Finding good places with a tourist menu and decent food in Rome is easy, but locating the best places to eat in Rome requires some insider knowledge and tons of research. We have done it all for you, so you can relax and enjoy Rome in style. Here are our suggestions on where to find the finest of culinary delights in the Eternal City.
Family-run Armando al Pantheon (Salita dei Crescenzi 31, near Pantheon) has been serving honest simple Roman dishes since 1961. The restaurant is well known and loved by Romans and many prominent Italian writers, film directors and musicians have come here over the years to fill up on hearty food. Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe, pheasant with mushrooms and beer, tripe with mint, – the best of Roman cuisine is guaranteed.
A short walk away towards the Tiber River there is another excellent restaurant, Zoc, where a modern take on Roman cuisine prevails.Zoc (via delle Zoccolette, 22) buys fresh produce from small farmers around Rome and the menu states the provenance of each ingredient.
Hope in a taxi to go to L’Archeologia (Via Appia Antica, 139) on the old Appian Way. In summer months you can sit in the garden with 300-year-old wisteria and admire the Roman ruins. Traditional pasta with wild hare, Etruscan soup with chickpeas and grilled meats are exceptionally good here.
For the best ice cream head to Fiordiluna (Via della Lungaretta, 96). This delightful little ice cream parlour (gelateria) in Trastevere has an amazing range of flavours. The owners say that they sell the most eco-friendly ice cream in Rome. Every ingredient is carefully selected: the best pistachio from Sicily, almonds from Calabria, fresh fruit, eggs and milk from Lazio, fair trade cacao and sugar. The flavors are strictly seasonal.
Pasticceria De Bellis (Piazza del Paradiso, 56/57) is one of the best places for those with a sweet tooth. The pastry shop’s creations are nothing short of masterpieces. They look amazing and taste even better!
Caffè Sant’Eustachio (Piazza Sant’Eustachio, 82) is located in the heart of the city, just a few steps away from Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. It has been serving excellent coffee since 1938. Today most of their coffee beans are fair trade bought from small cooperatives of producers in Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Ethiopia and Brazil, as well as Galapagos and St. Elena islands. They also sell a fantastic range of organic coffee. We hope you enjoyed our sample of best places to eat in Rome !
Photos by: Naotake Murayama/Flickr, Fior di Luna, Pasticceria De Bellis
