The named tables and food halls of the Roman scene, grouped by how you eat: trattorias, street food, delis and markets, and the vegetarian options. The [where to eat chapter](where-to-eat) covers the pastas, the dishes and the neighbourhoods before you go.
Last updated August 23, 2026
In a nutshell: the city's two headline street-food halls are the Mercato Centrale at Termini and the Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio; the deli giant is Eataly in Ostiense; and the named neighbourhood trattorias with addresses, hours and prices live in the food chapters of the Centro Storico, Trastevere, Monti and Trevi. Start with the where to eat chapter for the dishes and the districts.
Family-run trattorias have been the bedrock of the Roman food scene for as long as anyone can remember, scattered across the city's streets and piazzas. Unpretentious, simple and traditional, these beloved old rooms have served visitors for centuries, and they remain your surest route to honest, unfussy Roman dishes. In recent years a wave of neo-trattorias has arrived, modernising the old concept with a relaxed, laid-back feel and updated versions of the city's classics.
A typical trattoria menu opens with antipasti - cured meats, mozzarella, fried snacks and bruschetta - then moves through the traditional Roman pastas to meaty mains: abbacchio al forno (roast baby lamb), pollo alla cacciatora (chicken stewed hunter-style), saltimbocca alla romana (pan-fried veal with prosciutto and sage) and tagliata di manzo (sliced beef steak). Dessert is tiramisu and gelato.
For named trattorias with addresses, hours and prices, head to the neighbourhood food chapters: the Centro Storico, Trastevere, Monti and the Trevi area.
Come spring and autumn especially, Romans love a weekend salto (leap) out of town to the Castelli Romani, the scenic wine-producing hills just south of the city. Food-minded day-trippers have long flocked to small towns like Ariccia and Frascati to eat at rustic trattorias known as fraschette: unfussy rooms with rickety tables and plain wooden benches, doing a roaring trade in big plates of hearty country food.
The highlight is the lavish antipasto spread: porchetta (boned, herbed roast pork), coppiette (dried pork strips spiked with chilli), prosciutto, vegetables steeped in olive oil, creamy mozzarella, olives and crusty farmhouse bread, with jugs of local wine to wash it all down.
Romans have enjoyed street food (cibo di strada) since classical times, when hungry citizens stopped at a thermopolium, an ancestor of the modern fast-food joint - and two thousand years of practice have made them very good at it. The snack you meet everywhere is pizza al taglio (pizza by the slice): takeaways all over town dish out delicious rectangles of the stuff, generously topped and cut with professional flair. A growing band of specialists now fries supplì (rice balls with various fillings) and assorted fritti (fried foods), and a relative newcomer, the trapizzino, is a doughy cone crammed with tasty, messy-to-eat fillers. For the sweet-toothed there is gelato and the much-devoured maritozzo, a sweet brioche bun split open and filled with clouds of cream.
The grand food hall inside Termini Station, one of the city's top street-food areas: a covered warren of stalls where you graze from one counter to the next.
The other great name among the city's top street-food areas - the new market of the district famous for offal classics like coda alla vaccinara.
Well-stocked delis and fresh-produce markets are one of the great pleasures of Rome's food scene. They began as the daily shop, where locals stocked up on fruit and vegetables, cured meats, bread and grated cheese. Habits have shifted, yet many Romans still call in at their neighbourhood haunts, and the weekend farmers markets, showcasing quality regional produce, are popular too.
The vast Eataly mall in Ostiense is a one-stop tour of the country's best food, with specialities from every region of Italy under one roof.
Rome has not always been the most enlightened city for vegetarians, but that is changing. As more Italians identify as vegetarian or vegan, the city has a growing crop of burger joints, bars, bistros and restaurants catering to non-meat eaters, and many high-end restaurants routinely offer vegetarian menus. Ordinary menus generally have a decent choice of meat-free antipasti, pastas, insalate (salads), contorni (vegetable sides) and pizzas.
Four sites worth bookmarking before you book a table:
The neighbourhood food chapters cover the district tables in depth - Centro Storico, Trastevere, Monti and San Giovanni & Testaccio. The shortlists below are extra picks worth seeking out, from white-tablecloth classics beside the famous squares to boisterous pizzerias, wine bars with kitchens and the city's favourite cheap lunch counters.
Under stout wooden beams, this family-run spot doubles as wine bar and kitchen - the neighbourhood hangout, casual and youthful. A glass and a cheese plate are enough, or work through a menu where Roman tradition gets modern flourishes.
An Italian answer to the corner pub, going since 1895, with snack plates, salads and pasta alongside good Italian wine, and Italian beer flowing freely from the taps. They're hip to dietary concerns, and open late daily.
Fourth-generation Aldo and Claudia run this snug, buzzing room, where classic Roman plates come with a playful spin - at a premium.
An intimate, vibrant family wine bar with bottles glittering along the walls - classy yet unstuffy. Andrea (Piedmont) and Maria (Apulia) cook the cuisines of their two home regions - an odd mix that works - with son Gianmarco helping; fine dishes plus meat and cheese boards to match the wines and beers.
Mostly takeaway with a little seating, this sandwich shop comes from a long-respected porchetta producer. Pork, slow-cooked and well seasoned, on excellent bread - made to order; their sachets of coppiette - the Italian pork jerky - make a favourite Roman snack.
A true survivor since 1945: plain room, simple plates, high energy verging on chaos, and crowds drawn by the prices, the portions and the Colosseum's proximity. Reserve ahead or face a wait come lunchtime and after 19:30.
Next door to Luzzi, this pizzeria-ristorante aims a notch more refined - even romantic - and the prices, while a bit higher, stay fair; pastas and pizzas are tasty.
Just one block below the ghetto's main square sits this elegant, peaceful institution, run with care by the Monteferri family for generations. The kitchen blends Roman tradition with the nonkosher Jewish repertoire.
Since 1927 this rustic local haunt has dished up old-school Roman and Jewish plates (not kosher) in a scene of cheerful mayhem. Come for the atmosphere rather than gastronomy; the square-side tables are the calmer choice.
Its sleek, woody, narrow room is devoted to Piedmont's wine, cheese and salumi heritage, in an organic, foodie-first spirit. The cheese plate for two, with wine by the glass, is the way to go.
The ghetto's beloved Jewish bakery, on the corner of the main intersection, famous for its Hebrew pizza plus a pie of sour cherries and ricotta.
The neighbouring bakery offers far more choice, and the next-door deli (not kosher) sells pizza for takeaway - Piazza Costaguti 31, across from the white chapel.
Kosher pizza on the ghetto's main street, sold by weight - simple seating, or grab it to go.
Coffee, wine and kosher food at a prime people-watching corner of Via di Santa Maria del Pianto.
Kosher burgers on the ghetto's fast, casual strip.
Fonzie's sister restaurant, a kebab shop further along the same street.
One square room beneath heavy beams, run by mission-driven chef Renato, who after 24 years at the stove still refines his recipes daily with his team, all in celebration of Roman cooking. The inviting menu, nicely presented plates and attentive service add up to honesty, tradition and enjoyment - the daily specials are the pick.
Plain, tidy rooms and a diligent crew with a serious slow-food ethos and ever-changing daily specials. The Percorso Romano tasting menu, which follows the seasons, never disappoints.
Beneath stony medieval vaults, this local favourite pairs a classic feel with service that is professional yet fun. Meat and seafood share the Roman menu, the seafood pasta especially shines, and the rooms sit atop the ruins of the Theatre of Pompey.
Around a hard-working wood-burning stove, this pizzeria hums with fun, family-friendly energy, and the menu reads like a masterclass in quality ingredients. Outside seating is fine, and the dining room downstairs sprawls under high ceilings.
Sommelier Massimo presides over this tiny, inviting wine bar, walking guests through an array of fine wines and the meats, cheeses and pastas that suit them best. Seating is tight and the menu concise, with superb wines by the glass, walls of bottles to intrigue, a crowd that skews local and smooth jazz on the stereo; Massimo preaches the gospel of 'orange wine'.
A €7 plate of fried salt-cod fillets draws nostalgic regulars to the wooden tables of this bare-bones Roman classic; from October to April the same crowd tucks into puntarelle - raw, faintly bitter, drenched in anchovy sauce. Point at what you fancy, then take the fluorescent-lit room or a chair on the little square outside.
Italian craft beers pour from two dozen or so taps in this hoppy-smelling, modern, spacious brewpub, where the playful bar menu runs to burgers, salads and crocchette cacio e pepe - deep-fried mashed-potato bites. Just the break for the parched and pub-grub-hungry.
A white-tablecloth, romantic meal of Roman classics, backed by a solid wine list, or a plain pizza looking out over the bustling square; it has been touristy for 200 years and owns it. Seasonal daily specials and the chocolaty Tartufo ice cream are traditions.
The simpler, less frantic sibling of Tre Scalini, tucked on a quiet corner beside the square. Basic pizza and traditional plates, fine outdoor seating, and the fountain's murmur instead of a barker's patter.
Inside the Museum of Rome at the square's south end, this cheery, modern little place keeps two window tables over the piazza and fills an arcade with outdoor seating. Salads, pastas and burgers, with an organic focus.
Wine bottles line this long, skinny enoteca, which is crammed with an enthusiastic crowd and a huge wine list. The menu is built for pairing - pasta, homemade pâté, build-your-own boards of salumi and cheese - and there are wines by the glass worth lingering over, plus good outdoor seating.
A handy, well-liked local chain built on hefty salads, also doing pasta, pizza and €15 meal deals. This branch is tight and skinny; a more spacious one sits near Campo de' Fiori, with more outlets around town.
Locals rate this one highly: always busy, always authentic, with daily specials and a hardworking young team. Tables spill from inside onto the quiet street.
Visiting Italians know this name, so expect a ridiculous line. Great pizza, surly service, tightly packed tables amid walls covered in sketches; the assembly-line kitchen keeps the energy up, and the oven warms the main room.
Lunch here is light and refined, served with dignity: the museum café at Bramante's cloister, gazing over the tranquil open-air courtyard. Classic and modern in a charming mix, good for a pre-dinner drink as well - tell the ticket window you're only here for the café.
The Roman take on a German beer hall: hearty mugs of local Peroni, plenty of fun beer-hall grub and Italian classics. A cheap night out beloved by Romans.
Roman and Italian cooking in a classic, white-tablecloth room, with excellent seating inside and out on the quiet lane behind, a short stroll from the Pantheon. The staff are professional, gruff but good-natured, and the old-school, no-pretense vibe is all about quality.
The name honours Basilicata, Italy's deep-south region, and the compact, inviting menu matches Roman classics with the family's own southern recipes. Homey, small-town in feel, with a utilitarian dining room, tables out front and an accommodating staff.
Office workers pack this place, which grew out of a wine shop into a thriving restaurant of straightforward traditional cooking. Daily specials go up on the board - Thursday brings gnocchi, Friday fish - and you can buy a bottle from the shop and pay just a corking fee; a free limoncello rounds things off.
A clever little sandwich bar beside Enoteca Corsi, a lunch favourite of the neighbourhood's office crowd.
An ageless café, serving pasta, salads and sandwiches.
Behind Parliament, on a minuscule street, this local favourite has drawn diners since 1963; wall photos recall the era when heavyweight politicians made it their haunt. Siblings Carla and Fabrizio cook traditional Roman favourites - reserve over the phone even at lunchtime, because savvy Romans fill the room.
Trendy with locals in a slapdash way: salads and traditional dishes, plus a playful spread of cicchetti small plates. The piazza out front is strewn with jumbled tables; inside it's rustic, with a classier room at the back. Cocktails are the thing, and the Club Derrière speakeasy opens nightly at 22:00.
A bright, modern, spacious spot a block from the Pantheon, with tables out on a lovely little square. The menu - pastas, panini, salads, 'protein smoothies' - is healthy and organic, vegetarian options abound, and breakfasts are good. Office workers crowd it at lunch; evenings are easier.
Much-loved Miki has fed students and US study-abroad groups for decades, the walls hung with college banners. Choose from €4 bruschetta shaped like pizza and a long roster of hearty salads, pastas and pizzas - generous, good-value, handy, and finished with a free limoncello poured by Miki or by Romeo, his son.
Maria and her daughters run this cheerful bakery-cafeteria in central Rome, serving fresh, wholesome plates in an inviting, upscale setting. The seasonal menu is almost entirely vegetarian, with gluten-free and vegan choices always in the mix.
The Ricci brothers run this place a short toss from the Vatican wall: noisy tables on the street, a cheerfully cluttered and hushed room inside.
Trailing plants and a covered patio set the scene for wholesome seasonal eating - salads, sandwiches, pastas, bowls. The menu turns over almost weekly, yet there is always a solid vegetarian choice plus other healthy creations.
Music pumps and microbrews flow at this trendy spot, a branch of the Trapizzino chain: little doughy pockets of pizza with toasted crusts and assorted fillings, plus supplì and more.
Sandwiches here are made fresh to order, inventive and hefty enough to share - which is why the shop is so popular. Eat in for €1 extra, or take away.
A step up from the cheap pizza-rustica counters along Via Candia: pizza by the slice, nicely presented, plus simple cafeteria-style dishes - dine in or take away.
Among the city's finest market halls, this one sits a few blocks up from the Vatican Museums and sees almost no tourists. Wander in and breathe the scent of fresh rocket, well-aged cheese and pungent truffle; vendors abound, there's a simple café, and ready-to-eat counters, bakeries and porchetta stalls keep multiplying.
This traditional place sits on car-free Borgo Pio, close to Piazza San Pietro, and is worth a detour.
Modern rooms under medieval arches, three blocks from the Spanish Steps, and small. Charismatic Claudio fronts the room while the kitchen turns out creative Roman cooking from fresh, organic produce. Trust them: for around €60 per person (whole party only, wine extra) order 'Claudio's Extravaganza', specifying fish, meat or both. Dinner only; no shorts.
One of a pair of classic bars on Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, where the crowd is thoroughly Roman. The cooking is decent, but you sit here for the scene; the main courses are the stronger suit.
Sandwiches built to order from a long, tempting deli counter piled with meats and cheeses, with bread arriving fresh twice a day - you pay by weight.
A wine bar with real character: a huge selection of wines, complimentary nibbles and a playful menu - perfect for a glass in fetching surrounds.
For a memorable Trastevere dinner, this is the one: brothers Massimo and Maurizio uphold a proud 100-year tradition of quality and style with no pretense. Roman classics and seasonal dishes - including an award-winning amatriciana - fill the menu, served in a roomy dining hall decorated with eclectic Roman souvenirs or out on a genuinely hedged terrace.
Classic Roman cooking on a handsome square just back from the river - reservations essential.
Warm and welcoming, with a menu of modernised Roman cooking and lovely tables on the piazza. Inside wavers between Grandma's parlour and a good wine shop.
Irene and her warm, capable team run this compact, romantic dining room. The menu pairs classic Roman plates with modern Italian ideas, and the chef likes to play with a little creative licence.
The team includes cooks and servers with developmental disabilities, supported and mentored by volunteers, and the meals they serve are delightful in a charming setting. Roman tradition with a modern twist, contemporary art on the walls, a simple dining room, or a romantic square outside.
Two sisters run this homely little spot, tucked a few blocks clear of the crowds; plates get crossed off the short menu as they sell out. Trastevere before the tourists found it.
Local students love this back-alley pizzeria, which fires wood-oven pizzas and calzones for around €9. The interior is casual and a bit cramped, the cobblestone tables out front are lively; no reservations, so come before 19:00 or be prepared to wait.
The station's handiest option: take the escalator up by track 15 to a bright, roomy, reassuring cluster of decent mall-style eateries. Free Wi-Fi, charging points and lots of seating.
Hotel receptionists up and down Via Firenze seem to send guests here: sleek and dressy, capable service, reliably good food that doesn't come cheap. When you reserve, ask for seating outside or in - and steer clear of the basement.
A neighbourhood hit for modern, health-minded eating: vegetarian and vegan options, €15 meals, and seating that works well indoors or out.
Feeds the neighbourhood's desk jockeys and the local police, on Via Firenze.
An Irish pub that sprawls and slops: fun energy, solid simple food, TVs everywhere and live music every night at 21:00.
Goffredo has run this ramshackle old wine shop and its simple cafeteria since 1953. The modest menu - sandwiches, pastas, pastries - matches the plain seating, inside and out.
Romantic and upscale yet welcoming to visitors: snug tables inside, lovely ones out front, and traditional Roman cooking - the daily specials deserve attention. Locals keep it busy, so book ahead.
The Punturi family has run this bright, contemporary, dressy-yet-relaxed spot since 1919. Roman and Mediterranean cooking plus pizza, with good wines poured by the glass, and pleasant street tables; of the two storefronts, prefer the right-hand one (#46).
The family's next-door rosticceria, upscale in produce but utterly casual in style: dishes sold by weight and eaten off plastic at fast-food-style counters.
Families love this one: an open wood fire, a modern, airy room (with good downstairs seating as well), and a contented local crowd drawn by fair prices, friendly service and tasty Neapolitan-style pizzas.
Wine study as ambience: bottle-lined wooden walls, vinyl on the turntable and creative boards of cold cuts and cheeses organised by region. An excellent post-dinner stop for a dessert wine, served with cookies on the side.
Like a factory canteen: plain indoor seating, a long counter line, and you pick your dish by pointing, paying by weight. Any secondo earns you a token slice of pizza - two-course lunches for €8.
Traditional Roman cooking since 1957, in a room that feels current and unpretentious - the food is the whole point. It's small, family-run and very lively, so book ahead.
A legendary deli, a full-on feast for cheese and meat lovers. Bakery goods and gourmet sandwiches go out the door, but better to claim a minuscule table and let Matteo work his way through the daily specials board - or the €20 'Apericena Deluge'.
Testaccio's grand old eating house, packed since 1911 with local families at tightly packed tables, and rollicking with it. A few tables out front face the busy street.
Roman beer fans know this place for its vast range of Italian and international beers. Upstairs, a bottle shop with a classy grocery; below, a nondescript cellar bar where locals graze on bar food - cheese and meat boards, pizza sandwiches and pasta.