Nobody eats well following the tour buses. These are the 27 restaurants in Rome I'd send a friend to: the cheap neighbourhood place, the one locals keep to themselves, the splurge that's genuinely worth it. No photo menus.
Book a TableAi Tre Scalini★ 4.5 · €25–40 pp · Wine barMonti neighbourhood wine bar: ivy on the facade, candles inside, a board with 30 Italian wines by the glass, and small plates designed for sharing. Directions
Book a TableArmando al Pantheon★ 4.3 · €40–60 pp30 metres from the Pantheon, 50 years in the same family, packed every night with Romans (not tourists). Directions
Book a TableAroma at Palazzo Manfredi★ 4.1 · €150–220 pp · Modern ItalianMichelin-starred rooftop restaurant DIRECTLY facing the Colosseum: you eat with the world's most iconic ruin lit up at your shoulder. Directions
Book a TableBar San Calisto★ 4.5 · €2-6 · Roman barThe dive bar at the heart of Trastevere: three blocks from Santa Maria in Trastevere and the social opposite of the tourist spots on the main piazza. Directions
Book a TableCaffè Tazza d'Oro★ 4.4 · €1-4 · Espresso barThe serious espresso spot at the Pantheon: Roman office workers stop here for their morning shot, drink it standing at the marble counter, and are out in 90 seconds. Directions
Book a TableDa Enzo al 29★ 4.3 · €30–45 pp · Roman trattoriaTrastevere trattoria, 30 covers, no English menu, and the best carbonara in Rome by consensus. Directions
Book a TableDa Gino al Parlamento★ 4.5 · €25-35 · Classic RomanA tiny old-school trattoria a few steps from the Italian Parliament, in business since 1964 and barely changed since. Directions
Book a TableFatamorgana★ 4.4 · €4-6 · Artisanal GelatoRome's most creative gelateria: chef Maria Agnese Spagnuolo invents flavours like Kentucky (chocolate, tobacco, and rye whisky) and Pere e gorgonzola (pear and blue cheese) alongside the classics. Directions
Book a TableFelice a Testaccio★ 4.3 · €40–55 pp · Roman trattoriaThe cacio e pepe destination. Mixed at your table from a 1-kg wheel of pecorino. Old-school Testaccio neighbourhood, white tablecloths, brisk service. Order the cacio e pepe and the saltimbocca: that's the meal. Directions
Book a TableFlavio al Velavevodetto★ 4.2 · €25-40 · Roman classicsA Testaccio institution carved literally into the side of Monte Testaccio: the man-made hill made of two thousand years of broken amphora shards from ancient Roman wine and oil shipments. Directions
Book a TableForno Campo de' Fiori★ 4.5 · €2–6 · BakeryThe bakery on Campo de' Fiori square: go in the morning for fresh pizza bianca (just salt + olive oil), or in the afternoon for pizza rossa. Directions
Giolitti★ 4.4 · €4-6The Rome gelato dynasty since 1900: three blocks from the Pantheon, an institution among institutions. Directions
Book a TableGlass Hostaria★ 4.4 · €90–140 pp · Modern ItalianOne Michelin star, in the heart of Trastevere, but tucked away on a side street most tourists miss. Directions
Book a TableIl Pagliaccio★ 4.3 · €180–250 pp · Modern ItalianTwo Michelin stars near Piazza Navona. Chef Anthony Genovese cooks Italian-with-Asian-accent: refined, creative, surprising. The tasting menu is the order. Reservations a month out. Directions
Book a TableImàgo at Hotel Hassler★ 4.6 · €160–230 pp · Modern ItalianOne Michelin star, top floor of the Hassler hotel: the dining room window IS the view from the top of the Spanish Steps. Directions
Book a TableL'Antica Birreria Peroni★ 4.4 · €15-30 · Italian / German beerhallRome's historic beerhall: opened in 1906 by the Peroni brewery, with Art Nouveau frescoes, dark wood booths, and old-Rome rules: long communal tables, cold draft beer, big plates of sausages, gulasch, schnitzel, and on the… Directions
Book a TableLa Pergola★ 4.6 · €280–400+ pp · French / Italian Fine DiningRome's only three-Michelin-star restaurant, on top of the Rome Cavalieri hotel with a panoramic terrace over the whole city. Directions
Book a TableMarco Martini Restaurant★ 4.3 · €110–160 pp · Modern ItalianOne Michelin star in the trendy Garbatella neighbourhood. Directions
Book a TableOro Bistrot★ 4.4 · €€€ · Modern MediterraneanA small, elegant bistrot tucked off Via dei Fori Imperiali, a short walk from Trajan's Column. Directions
Book a TablePasticceria Regoli★ 4.5 · €3–6 · BakeryRoman institution since 1916 for breakfast pastries (the maritozzo cream bun is the signature) and afternoon cakes. Directions
Book a TablePianostrada★ 4.3 · €45–70 pp · Modern ItalianMother-daughter team, glass-fronted kitchen, focaccia sandwiches that became Instagram-famous and a tasting menu that delivers. Directions
Book a TablePizzarium Bonci★ 4.1 · €5–10 · Pizza al taglioGabriele Bonci's pizza al taglio shop near the Vatican: widely considered the best pizza-by-the-slice in Rome. Directions
Book a TableRoscioli Salumeria★ 4.3 · €55–80 pp · ItalianThe most famous restaurant-deli-wine bar in Rome: a salumeria from the front that becomes a full restaurant in the back. Directions
Book a TableSupplì Roma★ 4.7 · €3–8 · Roman street foodSupplì are Rome's rice-and-cheese croquettes: fried, gooey mozzarella inside. Directions
Book a TableTonnarello★ 4.7 · €15-25 · Roman pastaThe Trastevere pasta institution that lives on social media: Roman classics (cacio e pepe, carbonara, gricia, amatriciana) served fast, generously, and with the kind of staff that doesn't smile much. Directions
Book a TableTrapizzino Trastevere★ 4.6 · €6–10 · Roman street foodRoman invention: triangular pizza-bianca pocket filled with classic Roman dishes (chicken cacciatora, polpette, oxtail). Directions
Book a TableTrattoria Sora Lella★ 4.1 · €40-60 · Traditional RomanThe only restaurant on Tiber Island: opened in 1959 by Sora Lella Fabrizi, sister of the legendary Roman comic actor Aldo Fabrizi, and still run by her grandsons today. Directions
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