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Da Lucia
Eat beneath the fluttering knickers of the neighbourhood at this terrific trattoria, frequented by hungry locals and tourists. On a cobbled backstreet that is classic Trastevere, it serves up a cavalcade of Roman specialities including trippa all romana (tripe with tomato sauce) and pollo con peperoni (chicken with capsicum), as well as bountiful antipasti.
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Da Ricci
In a tranquil, cobbled cul de sac a step away from smoggy Via Nazionale, Rome's oldest pizzeria started life as an enoteca in 1905. The sign says Est! Est!! Est!!! - Da Ricci's other name - after the white wine from the north of Lazio. Pizzas are thick-based Neapolitan (though you can get thin-based if you're a Roman aficionado).
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Da Tonino
You'll be hard-pressed to find a cheaper place for a sit-down meal in central Rome. Unsigned Tonino's is a wonderfully low-key place with yellowing pictures hanging on white walls, and is always packed. There's no menu - the waiter will reel off the choices. You can't really go wrong - everything's pretty good - but if you want a recommendation, go for the pasta alla gricia (pasta with pecorino , black pepper and pancetta).
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Dagnino
Sweet tooths cram this chintzy pasticceria (pastry shop) for sublime Sicilian treats, from moreish ricotta-filled cannoli (pastries) and ice-cream brioche to velvety marzipan fruits. While the savoury offerings are hit and miss, the arancini (rice balls) would make Palermo proud.
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Dal Bolognese
See and be seen and mingle with the beautiful at this chic restaurant. Dine inside surrounded by wood panelling and exotic flowers, or outside watching people saunter across the piazza. As the name suggests, Emilia-Romagna dishes are what you get. Everything is good, but try the tagliatelle with truffles, tuna tartare or the damn fine fillet steak.
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Dar Poeta
A breezy, cheery pizzeria hidden away in an atmospheric side street, Dar Poeta is a contender for Rome's best pizza. The base is somewhere between wafer-thin Roman and Neapolitan comfort food, and the slow-risen dough apparently makes it easier to digest. There are also great bruschettas and salads, and it's famous for its unique ricotta and Nutella calzone. It's great for kids: they can run up and down the alley when they get bored.
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Del Frate
A hit with vino-versed locals, slick and spick Del Frate mix cellar classics with fabulous seasonal nosh. The crudo (raw) dishes are especially good (opt for the tuna tartare), while the wicked hot-chocolate pie will leave you craving confession.
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Dino & Tony
A rarity in the Vatican area, Dino & Tony's is a genuine little trattoria with great food and gruff Roman service. Famous for its amatriciana (some say it's the best in Rome), it also has fabulous antipasti and a beautiful granita di caffè served in a glass and topped with at least an inch of whipped cream.
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Ditirambo
Ditirambo is a recommended, convivial, new-wave trattoria. The interior looks like a regular, if upmarket, neighbourhood place, but the innovative cooking takes risks (mainly hits, with the occasional miss). Ingredients are organic and seasonal and there are an unusual number of vegetarian options. Try the delicate antipasti, such as ricotta with marinated artichokes. Be sure to book.
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Dolce Maniera
Down some stairs, this cake-filled corner is crammed full of every possible type of cornetto (croissant). It supplies most of the cafés in the area with their fresh colazione staples. You can also buy big slabs of pizza rosso and other savouries - at any time of day or night!
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Fiaschetteria Beltramme
With a tiny dark interior and high ceilings, Fiaschetteria (meaning 'wine-sellers') is a discreet, intimate, stuck-in-time place with a short menu and no telephone. Expect traditional Roman dishes ( pasta e ceci and so on) and fashionistas.
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Filetti di Baccalà
On a pretty, scooter-strewn piazza, this tiny old institution serves classic cod and chips, without the chips (the name means 'fillet of cod'). You can have the crispy battered veggies instead.
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Formula Uno
As far removed from a relaxed eating experience as most visitors would want to handle, this historic San Lorenzo pizzeria, with wooden tables, whirring fans and whizzing waiters, is always packed with local students and slumming uptowners. Consequently, you'll need to join the waiting throng and learn the underhand art of Roman queuing for cheap-as-chips thin-crust pizzas.
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Gelateria della Palma
A warning to parents: don't take kids in here unless you want to spend a lot. Like an ice-cream version of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, this brightly-coloured gelateria believes in customer choice, offering up to 100 different flavours. The specialities are creamy mousse gelati and the meringata varieties with bits of meringue.
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Gelateria Giolitti
For some time now this overpriced and overrated gelateria has been trading on its past rather than its gelato. In its heyday it regularly delivered tubs of Pope John Paul II's favourite flavour, marrons glacé (candied chestnut), to his summer residence. Nowadays it's not what it was, but it's still not bad. With 70-odd flavours on offer you should be able to find something to suit your palate.
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Gino
Conviviality should be this place's middle name. Hidden down a narrow lane, it's friendly and always busy, a favourite of local politicians and journalists. Here you can eat fabulously executed staples such as gnocchi and tonnarelli (square-shaped spaghetti) under painted vines, overlooked by some of the loudest murals in town.
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Giolitti
When Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn stopped by gelato-tastic Giolitti in Roman Holiday, they were onto a good thing. Elbow your way through the photo-snapping hordes for succulent, natural-tasting sorbets (the pear is unmissable) and richer must-licks such as marrons glacés and hazelnut.
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Grappolo d'Oro
More up to date (in design terms) than nearby Ditirambo, this is a similarly buzzing, informal, stylish eatery among the sometimes lacklustre options in this neighbourhood. The food is creative without being over-designed, but with old favourites such as spaghetti alla carbonara and meatballs.
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Hostaria Costanza
This is old-school Roman dining at its best. In the basement of Pompey's Theatre, Costanza serves up simple and wonderfully cooked food such as a creamy riso con fiori di zucca (risotto with courgette flowers), perfect ravioli di carciofi (ravioli with artichokes) and a simply delicious filetto di manzo al barolo (fillet of beef with barolo wine sauce). Bookings essential.
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Hostaria Isidoro
Convivial, no-fuss Isidoro has all the right ingredients: obliging waiters, lip-licking locals, and bountiful serves of soul food - golden roast chicken with soothing Gorgonzola and a delicate penne alle noci (pasta with walnut sauce).
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Hostaria Zampagna
The trendification of Via Ostiense - with ever-growing numbers of bars and clubs in its side streets - has thankfully bypassed this humble trattoria near the Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura. As for the past 80 years, you sit down to good hearty food prepared according to the city's weekly calendar. It's all splendid: try spaghetti alla carbonara, or all'amatriciana, then tuck into tripe, beef or involtini (stuffed rolls of meat).
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Hostaria-Pizzeria Giacomelli
This neighbourhood restaurant has them queuing around the block for thin and crispy Roman pizzas. The décor is nothing fancy (high ceilings, lots of photos), but the reliably good food has locals voting with their feet. There's some outside seating under striped awning on the pleasant street.
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Il Gelato di San Crispino
We forgive the stingy servings simply because this is possibly the world's best gelato. Religiously stored under stainless steel lids, the flavours are seasonal, strictly natural and unforgettable - ranging from the piquant fig to the zesty ginger and cinnamon.
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Il Posto Accanto
On pretty Via del Boschetto, this homely, family-run restaurant is small - there are only 25 places - and instantly memorable, lined by harvest-festival displays of fruit and veg. The food is splendid, with homemade ravioli and fish among the house specialities.
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La Botticella
On a quiet Trastevere backstreet, this offers pure Roman cooking, outside under the lines of flapping washing, or inside in the twee dining area. Menu stalwarts include tripe and rigatoni alla paiata (pasta with calf's intestines), but there are less demanding dishes, such as an excellent spaghetti all'amatriciana and fritto alla botticella, a tempura-like dish of deep-fried vegetables and delicious apple slices.
