Italy is a country renowned for its food and it’s no surprise that there is indeed very good food to be found in its capital, the eternal city Rome. It is a city of culinary surprises and one that rewards research and looking beyond Italian food stereotypes from other regions of the country. Here’s what you should look out for in Rome.
Restaurants
One of Rome’s best pizzerias, Sbanco is a popular venue that serves up delicious Roman-style pizzas, thinner and crispier than their Neapolitan cousins. Try a suppli to start, which is another Roman classic and similar to the Sicilian arancini, followed by a caccio e pepe pizza, a play on the simple yet delicious Roman pasta dish of cheese and pepper. Make sure to take advantage of the pizzaria’s selection of craft beer.
As written earlier, Rome is a city that rewards those who dig a little deeper such as the city’s rich Jewish heritage. Dine at Nonna Betta in Rome’s historic Jewish district for an insight into this community’s cuisine such as amatriciana alla giuda , with their fried artichokes being renowned as the best in the city (if you visit in season). It’s a great spot to try other Roman classics such as lamb and rigatoni con la pajata (calf intestines filled with milk).
Rigatoni con la pajata
Unpretentious and probably our favourite restaurant in Rome, the osteria La Tavernaccia is a local favourite and a great place to sample Roman classics. For pastas, try their amazing amatriciana or carbonara, followed by their famous suckling pig, which is undoubtedly one of the best experiences you can have in the city. The staff are incredibly welcoming with a great wine list, being a good place to try local Lazio wines.
Suckling pig
A stone’s throw from the Pantheon, Armando al Pantheon is a classic Roman restaurant in beautiful wood-panelled surrounds. The food here is superb and considering the location, rather reasonably priced.
Bars
While Italy is most famous for its wine, Italian craft beers have been growing in reputation and popularity and Open Baladin is a good spot to get a taste for the Italian beer scene. With hundreds of beers from Italy and all over Europe, Open Baladin offers the perfect antidote to a busy day of walking your feet off in the cobbled streets of Rome.
A wine and cocktail bar and bistro, Litro has an enormous wine cellar with a focus on natural wines, a movement that has taken Italy by storm. This is a good place to get a sense of the movement and explore natural and biodynamic wines.
Organic orange wine
Sweets
Situated in Rome’s trendy street-art filled neighbourhood of Ostienese, Romeow Cat Bistrot is a cat café with an Italian soul. As cats relax, sleep and play around you, you can enjoy a level of food and drink far superior to anything you may find in the bistrot’s Japanese cousins. The food is all vegan, so it’s of no interest to the cats, with full meals available. However, we visited for their deserts, which we highly recommend.
Sample some of Rome’s best gelato here at Otaleg (gelato backwards), with a mix of classic Italian and experimental gelato flavours.
A Roman institution, Gioliti is a famous café and pastry shop founded in 1890 and once the supplier of the Italian royal family. Still serving up sweet treats to eat in with an espresso or to take away, this is also reputedly the city’s oldest gelateria.
Famed for their innovative gelatos, Fatamorgana serves up some of the city’s best gelato. Don’t stick to the classics here!
Local specialties
Rome is famed for its marvellous buildings and staggering sense of history, but its food shouldn’t be overlooked. When visiting, we recommend trying suppli (like Sicilian arancini), Roman style pizza and pasta dishes like amatriciana (pasta with pork jowl, pecorino, tomato and sometimes onion), pasta alla gricia (like amatriciana but without tomatio), cacio e pepe (plenty of black pepper and pecorino, simple yet delicious), pajata, and of course carbonara.
Artichoke
Also famous are the city’s artichokes and zucchini flowers, not to mention its suckling pig and porchetta. Of course, like much of Italy, sitting in a café with an espresso and people watching with local café fare is highly recommended. We also can’t fail to mention crostata Romana, one of the nicest desserts we’ve ever eaten: a lattice crusty pie with fillings varying from ricotta to hazelnut.
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