Favorite Foods Guide: The Best Food You Will Enjoy in Rome

When you come to Rome be sure to review our complete favorite foods guide for the best restaurants (and more) that this amazing city has to offer.

Your taste buds are in for a once-in-a-lifetime experience that begins when you set food in Rome. This amazing city is not just a feast for the eyes, it’s a feast for all the senses. Whether you’re dining in a small family-run trattoria tucked away down a quiet cobblestone alley, sipping a glass of wine on a terrace overlooking the city as you prepare for your meal or if you are enjoying an espresso while you site at a table on the sidewalk watching the world go by, Rome delivers on every level. 

Our complete Favorite Foods Guide will walk you through the best food experiences to enjoy during your stay in the Eternal City, from breakfast through dinner, drinks, and dessert. We wanted to include more than just our favorite Italian restaurants, so we also included everything from French to Vietnamese to Argentinian and even a quality but fast hamburger.

Each section of this guide links to in-depth supporting articles that share even more details, recommendations, and must-try spots, so be sure to explore those as you plan your culinary adventure. In preparation for your visit, one recommendation would be to load these locations into your favorite map app (e.g. GoogleMaps) and have them available when you are in need of something quick or want to make a reservation for an upcoming dinner.

You Must Fuel Up With An Espresso

It should come as no surprise that Rome runs on coffee. However, don’t expect one of those sugar bomb Frappaccinos you can get at Starbucks. Italian coffee culture is all about small espresso shots and an amazingly bold flavor. Without a doubt, the espresso drinks (i.e. Macchiato, Cappuccino, etc.) are king and they can be enjoyed standing up at the bar with a quick “Buongiorno!” to the barista or comfortably sitting at a table so you can plan your day of sightseeing.

It is worth spending some time planning your caffeine intake because Rome is full of legendary coffee spots, like: Antico Caffè Greco,  Sant’Eustachio Il Caffè or Tazza d’Oro, where coffee and culture came together to define this new country. Don’t worry if you have one espresso when you wake up because there will be multiple times during the day that you will crave a quick shot of espresso, even during the summer heat.

We also have recommendations for the best way to enjoy coffee in other forms, like the refreshing caffè shakerato (espresso shaken with ice) or the indulgent affogato (espresso poured over gelato) for dessert. If you would like to read more, have a look at this: “The Coffee In Italy Is An Amazing Experience”.

Start Your Visit To Rome With Italian Breakfast

While easy to find if you are staying in the city, breakfast in Rome has so many options that you should take a look at our recommendations for what to pair with your cappuccino or espresso. You’ll want to try them all because each has a unique experience and history that needs to be experienced. And why not, I’m talking about delicious pastries.

Breakfast in Rome isn’t about the American style huge breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon and toast. It’s about light and sweet pastries, espresso coffee drinks and jumpstarting your day. The Roman morning starts with a visit to the local coffee bar where locals grab a quick bite and a caffeine boost, they exchange pleasantries and head off to work.

Among these classic breakfast pastries, one of the most popular is the cornetto, a slightly sweet, optionally cream- or jam-filled pastry that resembles a croissant but with an Italian twist. Other of our favorite options include saccottini, maritozzi, and ciambella.

Explore more morning delicacies in: “These Italian Breakfast Foods Start Your Day Perfectly“.

Authentic Roman Lunches And Dinners

After you spend the morning or afternoon sightseeing all around the city, you are going to need to refill your gas tank and grab a delicious meal. You will want to check out some of our recommendations of restaurants that are authentic representations of Roman food.

The food you’ll enjoy in Rome goes far beyond pasta and pizza, although these are a very important part of the dining experience and they should be. Roman cuisine can be rustic or modern, seasonal and steeped in tradition. As people who try to define Italian food say: “It’s about simple ingredients done right“, and I couldn’t agree more. There are no unnecessary frills, just delicious flavors and satisfying aromas.

Classic Roman Dishes You Must Try

For the most satisfying meals, follow our guide to the city’s best restaurants: “The Best Restaurants In Rome: Our Recommendations“.

Understanding Pizza Perfection

Of course Naples may be the birthplace of pizza, but Rome has carved out its own style and you will probably want to know and experience the differences. Typical Roman pizza comes in two forms:

• Pizza al Taglio: Sold by the slice and priced by weight in small pizzerias all around Rome. This is street food at its best.
• Pizza Tonda Romana: A paper-thin, crispy round pizza baked in a blazing hot oven. These are individual pizzas that take only seconds to cook, but bring a ton of flavor with them.

Because of its popularity, you can get Neapolitan style pizza all around the city and you will want to know which type of pizzeria you will be dining at so there aren’t any surprises. Toppings can range from the classic margherita to zucchini blossoms, prosciutto, or even potatoes. Whether you’re sitting down or grabbing a slice on the go, you’ll never go wrong with pizza in Rome. Find your next favorite in: “Our Recommendations For The Best Pizza In Rome, Italy“.

Local Wine In Rome

No Favorite Foods Guide would be complete without wine. In Rome, wine is not an indulgence, it’s a way of life and part of every lunch or dinner. Local wines from Lazio like Frascati and  Cesanese are often inexpensive, fresh, and served by the carafe in osterias and trattorias. You can even rely on a house red or white (a.k.a. Vino della casa) that is chosen and offered with pride.

Wine is for lunch, dinner, an aperitivo before the meal and a digestivo after the meal. If you’re venturing beyond Rome, Lazio’s vineyards offer beautiful countryside tours and tastings. They also offer a great opportunity to bring the tastes of the Lazio region home with you. Toast your visit with tips from: “The Wine In Rome Is An Amazing Treat Not To Be Missed!“.

Sip On Traditional Italian Drinks

When you consider what people drink in Italy, images of wines and scenic vineyards often come to mind. But there are other essential pieces of Italian culture that deserve their own spotlight. These are drinks like popular aperitivo drinks, like Spritz or a Negroni, and Bitters that aid in digestion after a meal.

The Italian aperitivo is more than just a pre-dinner drink, it’s an important social and digestive ritual. Around 6 or 7 in the evening, bars across Rome begin to fill with locals sipping cocktails, nibbling small plates and enjoying a pause before dinner. This isn’t a time to binge and typically one stops at a single cocktail.

Drink up the knowledge in this article: “These Traditional Italian Drinks Are Thirst Quenchers“.

Gelato Is The Best Way To End The Day

If there’s one thing that will make you fall in love with Rome instantly, it’s gelato, but not all gelato is created equal. Our gelato guide will detail how much you should expect to pay, how to spot lower quality gelato and where our favorite gelaterias can be found.

Flavors range from the traditional favorites, like: chocolate, pistachio, hazelnut, stracciatella to the more inventive. For me, the classics reign, but don’t hesitate trying something new if it grabs your attention. You will usually have the option to choose two flavors and even top it with whipped cream. The options are yours! You can find the best scoops in: “The Best Gelato In Rome Can Be Difficult To Find“.

The Power Of Authentic Ingredients

What makes Roman food taste that much better isn’t just the preparation, it’s the simple and authentic Italian ingredients. Italy’s emphasis on local, seasonal and fresh products means every dish sings with flavor. The olive oil is golden and surprisingly peppery, the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is sharp and nutty and the varieties of tomatoes are all bright and sweet.

When the recipe calls for guanciale or oxtail, only the best products from Rome will make that plate of Carbonara or Coda alla Vaccinara taste authentically like you experienced it while in Rome. Local substitutions, while sometimes necessary, can make you lose the passion you felt while in the Eternal City.

Shopping at a Roman produce, fish or meat market is an experience in itself. Stalls overflow with sun-ripened, but seasonal fruits and vegetables, homemade pastas, blocks of cheese, barrels of olives and just-caught seafood. Even if you’re not cooking while you are here on vacation, visiting a public market gives you a glimpse into how Romans approach food, with respect and pride.

Learn how to cook like a Roman with these recommendations: “Cooking With Italian Ingredients Improves Everything“.

How To Experience These Foods At Home

One of the best parts of traveling in Italy is taking the experiences home with you through the food that you loved while you were here. Whether you’re bringing back a bottle of wine, a wedge of Pecorino, or just great memories, you can recreate a little bit of Rome in your own kitchen. One of my favorite ways is to try to recreate the meals with our list of recipes.

We’ve compiled an ever-growing collection of Italian recipes that are simple, flavorful, and perfect for anyone who’s been inspired by Roman cuisine. From pasta sauces like Pesto or Bolognese to traditional Roman dishes like Carbonara, these are made for home cooks who want to keep Italy close.

If you would like, you can start cooking with this: “Our Complete List Of Recipes For Home“.

Rome’s Food Is Built On Sustained Passion

What makes the food in Rome, and all around Italy, so special isn’t just the recipes. It’s the people who devote their lives to sourcing, cooking and serving the food they love and want to share. Chefs, baristas, bakers, and family members have passed down knowledge for generations. They cook with their hearts and share their food with joy. Sure, it’s a job, but it is so much more here in Rome.

Regardless if this is your first visit to Rome or your fifth, you’ll always find something new to love. A new dish. A new café. A new favorite gelato flavor. I’ve been here for more than 4 years, and this summer I discovered and love a gelato flavor I didn’t know existed: Gianduja. Check it out!

Use our Favorite Foods Guide as your starting point, and you’ll be well on your way to eating like a local and making memories that last long after you return home.

Explore The Food And Experience The Culture

Rome is a living museum of food and in fact there is a museum about the Italian kitchen. It’s also one of the greatest and most modern food cities in the world. From your first espresso after waking up to your final scoop of gelato before going to bed, every bite tells a story about the history of what you are enjoying.

So take your time at dinner and realize the table is yours for the evening. Savor each course slowly and think about how the flavors live in your mouth. Linger over a glass of wine, even a Vino della Casa.  And remember: when you come to Rome, the best meal of your life might just be around the next corner and with our Favorite Foods Guide, we believe you’ll find it.