Eating out in Rome has never been so good. No longer is the menu limited to traditional Roman cuisine – the scene is increasingly rich and varied, with creative Mediterranean restaurants, Neapolitan pizza joints and a flurry of new designer eateries. But Romans are discerning diners: to make the grade here, restaurants must deliver culinary excellence, welcoming decor and first-rate service.
Here´s a list of the Best Restaurants in Rome
Le Pain Quotidien
Via Tomacelli 24–5
This bakery’s signature sour-dough bread accompanies tasty quiches, pâtés and big salads. Great for a casual lunch on the terrace. A meal out in Italy normally consists of antipasti (hors d’oeuvres), primo (which is normally a pasta dish), secondo (either a meat or a fish dish) and dolce (dessert), with an espresso to round it all off.
Est! Est! Est! – Da Ricci
Via Genova 32
The thick-based Neapolitan pizzas in this old-fashioned pizzeria are big enough for any appetite.
Gusto
Piazza Augusto Imperatore 9
Enjoy a pizza or plate of pasta on a comfortable wicker chair in a marble arcade. Book in advance, as tables
are always in demand.
Il Margutta Ristorarte
Via Margutta 118
Dining on a pretty cobblestoned lane is the draw at this vegetarian restaurant. Alfresco is the internationally
recognized word used to describe outdoor dining, but Italians actually say all’aperto (in the open air).
Uffa Che Pizza
Via dei Taurini 39
Blown up like a soccer ball or stretched out into a long coccodrillo (crocodile), this is pizza unlike any you’ve seen before.
ALFRESCO THE PERFECT PIZZA
Trattoria San Teodoro
Via dei Fienili 49–51
Contemporary Italian cuisine with a strong seafood slant is served on a shady terrace. A firm favourite with well-heeled foodies.
Mangiamoci
Salita di San Sebastianello
A slick chrome, glass and leather interior defines this seafood restaurant, which draws a hip and demanding crowd.
Da Vittorio
Via di San Cosimato 14a
Always full, this historic Trastevere pizzeria is best-known for its Pizza Vittorio (mozzarella, baby tomatoes and basil).
Ristorante Trattoria
Via del Pozzo delle Cornacchie 25
It’s the stunningly presented dishes, not the setting, that steal the show at this 16th century palazzo.
Bloom
Via del Teatro Pace 30
Join Rome’s glamour crowd in this revamped ex-convent, where steaks and sushi are the stars of an otherwise classic Italian menu.
Thien Kim a taste of the Orient 6 C5
Via Giulia 201 • 06 6830 7832
Open dinner Mon–Sat
This pioneering restaurant has been serving exquisite Vietnamese food since 1976. Ideal for a change of pace and cuisine, it has a tranquil atmosphere and courteous service. The tasty Isola del Paradiso Verde (Green Island Paradise) is a seafood soup for four to share that is served over a gas burner.
L’Insalata Ricca
Largo Chiavari 85–6 • 06 6880 3656
Open lunch & dinner daily
Plugging a gap in the market, L’Insalata Ricca serves salads in a city where meat and pasta rule. They now have eight branches around town, but this, the first, is still the best. Try the ai gamberetti (prawns, mushrooms, rocket and radicchio) or la contadina (feta cheese, olives, almonds, tomatoes and lettuce).
Piazza della Cancelleria 75 • 06 687 1626
Open dinner Mon, lunch & dinner Tue–Sun
Tiny Ditirambo earns top marks for gastronomic excellence, generous portions and reasonable prices. The decor is simple and rustic, with tables packed close together. It’s a favourite spot of Oscar-winning actor Roberto Benigni and the lefty intellectual set, who come for dishes such as the sublime wildmushroom ravioli with clam sauce, and the mint-flavored gnocchi. The piatti di mezzo (“half plates”) are generous in size and truly delicious: try the artichoke strudel or the aubergine rissoles. The menu is in Italian, English and French, and there’s a good explanation (in Italian) of their superb selection of cheeses, which range from second-fermentation gorgonzola to alpine and cave-seasoned specialties. The wine list has a handy symbols system that describes each wine. It gets busy most evenings, so book ahead.