Restaurants in Rome
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La Carbonara
On the go since 1906, this busy restaurant was favoured by the infamous Ragazzi di Panisperna (named after the street), the group of young physicists, including Enrico Fermi, who constructed the first atomic bomb. The waiters are brusque, it crackles with energy and the interior is covered in graffiti – tradition dictates that diners should leave their mark in a message on the wall. The speciality is the eponymous carbonara.
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Necci
To start your exploration of this bar-studded area, try the iconic Necci, opened in 1924, where film director Pasolini used to hang out, and where he filmed some of Accattone. More recently it appeared in Francesca Archibugi’s Una questione di Cuore. Gutted by fire in 2009, it was swiftly restored to how it was. It caters to an eclectic crowd of all ages, and has a lovely, leafy garden-terrace (ideal for families out for dinner as the kids have some room to play). There’s wi-fi.
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Armando al Pantheon
A family-run trattoria, Armando’s is a wood-panelled, inviting, authentic institution close to the Pantheon. Always busy, it’s fed the likes of philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and footballer Pelè. It specialises in traditional Roman fare but you can also branch out on dishes like guinea fowl with porcini mushrooms and black beer and spaghetti with truffles. Book ahead.
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La Veranda de l’Hotel Columbus
Dine in romantic splendour under Pinturicchio frescoes in the loggia of the 15th-century Palazzo della Rovere. In line with the setting, dishes are based on superb Italian ingredients, such as Tuscan chianina beef, and accompanied by top-quality Italian and international wines. Prices are lower at lunch.
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Said
Said is one of San Lorenzo’s chicest haunts, housed in a 1920s chocolate factory. It includes a glorious chocolate shop, selling delights like Japanese pink-tea pralines, and a stylish restaurant-bar, all cosy urban chic, with battered sofas, industrial antiques and creative cuisine.
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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. As for the past 80 years, you sit down to good hearty, homecooked food prepared according to the city’s weekly calendar. It’s all splendid: try spaghetti alla carbonara, alla gricia or all’amatriciana, then tuck into tripe, beef or involtini.
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Andreotti
Film director and Ostiense local Ferzan Ozpetek is such a fan of the pastries here, he's known to cast them in his films. They're all stars, from the fragrant almond biscotti and buttery crostate (tarts), to the piles of golden sfogliatelle romane (ricotta-filled pastries). There's even a supporting cast of savoury gems such as frittini (fried canapés) and cute-as-a-button bruschettine (mini bruschetta).
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Alberto Ciarla
Alberto Ciarla's Trastevere fish restaurant is a historic landmark on Rome's gastronomic map. The décor is a time warp of 1970s glamour, and the food is spectacular in a more tasteful sense. There are three seafood tasting menus: grande cucina for lobsters, oysters and refined delicacies; cucina tirrenica for Mediterranean prawn salads and pasta with seafood; and crudo for marinated raw fish and marine molluscs.
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Pizza Ré
Part of a chain, but a good one, this popular pizzeria - handy for Piazza del Popolo - offers Neapolitan-style pizzas, with thick doughy bases and delicious, diverse toppings. The salads are fresh and the antipasti is great - try the fried things or the mozzarella fresca di bufala e prosciutto San Daniele (buffalo mozzarella with San Daniele dry-cured ham). There's a narrow strip of outdoor tables. It's busy so you might have to book or wait.
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Trimani
Part of the Trimani family’s wine empire (their shop just round the corner stocks about 4000 international labels), this is an unpretentious yet highly professional enoteca, with knowledgeable, multilingual staff. It’s Rome’s biggest wine bar and has a vast selection of Italian regional wines as well as an ever-changing food menu – tuck into local salami and cheese or fresh oysters. Book ahead to take one of the regular wine-tasting courses.
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Casetta di Trastevere
With outside seating on a cobbled Trastevere corner, this characterful trattoria is held in high regard by Italians, who will cheerfully queue for a table, either inside or out. What they're waiting for is no-nonsense hearty fare served in pleasantly large portions. Particularly good is the crema di fave con crostini (broad-bean puree with croutons) and pasta e fagioli (thick borlotti-bean soup). Service can be slow when it's busy.
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Papa Baccus
To breed your own hogs to ensure a ready supply of quality meat requires a passion verging on obsession. But it's exactly what the owner of this refined Tuscan restaurant does. Meat rules here, with pride of place going to the succulent Chianina beef, but there's plenty else besides, including panzanella (a summery starter of bread with salad, herbs and oil). Reservations are preferred, and you can sit outside on the quiet cobbled street.
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Il Bocconcino
Visited the Colosseum and need lunch in a local trattoria? Try ‘the little mouthful’ in the area heading up towards San Giovanni. Its gingham tablecloths, outdoor seating and cosy interior look like all the others in this touristy neighbourhood but it serves excellent pastas and imaginative meat and fish mains such as rombo in impanatura di agrumi (turbot with citrus fruit coating).
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Glass Hostaria
Trastevere’s foremost foodie address, the Glass Hostaria is a breath of fresh air in the neighbourhood, a modernist-styled, sophisticated setting with cooking to match. Chef Cristina creates inventive, delicate dishes that combine with fresh ingredients and traditional elements to delight and surprise the palate.
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Uno e Bino
San Lorenzo harbours some culinary diamonds and this is the biggest sparkler of them all, though it's a very minimalist sparkler. Classy yet relaxed, it's bottle-lined, with paper tablecloths. It's won lots of awards, and Giovanni Passerini cooks fine, adventurous food with a Sicilian slant, such as fagottelli envelopes stuffed with pecorino, garlic, tomato, date and almond milk. It's always full, so you'll need to book ahead.
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L'Archeologia
Near the Basilica and Catacombe di San Sebastiano, this baronial-esque dining den - complete with elaborate flower arrangements, velvet drapes and Europe's oldest wisteria in the garden - is a safe bet for authentic regional grub and is a hit with perfectly preened Italian families out for Sunday lunch. The spaghetti primavera (spaghetti with zucchini, fresh tomato, basil and prawns) is sublime, and service is refreshingly friendly.
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Vineria Roscioli Salumeria
Walk in and swoon over the mingled aromas. This traditional deli is a temple to food, with olive oils, cheeses (around 450 varieties), Italian and Spanish hams etc to buy. It’s packed at meal times, when you can dine deliciously in the molto chic interior (think exposed brick arches and contemporary paintings). Dishes include fresh pastas and beef tartare, and the wine list has some 1100 labels (900 Italian, 200 French).
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Maccheroni
With its classic vintage interior – think plain, bottle-lined walls and hanging strands of garlic – attractive setting and traditional menu, Maccheroni is the archetypal centro storico trattoria. Locals and tourists flock here to dine on Roman stalwarts like tonnarelli al cacio e pepe (pasta with cheese and pepper) and carciofo alla Romana (Roman style artichoke).
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Trattoria
Walk through the discreet entrance and up the stairs to find yourself in the city's most innovative Sicilian restaurant. It has an excellent reputation for its interpretations of classics such as frittata and pasta alla Norma (with fried aubergine, tomato, basil and ricotta), as well as delicious fried gnocchi with culatello (a kind of prosciutto), all served amid modernist minimalism as well thought-out as the food.
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Caffè Sant’Eustachio
- Rome, Italy
- Restaurants › Café
A small stand-up place with some of Rome’s best coffee, this is always three deep at the bar. The famous gran caffè is created by beating the first drops of espresso and several teaspoons of sugar into a frothy paste, then adding the rest of the coffee on top. It’s superbly smooth and guaranteed to put zing into your sightseeing. Specify if you want it amaro (bitter) or poco zucchero (with a little sugar).
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Taverna Angelica
A gorgeous, creative trattoria tucked away at the edge of the Borgo, this has an elegant, gracious interior with huge wicker lampshades and copper-framed pictures. Food is imaginative, with delicate and delicious flavours: Take, for example, tonnarelli with garlic and oil, pachino (a type of cherry tomato) and ricotta. Sunday lunch is a bargain at around €20 or around €25 (two different set menus).
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Margutta Ristorante
Vegetarian restaurants in Rome are rarer than parking spaces, and this airy art gallery–restaurant is an unusually chic way to eat your greens. Most dishes are excellent, with offerings such as artichoke hearts with potato cubes and smoked provolone cheese. There’s an impressive wine list and staff are friendly and bilingual. Best value is the Saturday/Sunday buffet brunch (€15/25). It also offers a four-course vegan menu (€32).
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Spirito Divino
Spirito Divino is in a medieval building that once housed the oldest synagogue in Rome - the walls date to 980, while the wine cellar is even older. The menu is not just traditional; some of the recipes are ancient, such as pork Mazio-style, which dates back around 2000 years. More modern dishes, all delicious, include linguine with seafood, lamb with pepper and peach chutney, and a sublime crème brûlée.
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Da Olindo
One of Trastevere’s old-style basic kitchens, this is your classic family affair, where the menu is short and the atmosphere is lively. Cuisine is robust, portions are huge. Expect baccalà con patate on Fridays and gnocchi on Thursdays, but other dishes – such as coniglio all cacciatore (rabbit, hunter-style) or polpette al sugo (meatballs in sauce) – whichever day you like.
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Sergio alle Grotte
A flower’s throw from the Campo, Sergio’s is a textbook Roman trattoria: chequered tablecloths, dodgy wall murals, bustling waiters, and steaming plateloads of pasta. A loyal following enjoys classic hearty Roman pastas – cacio e pepe, carbonara, amatriciana – and large steaks grilled over hot coals. In the summer there are tables outside on the cobbled, ivy-hung lane.
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