The best pizza in Rome is not what you’re expecting, and that’s the whole point. I went to Rome knowing the carbonara would be extraordinary, knowing the wine would be cheap and plentiful, knowing I’d eat enough pasta to last a lifetime. What I didn’t expect was to be standing on a cobblestone street at lunchtime, sweating in the mid-June heat, eating what might have been the best thing I’d put in my mouth all trip. A rectangular slab of pizza al taglio from a counter that barely had room for four people to stand in it. No table. No menu in English. Just a glass case, a pair of scissors, and the best crust I’d encountered anywhere.
Rome’s pizza culture is different from Naples and it’s different from what most of the world calls pizza. Understanding the difference is the first step to eating it properly.
For everything else Rome has to eat alongside the pizza, our Rome food guide is the place to start.
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The Two Styles of Pizza in Rome Italy
Before the list, worth knowing what you’re ordering.
Pizza al taglio (pizza by the cut) is Roman street food in its purest form. Long rectangular trays of pizza baked in the oven, displayed behind a glass counter, and sold by weight. You point at what you want, they cut it with scissors, weigh it, and hand it over on a piece of paper. You eat it standing up, usually on the pavement outside. The crust is thicker than a traditional Roman pizza tonda but lighter than focaccia, airy inside, crispy on the bottom, and designed to hold up under creative toppings. This is what you eat for lunch when you’re moving between sights.
Pizza tonda (round pizza) is the sit-down version. Wafer thin, impossibly crisp at the edges, cooked at high temperatures in a wood-fired or electric oven. A Roman pizza tonda, also called scrocchiarella, has almost no rim to speak of. The base shatters when you bite it. It’s designed to be eaten immediately, by one person, in one sitting. There’s a reason Romans don’t share pizza the way Neapolitans do. This is not shareable pizza. This is yours.
Pinsa is the third style worth knowing. Oval-shaped, made with a blend of flours including rice and soy, with a lighter, crispier texture than either of the other two. A newer format gaining serious traction in Rome. Worth trying at least once.
Most sit-down pizzerias in Rome are only open for dinner. Pizza al taglio is available all day. Plan accordingly.
If making pizza at home is on the agenda, our guide to the best cooking classes in Rome covers the best pizza and pasta combo classes in the city.
Best Pizza in Rome Al Taglio
Bonci — The Benchmark
Bonci is where the modern Roman pizza al taglio story starts. Gabriele Bonci opened his original shop on Via della Meloria near the Vatican in 2003 and spent the next two decades becoming the most influential pizzaiolo in the city. It’s not just a pizza place, it’s one of the best restaurants in Rome. Anthony Bourdain featured the place on No Reservations, which turned it into something of a pilgrimage for food-obsessed travelers, and it remains genuinely worth the trip. The dough uses a blend of organic flours with a 36-hour fermentation, producing a crust that’s at once lighter and more flavourful than anything you’d expect from pizza sold by the slice. The toppings change daily and range from traditional (potato and rosemary, mozzarella and tomato) to unusual (liver pâté with crispy shallots, mortadella and stracciatella). Point at three or four different varieties. You won’t regret any of them.
Address: Via della Meloria 43, Prati (near Vatican)
Price range: €5-12 depending on how much you order
Best for: Pizza al taglio, creative seasonal toppings, the definitive Roman slice experience
Reviewer quote: “The reason this got mentioned by Bourdain is because the crust is exceptional and the toppings are creative, sometimes unusual and always fresh local ingredients. Pizzarium is a unique Rome experience and well worth the trip.” — Martin R., TripAdvisor
Book: walk-ins only — bonci.it
Antico Forno Roscioli
The Roscioli family runs the best deli in Rome, the best wine bar in Rome, and also one of the best pizza al taglio counters in the city, because of course they do. Antico Forno Roscioli on Via dei Chiavari near the Pantheon does an outstanding pizza bianca and a potato-topped slice that shows up on more food tour itineraries than almost anything else in the historic center. The porchetta sandwich on pizza bread is one of the great Roman street foods. This is a bakery first and a pizza counter second, which is exactly why the pizza is so good.
Address: Via dei Chiavari 34, Historic Center
Price range: €4-10
Best for: Pizza bianca, potato pizza, porchetta on pizza bread, central location
Book: walk-ins only — anticofornorosicoli.it
For a guided introduction to Rome’s food scene before you start hunting down pizza on your own, our Rome food tours guide covers the best options by neighborhood.
Casa Manco — Testaccio Market Hidden Gem
Inside the Mercato Testaccio at Box 22, tucked between the cheese counter and the vegetable stalls, Casa Manco does some of the best pizza al taglio in Rome and most visitors walk straight past it. The toppings are seasonal and genuinely inventive. The crust is excellent. The setting, a food market stall in the most authentic food neighborhood in the city, is as Roman as it gets. Go for lunch on a weekday when the market is at its liveliest.
Address: Via Beniamino Franklin, Testaccio Market Box 22
Price range: €4-10
Best for: Hidden gem pizza al taglio, local market atmosphere, Testaccio neighborhood
Forno Campo de’ Fiori
Not a pizzeria but earns its place on any best pizza in rome italy list for the pizza bianca alone. A thick, dimpled, olive-oil-drenched bread that is crispy on the outside and impossibly soft inside, served plain or as a sandwich with mortadella, mozzarella, or whatever is behind the counter that day. The Campo de’ Fiori market is right outside. Buy your sandwich, grab some fruit from a vendor, find a step to sit on, and call it lunch. Total cost around €6-8. One of the genuinely great eating experiences in Rome at any price.
Address: Campo de’ Fiori 22, Historic Center
Price range: €4-8
Best for: Pizza bianca, quick Roman lunch, the market square atmosphere
Book: walk-ins only
If you’re in Italy, you’re also going to want to know where to find the best pasta in Rome. Check out our comprehensive guide.
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Best Pizza Tonda in Rome — Sit-Down Pizzerias
This is where the best pizza in rome gets seriously good. Most visitors only try pizza al taglio and miss the tonda entirely, which means they’re missing half of what Rome does with pizza. The sit-down pizzerias are dinner-only affairs, almost all of them, and the ritual matters: start with fritti (fried starters), drink beer not wine, and eat the whole pizza yourself. Sharing is not Roman.
Da Baffetto — The Old School Institution
Da Baffetto on Via del Governo Vecchio has been there since 1960 and looks it, in the best way. Paper-thin crust, simple toppings, fluorescent lighting, and a room that has been arguing, laughing, and eating pizza since before most people on this list were born. The margherita here is a lesson in restraint: good tomato, fresh mozzarella, a few basil leaves, and a crust that shatters properly at the edge. There’s almost always a queue. It moves quickly. Order the suppli while you wait.
Address: Via del Governo Vecchio 114, Historic Center
Price range: €8-16 per pizza
Best for: The old-school Roman tonda experience, a margherita that needs nothing else, the atmosphere
Book: walk-ins only — pizzeriadabaffetto.it
Seu Pizza Illuminati — Best Modern Pizza in Rome
If Da Baffetto is the past, Seu Pizza Illuminati is the present. Chef Pier Daniele Seu regularly appears on Italy’s Top 50 Pizza list and his pizzeria near Trastevere is the consensus pick for the best pizza in rome italy among serious pizza obsessives. The dough is double-leavened, combining Neapolitan chewiness with Roman crispness. The toppings are inventive without being gimmicky: burrata and pistachio cream, nduja and cacioricotta, seasonal combinations that change constantly. The fritti are exceptional. The supercapricciosa is the one to order if you want to understand what Seu is doing. Book ahead for dinner.
Address: Via Angelo Bargoni 10, Trastevere area
Price range: €12-20 per pizza
Best for: The best pizza in rome right now, creative toppings, serious pizza lovers
Book: seupizzailluminati.it
If you want to eat Seu’s pizza with a city view rather than at street level, our best rooftop restaurants in Rome covers the W Hotel rooftop experience alongside every other option worth knowing about.
Emma Pizzeria — Best for a Refined Night Out
Emma Pizzeria in the historic center near Campo de’ Fiori is the pick when you want excellent Roman tonda in a more polished setting than the no-frills local spots. High-quality ingredients, a beautiful room, and a wine list that takes itself seriously. The crust is thin and crispy in the Roman tradition, the toppings are refined, and the whole experience sits between a casual pizzeria and a proper restaurant. Good for groups, good for a date, good for anyone who wants great pizza without eating standing up or waiting forty minutes on a pavement.
Address: Via Monte della Farina 28, Historic Center
Price range: €12-20 per pizza
Best for: Refined Roman tonda, good wine, a more polished pizza evening
Book: emmapizzeria.com
La Gatta Mangiona — Best Local Neighborhood Pizzeria
La Gatta Mangiona in Monteverde is the kind of place that never shows up in tourist guides and gets recommended constantly by Romans. It blends Roman and Neapolitan styles with excellent seasonal toppings, a relaxed neighborhood vibe, and prices that reflect the fact that it’s feeding locals rather than tourists. The dough is outstanding, the fritti are worth ordering before the pizza arrives, and the whole place hums with the kind of energy that comes from a room full of regulars who know they’ve found something good. Worth the short trip out of the center.
Address: Via Federico Ozanam 30, Monteverde
Price range: €10-18 per pizza
Best for: Local neighborhood gem, Monteverde, the best pizza rome has off the tourist circuit
Book: reservations recommended — lagattamangiona.com
Pizza della Madonna dei Monti — Best in Monti
In the heart of the Monti neighborhood, one of Rome’s most charming and walkable areas, Pizza della Madonna dei Monti does a solid Roman tonda with quality Italian ingredients and a menu that goes slightly beyond the classics. The gorgonzola, walnut and pear combination is worth trying. The fritti are good and the supplì are the right way to start. Relaxed, local-feeling, and perfectly placed for a dinner after an afternoon in Monti.
Address: Via della Madonna dei Monti 13, Monti
Price range: €10-18 per pizza
Best for: The Monti neighborhood, quality tonda with some creative options
Book: walk-ins welcome, busier on weekends
Piccolo Buco — Best Near the Trevi Fountain
The area around the Trevi Fountain is almost uniformly terrible for food. Piccolo Buco is the exception. A hole-in-the-wall Neapolitan-style pizzeria just steps from the fountain with a chewy, airy crust and bold toppings that make you forget you’re eating in one of the most tourist-saturated streets in Europe. The nduja with cacioricotta is the move. Go early evening before the tourist rush peaks.
Address: Vicolo del Lavatore 23, near Trevi Fountain
Price range: €9-16 per pizza
Best for: The only genuinely good pizza near the Trevi Fountain
Book: walk-ins only
Best Pizza in Rome by Neighborhood
Prati (near Vatican): Bonci on Via della Meloria is ten minutes from the Vatican Museums. Plan your visit for lunchtime between sights. No other pizza al taglio in the city touches it.
Historic Center: Antico Forno Roscioli for the best pizza bianca. Da Baffetto for the classic Roman tonda experience. Emma Pizzeria for a more polished evening. Forno Campo de’ Fiori for the best pizza bianca sandwich in the city.
Testaccio: Casa Manco inside Mercato Testaccio for pizza al taglio in Rome’s most authentic food neighborhood. Da Remo on Piazza di Santa Maria Liberatrice for a local pizza al taglio institution.
Trastevere area: Seu Pizza Illuminati for the best pizza in rome right now. Tonino for a local hidden gem at honest prices.
Monti: Pizza della Madonna dei Monti for quality tonda in one of Rome’s best walking neighborhoods.
Monteverde: La Gatta Mangiona for the best neighborhood pizzeria experience away from the tourist circuit.
Near Trevi Fountain: Piccolo Buco, the one exception to the rule about eating near major monuments.
Find Pizza in Rome by Neighborhood
Select a neighborhood to see our picks.
Select a neighborhood above to see our pizza picks.
After your slice, our guide to the best gelato in Rome will point you toward the right gelateria in whatever neighborhood you’re already in.
What to Know Before You Order Pizza in Rome Italy
Most sit-down pizzerias are dinner only. This catches people off guard constantly. If you show up at a Roman pizzeria at 1pm expecting pizza tonda, you will find a closed door. Pizza al taglio is your lunch option. Pizza tonda is an evening meal.
Order fritti first. The Roman ritual at any sit-down pizzeria starts with fried starters: supplì (fried rice balls stuffed with mozzarella), fiori di zucca (fried courgette flowers with ricotta and anchovy), and crocchette (potato croquettes). Order these while your pizza is in the oven. This is not optional.
Drink beer, not wine. Rome is a wine city at trattoria dinners and a beer city at pizza dinners. Ask what’s on draft. The locals at the next table are drinking beer and they’re right.
Never ask for extra cheese. Roman pizza tonda is calibrated. The mozzarella to tomato to crust ratio is intentional. Asking to modify it signals you don’t know what you’re doing.
Eat pizza al taglio standing up. This is not a seating situation. You take your slice, you find a wall or a step, you eat it while it’s still warm. This is correct.
The margherita is the test. At any new pizzeria, order the margherita first. If they can’t get three ingredients right, the more complex options won’t save them. A great margherita in Rome is one of the ten best things you can eat in Italy.
Avoid the places with photos outside. The laminated photo menu warning that applies to Roman trattorias applies equally to pizza. A pizzeria with photographs of its own pizza in the window is not confident in the pizza.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best pizza in Rome?
For pizza al taglio, Bonci near the Vatican is the benchmark with a 36-hour fermented crust and creative seasonal toppings. For pizza tonda, Seu Pizza Illuminati near Trastevere is the current consensus pick among serious pizza obsessives, regularly appearing on Italy’s Top 50 Pizza list. For the classic old-school Roman tonda experience, Da Baffetto has been setting the standard since 1960.
What is the difference between pizza al taglio and pizza tonda in Rome?
Pizza al taglio is rectangular pizza sold by weight from a counter, eaten standing up, available throughout the day. Pizza tonda is a round, wafer-thin pizza served at sit-down dinner-only pizzerias. Both are distinctly Roman styles and both deserve your attention on any trip to the city.
What is the best pizza in rome near the Colosseum?
Most restaurants immediately adjacent to the Colosseum are tourist traps. Walk ten to fifteen minutes toward Testaccio for Casa Manco at Mercato Testaccio or Da Remo, both of which serve excellent pizza at local prices without the monument markup.
Where do locals eat pizza in Rome?
Romans eat pizza tonda at neighborhood pizzerias like La Gatta Mangiona in Monteverde and Pizza della Madonna dei Monti in Monti, both of which are away from the main tourist circuits. For pizza al taglio, Casa Manco in Testaccio Market is one of the most local options in the city.
What is pizza bianca in Rome?
Pizza bianca is a plain, olive-oil-brushed flatbread with no toppings, seasoned only with salt. It is Rome’s answer to bread and one of the great simple pleasures in Italian food. The best version in the city is at Forno Campo de’ Fiori, where it is served warm from the oven, sometimes stuffed with mortadella as a sandwich. Try it before you try anything else.
Is pizza in Rome expensive?
Pizza al taglio is one of the best value meals in Rome, typically €4-12 for a generous lunch. Sit-down pizza tonda at a good local pizzeria runs €8-20 per pizza depending on the spot. Avoid the tourist area pizzerias near major monuments and you will eat great pizza in rome italy for very little money.