Where to eat in Rome | Our top Picks 2025
Hey, it’s Tom and Mike from Take Time to Travel. Rome is a spectacular city known for its incredible landmarks, awe-inspiring ancient ruins, and of course, lots of delicious Italian food. Today, we’re going to take you on a food tour in Rome and show you some of the city’s best restaurants, as well as breathtaking terraces and places to get delicious sweets. This will give you some ideas on where to eat during your trip to Italy’s capital. We’ll start with one of Rome’s many beautiful street-side patios at a traditional Italian restaurant called
Saltimbocca Restaurant
It’s always busy, so make sure to book your reservation in advance like we did. We sat down, had a look at the menu, and I ordered an Aperol Spritz, my favorite drink in Italy, while Mike chose a Mojito, which had a great presentation.
Then, as an appetizer, we shared the Millefoglie Mediterraneo with grilled aubergine, zucchini, mozzarella di bufala, fresh tomato, and homemade basil oil. For our first course, I chose the tonnarelli pasta with mussels, which is fresh homemade spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, pecorino cheese, and tons of mussels. Tom had the pesto fettuccine with shrimp and roasted cherry tomatoes. After that, for the second course, I had this massive plate of fried calamari and shrimp, which would have been more than enough for both of us. Tom chose the veal scallop with ham and sage, which was delicious, just like everything else at Saltimbocca Restaurant.
Next, we’ll try another Italian restaurant on a picturesque street with a lovely outdoor dining area called Unique.
Picturesque street
At the restaurant, we chose a seat on the patio, browsed over the menu, and started with a pricey salad with buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and basil. For drinks, Tom got an Aperol Spritz, as he usually does, and I had the Peretti beer, which was perfect on a hot day. Then it was time for our pasta dishes. Tom ordered the Tortello Di Mare, which is homemade pasta filled with monkfish fillet, zucchini, lemon, capers, and fish stew. I had spaghetti alla carbonara with egg, pecorino cheese, bacon, and black pepper. Both of our pastas were delicious, but we preferred the Tortello Di Mare.
Next, we shared the Dominante pizza with potatoes, homemade porchetta, and mozzarella cheese, to which we also added truffles for an extra 15 euros. We thought that the pizza with truffles would be 15 euros in total, but it turned out to be added on top of the 12-euro pizza, more than doubling the price. However, it tasted incredible, and we absolutely loved it.
Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel
After that wonderful meal, we headed over to one of the city’s luxurious five-star hotels, the Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel, where we went inside their stylish lobby, then took the elevator up to their spectacular rooftop terrace for our dinner reservation at the Divinity Restaurant and Lounge Bar. Their outdoor seating area is huge and continues down the length of the building, with large umbrellas and attractive conversation areas that are the perfect place to enjoy the warm evening weather, the incredible city view, and the setting sun over Rome’s rooftops and landmarks.
To start our meal, we were served some complimentary starters and a bread basket to enjoy with our Aperol Spritzes, which were very tasty. Then, as an appetizer, we shared the salmon carpaccio with quinoa and avocado, which was a great way to start our meal—it was delicious. For our pasta dish, I chose the goat cheese ravioli with carrots, which was exceptional, and Tom chose the puttanesca di mare, which was loaded with seafood and also tasted wonderful. To finish our meal, we shared an Italian classic, the Margherita pizza, which was also amazing, just like our entire experience at Divinity Restaurant.
Antico Forno Rochioli
If you’re looking for a less expensive place to eat, make sure to check out the renowned bakery and deli Antico Forno Rochioli. Inside, you’ll find lots of appetizing baked goods and sweets, as well as savory snacks and thin-crust pizzas to choose from. We decided to get something sweet and something savory. Mmm, doesn’t that look good? I couldn’t wait to try the suppli, rice and cheese balls with tomato sauce. They were loaded with mozzarella cheese and tasted much better than the arancini balls I’m used to.
But I certainly made a mess of that bite! After we ate those, it was time for the huge Sicilian cannoli, which was pistachio flavored and tasted amazing. Now, let’s make our way over to the next restaurant we’re going to show you. It’s another popular Italian eatery called Cantina e Cucina
Cantina e Cucina
Let’s head inside and check it out. The restaurant’s interior is very quaint and cozy, with a casual rustic vintage vibe. We were seated at a table right at the front and started with a couple of Peroni beers, as well as a large plate of prosciutto and melon, which I loved—it tasted incredible.
For our main course, Mike had the pizza contadina with tomato, mozzarella, zucchini, eggplant, and peppers, and I chose the tonarello carbonara with egg, bacon, and artichokes. Everything was delicious, and we thought the meal was very reasonably priced. But it can get busy, so try to go early or make a reservation.
In Roma
The next restaurant is called In Roma, since 1917. It also serves Italian cuisine and has a lovely view from its patios of lush greenery and centuries-old buildings. We started our meal by sharing the aubergine medallion parmigiana with buffalo mozzarella, cacio ricotta cheese, and tomato sauce, along with a limoncello spritz for me and an Aperol spritz for Tom, which were perfect on this 40-degree day. Then, for our pasta dishes, I chose the classic carbonara with dried pork cheek, cheese, creamy egg, and black pepper, and Tom got the cacio e pepe with crunchy artichokes, pecorino Romano cheese, and four types of pepper.
For our second course, we shared the involtini alla Romana, which are meat roulade rolls with carrots and celery in tomato sauce. Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at In Roma. The view was lovely, we had great service, and the food was amazing.
Chipasso Bistro
After that, we’re going to head over to a Michelin-recommended restaurant called Chipasso Bistro. Let’s head inside for our dinner reservation, past the hungry diners and underneath the beautiful brick archways, to show you what makes this eatery so special.|
To start, we were served some large complementary olives. Then, to drink, we each had an Aperol Spritz—no surprise there! As an appetizer, we ordered their best seller, the chef’s burrata, served on chilled tomato pudding with homemade marinated anchovies and basil pesto. For our first course, I chose the Gracia Estiva, which is mezze maniche short pasta with pork cheek, pecorino cheese, and fresh figs, and Tom got the ravioli cacio e pepe, stuffed with ricotta and pecorino cheese, with a cheese and black pepper sauce, as well as crispy leeks and lime. Both of our pastas were delicious, and we couldn’t decide which one we liked better.
For our second courses, I had the cod fish, which was breaded with aromatic herbs and served with pecorino crumble, vinaigrette, and chickpea hummus with bergamot. Tom ordered the Saltinboca alla Romana, which is a veal scallop with Parma ham, sage, and peas cream. Everything we ate at Chipasso Bistro was exceptional.
Restaurante Virginia
Next, we’ll head down this cobbled lane over to a traditional Roman restaurant called Restaurante Virginia. We got a seat on the patio and ordered a couple of Aperol Spritzes to begin our meal. As an appetizer, we shared the burrata casavicio maldera with vegetables in oil of the day. Then, for our first course, Mike decided to get the tonarelli al pesto, which is egg pasta with pesto sauce, and I chose the homemade ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese in a butter and sage sauce. For our second course, we split this huge portion of baked lamb, which came with a generous helping of roasted potatoes. Everything was delicious, especially the lamb and the pasta dishes.
Gelateria a Sarci
when in Rome, you have to get some gelato, like we did from Gelateria a Sarci. Let’s head inside this busy little place and give it a try. They had a mouth-watering assortment of gelato flavors, including fresh fruits, cheesecake, milk, crunchy pistachio, and tiramisu, to name a few. Mike chose the banana gelato, and I got the cheesecake gelato, both of which cost three euros each. They were super tasty and were the perfect way to cool down on this hot day.
Rosso Pomodoro
Alright, so for the first one, let’s talk about an Italian classic—pizza. Now, anybody who knows me knows that I am very partial to Neapolitan pizza. I don’t mind Roman pizza, but Neapolitan pizza is just my preference. This place that I recommend is called Rosso Pomodoro, which loosely translated means “red tomato.”
It’s a Neapolitan pizza chain, and I’m a little hesitant about recommending chains; however, the quality is pretty good. This particular restaurant is in Largo Argentina, which is right in the center of town. I like this place because it’s spacious, they offer gluten-free pizza, and during COVID times, you can also eat outside. Like in most Italian pizzerias, you have the option of having a pizza with or without tomato sauce. In Italian, you would say “con pomodoro” or “bianca,” like a “pizza bianca.” For me, that was a bit confusing at first because “con pomodoro,” if you translate it literally, means “with tomato,” but to Italians, it means “with tomato sauce.” Who knew?
Ginger
The place is called Ginger. The exact name of the street escapes me, but actually, it’s right off Via del Corso, which is one of the main roads here in town that starts from Piazza Venezia.
As you walk in, it just has a very clean appearance. Now, why do I recommend this place? Well, apart from the fact that it’s centrally located, I like it because they offer huge salads. I’m not kidding—if you order one salad, it could easily be enough for two people. Personally, I recommend the salad with mango and salmon. Sounds kind of weird, actually, but it’s pretty good. Like most restaurants in Italy, you can also get pasta there, but you can also get sandwiches. One of the best things I like about this place is the fruit. The fruit is just amazingly fresh, and you can get this gigantic fruit platter at the end of the meal. The quality is just amazing—I’ve never had a bad experience there.
One final thing that I want to mention about Ginger is that it has a visible kitchen. In other words, you can see them cooking—you can actually see inside the kitchen, and for me, this is a sign of cleanliness.
Cul de Sac
Cul de Sac is one of my most favorite restaurants here in Rome. I haven’t been there since the pandemic, but as soon as I can, I want to go back. It’s a little bit tighter space, so if you’re claustrophobic, it may not be the best option, but the food is fantastic. One of the things I particularly like about Cul de Sac is that it’s an enoteca, which means it’s a wine store. They’ve got just about every single wine you can imagine. One in particular that I really love is called Montefalco, a wine from Umbria. It’s a tad expensive, but splurge—why not?
BBB Straw
And then directly in front of me, you have the BBB Straw. I haven’t been there since the pandemic.
Like Cul de Sac, but that’s definitely next on my list. What’s really cool, as you can see from behind me, is this is Capsule Navona. If you get the right table, you can have lunch up at Ativa, and I believe also dinner, and you get a great view.
Since we’re here in Piazza Navona, you might be asking yourself, “Can we grab a bite to eat in this piazza?” Of course, you can. However, the purpose of this blog is to talk about places where I’ve been and the places that I recommend. I’ve only eaten once here in Piazza Venezia and I think also once for an ice cream, so I really can’t recommend or not recommend eating here. However, since this is a place where a lot of tourists come, my suspicion is that these places might be a bit more geared toward tourists. I don’t know—ah, it’s at your own risk. Oh, really, I will have to try this out someday. If it’s really American, where’s the cereal?
Centerpunched Bio, or 100 Bio
Now, if by chance you are vegan or vegetarian, I’ve got you. So if you take the metro down to Piramide (which means pyramid), as soon as you get off the metro, you’ll see a gigantic pyramid. Very close to there, you’ll see a place called Cinderbenchendo Bio, or 100 Bio. Bio means biological, and in English, this means organic.
Apart from having good, delicious vegan food, if you want, you can stop in and just have a quick coffee, Italian style. You can also grab a sandwich and go. If by chance you want to stay for a meal, you can have lunch or dinner à la carte, but you can also do the buffet. Now, before COVID times, it was an open buffet—you’d walk up, fill your plate, weigh it, and then pay according to how heavy your plate was. Now the staff does that for you.
Di Matteo
So, these last three work out very nicely. If you happen to be in the Vatican area, the first place that I recommend is called Di Matteo. Actually, it’s closer to Piazza Cavour. Anybody who knows Rome knows that this is near the Castello di Palazzaccio—you can’t miss it. Yeah, again, we’re talking about pizza, and yes, we’re talking about Neapolitan pizza again. I don’t remember if they offer Roman pizza, but this place is good.
Good, and the reason why is because they just have a good variety of pizzas. I’ve only been there once, but it left a good impression on me. So, if you’re in that area, I definitely recommend it. Now, regarding the prices, I think they’re rather decent. It’s not really cheap, but it’s not really expensive either. But if you’re on vacation, treat yourself—why not?
Supreme
I will say this though about Roman pizza:. There’s a great place in Vietnam called Supreme. So, if you happen to be in that area and just want a quick bite to eat, street food if you will, I recommend that place.
Cantina Tirole
The next place that I recommend is actually a carnivore’s delight, and the place in question is called Cantina Tirole. We only went there once, but I definitely recommend it because it’s a restaurant that offers food from Sudtirol, which is the area in northern Italy next to Austria. We went there once, and we just fell in love with the place. This restaurant really does offer you some of the best foods from that area. But, like I said before, it’s really a place for meat lovers.
Trattoria della Baqueta
I would say the final place that I recommend is called Trattoria della Baqueta. This place for me is rather special. We went there in February of 2020, right before lockdown. That was also my 40th birthday, and we had just found out that we were expecting Laura, so yeah, it’s special. I recommend this place in particular because it offers good quality food, and to no surprise, I’m recommending Neapolitan cuisine again. It does have a rather Neapolitan flavor to it, so to speak. However, one thing in particular that I liked, which really set the tone for the evening, was the fact that the staff was friendly and they gave us a welcome drink. I forget what it was, probably champagne or something like that. I don’t know if they still do that or if they had just given champagne for my birthday, but the fact that they gave it to us was a nice touch.
Tourist tips: Now, because of COVID times, a lot of restaurants are opting for outside eating, And they’re doing that for health reasons. However, I don’t like eating outside, and here’s why: It really depends on where you’re eating outside here in Rome, but in general, I don’t like it. The reason is because when you’re outside, you’re subject to cigarette smoke, passing cars, and people walking by. For me, it just doesn’t provide a very relaxing eating experience. That’s just me, though.
Now, you can eat inside if you want to, however, during these times, you do need to show proof that you’ve been vaccinated. Here in Italy, it’s called a Green Pass, which is essentially a certificate that shows you are vaccinated. If you haven’t gotten that, I would just bring something that shows evidence that you are vaccinated.
If you’re like many North Americans and you are looking to eat dinner around 6, 7, or even 5 pm, no, I wouldn’t count on it. At that point, you’re going to want to look for an aperitivo or apericena. It’s like happy hour in the United States, but very often, they give you portion sizes of food which could easily be dinner. It depends.
From personal experience, I would definitely reserve ahead of time. One of the worst things you can do in Rome is to show up at a restaurant and hope they have space. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But if you reserve, it’s always better.
Mimi and CA
Mama Mia, everything we ate was wrong! Here we go, starting with Mimi and CA, a place where we had the most delicious pasta we’ve ever tasted in our lives. We just asked for this mojito, which was fantastic and very refreshing on a hot day in Rome. We started with the bris, the Brisas; we got three different flavors, and all of them are highly recommended. Guys, trust me. I went with the carbonara, which was the first carbonara I’ve ever tasted in my life, and it was fantastic. I don’t have words to describe it. My wife went with the matriciana; she just decided to add a little bit of pepper in it, and it was also delicious. Good memories about this! My daughter went with the pomodoro, which was also delicious.
Everything we tasted at Mimi and CA was fantastic!
Canina and Cuchina
Time to sit at Canina and Cuchina, a place where we felt embraced, truly in heaven. We started with this mojito again. On a hot day, it was very refreshing.
I started with the cacio e pepe, which is a kind of cheese made locally with pepper, of course—you already know—and it was fantastic, guys. Even though I still prefer carbonara, it was very, very good. My wife went with the carbonara, and she really loved it. My daughter went with an “entry co,” which is meat with potatoes and fresh tomatoes. Again, guys, this was like heaven. There are no words to describe it—we were speechless, truly.
Opio
After visiting the Coliseum, we stayed at this restaurant, Opio. In fact, we didn’t give this restaurant much credit,
Guys, this was the most delicious amatriciana I’ve ever had in my life! I still remember the flavor and how punchy it was in my mouth. It was very, very good. You absolutely have to go to this place and try it. Now, it’s time to jump to another magical place near the Pantheon
AIA the Fortunata
Guys, this was the most delicious amatriciana I’ve ever had in my life! I still remember the flavor and how punchy it was in my mouth. It was very, very good. You absolutely have to go to this place and try it. Now, it’s time to jump to another magical place near the Pantheon: AIA the Fortunata. It’s a new restaurant, and everyone is talking very highly of it, so we decided to pay a visit and see if it lived up to the hype. The ladies there raised our expectations by preparing the pasta right in front of us, which means this is a handmade pasta restaurant. There are no words to describe the experience of watching people prepare your food, fresh food.
There’s a video of the owner of the place talking about the food, and here’s the carbonara. Guys, look at this plate—it was so big. My wife also went with the carbonara. It was too much food, and my daughter went with a waitress. All three plates were extremely good. Watching the ladies prepare the pasta we were about to enjoy was fantastic.
To finish, we had a huge portion of chamu, which was so smooth. It was finger-licking good. Trust me, you’re going to love it.
Cina and Cina
Time to go to Cina and Cina again—it was so good, guys, there was nothing else we could do except pay another visit. As you can see, my wife and daughter went for another huge portion of entry, and I went with the bruschettas. Guys, these bruschettas are fantastic. There’s no mistake with these plates. And again, because it was so hot in Rome, we got something fresh at night.
P. Salami
To cool off a little bit after a long, long day in the streets, we went to P. Salami on the left side, Pompy in the middle, and Lucho’s on the right. All three of these places are considered some of the best in their categories. P. Salami, of course, you already know, and here it is. Look at how beautiful and crusty that bread is. It was so flavorful—again, finger-licking good Roman street food. You’ve got to taste it! The portion is huge; it will feed two people, and we just had to go inside the restaurant to see the quality of the products they’re using. It was beautiful, truly.
On the left, we went to Pompy. Pompy is a Tamu establishment. Of course, they have other desserts, as you can see here, but the main menu is truffle, which was so good, especially the pistachio. On the right side, as I told you, there’s Lano Gelatos, where we had the Minions ice cream, and it was so beautiful, so delicious, guys.
Tarello
Let’s change the place now and head to Tarello. Tarello was an embracing and warm place as well. Look at what we got here—meatballs! Oh wow, these were meatballs with cata and pep and potatoes, though I do not recall the name of this vegetable. My wife had the amatriciana, and just look at it. This meatball dish was so good, good, good, good! We also had dessert: gelato with strawberries. It was so fresh, so smooth, and the flavor was intense. Wow! Guys, just pay a visit, and you’re going to like Tarello. Trust me.
Now, we are back at the hotel where we were hosted, and we just tried the drink the guys offered us. It was a hot afternoon, and this drink was so refreshing. We truly felt at home. Then, my daughter decided to get a pizza, which they called “pinza.” It was so good! It had a crispy crust, the mozzarella was perfect, and the tomatoes were fresh with an intense flavor. This was finger-licking good, guys. You’ll hear me say this expression so many times because everything was so delicious!
Hotel Milton Roma
Everything we tasted here was so good, and we’re only showing you the things we truly recommend. We were hosted at Hotel Milton Roma, which was fantastic. Now, it’s time to step into Big Friends Roma Eat and Drink. It was a very hot day, so we decided to try this drink—unfortunately, I don’t recall the name, but it was made with lime, very fresh, acidic, and citric. It was so good!
And guess what? I went with the carbonara. Oh my God, look at this! Wow, the portion was so huge. Guys, trust me, one thing you won’t have a problem with in Rome is the portion sizes! My wife went with the matriciana, and she liked it as well, but my carbonara was much better—so much better. It was amazing!
The CIS
Next, we went to The CIS, a new pizzeria near Fontana di Trevi. And look, there’s the matriciana pizza—I’ve never seen anything like that before. It was the most delicious pizza I’ve ever tried in my life. Trust me, guys, this was so good. I can still taste the flavor, and it’s still reverberating in my mind. It was huge, too! It’s a new place near Fontana di Trevi, and I left the account details here so you guys can check the name and the price.
Well, we hope you enjoyed our Rome food tour and that we gave you some good ideas on where to eat during your trip to Rome. We also have a Venice food tour Blog to give you some ideas on where to eat during your trip to Venice, Italy. As always, please like, subscribe, and hit the bell for notifications on our future Blog. And remember—take time to travel. Catch you on the next one!
Thank you, and that wraps up our Where to eat in Rome | Our top Picks. Do you agree with the places we chose, or is there somewhere you visited that you feel should be on the list? leave us a comment.
You can find me on Instagram: @dreamytravelersofficial/.
