Italy · City Guide
Rome Food Guide
This Rome food guide covers everything you need to eat your way through the Eternal City properly. From bouillon-cheap trattorias in Testaccio to carbonara that will ruin every other version you’ve had, rooftop dinners with the Colosseum lit up below you, and gelato worth rerouting your whole afternoon for. Here is how to eat Rome correctly.
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Rome Food Tours
A good food tour is the fastest way into Rome’s actual eating habits, the stuff that doesn’t show up if you’re just wandering near the Colosseum hoping for the best. Our full Rome food tours guide covers the best operators across Trastevere, Testaccio, and Campo de’ Fiori, with real reviews and direct booking links.
Best overall
Eating Europe Twilight Trastevere
TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best 2026 winner. Six to seven tastings through Trastevere ending with gelato. Maximum 12 people.
Book on Viator →Most authentic
Testaccio Market Tour
Coffee and pastry, a full market shopping experience, Rome’s most famous sandwich, and a sit-down pasta lunch in the city’s true food neighborhood.
walksofitaly.com →Best value
Devour Rome Food and Wine Tour
A full three-course meal, cured meats, classic Roman pastas, and gelato in Trastevere for less than most competing tours.
Book on Viator →Where to eat
Restaurants Worth Knowing About
Rome restaurants range from bouillon-style trattorias serving a full meal for under €20 to Michelin-starred rooftop dining with the Colosseum lit up below you. Our complete guide to the best restaurants in Rome covers every neighborhood and budget. Here is where to start.
Trastevere
Da Enzo al 29
The standard every other Trastevere trattoria gets measured against. Open since the late 1930s. The carbonara here is the one everyone talks about.
daenzoal29.com →Testaccio
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Built into an ancient hill of broken amphorae. One of the best cacio e pepe in Rome and a cucina povera menu that goes deep.
flavioalvelavevodetto.it →Historic Center
Roscioli
Deli, wine bar, and restaurant near Campo de’ Fiori. The carbonara is frequently called the best in the city.
salumeriaroscioli.com →The main event
Best Pasta in Rome
Four dishes built from the same humble ingredients, guanciale, pecorino, black pepper, eggs, and pasta water, executed better here than anywhere else on earth. Our guide to the best pasta in Rome covers carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana, and gricia by neighborhood and specific restaurant.
Best carbonara
Luciano Cucina Italiana
Rome’s so-called King of Carbonara. Spaghettoni with perfectly tempered eggs and the best guanciale in the city.
lucianocucinaitaliana.it →Best cacio e pepe
Roma Sparita
Where Anthony Bourdain ate the cacio e pepe served in a crispy parmesan bowl. Outdoor tables in a beautiful Trastevere piazza.
romasparita.eu →Best amatriciana
Armando al Pantheon
Open since 1961, steps from the Pantheon. The amatriciana here is the standard others get measured against.
armandoalpantheon.it →By the slice or by the table
Best Pizza in Rome
Pizza al taglio sold by weight, or pizza tonda served thin and wafer-crisp at a sit-down table. Our guide to the best pizza in Rome covers both styles across every neighborhood, including the hidden gems most visitors walk straight past.
Best al taglio
Bonci
A 36-hour fermented crust and seasonal toppings that changed how Rome thinks about pizza by the slice. Anthony Bourdain ate here too.
bonci.it →Best tonda
Seu Pizza Illuminati
The consensus pick for the best pizza in Rome right now. Double-leavened dough, inventive seasonal toppings.
seupizzailluminati.it →Old-school institution
Da Baffetto
Open since 1960. Paper-thin crust, simple toppings, a room that has barely changed in sixty years.
pizzeriadabaffetto.it →Cool down properly
Best Gelato in Rome
Most gelato in Rome is made with powder and artificial coloring and sold near the monuments where nobody’s checking. Our guide to the best gelato in Rome covers the real artisan stuff, stored in covered pozzetti rather than piled into neon mountains.
Best overall
Come il Latte
The chocolate-lined cone is the signature move. Dense, natural gelato near Termini that’s worth the walk from anywhere.
comeillattegelato.com →Best in Trastevere
Otaleg
Slow-made, obsessively sourced artisan gelato. The cacio e pepe flavor has developed a cult following.
Oldest in Rome
Gelateria Fassi
Open since 1880. Prices starting under €2 and a rice gelato flavor that’s genuinely worth trying.
Get hands on
Cooking Classes in Rome
Learning to make carbonara properly, no cream, guanciale only, the egg tempered gently from the heat of the pasta, is one of the more genuinely memorable things you can do in this city. Our guide to the best cooking classes in Rome covers everything from market-to-table experiences to a Tipsy Cooking Class with Spritz cocktails included.
Best overall
Eat and Walk Italy
Five consecutive years of international awards. Hands-on fettuccine, ravioli, and tiramisu near Piazza Navona.
Book on Viator →Most fun
Rome Tipsy Cooking Class
Three Spritz cocktails and fresh pasta. Over 1,300 reviews and a 99% recommendation rate on Viator.
Book on Viator →Most comprehensive
Chef in a Day
A Campo de’ Fiori market visit followed by a multi-course meal in a private apartment with a professional chef.
Book on Viator →Eat above it all
Rooftop Restaurants in Rome
Some rooftops face the Colosseum directly. Some look toward St. Peter’s. Some are about Michelin-starred tasting menus, some are about pizza and a DJ set. Our guide to the best rooftop restaurants in Rome Italy organizes them by view, occasion, and budget.
Best Colosseum view
Aroma
Michelin-starred, the only rooftop in Rome with a direct view of the Colosseum. The most extraordinary dining setting in the city.
palazzomanfredi.com →Best casual
Seu Pizza con Vista
Award-winning pizza on the W Hotel rooftop. DJ set, lemon trees, a 360-degree view, no dress code required.
seupizzailluminati.it →Best St. Peter’s view
Les Etoiles
The best view of St. Peter’s Basilica from any rooftop in Rome. Aperitivo formula from €45 at sunset.
atlantehotels.com →Before you leave
Rome Food You Cannot Miss
Four pastas, a pizza style found nowhere else, and a gelato culture that will genuinely reroute your afternoon. Work through this list before you leave.
Carbonara
Eggs, guanciale, pecorino, black pepper. No cream, no peas, no bacon. Order it at Luciano or Roscioli and let it ruin every other version you’ve had.
Cacio e Pepe
Three ingredients, endless ways to get it wrong. Roma Sparita serves it in a crispy parmesan bowl, the version Anthony Bourdain made famous.
Pizza al Taglio
Rectangular, sold by weight, eaten standing up. Bonci near the Vatican is the benchmark, with a 36-hour fermented crust.
Carciofi alla Giudia
Jewish-style fried artichoke, a Roman classic from the old Ghetto. Crispy outside, tender inside. Order it whenever you see it.
Supplì
Fried rice balls stuffed with mozzarella and ragù. The correct street food snack between meals, sold from counters across the city.
Pistachio Gelato
The benchmark flavor for testing any gelateria. Should be muted greyish-green, never neon. Come il Latte’s version is the standard.
Cucina Povera
Testaccio’s working-class tradition: oxtail, tripe, offal cooked with technique that turns humble ingredients into something extraordinary.
House Wine by the Carafe
Cheap, reliably good, from the Castelli Romani hills outside the city. Order it with every meal. Nobody in Rome will judge you.
Before you go
Practical Tips for Eating in Rome
Walk Three Blocks
Restaurants immediately adjacent to the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps almost uniformly overcharge for mediocre food. Walk away and the value improves dramatically.
Lunch Is the Move
The menu del giorno at most trattorias runs €12-18 for two or three courses, half what the same kitchen charges at dinner.
Order the Carafe
A half litre of house wine typically runs €4-6 and is reliably good. Skip the cheapest bottle and order the carafe instead.
Learn the Four Pastas
Carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana, gricia. All variations on guanciale, pecorino, and black pepper. Order at least one of each before you leave.
Kitchens Close Between Meals
Most trattorias stop serving around 2:30pm and don’t reopen until 7:30pm. Pizza al taglio is your best bet for off-hours hunger.
Avoid the Bracelet Sellers
The tourist hassle near major sights is annoying but harmless. It’s also a reliable sign you should walk further before sitting down to eat.
Your Rome Food Guide Starts Here
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