famous for is ‘Supplì’. The little risotto rice balls, made with Carnaroli rice, breaded with Trapizzini bread crumbs, deep fried and stuffed with many surprises.

Trapizzino is offering some traditional Italian dolci as well, tiramisu or a Dolce Trapizzino with housemade ice cream.

Tip #7: Rifugio Romano

Cucina tradizionale e vegana, is what Rifugio Romano writes on their flags. The always busy old school trattoria offers a quite extensive menu for plant based eaters, but also a regular menu.

This makes it the perfect spot for folks with different diets. One thing both menus have in common, it is very traditional Italian recipes and eats.

After thirty years in catering, the family clan decided to open their own restaurant, with specialized chefs in traditional and vegan cuisine. The dishes are a result of the mix between passion and professionalism.

They range from pizza & calzone, with melting vegan cheese and vegan ham, over Cordon Bleu and Saltimbocca (the vegan version is made of seitan) to Dolci & Gelati like Panna Cotta, Zoccoletta and Tiramisu. Almost everything is available in a vegan version.

Tip #8: Marzapane

The beauty lies in simplicity. With forgotten deeds, flavors and simple techniques, everything revolves around a powerful engine – fire.

Chef Mario is driven by the passion for food and wine and the mastermind behind the Marzapane project. The rural kitchen, using ingredients from the fields, woods and the sea, wants to bring back forgotten meals on the table. In a modern and beautiful way.

A BBQ grill from Sicily makes grilled dishes to be the star of the meal, the produce fresh and seasonal from small scale producers in Italy. Beside the à la carte menu the restaurant offers a chef’s table experience.

Tip #9: Otaleg

It’s just ice cream, some would say. But most people, who have tried Otaleg, will tell you – it’s the best ice cream in Rome. This means a lot, Rome is selling ice cream at almost every corner. Otaleg means Gelato, backwards.

Otaleg was born as an aquarium ice cream shop in the Colli Portuensi area. The mastermind behind, Mario Radicioni, produced the ice cream in sight of the visitors, in a glass case.

Today, Otaleg is operating two shops and has many partners in Rome, featuring their gelato. 30 flavors of ice creams and sorbets, with new flavors every day, make the decision for the personal cone really not easy. The Ice Cream Philosophers, how they call themselves, select the raw materials from local producers and use seasonal ingredients.

Tip #10: Giulia

Giulia is known as one of the most romantic restaurants in Rome. Chef Alessandro Borgo offers tradition with modernity, passion and technique, a journey that nourishes the soul.

The fancy restaurant with 45 seats on two floors is situated in the heart of Rome. Two terraces facing Ponte Sisto, where guests can enjoy the tasting menu, which reads like a foodie love story. Oyster, Grilled Lettuce, Ravioli, Smoked ‘Risone’, Petit Four and much more. ‘Giulia Veg’ caters to Vegetarians as well.

The second part of Giulia is the Osteria, 50 seats on two floors, in industrial style. A homely atmosphere with wooden tables and the flavor of a contemporary house made cuisine.

The Osteria offers a Tasting Menu as well, which is a homage to cuisine a la mama. Amuse Bouche, Cod stuffed dumplings, Pork Ribs and Custard Donut. Everything paired with the best wines.

Tip #11: Armando al Pantheon

The Pantheon and the neighborhood are a must-visit for every tourist. So is Armando al Pantheon. The long-standing restaurant is an institution. 1961 Armando Gargioli takes over an old restaurant and transforms it into a winery kitchen. The restaurant is still family owned and visited by tourists and locals.

Armando al Pantheon is a busy little place, with only 14 tables, in a wood paneled, booth seating and wide Art Deco windows equipped room. This also means, a reservation is necessary, or at least highly recommended.

From the menu you can expect the best and most traditional Roman food. Spaghetti alla carbonara, the pasta dish with with egg, pecorino cheese, pork cheek and black pepper, Abbachio alla scottadito, Roman grilled lamb with salt and pepper and the sweet finish, a Torta Antica Roma, a cake made with ricotta cheese, strawberry jam, poppy and sesame seeds. All the menu items are clearly marked Vegetarian.

Our selection of restaurants is based, among other things, on the editorial team’s individual preferences and on reviews on the internet. Please contact the respective provider directly for information on reservations and prices. The pictures come from the restaurants listed. All Information is provided without guarantee!