Food is the heart of Roman culture – not just a way of eating, but an expression of identity and history. If you really want to “feel” Rome, you need to do it with a fork in hand. In this article you’ll discover the most iconic Roman dishes, what their ingredients are, and most importantly, where in Rome to try them the way locals eat them. I’ll guide you through the best trattorias, osterias, bakeries, and wine bars, where food isn’t a tourist trick but a true culinary experience.
No trip to Rome would be complete without trying the traditional food of the Eternal City.
Food is a huge part of Rome’s culture and the city takes pride in its local dishes and specialties. All wine bars and restaurants have impressive menus, but without a little help from someone familiar with them, you’d find it difficult to figure out which ones to visit.
In this article I list the most famous Roman dishes and those I think you should try for an authentic Roman culinary experience.
For each I give a brief overview of the ingredients and recommended addresses, so you can use this article as a quick guide to the best restaurants in Rome for traditional dishes.
If you want to try pizza, see my article on the best pizza in Rome!
Please note – the restaurants in this article are provided for convenience only and I have no commercial or other relationships with the establishments mentioned.
What to Eat in Rome to Taste Authentic Roman Food
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- Spaghetti alla carbonara (pasta) – main ingredients: eggs, cheese, pork.
- Cacio e pepe (pasta) – main ingredients: pecorino cheese and black pepper
- Amatriciana (pasta) – main ingredients: tomato sauce, pork, cheese
- Gricia (pasta) – main ingredients: pork, cheese
- Pasta with romanesco broccoli – main ingredients: romanesco, cheese (often sausage too)
- Saltimbocca alla romana (meat dish) – main ingredients: veal, pork
- Gnocchi alla Romana – main ingredients: semolina, butter, milk
- Abbacchio scottadito (meat dish) – main ingredients: lamb, olive oil, herbs
- Trippa (tripe) – main ingredients: beef, tomatoes, mint
- Coda alla vaccinara (meat dish) – main ingredients: beef (oxtail) and vegetables
- Carciofi alla Giudia – main ingredients: artichoke (fried), popular Jewish dish served mainly in spring.
- Carciofi alla romana – main ingredients: artichoke, dish popular mainly in spring
- Puntarelle alla romana (vegetables) – main ingredients: chicory with anchovy paste
- Baccalà (fish) – dried and salted cod.
- Supplì (rice) – main ingredients: rice (in ball form), mozzarella, tomato sauce
- Pizza (with various toppings)
- Maritozzo (Roman breakfast pastry) – main ingredients: brioche-type dough and whipped cream
- Crostata ricotta e visciole (dessert) – main ingredients: ricotta cheese and sour cherries
- Grattachecca – typical Roman summer dessert made with shaved ice
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What to Eat in Rome: Pasta Specialties
Rome prepares delicious pasta specialties, some of which are famous worldwide.
- Spaghetti alla carbonara – spaghetti alla carbonara is perhaps the most famous of all Roman pasta dishes. It’s easy to prepare but very delicious. Spaghetti alla carbonara is especially popular in winter when you want a filling and warming dish. According to the original recipe it’s made with spaghetti, but nowadays it’s commonly served with rigatoni and mezze maniche (a type of pasta). Carbonara is served worldwide, but the real dish is very different from its imitations and is worth seeking out and trying. The best places for spaghetti alla carbonara in Rome are:
1. Da Enzo al 29 Via dei Vascellari 29
2. Grappolo d’Oro, Piazza della Cancelleria
3. Flavio al velavevodetto, via di Monte Testaccio 97
4. Roscioli, via dei Giubbonari 21/22 - Cacio e pepe (type of pasta) is another delicious and filling dish you must try in Rome. The name of this dish shows its main ingredients: cacio (hard salted cheese) and black pepper. The place you should go to try cacio e pepe is the Testaccio neighborhood and specifically Felice, at Via Mastro Giorgio 29.
- Pasta Alla Gricia – a variation on Cacio e pepe and Amatriciana is the delicious pasta Alla Gricia – made with guanciale (pork jowl), pecorino (cheese), and black pepper in a sauce made with the pasta cooking water. The best places in Rome where you can eat pasta Alla Gricia are:
1. Da Enzo al 29, Via dei Vascellari 29
2. Osteria Bonelli, Via dell’Acquedotto Alessandrino 172/174
3. Flavio al Velavevodetto, Via di Monte Testaccio 97
4. Circo, Via dei Cerchi 79 - Amatriciana is a pasta dish from Amatrice, a small town near Rome. Amatriciana is popular both in Rome and the surrounding Lazio region, and its main ingredients are again pork, pecorino cheese, and tomato sauce. The best place to try Amatriciana in Rome is the restaurant Armando al Pantheon.
- Gnocchi alla Romana – not to be confused with standard gnocchi made from flour and potatoes, Gnocchi alla romana is a semolina-based dish. They’re delicious, aromatic, warming, and almost impossible to find outside Rome. The best place you can try them is restaurant Matricianella, Via del Leone 4.
What to Eat in Rome: Traditional Meat Dishes
Not everyone likes pasta. So here I’ve briefly described several traditional Roman meat dishes.
- Saltimbocca alla Romana – saltimbocca means “jumps in the mouth” and you’ll see that these thin strips of meat, garnished with prosciutto and sage, really don’t stay on your plate very long! Saltimbocca is traditionally made from veal and cooked extremely quickly, so it’s good to order it in an establishment with a working kitchen, not from a buffet for example. They dry out quickly, so it’s essential to try them at a place that serves them fresh. The best places to try saltimbocca alla romana in Rome are:
1. Il Grappolo d’Oro, Piazza della Cancelleria
2. Da Cesare al Casaletto, Via del Casaletto 45 - Abbacchio scottadito (lamb) – abbacchio scottadito is another meat dish originally served at Easter, but now so popular it can be found in many Rome restaurants year-round. Abbacchio is the Roman name for lamb, and abbacchio scottadito is the Roman version of grilled lamb chops, cooked in olive oil and herbs and served hot from the grill. Excellent places to try this lamb dish in Rome are:
1. Cecchino dal 1887, Via di Monte Testaccio 30
2. Da Cesare al Casaletto, Via di Casaletto 45 - Coda Alla Vaccinara (oxtail) – oxtail, this is perhaps the dish that most embodies Roman cuisine. The meat is served in a thick tomato sauce and becomes a wonderful warming meat “stew.” When you order it, definitely get bread so you can soak up the sauce at the end. The best places to try oxtail in Rome are:
1. Da Enzo al 29, Via dei Vascellari 29
2. Cecchino, Via di Monte Testaccio, 30
3. Tram Tram, Via dei Reti 44
4. Armando al Pantheon, Salita dei Crescenzi, 31 - Trippa – if you’re feeling adventurous, you should try trippa, the local tripe dish. This is a delicious dish made with tomato-based sauce, celery, carrots, and other ingredients and, of course, tripe. The best places where you can try the local version of tripe in Rome are:
1. Cul de Sac, Piazza Pasquino
2. Flavio all Velavevodetto, Via di Monte Testaccio, 97
3. Santo palato, Piazza Tarquinia 4
4. Cecchino, Via di Monte testaccio 30
What to Eat in Rome – Vegetarian Dishes
Roman cuisine isn’t known for vegetarian dishes, but there are some specialties worth trying that are unique to the city. All deserve a place on your list of dishes to try in Rome.
- Carciofi alla Giudia – fried artichoke. Fried artichoke is one of the most specific Roman dishes, originating from the city’s Jewish community. It’s usually served as an appetizer. Like many other dishes on this list, Roman fried artichoke is relatively easy to prepare. The secret to its exceptional taste is in the seasonings and using the right type of artichoke – romanesco. Unlike other types of artichoke, this one is larger and softer. For this dish, this type of artichoke is cooked twice in oil, which makes its taste special, very different from what you’re used to, and worth trying even if you don’t like artichokes. The best places to eat carciofi alla giudia in Rome are:
1. Da Enzo al 29, via dei vascellari 29
2. Nonna betta, via del portico d’Ottavia 16
3. Giggetto al Portico d’Ottavia, via del portico d’ottavia 21a
4. Ba’ Ghetto, Via del portico d’Ottavia 57 - Carciofi alla Romana – if you’re not a fan of frying, you can enjoy Carciofi alla romana – artichoke cooked in olive oil with garlic and mint. The best places in Rome where you can eat Roman-style artichoke are:
1. Flavio al Velavevodetto, Via di Monte Testaccio, 97
2. Tram Tram, Via dei Reti, 44
3. Armando al Pantheon, Salita de’ Crescenzi 31 - Puntarelle alla Romana – a refreshing dish typical of spring months in Rome and the area immediately south of the city (puntarelle are chicory shoots). This is a light and delicious dish with a slightly bitter taste, prepared with anchovy paste.
What to Eat in Rome on the Go: Delicious Street Food in Rome
- Supplì – the unbeaten hero of Roman street food is il supplì (emphasis on the last i) – a fried rice ball with a melting mozzarella cheese core. Outwardly they resemble arancini, but are smaller, crispier, and characteristic of Roman cuisine. You can find supplì in local pizzerias or “pizzeria al taglio,” where it’s offered standing for a quick lunch. Every good Roman pizzeria serves supplì, usually as an appetizer, although famous ones are Supplizio on Via dei Banchi Vecchi and La Gatta Mangione on Via Ozzanam.
- Filetto di baccalà – if you love fried food, besides Supplì, you should try filetti di baccalà, fried salted cod fillets. You can find them in most traditional pizzerias, but those from Del Filettaro Di Santa Barbara near Campo de’ Fiori are legendary.
The Best Sweets and Pastries in Rome
- Maritozzo – maritozzo isn’t a dessert but a sweet pastry usually eaten at breakfast. Know that maritozzo is very delicious but also very heavy. Biting into the part of the pastry with cream is a pleasure – just be careful with your kids while they try it because the cream will go everywhere! The best places in Rome to try this pastry are:
1. Il maritozzo Rosso, Vicolo del Cedro 26
2. Roscioli il caffe, Piazza Cairoli 16
3. Pasticceria Bompiani, Piazza Bompiani 8 - Crostata ricotta e visciole – think of it as a cheesecake. This recipe is claimed to originate from Jewish tradition and mixes ricotta cheese and sour cherries. Delicious and surprisingly addictive, the best place to try it is, of course, the Jewish quarter. The best address for it is Forno Boccione, Via del Portico D’Ottavia 1
- Pizza, Pizza Bianca, Focaccia – you can’t go to Rome without trying pizza. Pizza in the Italian capital is on the same level as Naples, despite the different style, and I’d recommend everyone try both and decide for themselves which pizza they like better. When going for pizza in Rome, keep a few things in mind:
1. Pizza tonda (round pizza) is what’s served in pizzerias and restaurants, usually for dinner.
2. Pizza al taglio is pizza by the slice, usually for a quick lunch
3. Focaccia is thin, crispy pizza spread with olive oil and rosemary
4. Pizza bianca is a type of pizza sold in delis and bakeries, usually as an alternative to bread. It’s especially delicious with mortadella.
These are the places to eat in Rome worth trying. If you’ve already been to Rome and tried some of these foods, please share what you think.
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