A Foodie's Guide to Rome -

Your ultimate food guide on where to eat & drink in Rome

They say when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Well as it turns out, the Romans do everything deliciously-well and with a particular kind of conviction, eating late and lingering longer, transforming even a simple espresso into an occasion.

For the vegetarians among us — who arrive without the amatriciana-and-bolognese agenda — a simple plate of Cacio e Pepe is enough to recalibrate your understanding of what three simple ingredients (pasta, pepper and pecorino) can do. Seasonal dishes show off the city’s generosity too, with summer epitomised by a pretty plate of artichokes prepared the Roman way: crisped at the edges, yielding at the heart.

Roman cuisine is older than the tourist trail, and it has always known how to feed everyone well. Here is where to start.

Food & Travel Guide: Rome

Al Moro
Tucked away right by the Trevi Fountain, this small, intimate trattoria is one of the most coveted places to eat in the city. The tableware is beautiful, the wine menus are vintage leather-bound and handwritten, and the freshest produce of the day is proudly on display — fresh buffalo mozzarella to the season’s most sumptuous truffles. Even if you aren’t a coffee drinker, you’ll want to finish with an espresso: not just to surface from your food-induced coma, but because those tiny cups are just that exquisite. Vicolo delle Bollette, 13, 00187 Roma RM, Italy | https://ristorantealmororoma.it

La Matriciana
Founded in 1870, Rome’s historic trattoria still draws the kind of crowd that makes people-watching as good as the food. Chic without effort, warm without being cloying, with plates so generous they feel like an act of love. The namesake amatriciana is the obvious order; the Cacio e Pepe is a more quiet triumph. Via del Viminale 44, 00184 Rome Italy | https://www.lamatriciana.it/storia/

where to eat drink rome — La Matriciana dal 1870

Dal Bolognese
Set on one of Rome’s most beautiful piazzas, Dal Bolognese has been fashionable for so long it has lapped back around to being genuinely, timelessly good. The room is elegant, the crowd polished, the food — technically Bolognese in origin, so expect fresh egg pastas and rich, slow-cooked sauces — excellent. Book ahead, dress the part, enjoy the theatre of it. Piazza del Popolo, 1, 00187 Roma RM, Italy | https://roma.dalbolognese.it

Giolitti
Rome’s most storied gelateria, open since 1900 and still the benchmark. The old world atmosphere is matched by gelato paying homage to all the classics — pistachio, fragola, limone and, of course, stracciatella. Yes, there’s a queue but it’s fast-moving and the location — a short walk from the Pantheon — means you can do both in one sweep.

Via Uffici del Vicario, 40 Roma | https://www.giolitti.it/en/the-giolitti-story/

Ineo
Refined Italian cooking that never loses the thread of comfort. There is a freshly-baked bread trolley, and scarpetta — the Roman custom of mopping up the last of your sauce with bread — is quietly encouraged. The palate cleanser arrives drenched in champagne; petit fours are cannoli gelato. A grand finale by any measure. Piazza della Repùbblica, 46, 00184 Roma RM, Italy | https://www.ineorestaurant.com/en/

Al Forno Della Soffitta — Pizzeria
Roman pizza — thin, crisp-based, unadorned — at its most honest. This is the kind of neighbourhood spot that doesn’t need to try hard because it has been getting it right for years. Come hungry, come informal, and order more than you think you need. Via Piave, 62, 00187 Roma RM, Italy | https://www.alfornodellasoffitta.it/en/

best food guide rome — Al Forno Della Soffitta

De Russie Garden — Hotel Bar, Prati
The garden bar at Hotel de Russie is one of those Roman settings that makes you wonder how anywhere else could possibly compete. Ivy-covered walls, unhurried service, and an Aperol Spritz that tastes better here than it has any right to. Perfect for a long, slow afternoon drink before dinner. Via del Babuino 9 00187 Rome | https://www.roccofortehotels.com/hotels-and-resorts/hotel-de-russie/

Anywhere in Trastevere — For a Casual Aperitif
Trastevere doesn’t need a specific address — the neighbourhood itself is the destination. As the sun goes down, pull up a chair at whichever piazza catches you, order a Negroni or a carafe of the house white, and let the evening arrange itself around you. Bar San Calisto is the local’s local (and Stanley Tucci’s, for what it’s worth); Piazza San Calisto draws an open-air crowd that turns the whole square into an impromptu party. Either way, you’re doing it right.