The Best Places To Eat In Rome
CHIC
Aroma
At most places with a Michelin star, the food is the main attraction. At Aroma, the kitchen’s outstanding modern Italian cuisine shares centre stage with an icon of Imperial Rome. The view of the Colosseum from Aroma’s terrace on top of the Palazzo Manfredi hotel is probably the best in the city. But it doesn’t stop chef Giuseppe Di Iorio wresting your attention away with tasting menus that might feature tuna belly with corn ceviche and piennolo tomato or fusillone pasta with turnip greens, anchovies and garlic cream. We went on a sunny day, when attentive service, a plum table and an exceptional champagne list put us over the top and started a conversation about meals of the decade.
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Dal Bolognese
In ancient Rome, Piazza del Popolo was a gateway to the city. Millennia later, it remains a place you can see plenty of tourists peering into their phones and trying to orientate themselves. Dal Bolognese exists in this same busy space, but on a different plane. Family run since it opened 60-odd years ago, it’s been an oasis for A-listers ever since. Everyone from Brando to Berlusconi has taken a table with a piazza view. As the name suggests, the kitchen focuses on the traditional cuisine of Bologna and the surrounding Emilia-Romagna region – beyond the ubiquitous meat ragu, look for homemade tortellini in broth.
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Tramae
Part of director Luca Guadagnino’s new hotel (see our ‘Sleep’ section for details), Palazzo Talìa’s Tramae restaurant is a refined yet relaxed space where Italian cuisine takes centre stage. While its décor is inspired by French bistros, the menu ranges from traditional Roman dishes to the diverse and rich flavours of Italian cuisine, celebrating the best produce from Venice, Florence and Sorrento – expect to encounter family favourites milanese con l'osso, vitello tonnato and spaghetti alla nerano. Beneath frescoed ceilings or on the charming Palazzo Patio, next-door Bar Della Musa serves innovative cocktails, champagne and a decent selection of wine.
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Ineo
On the ground floor of Hotel Anantara Palazzo Naiadi, right on Piazza della Repubblica, Ineo is a neo-classical newcomer that distinguishes itself with the quality of chef Heros de Agostinis’s cooking. High-level ingredients, treated with precision, are the basis of his inventive cuisine. Usually, we’d suggest not overloading on bread before your meal begins in earnest, but the bread is a star turn here. Choose freely from the cart when it arrives tableside.
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Il Ristorante – Niko Romito
It takes confidence to undersell something. At Niko Romito’s restaurant in the Bulgari hotel, the three-Michelin-starred chef offers something he calls simply ‘spaghetti with tomato sauce’. His confidence is well placed. This is not the dish you whip up at home after an evening out. On the hotel’s fifth floor, in a mahogany-walled dining room, his menu also features stratospheric new takes on other Italian staples like risotto alla Milanese and vitello tonnato.
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Enoteca La Torre
Hotel Villa Laetitia is owned by the Fendi family. It occupies a suitably elegant 20th-century building next to the Tiber. At the heart of the property is a splendid dining room where young chef Domenico Stile presents the creative cuisine that has already earnt him two Michelin stars. With a healthy open mind, he introduces overseas flavours to typically Italian dishes – imagine risotto with parmigiano reggiano, star anise powder and a citrus balsamic vinegar reduction. If you really want to be surprised, persuade the rest of your group to try one of his blind tasting menus.
CONTEMPORARY
Retrobottega
So many of the places we love in Rome stay true to the time-honoured tenets of Italian cooking. Retrobottega does not. Instead, its two chef-owners have embraced the trends that have redefined the eating-out experience around the world and applied them to some of Italy’s most cherished ingredients. They go foraging each week and use their haul to build daring small-plates menus: imagine an aubergine, cheese and salsa brusca katsu sando; or a risotto of cuttlefish, bone marrow and thyme. Small producers are to the fore on the wine list, and they’ve even stripped back the interiors. The upshot is a thrilling counterpoint to the traditional trattoria that will always have a place in our hearts.
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Rocco
This family-owned restaurant in upscale Monti is new, but it has an old soul. Owner Sara looks after the dining room, while her husband cooks. His menu is familiar, but his talent is rare – at least one of you should try his version of pasta all’amatriciana. White tablecloths add a little elevation to evenings at Rocco, and the cool local crowd has noticed. Follow them in.
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Dogma
Away from the Centro Storico, this modern seafood restaurant is becoming a destination in its own right. From the catch of the day to the stuffed pastas, pretty much everything is cooked over the kitchen’s barbecue grill – the bold flavours will confirm it. There aren’t many tables, so try booking before you set off.
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SantoPalato
We hope the old trattorias of Rome never change, but an appreciation of history shouldn’t be a barrier to progress. That’s why we also love places like Santo Palato, which take the best elements of something old (tiled floors, vintage posters and a chalkboard, say) and mix them up with something new. Chef Sarah Cicolini has already made her name with a daring update to classic carbonara, and we’re excited to see what she’s doing next.
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Giano
This is the in-house restaurant of the W Rome, a design-led hotel close to Piazza Barberini. Velvet couches and wood panelling help set a modern, smart-casual atmosphere into which the kitchen team deliver clean, contemporary takes on Sicilian dishes like a spaghetto taratatà involving butter, citrus, tuna bottarga, tartare and breadcrumbs.
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CLASSIC
Da Bucatino
It was the retro signage outside this Testaccio institution that first caught our eye. Step inside and the seduction continues. Picture linen-clothed tables jammed together on a mosaiced floor, stone arches separating anterooms, family and friends eating together like they always have – and the whole scene painted in a beautifully tonal palette of browns, beiges and greys. You should keep your order traditional too. Go for the amatriciana and, because this is a dish of slithering bucatini pasta, your waiter will tie a bib around you. We have had ours framed.
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La Matriciana
Across the street from Rome’s opera house, this is a handsome, old-school trattoria worth singing about. Someone needs to order the pasta all’amatriciana, but you’ll have to do more to earn your waiter’s respect. Perhaps start with the exemplary puntarelle. Or, as a final flourish, there are the poached pears. They’ll arrive on a trolley with chocolate poured over them in front of you. Enjoy the show.
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Al Moro
For our money, Al Moro does the best artichokes alla romana in town. We’d also order the carbonara-like spaghetti alla Moro that gets finished table side. Or you could just put yourself in the hands of your waiter – he’ll know what’s best for you. Whatever you end up with, this warren-like restaurant delivers a quintessential Roman experience that is barely changed from the days when politicians, film directors and other public figures who appreciated a little discretion so close to the Trevi fountain used to power-lunch in its back room.
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Trattoria Da Danilo
We learnt this the hard way: the first thing you do when you arrive in Rome is book a table at Da Danilo. Otherwise, you’re not getting in, and your Roman holiday will not be complete. Because this is the old-school trattoria you have dreamt of. Dark woods, tiled floors and photo-lined walls set the scene for unimprovable renditions of classic pasta dishes. Carbonara, cacio e pepe and rigatoni alla gricia are all here – and all perfect.
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Trattoria Da Teo
As the neighbourhood continues to gentrify, pockets of old Trastevere become harder to find. On a tiny, tucked-away piazza, Trattoria da Teo needs to be treasured. This is where the locals come for a hit of seafood pasta. Book ahead and, if you’re lucky, you might get an outside table. But you’ll be happy inside too, amid the tiled floors and wine displays that confirm Teo’s is the real deal.
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Da Enzo
Enzo himself is gone now, but the family who run his Trastevere trattoria are true to his timeless vision of Roman hospitality. Da Enzo remains a place to eat and drink well, and to enjoy life. If you are looking for just one place to try local dishes such as artichokes alla romana or cacio e pepe, it would be a fine choice. Tables are understandably hard to come by, so book in advance and be sure to show up on time.
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Ristorante La Campana
La Campana claims to be the world’s oldest restaurant. We’re inclined to believe it, given how long it must have taken the kitchen to perfect its renditions of local favourites like oxtail stew, saltimbocca and pasta all’amatriciana. From Caravaggio to Fellini, some of Rome’s biggest characters are said to have eaten here over the centuries. You won’t regret adding your name to the list.
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Ristorante Nino
Family run Nino is a restaurant for the ages. Its dark wood walls, white-jacketed waiters and Tuscan-influenced menu could have you believe it’s 1954 or 2024. House specialities include ribollita bean soup and a Florentine T-bone steak, though the Roman staples are here too, including artichokes and an excellent suckling lamb dish.
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Osteria Chiana
If you’re staying at the Hoxton, know that Osteria Chiana is close by. If you’re staying anywhere else, know that Osteria Chiana is worth the trip out of the centre. It’s in the Coppedè Quarter, tucked among some uniquely ornate 20th-century villas and palaces. Chic locals appreciate the stylish surrounds and crowd-pleasing menu, and so will you.
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Agustarello A Testaccio
Agustarello is a rough-round-the-edges restaurant in a rough-round-the-edges neighbourhood. And it is so worth the trip to Testaccio. As ever, it’s the locals who know the best places – and you’ll find them vying for tables here. Honed over the decades to a simple perfection, the traditional menu features familiar favourites like carbonara alongside edgier offal-based options. Service is charming and you will leave with a renewed sense of the world as a fundamentally good place.
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CASUAL
Mercato Centrale Roma
If you arrive hungry into Termini train station from the airport, Mercato Centrale could be the first place you eat in Rome. Happily, it’s a gourmet food hall of a kind you just won’t find at, say, Euston. It’s got something to sate every appetite: alongside a coffee shop and beer house, you can find empanadas, ramen, gyozas and some more classically Italian options, like Sabato Sessa’s sfogliatella shop. These southern Italian sweet treats tend to be filled with ricotta and candied fruit. Benvenuto a Roma.
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Supplizio
Supplì are a Roman street-food staple. A little bit like croquettes or arancini, they are fried balls of risotto rice, tomato sauce and your choice of filling – typically mozzarella or chicken. In the Centro Storico, Supplizio is a convenient and excellent place to try them. It’s run by the chef behind the farm-to-table L’Arcangelo restaurant over in Prati, so you’re in safe hands whether you grab and go or take a table and enjoy your supplì with a glass of wine.
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Il Capriccio
If you ever find yourself flagging in the Centro Storico, remember we told you about Il Capriccio. It’s the best pizza-by-the-slice joint in the area. In the Roman style, its pizzas are thin – you pay by weight, so you’ll never feel short changed. Toppings are many and varied – just choose what you fancy. It hasn’t got much of an online presence, so you’ll need the address: Via Giustiniani, 18 (close to the Pantheon).
Pizzeria Da Remo
To the south of the centre, Testaccio is a neighbourhood with a rich food history – once known for its slaughterhouse, it now has delis and a popular market. It’s also a great place to get an authentic Roman pizza. Thinner and crisper than the pies they love in Naples, it’s worth seeking at least one out while you’re in the city. We’d try Pizzeria Da Remo first – it’s a small locals’ place, but if you can’t get in, there’s Nuovo Mondo round the corner.
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Roscioli
In-the-know tourists have been tipping each other off about Roscioli for years. It’s got a few places around town (and now one in New York), all dedicated in slightly different ways to fine foods. Near Campo de’ Fiori, its Salumeria looks like a deli from the outside. Step inside and you’ll discover it has a kitchen, where talented chefs combine the ingredients lying all around them into classic small plates and pasta dishes. Bring a rucksack because anything left on the shelves you’ll want to buy and use yourself at home.
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Seu Pizza Illuminati
A husband and wife are behind this game-changing pizzeria on the Trastevere side of the Tiber. In sharply modern surrounds, pizza master Pier Daniele Seu is doing exciting things with classic, chewy Neapolitan pies. As well as turning out refined takes on traditional toppings from margherita to marinara, he’s found an extra gear. Cast your eye down the menu to discover unique combinations like the filetto pepe verde: cream of roast potato, mozzarella, roast beef, green pepper and mixed salad.
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GELATO
Fassi Palazzo Del Freddo
For gelato with a side of history, head to the Palazzo del Freddo (‘palace of cold’) near Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. In a high-ceilinged space that was once a place to park your horse-drawn carriage, family run Fassi is an ice-cream cathedral. Look out for the trademark tramezzini – ice-cream-filled cookies that look like traditional sandwiches.
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Gelateria Santa Maria Maggiore
Ice-cream is a crowded market in Rome. It can take new entrants a while to cut through, if they do at all. Through sheer quality of ingredients and output, Gelateria Santa Maria Maggiore has established itself as a serious player more quickly than most. Expand your mind by trying flavours like honeydew melon or ricotta and fig nut.
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Caffe Di Noto
On a hot day, no one knows how to cool themselves down like a Sicilian. The islanders off the toe of Italy have had centuries to master its scorching summers. Their solution is some of the world’s best ice cream, and you can find it at Caffè di Noto, a couple of streets west of the Trevi fountain (Piazza Colonna, 356/357). Pistachio is the time-honoured choice, but don’t discount some of the bolder flavours – or trying yours in a bun rather than a cone.
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