Travel bucket list idea:
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Roman cuisine is more straightforward than many visitors expect, dominated by pastas and pizzas made using simple local ingredients.
In Rome, seasonal eating is a way of life. In winter find carciofi (artichokes) along with puntarelle: a green enjoyed with an olive oil/anchovy dressing. Lentils (lenticchie) are another wintertime staple.
Spring tables showcase meaty fava beans and zucchini flowers (fiori di zucca).
Summertime is focused on fruits like peaches (pesche) and watermelon (cocomero).
Tuck into Rome’s best-known dishes – spaghetti alla carbonara, amatriciana or gricia, and porchetta (roast suckling pig). Other star staples include saltimbocca, fried artichokes and courgette flowers.
Also see our round-up of traditional Italian foods to try in Italy.
As a general rule, Italians consider food sacred and something to be savoured and enjoyed with friends and family. The exception to the rule is Roman street food. A huge part of the Eternal City’s lifestyle, it’s wholly acceptable to have a stroll while licking a creamy gelato or munching on crunchy suppli.
Meals are best taken in an open-air trattoria (family-run restaurant), ideally with enough time to enjoy the conviviality of the experience and plenty of local wine.
Another way to experience Roman ‘fast food’ is by partaking in the apericena – a more substantial version of the pre-dinner aperitivo. For the price of a glass of wine or cocktail, you’ll have admission to a buffet of authentic Roman finger foods.
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Experience
Just a few metres from the Pantheon, Armando al Pantheon has been serving outstanding spaghetti alla carbonara since 1961. One of Rome’s signature pasta dishes, creamy carbonara is a must if you want to ‘eat like a Roman’.
Good for age: 18+
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Experience
This bright and airy trattoria in Monteverde is regaled for another of Rome’s landmark specialties: pasta all’amatriciana. Cesare’s version is made with ridged rigatoni to properly hold onto the sauce.
Good for age: 18+
Frascati, Lazio, Italy
A day trip to Frascati has long been a tradition for Romans, who savour a stop at the numerous fraschette (outdoor wine bars) to sample the many wines produced in these hills.
Frascati white wine, either dry or sweet, still or sparkling, is made from blends of the Malvasia and Trebbiano grape varieties. Tradition says it’s best immediately after production, namely at the source. Romans flock here just to drink it.
The area is also well known for its beautiful Tusculum villas, a 16th-century legacy of the aristocratic families who came here to escape the heat of the city. Many of these villas have been turned into hotels, such as the grandiose Villa Grazioli.
Good for age: 18+
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Experience
Another typical Roman recipe to try is Flavio al Velavevodetto’s cacio e pepe. The savoury and satisfying pasta dish, made with spaghetti, salty Pecorino Romano cheese, has just the right amount of pepper.
Good for age: 18+
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Experience
Romans do love their artichokes. To sample classic Roman-Judaic cuisine head to Nonna Betta in the Jewish Ghetto where they serve the best i carciofi alla giudia in the city.
Good for age: 18+
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Experience
This old-fashioned pastry shop in the Esquilino district is where they make maritozzi: a classic Roman breakfast brioche filled with fresh whipped cream. Stop by on your way to Rome’s main railway station.
Good for age: 18+
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Experience
Master pizza chef (pizzaiolo) Gabriele Bonci opened Pizzarium Bonci near the Vatican in 2003 and lines have been out the door ever since. Rest assured, the pizza al taglio (pizza by the slice) is worth the wait.
Good for age: 18+
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Experience
For a really good pasta alla gricia, people in the know will send you to Roscioli for this white (bianco) rendition of amatriciana – sans the tomato sauce.
Good for age: 18+
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Experience
Supplizio celebrates Rome’s love-affair with suppli: a deep-friend ball of rice mixed with tomato sauce and mozzarella. The perfect accompaniment with a glass of wine or to take wrapped in brown paper to enjoy on the go.
Good for age: 18+
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Experience
A cluster of busy stalls offering delicious eats, Testaccio Market in Rome’s former meat-packing district, is where you’ll find authentic Roman delicacies, such as stuffed braised meat sandwiches, rustic piazza, and handmade pasta dishes. Eat in or take-away.
Good for age: 18+
Good food in Rome is pretty much ubiquitous. For the best service, value and quality, though, try and avoid the obvious tourist haunts.
The streets around Campo de Fiori and Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere are crammed with good, relatively cheap trattorias. The Jewish Quarter and Via Portico d’Ottavia are full of restaurants serving traditional Jewish-Roman fare.
The most exclusive restaurants are usually found in the top hotels.
Most Romans eat three meals a day. A typical breakfast consists of a cappuccino and cornetto taken at a local bar, while lunch is consumed at about 1:30pm. Commonly, dinnertime in Rome takes place at 8pm, therefore you shouldn’t expect to find restaurants open for business before 7:30pm.
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