Rome Travel Guide

Restaurants in Rome, Italy

Restaurants
Expensive

Il Convivio Troiani
Run by three brothers, Il Convivio is one of the city's foremost foodie temples. Some of the dishes stem from classic Roman fare, but the basic ingredients are always combined with something unexpected according to the whim of youngest brother and chef Angelo, and turned into something sublime. Three elegant rooms, two with murals on the walls, and well-trained wait staff make for a truly rounded gourmet experience. Dinner only, closed Sunday.

Vicolo dei Soldati 31
Tel: 06 686 9432.
Website: www.ilconviviotroiani.com
Price: $$$$

Hostaria dell'Orso
Milanese superstar chef Gualtiero Marchesi steers the Hostaria dell'Orso. Its home, a medieval palazzo, was an inn for centuries, and then a swinging restaurant-bar frequented by Onassis and Callas. Now reopened as a restaurant (plus piano bar and discotheque), it offers skilled Italian haute cuisine such as carrè d'agnello arrosto, cipolla rossa fondente, granella di pistacchi (roast lamb cutlets, sweet onions and pistachios). Dishes can be ordered à la carte and there are various menù degustazione (set-price menus). No lunch.

Via dei Soldati 25C
Tel: 06 6830 1192.
Website: www.hdo.it
Price: $$$$

La Pergola
Three Michelin stars, over 50,000 bottles in the cellar and breathtaking views mark this roof garden restaurant as one of Italy's best. The chef, Heinz Beck, shapes the seasonal menu, creating inspirational dishes such as agnello ai carciofi in crosta di pane con consommé di agnello e spuma di pecorino (lamb with artichokes in a bread crust served with lamb consommé and pecorino mousse). There are separate menus for wines, water, teas, herbal teas and coffees. Dinner only, closed Sunday and Monday.

Cavalieri Hilton Hotel
Via A Cadlolo 101
Tel: 06 35091.
Website: www.romecavalieri.it
Price: $$$$

La Rosetta
Founded in 1966, and regarded as Rome's finest fish restaurant, La Rosetta lies in a quiet side street close to the Pantheon. The interior is simple yet elegant, and a typical, languorous lunch might feature: polpo grigliato al salmoriglio con broccoli (fried curled baby octopuses with zucchini strings), followed by rigatoncini con ragout di cernia e ricotta salata (rigatoncini with grouper ragout and salted ricotta cheese), all accompanied by superlative wines. Closed Sunday.

Via della Rosetta 8
Tel: 06 686 1002.
Website: www.larosetta.com
Price: $$$$

Moderate

Checchino dal 1887
Checchino has been in the Mariani family for five generations. It's in Testaccio, close to Rome's former slaughterhouse, where traditional Roman cooking developed, using the ‘fifth quarter' or offal. Classic dishes evolved, such as coda alla vaccinara (braised oxtail), which are still on the menu today. For those who think offal is awful, there are plenty of other choices, such as petto di vitella alla fornara (breast of veal cooked in the oven). Reservations are recommended. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Via di Monte Testaccio 30
Tel: 06 574 3816.
Website: www.checchino-dal-1887.com
Price: $$$

Dal Bolognese
To hobnob with politicians, artists and businesspeople, head to this chic restaurant, with its terrace overlooking Piazza del Popolo, and a classic winter dining room decorated with contemporary paintings. The menu features high-quality meat-oriented dishes from Bologna, notably beef fillets and sausage pasta. Vegetarians need not worry however, as the tortelloni con ricotta e spinaci (pasta filled with spinach and ricotta) is equally good. For dessert, divine sorbets from the southern region of Campania are served in scooped-out fruit. Closed Monday.

Piazza del Popolo 1
Tel: 06 3611426.
Price: $$$

Al Presidente
Discreet and classy, Al Presidente is close to the Trevi Fountain, yet a world away from the array of tourist traps around this area. It's so-named because it sits beneath the walls of the presidential palace, at the foot of the Quirinale. The menu resounds with fish and presents some Roman classics with a twist. Try the pasta with sardines and pecorino cheese and the baccala (salt cod) and potato croquettes.

Via Arcione 95
Tel: 06 679 7342.
Website: www.alpresidente.it
Price: $$-$$$

Enoteca Capranica
Housed within a 15th-century renaissance palazzo close to the Parliament, this elegant restaurant retains old-fashioned charm, with wood-panelled walls and chintzy chairs. Ideal for business lunches, there is a small room reserved for private meetings. The interesting menu features traditional dishes with a twist, such as lombo di agnello con tortino di patate e pomodori secchi (lamb with potato cake and sundried tomatoes). Closed Sunday, no lunch Saturday.

Piazza Capranica 99
Tel: 06 6994 0992.
Website: www.enotecacapranica.it
Price: $$$

La Tana de Noantri
This popular place is in the heart of the most touristy part of Trastevere (behind Piazza Santa Maria), yet has delighted with solid Roman cuisine since it opened in 1965. All the dishes use only the freshest of ingredients, including lots of fish. Another of their specialties are tagliolini alla tana, thin egg tagliatelle made with tomatoes, mushrooms and fresh oregano. There's a street side terrace, nestled next to orange-ochre walls, for warm weather dining. Closed Tuesday.

Via della Paglia 1-3
Tel: 06 580 6404.
Website: www.latanadenoantri.it
Price: $$

Taverna degli Amici
Much favored by politicians and celebrities from the Roman or Italian arts scene, this restaurant nevertheless boasts unpretentious and discreet staff, a rustic interior and a romantic candlelit terrace, set in an enchantingly pretty piazza. The menu changes daily but the staple is fish. Desserts are homemade and creative (cinnamon mousse and an exquisite crème caramel are just two examples). Closed Monday.

Piazza Margana 37
Tel: 06 6992 0637.
Price: $$

Osteria dell'Ingegno
Favored by politicians and their designer hangers on, this has an informal yet upmarket feel, with cubist-style paintings on the walls and adventurous food on the menu, such as polenta gialla con fonduta di gorgonzola (yellow cornmeal cake with gorgonzola cream). See and be seen at aperitivo (early evening snack time, until 1930). The restaurant is set opposite the impressive crumbling columns of the temple of Hadrian, which in 1879 was incorporated into the façade for what was Rome's stock exchange.

Piazza di Pietra 45
Tel: 06 678 0662.
Price: $$

Glass Hostaria
Excellent and good-value taster menus, home-made bread, and cucina creativa (creative cuisine) dishes such as tagliolini capesante, rafano, cappari e caviale di salmone (tagliolini pasta with scallops, lemongrass and salmon caviar) and agnello, prugne infuse in karkadė, funghi e salsa di rucola (rack of lamb with hibiscus tea-infused prune, quinoa and rocket sauce) make this sleekly modern, exposed-brick Trastevere restaurant a memorable dining experience. Open dinner only, closed Monday.

Vicolo del Cinque 58
Tel: 06 5833 5903.
Website: www.glass-hostaria.com
Price: $$

Gusto
This split-level, open-plan restaurant, pizzeria, wine bar and osteria (round the back, entrance Via della Frezza 16) feels somewhat retro these days, with its exposed brickwork, wooden floors, marble-top tables and industrial-style lighting. But who's grumbling when it still turns out lip smacking pizzas and has a happening buzz. In the more upmarket restaurant section, the emphasis is on Mediterranean cuisine, primarily meat and fish prepared with aromatic herbs and spices. Weekend brunch sees a menu based on eggs, quiches, muffins and salads, yogurt, cereal and freshly-squeezed orange juice.

Piazza Augusto Imperatore 9
Tel: 06 322 6273.
Website: www.gusto.it
Price: $$-$$$

Ketumbar
Ketumbar (Malay for coriander) is a chic nightspot, just off Testaccio's happening nightlife strip. Fusion cuisine fits the bill, with dishes such as sushi and nasi goreng (rice, egg and greens prepared in a wok) and Mediterranean dishes with a nouvelle twist. The cave like interior is minimalist and moody, with green and red leather upholstered chairs and lots of dark wood. Potsherds (pieces of broken Roman amphorae that make up Monte Testaccio hill) are subtly lit behind a glass wall. There's a bar serving cocktails and a resident DJ who plays a seductive mix of nu-lounge, electrojazz and Latin sounds. No lunch. Closed August.

Via Galvani 24
Tel: 06 5730 5338.
Website: www.ketumbar.it
Price: $$

Ditirambo
Just off the ever-popular and ever-bustling Campo de' Fiori, this intimate, relaxed restaurant is a gem of reliable, yet inventive Italian regional cuisine (with excellent vegetarian choices) and good humor in a decidedly touristy area. The interior is warm and inviting, ingredients are organic, the bread and pasta are home-made, as are the delicious deserts, which are worthy of a postcard home, and there are delectable plates of salami and cheeses too. No lunch Monday.

Piazza della Cancelleria 74-75
Tel: 06 687 1626.
Website: www.ristoranteditirambo.it
Price: $$

L'Arcangelo
A simple interior (amber walls, wood-paneling and linen tablecloths) give no indication of the gourmet experience in store. Famed chef Fulvio Pierangelini has an innovative approach to even the simplest dishes. Start with salads of tender octopus with citrus. Primi (first courses) might include gnocchi with lamb, artichoke and pecorino cheese; secondi (main courses) pork with a spicy plum sauce. There's a fairly-priced taster menu of Roman cuisine too. Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday.

Via Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli 59-61
Tel: 06 321 0992.
Price: $$$

Palatium - Enoteca Regionale
This wine bar and restaurant provides something special close to the Spanish Steps. Opened about two years ago by the region of Lazio to promote local foods and wines, the interior is streamlined and sexy, but the creations by chef Antonello Colonna are based on traditional regional classics such as broccoli rabe with sausage, fried baccalà (cod) and anchovies and cannellini bean soup. Tasty seasonal Lazio vegetables, cheeses, olive oils and cured meats are on offer too. Open lunch and dinner daily.

Via Frattina 94
Tel: 06 6920 2132.
Price: $$

La Gensola
This is a fabulous foodie find in Trastevere, a Sicilian restaurant that works magic on the menu, combining Roman cooking with southern passion. Seafood is the star here, with deceptively simple dishes wowing the palate: try tuna tartare, or spaghetti ai ricci di mare (spaghetti with sea urchins). A couple of simple yet classy rooms, white-tableclothed, set the scene. A great wine list, fine selection of liqueurs and waiters with character give the place its finishing touches.

Piazza della Gensola 15
Tel: 06 581 6312.
Price: $$-$$$

Cheap

Obikà
Rome's unique mozzarella bar pays homage to the delicious cheese delivered daily from the neighboring Campania region and also the even creamier burrata variety from Puglia. Minimalist decor merges stainless steel with pale wood and columns - it feels like a sushi bar, with cheese instead of fish. Customers can eat at counters or settle down in the restaurant section. There are delicious one-off dishes and salads too, scrumptious home-made desserts and an affordable lunch-time menu. In warmer months visitors can eat outdoors. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Via dei Prefetti 26A, Piazza di Firenze
Tel: 06 683 2630.
Website: www.obika.it
Price: $-$$

DaAugusto
A meal at Augusto's, one of the few remaining Trastevere osterie, is an experience in itself. On busy winter evenings, the dining room is packed and steamy, while in summer, rickety wooden tables spill out onto a pretty cobbled piazza. The menu is limited and runs out early: favorites include pollo arrosto con patate (roast chicken and potatoes), abbacchio al forno (lamb done in the oven) and trippa (tripe) on Saturdays; desserts are home-made. Tables are covered with throw-away paper cloths where waiters scribble down orders and tot up bills. Closed Saturday evening and Sunday. No credit cards.

Piazza de' Renzi 15
Tel: 06 580 3798.
Price: $

Cul de Sac
This well-located (just off Piazza Navona) wine bar is perfect for a lingering, informal meal. The space might be cosy (the restaurant is corridor-narrow and always packed) but it's convivial and good value. In balmy weather, nab an outside table on the little terrace. On the menu are fish and meat main courses from Italy and abroad, cheese-plates, home-made pâtés, cold meats, Middle-Eastern influenced side-dishes such as babaghannush, hearty onion and red lentil soups and the freshest Greek salad in town. Choose from almost 40 wines available by the glass and 1,400 bottles listed in a wine list of biblical proportions. Open daily until late.

Piazza Pasquino 73
Tel: 06 6880 1094.
Price: $-$$

Formula 1
San Lorenzo, the grungy yet hip student quarter, is famous for its cheap and cheerful pizzerie and a growing number of sophisticated wine bars and eateries. The slightly chaotic, wildly popular Formula 1 is a basic no-frills pizza place, which has been serving up some of the best (and one of the widest ranges) in Rome for over 20 years, using real mozzarella (and not the factory kind so favored nowadays). The typically Roman fried baccalà (salted cod) and vegetables, and the crunchy and fresh bruschette starters are also excellent. No lunch. Closed Sunday. No credit cards.

Via degli Equi 13
Tel: 06 445 3866.
Price: $

Gino
A cheery, cosy trattoria, with a surprisingly affordable (and tasty) menu for this close to the Parliament and Piazza di Spagna. Gino is hidden away, has frescoed walls and is perennially packed. The happy clientele dig into hearty portions of spaghetti alla carbonara, spezzatino di vitello o manzo (beef or veal stew), and some reliably good fish dishes. The classic sweets - tiramisù, crostate (fruit tarts), and crème caramel are all home-made. Closed Sunday and August. No credit cards.

Vicolo Rosini 4
Tel: 06 687 3434.
Price: $$

Naturist ClubL'Isola
Don't be put off by its name - there's no nudity involved. Tucked away on the fourth floor of this palazzo between Via del Corso and Piazza di Spagna is this historic Rome macrobiotic eaterie. At lunchtime it operates as a self-service vegetarian restaurant, at night you can eat à la carte organic food (including fish dishes) served by staff. The atmosphere is more intimate and you can accompany your meal with organic wine. Closed Saturday at lunch and all day Sunday.

Via della Vite 14 (Fourth floor)
Tel: 06 679 2509.
Price: $

Panattoni
The perfect Roman pizza: delicate and thin, with a crispy crust, loaded with toppings. Popularly known as the obitorio (morgue), because of its marble-topped tables and stark interior, Panattoni nevertheless brims with life in the evenings and has lots of outdoor tables in the warmer months. Try the fried cod fillets, the bruschette and any of the pizzas. Very reasonably priced. To avoid the crowds, it is best to arrive either very early (before 2000) or very late (after 2400). No lunch. Closed Wednesday. No credit cards.

Viale Trastevere 53-57
Tel: 06 580 0919.
Price: $

Nightlife

It might not be New York or Berlin, but Rome has its party scene, if you know where to look for it. Like many Europeans, Romans go out late and the fun only really commences after dinner. The wine bars and cafes around Piazza Navona and Via della Pace tend to be the chicest, while there's a busy scene around Campo de Fiori, with a more trashy vibe. Irish pubs are also popular with Italians and expats, with a few choices around Monti district (close to Colosseo), which also has some inviting bars.

The biggest concentration of nightclubs lies in the Testaccio and Ostiense districts. One of the main drags in Testaccio, Via di Monte Testaccio, is lined with bars, pubs, live music venues and clubs, so it's a good place to head if you want to stay out late. It has spread over to neighboring, formerly industrial, Ostiense, which has some hip new bars and so-called ristodisco, places where you can both eat and dance. While Rome's hardly the gay capital of Europe, there's a small gay scene, with some saunas and clubs, and many nightclubs have weekly gay nights.

The weekly Roma C'è (out on Wednesdays; www.romace.it) and TrovaRoma (out on Thursday free with the La Repubblica newspaper) publications, and the online 2night (www.2night.it) have good and reliable information on nightlife in Rome.

The legal drinking age in Italy is 16 and the absence of licensing laws means that drinking is possible at all hours. Most wine bars and birrerie stay open until 2400 in winter and 0200 in summer. However, in general, people are more interested in seeing and being seen - alcohol is almost an afterthought.

Romans tend to dress more casually than their counterparts in Milan and Florence, but the bella figura (‘looking good') is still important, and people tend to look well turned-out.

Bars: The Vineria on Campo de' Fiori makes a perfect rendez-vous for an early evening drink. Customers range from well-known actors to local winos, from tourists to try-hards. Otherwise, Il Nolano at number 11 is as good for people-watching and always less packed. Just a few doors down at number 20 is the Drunken Ship, good for those in search of English-speaking expats and tourists. Rather more refined is Antico Caffè della Pace, Via della Pace 5, close to Piazza Navona. The cosy interior is adorned with antiques, while the ivy-clad facade backs a quintessential summer terrace. For an after-dinner digestivo and good-value people-watching look no further than the hip Freni & Frizioni, Via del Politeama 4-6, a bar housed in a former car workshop (hence the name - Brakes and Clutches) in Trastevere. In fine weather it spills out into a square near the Lungotevere. For something even more artsy, with regular DJs, head to its sister bar Societe Lutece, Piazza Montevecchio 17, near Piazza Navona.

Clubs: House music remains a firm favorite here, although a number of smaller and more alternative clubs play rock and revival. In July and August, many clubs close, opening outdoor alternatives around town and beside the sea near Ostia.

The majority of Rome's clubs are clustered around Monte Testaccio, with places such as small, unassuming, but funky Metaverso, Via Montetestaccio 38, which plays hip hop, house and reggae, depending on the night. Alien, Via Velletri 13-19 (www.aliendisco.it), is one of Rome's longest running clubs, where the dressed-up crowd groove and pout to house, hip hop and ambient. Nearby Alibi, Via Monte Testaccio 40, is mixed gay and straight, has a big outdoor terrace, and plays predominantly house music. Close by, Fake, Via Monte Testaccio 64, is a temple to electronic and hip-hop sounds with a pop-art décor and gauze-draped terrace.

Some of Europe's best DJs play at Goa, Via Libetta 13, close to Mercati Generali in the post-industrial landscape of the up-and-coming Ostiense area. House, jungle and techno music predominate amid a sophisticated ethnic and industrial setting of wood combined with wrought iron. At 3 Via Libetta, another staunch Ostiense favorite is Classico Village (www.classico.it), which offers two dance floors and a restaurant in a former factory, as well as some top notch Italian pop, rock and jazz concerts. Just a few steps away is the glam, vaguely 1930s-themed Distillerie Clandestine, which has a restaurant, club, disco, and expertly mixed cocktails at Via Libetta 7 (www.distillerieclandestine.com)

Live Music: Jazz lovers should head for cave-like Alexanderplatz, Via Ostia 9, near the Vatican (www.alexanderplatz.it) because when the big names come to town, they often come here. Big Mama, Vicolo di San Francesco a Ripa 18 (www.bigmama.it), is cramped but pulls some good up-and-coming musicians, plus a few big names. In summer, there's the Villa Celimontana Jazz Festival, with live jazz nightly in a beautiful tree shaded park. Circolo degli Artisti, Via Casilina Vecchia 42 (www.circoloartisti.it) is where big indie names play when they're in town. Fonclea, Via Crescenzio 82A (www.fonclea.it) is a pub-restaurant in the Prati area (close to the Vatican), which stages popular jazz and blues concerts.

For more new or rarefied jazz sounds and ethnic music, try the La Palma, Via Giuseppe Mirri 35 (a short bus ride from the Tiburtina metro stop) (www.lapalmaclub.it). The city now also has its very own Casa del Jazz, Viale di Porta Ardeatina 55 (www.casajazz.it), housed in the former villa of a Mafia boss, seized by the council. Come here for jazz-related concerts and talks followed by brunch or a meal at the restaurant. For jazz, blues, funk and retro sounds, and even occasional burlesque nights, head to Micca Club at Via Pietro Micca, 7a (www.miccaclub.com), pop-art decorated cellars that celebrate the sounds of the sixties. They also hold a flea market on Sunday evenings, with DJs and aperitivo.

For something different, visit the Centri Sociali (see Culture), squatter arts centers that are often a little out of the center. One of the most cutting-edge for new music is Brancaleone, Via Levanna 11 (www.brancaleone.it), attracting an alternative and dressed-down crowd with concerts, films, art exhibitions and club nights. More central is the long-established Villaggio Globale in the old abattoir (ex-Mattatoio) in the heart of Testaccio's clubbing district at Lungotevere Testaccio 22 (www.vglobale.biz). There are regular big name concerts here, especially of reggae, dancehall, hip-hop and techno. In summer bands play in the huge circus tent in the courtyard. These venues are left-wing politically and tickets are cheap - underlining the ethic of arts for all.