Perhaps this is an unpopular opinion, but visiting Rome doesn’t guarantee you’ll eat well. Don’t get me wrong, you can have life-changing meals in the Eternal City, but you have to know where to go. Take it from me: I’ve been living here for five years, and visited often in the 10 years prior to that, writing about the city and its restaurant scene for Travel + Leisure, Afar and Food & Wine.
For the best restaurants and bars in , here are a handful of my picks, all ideal outdoor destinations to eat, drink and enjoy the Mediterranean climate as summer transitions to fall. iQuintili and 180 Grammi My favourite place for Neapolitan-style pizza is . The pizzaiolo, Marco Quintili, is from Caserta and it shows.
There are two locations, neither in the centre of Rome, which is a clue that this place is not pandering to tourists but catering to locals. The menu is extensive, the service is speedy, and the prices are very reasonable, unlike those at the more famous . Of the pizzerias making thin-crust Roman-style pizza, is my favourite.
The location in Trastevere is the most central, but I love to sit outside at the one in Parco Appio in the warmer months. They have classic flavour combinations, but I recommend their special pizzas, like the Parmigiana de Noantri, which is topped with tomato sauce, fried eggplant, stracciatella, semi-dry tomatoes, basil, parmigiano and charred eggplant skin. Da Enzo al 29, a family-run trattoria, doesn’t take reservations, but it’s worth the wait.
Da Enzo al 29 An authentic Roman trattoria shouldn’t be trendy. It should be no-frills and a bit boisterous, with no-nonsense service, and the menu should stick to classic Roman dishes. If the decor is a bit too swanky, the lighting is low, or the menu includes ingredients like avocado, it might be a fine place to eat, but it’s not an authentic trattoria.
My favourite is , in the Trastevere neighbourhood. The line is always ridiculously long — it doesn’t take reservations — but when I finally bite into a forkful of their tonnarelli cacio e pepe, I remember why it’s worth the wait. The tonnarelli are fresh and homemade, and hearty enough to stand up to the thick, creamy sauce.
Whatever I order, it never disappoints, and despite this family-run trattoria’s popularity, the prices are still extremely reasonable. Gelateria del Teatro There are many fantastic artisanal gelaterias in Rome, so please, I beg of you, avoid the industrial gelaterias like Blue Ice. Hands-down my favourite gelateria in the centre of Rome is the , near Piazza Navona.
They make the gelato in the back of the shop, and display the fresh fruits and nuts they’re using in the window. They offer all the classic flavours, including excellent almond gelato using almonds from Sicily. They use only fresh fruit for their sorbetto, including strawberries from Terracina.
And they make some excellent, more unusual flavours, like raspberry and sage, basil and pineapple, and one called vecchia Roma with ricotta and cherries. On hot days, head to the historic Tazza d’Oro for granita di caffè con panna. In Italy, bars and cafés generally serve espresso all day long, in addition to soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.
I will often pop into a random bar for a quick espresso macchiato when I need a boost, but there are a couple of famous coffee bars worth seeking out. Both are near the Pantheon, and both historic: (the more famous of the two) and (the one I prefer). The latter has been around since 1944 and roasts its beans in-house, so the smell is amazing.
In the summer, I love their (a sort of frozen coffee slushie with whipped cream). The Court at Palazzo Manfredi When I want to impress out-of-town guests, I take them to . The rooftop bar charges about 27 euros for a cocktail, but it’s got a dead-on view of the Colosseum, which is truly magical at sunset.
This open-air rooftop bar occupies the space between the old and new buildings at Palazzo Manfredi, a luxury Relais & Châteaux hotel opposite the ancient amphitheatre. The creative cocktails are by lauded bartender Matteo “Zed” Zamberlan, and they come with a generous variety of gourmet snacks from the hotel’s Michelin-starred kitchen. Reservations are essential.
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