21 Best Restaurants in Rome, Italy

Da Enzo

$ | Trastevere Fodor's choice

In the quieter part of Trastevere, the family-run Da Enzo is everything you would imagine a classic Roman trattoria to be. There are just a few tables, but diners from around the world line up to eat here—a testament to the quality of the food. Because it's so small and does not accept reservations, there's almost invariably a wait, so arrive early for a better shot at speedy service.

Via dei Vascellari 29, Rome, Latium, 00153, Italy
06-5812260
Known For
  • cacio e pepe (pasta with pecorino-cheese sauce and black pepper), carbonara, and other Roman classics
  • boisterous, authentic atmosphere
  • small space with long waits
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and 2 wks in Aug., No reservations

Fatamorgana

$ | Monti Fodor's choice
A short walk from the Roman Forum, this small Roman chain serves excellent gelato, including familiar favorites and adventurous flavors such as Gorgonzola, olive, and tobacco. A bench outside offers relief after a day of walking.

Marigold

$ | Testaccio Fodor's choice

Run by a husband-and-wife team (she's Danish, he's Italian), this hip restaurant has a Scandinavian-meets-Italian design and menu. It draws a young, international crowd who come for the sourdough, cinnamon buns, and veggie-forward dishes. While brunch is the runaway favorite, the savory lunch dishes (served Wednesday to Friday) are standouts as well. All bread and pastries are baked in-house, ingredients are sourced locally, and only natural wines and specialty coffee are served.

Via Giovanni da Empoli 37, Rome, Latium, 00154, Italy
06-87725679
Known For
  • breads and other baked goods
  • weekend brunch
  • minimalist design
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues., 3 wks in Aug., and 2 wks in Dec. No dinner

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Antico Caffè Greco

$ | Piazza di Spagna

The red-velvet chairs and marble tables of Rome's oldest café have seen the likes of Byron, Shelley, Keats, Goethe, and Casanova. Locals love basking in the more than 250 years of history held within its dark-wood walls lined with antique artwork; tourists appreciate its location amid the shopping madness of upscale Via Condotti. Drink your coffee at the counter for a much less expensive experience.

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Baylon Cafe

$ | Trastevere

With eclectic vintage decor, colorful mismatched tables and chairs, and free Wi-Fi, this low-key neighborhood hot spot lures lots of expats and American travelers. In the evenings, order an aperitivo and you can accompany it with a variety of small plates brought to you at minimal cost. The outdoor tables offer prime people-watching.

Biscottificio Innocenti

$ | Trastevere

The scent of cookies wafts out into the street as you approach this family-run bakery, where a small team makes sweet treats the old-school way in a massive oven bought in the 1960s. There are dozens of varieties of baked goods, mostly sweet but some savory. Try the brutti ma buoni and anything made with almond paste or covered in chocolate.

Biscottificio Innocenti

$ | Trastevere
People from all over Rome come to this family-run bakery that's been turning out delicious desserts since 1920. Try the brutti ma buoni ("ugly but good") almond cookies or anything with chocolate or jam. Stefania runs the place with her daughters, Michela and Manuela, and says her fondest memories of the bakery are from when she was a child, watching her father operate the 1950s oven, still in use today.
Via della Luce 21, Rome, Latium, 00153, Italy
06-5803926
Known For
  • Torta Sacher
  • savory snacks for an on-the-go bite
  • light-as-air profiteroles
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed mid-July–Aug., and Sun. in early July and Sept.

Caffè Canova-Tadolini

$ | Piazza di Spagna

On chic Via del Babuino, the former studio of Neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova and his student, Adamo Tadolini, is now an atmospheric spot for coffee or a snack. Opt for the budget-friendly option of taking your coffee at the bar while admiring the enormous plaster copies of the maestros' work, or pay more for table service and sit amid vast sculptures. Food is run-of-the-mill, but the setting is splendid.

Caffè di Marzio

$ | Trastevere

Over a coffee or a cocktail, sit and gaze upon Santa Maria in Trastevere's glistening golden facade and the busy piazza rom a perch at Caffè di Marzio. The outdoor seating is lovely, but the interior is warm and welcoming, too.

Da Lucia

$ | Trastevere

There's no shortage of old-school trattorias in Trastevere, but this one has a strong following. Both locals and expats enjoy the brusque but "authentic" service and the hearty Roman fare; snag a table outside in warm weather for the true Roman experience of cobblestone-terrace dining.

Vicolo del Mattonato 2, Rome, Latium, 00153, Italy
06-5803601
Known For
  • bombolotti (a tubular pasta) all'amatriciana
  • spaghetti cacio e pepe
  • involtini (beef rolls)
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., Tues., and Aug. No lunch Wed.–Sat.

Dar Poeta

$ | Trastevere

Romans drive across town for great pizza from this neighborhood institution, which offers both thin-crust and thick-crust (alta) Neapolitan-style pies with any of the given toppings. It doesn't accept reservations, so arrive early or late, or expect to wait in line. Service from the owners and friendly waitstaff is smile-inducing. For food on the go, a smaller location on Via della Scala sells pizza by the slice.

Vicolo del Bologna 45, Rome, Latium, 00153, Italy
06-5880516
Known For
  • "superformaggio" (i.e., cheese lover's) pizza
  • dessert calzone with Nutella and ricotta cheese
  • friendly service
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted

Gelateria Venchi

$ | Piazza di Spagna

Established in 1878, Venchi is one of Italy's premier confectioners, and you'll see the brand all over the country. At this brick-and-mortar shop, you can buy chocolate as well as gelato, made fresh daily. The nougat and caramel flavors are fabulous, and, of course, there are several chocolate variations, but the real crowd-pleaser is the fountain of melted chocolate that takes up the entire wall behind the counter. There's a second location on Via della Croce, but this branch is more impressive.

Via del Corso 335, Rome, Latium, 00187, Italy
06-69797790
Known For
  • free-flowing melted chocolate
  • creamy gelato flavors
  • packaged candies

Il Gelato di San Crispino

$ | Piazza di Spagna

Many people say this place—which is around the corner from the Trevi Fountain and had a cameo in the movie Eat, Pray, Love—serves the best gelato in Rome. Creative flavors like black fig, chocolate rum, Armagnac, and ginger-cinnamon all incorporate top-notch ingredients, and the shop is known for keeping its gelato hidden under metal covers to better preserve the quality. 

La Renella

$ | Trastevere

This no-frills pizzeria al taglio (by the slice) and bakery is hidden a few minutes away from Piazza Trilussa. As in many traditional bakeries, pizza is sold by weight, so get yours sliced to the size you want. In the mornings, the pastries hot out of the oven are equally enticing.

Ombre Rosse

$ | Trastevere

Set on lovely Piazza Sant'Egidio in the heart of Trastevere, Ombre Rosse bustles with expats and other regulars who appreciate the cocktail creations and the ever-lively atmosphere. On weekends, the outdoor terrace is good for boozy brunches, but during the week its the spot enjoy an aperitivo (aperitif) and nibbles, before finishing off an evening with friends at the bar. 

Otaleg!

$ | Trastevere

A slow wander through town for a scoop of gelato after lunch or dinner is a summer sport in Rome. Galley-sized Otaleg is a must in Trastevere, where gelato master Marco Radicioni dreams up concoctions like croccante totale (completely crunchy) with fiordilatte, toasted nuts, sesame, and honey, as well as perfectly distilled seasonal fruit sorbets made with produce from the nearby open-air market in Piazza San Cosimato.

Panella

$ | Esquilino

Opened in 1929, this bakery sells both sweet and savory items, including more than 70 types of bread. Line up for the pizza al taglio (by the slice) at lunchtime, or sit down at one of the outdoor tables for a cappuccino and cornetto or an aperitivo replete with mini sandwiches made on homemade buns. There's also a small location inside Termini Station where you can grab a quick espresso on the way to catch a train. 

Pizzeria Ai Marmi

$ | Trastevere

This place is packed pretty much every night with diners munching on crisp pizzas that come out of the wood-burning ovens at top speed. It's best not to go during peak dining hours, so go early or late if you don't want to wait. Fortunately there's lots of great nightlife in the area so you can make a whole evening of it.

Viale Trastevere 53, Rome, Latium, 00153, Italy
06-5800919
Known For
  • excellent wood-oven pizzas
  • fried starters such as supplì (breaded fried rice balls)
  • open until midnight for a late-night bite
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and 3 wks in Aug.

Porto Fluviale

$ | Testaccio

Set in a structure so massive that it takes up the better part of a block on a street that's gone from gritty clubland to popular nightspot, Porto Fluviale is a bar, café, pizzeria, lunch buffet, and lively evening restaurant. The menu is all-encompassing, too, with dishes that highlight cuisine from all over Italy.

Supplì Roma

$ | Trastevere

Trastevere's best supplì (Roman-style rice croquettes) have been served at this hole-in-the-wall takeout spot since 1979. At lunchtime, the line spills out onto the street with locals who've come for the namesake treats, as well as fried baccalà fillets and stuffed zucchini flowers. The thin-crust pizza al taglio is baked the old-fashioned way—in low-rise rectangular pans—and the marinara version is a must. A few daily pasta specials are available, too.

Via di San Francesco a Ripa 137, Rome, Latium, 00153, Italy
06-5897110
Known For
  • old-fashioned baked pizza with spicy marinara sauce
  • gnocchi on Thursday (the traditional day for it in Rome)
  • classic fried risotto ball with ragù or cacio e pepe
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and 2 wks in Aug.

Trapizzino

$ | Testaccio

Stefano Callegari is one of Rome's most famous pizza makers, but at Trapizzino he's doing something a bit different. The name of the restaurant is derived from the Italian words for sandwich (tramezzino) and pizza, and the result is something like an upscale pizza pocket, stuffed on the spot with local specialties like chicken alla cacciatore, or trippa (tripe), or roast pumpkin, pecorino, and almonds. The supplì (fried risotto balls) are also delicious.

Via Giovanni Branca 88, Rome, Latium, 00153, Italy
06-43419624
Known For
  • casual setting, with seating available next door
  • eggplant parmigiana and meatball sandwiches
  • Italian craft beer
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed 1 wk in Aug.