Mostò, which opened in 2015, is one of a growing number of natural wine bars in Rome. The neighborhood enoteca is set on a residential street in the Flaminio district, not far from Renzo Piano’s Auditorium and Zaha Hadid’s MAXXI museum for contemporary art. Mostò has an especially fun selection of pet-nat from Italy and France, which owner Ciro Borriello pairs with oysters, fish tartare, and exceptional buffalo mozzarella delivered regularly from his native Campania.

Originally founded in 2013 near Piazza Fiume, Marzapane relocated just north of Piazza del Popolo to a townhouse on the Via Flaminia in early 2021. The ground-floor kitchen is run by co-chefs Guglielmo Chiarapini and Francesco Capuzzo Dolcetta, who both trained in fine dining kitchens in France. They deploy their technical virtuosity in fun, flavorful dishes like sweet red shrimp with tomatoes and Nero dei Nebrodi prosciutto, and cold spaghetti with clams, an exercise in contrasting temperatures that is more delicious than it sounds. They also serve a more casual aperitivo-type menu in the evenings.

Whether you’re shopping for pantry provisions for your Airbnb or hunting for mature cheeses, aged vinegars, and extra-virgin olive oil to take home, La Tradizione has got you covered. The selection of cheeses, up to 400 depending on the season, is unrivaled in Rome, and few gastronomie offer such a prestigious assortment of cured meats. In spite of being one of the city’s premier gourmet food purveyors, the prices are reasonable, owing to its location in the working- and middle-class Trionfale district. Owners Stefano Lobina and Francesco Praticò are devoted to serving their local clientele.

Rome’s premier pizza innovator and Trapizzino inventor Stefano Callegari opened his first trattoria in late 2021 just north of the Vatican Museums. The menu is a blend of decadent Roman classics like polpette di bollito (fried meatballs made from pulled braised beef) and fun twists on tradition— the fettuccine al tortellino features handmade pasta strands drenched in a creamy sauce enriched with prosciutto, mortadella, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, evoking the rich filling of tortellini. Romanè is part of the Piatto del Buon Ricordo Association, which has recognized traditional Italian regional cuisine since 1964. If you opt for the trattoria’s specialties as indicated on the menu, you’ll get a hand-painted plate as a souvenir.

A short walk from the Trevi Fountain, this friendly trattoria has been serving satisfying dishes from Emilia-Romagna, a region in northeastern Italy, since 1931; the current owners took the helm in 1967. The menu is rich in egg-based house-made pastas like tortelli di zucca (pumpkin pasta with butter and sage) and tagliatelle alla bolognese (long strands of fresh, egg-based pasta dressed with a rich meat sauce). Save room for meaty mains including bollito misto (assorted simmered meats) and fried liver. Book well in advance and try for a Sunday, when Colline Emiliane serves delicate, bechamel-laced lasagna.

Great atmosphere, an extensive list of wines by the glass (up to 30 in rotation), and endearingly surly service make this wine bar a cult favorite among locals. Look for the painted sign reading “vino e olio” above the entrance, and then push through the crowd of smokers to the wood-accented inner sanctum, where beloved owners Sergio and Anna Ceccarelli have built an enviable cellar of more than 800 labels. The recently renovated counter showcases sott’olii (marinated vegetables), canapes, cheeses, and cured meats, and there’s a small selection of salads offering a break from Rome’s unadulterated guanciale fest. For the time being, there is seating on the street outside, shaded by towering Renaissance apartment blocks.

Chef Arcangelo Dandini, known for his formal ristorante L’Arcangelo in Prati, opened this casual street food-inspired spot on the ground floor of a Renaissance building in central Rome in order to bring his fried specialties and signature finger foods to the masses. The name is inspired by suppli, Roman rice balls, which are served in assorted flavors alongside other fried classics, including crocchette di patate (potato croquettes), polpette di alici (anchovy “meatballs”), and, the most decadent of all, crema fritta (pastry cream).

In the southwest corner of one of Rome’s most touristy squares, Forno Campo de’ Fiori bakes sweet and savory Roman specialties like jam tarts and flatbreads. Look for pizza alla pala (long slabs baked directly in a deep electric deck oven), which is sold in slices by weight; the unctuous toppings and crispy bases make a surprisingly balanced pair.

The Regoli family were originally charcoal makers from Tuscany, but when they came to Rome they opened Pasticceria Regoli in 1916. Since then the family has transformed their small operation into one of the city’s most beloved pastry shops. The display cases are packed with cakes, wild strawberry tarts, maritozzi (whipped cream-filled buns), and seasonal treats like bigne in March, colombe at Easter, and pandoro at Christmas. Get your pastries packaged to take away, or order at the counter and the kitchen will send the items to your table at the neighboring Caffé Regoli, which also serves coffee.

Fasika and Giovanni Ghirlanda run this historic Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurant just off the ancient Via Prenestina, not far from the Villa Gordiani public park. Deeply flavored simmered vegetables and legumes, along with perfectly seasoned chicken and beef stews, are served on house-made injera.

Founded in the Historic Center in 2004 by Rome’s premier baking family, Salumeria Roscioli does triple duty as a deli, wine bar, and restaurant. Though the menu is extensive, the real stars are the cheeses (burrata with semi-dried tomatoes is spectacular), cured meats (Culaccia and mortadella with Parmigiano-Reggiano are both stellar), and pasta classics (get the gricia, cacio e pepe, amatriciana, or carbonara). If you dine at lunch or on the early side at dinner, the bread basket will include warm bread from nearby Antico Forno Roscioli. The wine list is wide-ranging, and don’t miss the distilled spirits before closing out the meal. Be sure to book online well in advance and reserve a ground-floor, bar counter, or outdoor table so you don’t get stuck in the basement.

For more than three centuries, Rome’s Jewish community was confined to a walled ghetto along the Tiber River. The squalid buildings are long gone, but a historic ghetto-era bakery survives on what has become the transformed neighborhood’s main thoroughfare. The pizza ebraica — an almond flour-based fruit cake studded with nuts, raisins, and candied fruits — is an easy specialty to eat on the go, but it’s worth seeking out a bench to get messy with a slice of the spectacular ricotta and sour-cherry tart. Also try the amaretti and biscotti made with heaps of cinnamon and a generous smattering of whole almonds.

The dishes at Nonna Betta, a Kosher restaurant on the main street in Rome’s Jewish quarter, are inspired by traditions of the historic ghetto, which tend toward fried vegetables like carciofi alla giudia (deep-fried artichokes) and pezzetti fritti (assorted battered vegetables), as well as humble fish offerings like alicotti con l’indivia (anchovy and frisee casserole). Alongside centuries-old Roman Jewish classics, owner Umberto Pavoncello also serves more modern dishes like carbonara with zucchini instead of guanciale.

Trapizzino is a small street food chain with locations throughout Italy (and an outpost in New York). The concept is based on the trapizzino, a combination of the popular triangular tramezzino sandwich with long, slowly leavened pizza dough, invented by pizzaiolo Stefano Callegari in 2009. Callegari fills his tricornered creations with Roman classics like oxtail simmered with tomato and celery, chicken cacciatore, and tripe cooked with tomato, each going for just 5 euros or less. Most locations provide a quick, affordable meal, but the branch in Trastevere also offers table service and a full bar highlighting wines and beers from across Lazio.

Natural wine bar L’Antidoto opened its wrought iron doors in the heart of Trastevere in November 2020, a bold move in precarious times. During the worst of the pandemic, it stayed afloat by selling wines from Italy, Spain, Georgia, France, and Slovenia off the shelves — you can still walk in and snag a bottle without sticking around. But visitors can now enjoy wine and small plates at the three high-top tables and counter seating inside. Due to Rome’s idiosyncratic licensing rules, L’Antidoto’s staff can’t physically serve you, so you’ll have to open bottles yourself and fetch dishes like porcini mushroom salad and figs with burrata from the kitchen’s window. But what the bar lacks in table service, it makes up for with enthusiastic guidance from the staff.

A short walk from the Colosseum, Tempio di Iside is an elegant fish restaurant known for its crudi (raw dishes) like fish carpaccio, sea urchin roe, langoustines, and oysters. The pasta with sweet red shrimp, cherry tomatoes, and fresh pecorino is excellent (and proof there are valid exceptions to the “no cheese with seafood” rule), as are the spaghetti with clams, whole roasted fish, and pasta with spiny lobster. Book ahead, especially to secure an outdoor table for dinner in the summer, and expect to pay a premium for access to some of the freshest fish around.

Chef Antonio Ziantoni trained at Rome’s ultra-contemporary, two-Michelin-starred restaurant Il Pagliaccio, as well as restaurants in France and the U.K., before opening Zia with his partner Ida Proietti in Trastevere in 2018. Zia’s service and cuisine were recognized with a Michelin star the following year. The a la carte menu features mutton tartare, buffalo mozzarella risotto with lemon and gentian root, and squab civet. There are tasting menus of five or seven courses as well, and the fine dining service has a formal, ceremonial feel to it.

Chef Sarah Cicolini started in fine dining kitchens, but her forte is expertly executed trattoria fare that channels the soulful simplicity of Rome’s peasant classics — a refreshing change in a city where young chefs frequently try and fail to modernize the local cuisine. Diners visit Cicolini’s small dining room in the residential Appio-Latino quarter for carbonara, amatriciana, and a wide range of quinto quarto (offal) dishes, like delicate trippa alla romana (tripe cooked with tomato and seasoned with pecorino Romano and mint). Don’t overdo it with the savory dishes so you can fully enjoy desserts like the maritozzo (cream-filled bun) made with smoky grano arso flour.

Casa Manfredi opened in 2015 on a shady stretch of Viale Aventino, a tree-lined residential avenue between Circo Massimo and Testaccio. Like many cafes in Rome, it offers coffee and pastries to customers standing at the counter and seated at some outside tables. But what sets it apart is its exceptional coffee program and the absolutely exquisite pastries made by Giorgia Proia, who laminates croissants (both sweet and savory) and fills maritozzi (Rome’s classic leavened breakfast brioche) with clouds of ethereal whipped cream. In the summer months, Casa Manfredi makes gelato; ask for a few scoops stuffed into a maritozzo for the ultimate warm weather treat.

180g Pizzeria Romana opened a second location in a new space near Villa Gordiani in August 2021 while the original in Centocelle transitioned to takeaway and delivery. As the name suggests, this “third-wave” pizzeria uses 180 grams of long-fermented dough for each pizza, which is stretched by hand into a disk and garnished with toppings both classic (margherita) and creative (porchetta, wild greens, and buffalo mozzarella) to yield a characteristically crispy, chewy pizza romana. The new menu also features classic fritti, as well as sampietrini, croquettes shaped like and named for the city’s cobblestones.

The Testaccio neighborhood market is the best place in central Rome to shop for seasonal produce, meat, fish, and baked goods all in one place. Get there in the morning to see it in full swing (it’s open Monday through Saturday until 2 p.m.). Visit Da Artenio (Box 90) for takeaway pizza slices and pizzette, little pizzas topped with tomato sauce, potatoes, or onions. Don’t miss the essential Mordi e Vai (Box 15), where husband-and-wife team Sergio Esposito and Mara Cipriani prepare sandwiches filled with offal and meat based on family recipes, including disappearing historic dishes like allesso di scottona (simmered brisket). Nearby Da Corrado (Box 18) sells natural wines, artisan cheeses, and a handful of hot dishes — including some of the best polpette (meatballs) in town — while Casa Manco (Box 22) serves naturally leavened pizza by the slice by weight.

Following careers in fine dining in Italy and abroad, Leonardo Vignoli and Maria Pia Cicconi went back to basics with Cesare al Casaletto, a straightforward trattoria the husband-and-wife duo took over in 2009. The menu features Roman classics with a few restrained twists, like fried gnocchi served on a pool of cacio e pepe sauce. The pasta alla gricia has achieved cult status, the suckling lamb mains are exceptional, and the beverage list spotlights stunningly affordable natural wines from Italy, France, and Slovenia. Cesare isn’t particularly close to any monuments but is easily accessible by public transit — though don’t rule out a post-lunch stroll through the nearby Villa Pamphili, a vast public park.

Former produce vendor Patrizio Bonelli opened his eponymous osteria a decade ago in Tor Pignattara, a diverse, working-class district in eastern Rome. The place is a casual affair known for abundant pasta portions and meaty mains like roasted lamb and horse skirt steak. Owing to Bonelli’s previous profession, the osteria offers a wide range of contorni (vegetable side dishes).

Sbanco is the most central pizzeria of Rome’s foremost pizza entrepreneur, Stefano Callegari, who teams up with Italian craft brewery Birrificio del Ducato to serve thick-rimmed pizzas baked in a domed, wood-burning Valoriani oven alongside draft beers. Toppings range from classic margherita and marinara to creative cacio e pepe. There’s even a stack of seven margherita pizzas known as lasagna di pizza. Sbanco also serves lots of crispy fritti (fried starters) including suppli carbonara (rice croquettes flavored with the classic carbonara ingredients) and fiori di zucca (battered and fried squash blossoms stuffed with mozzarella and anchovy). For more excellent pizza from Callegari a bit further afield, visit Tonda and Sforno.

Pizza maestro Marco Quintili opened his second location in Rome in July 2020, where he marries thick-rimmed Neapolitan pies with Roman flavors. Classic Neapolitan starters like frittatine (pasta croquettes) are flavored with cacio e pepe or amatriciana sauce, while the carbonara pizza channels Rome’s most famous sauce as a topping. Quintili’s dough is ethereal, highly digestible, and the product of years of thoughtful trial and error. The hydration of the dough, temperature of the oven, and bake time are all perfectly calibrated to create a pizza that is stable, not soupy like so many Neapolitan pies.

Bruno Persiani, an Umbrian transplant to the Italian capital, opened this homey trattoria in southern Trastevere in 1968 to serve a mix of dishes from Umbria and Rome. Tavernaccia is now run by Persiani’s daughters and Sardinian son-in-law, who throws in a few of his own regional specialties like suckling pig cooked in the wood-fired oven. The fresh pastas are excellent (especially Sunday’s lasagna, which sells out fast), and the wood oven-roasted brisket is otherworldly. Organic and natural wines from Italy and Slovenia round out the wine list. The service is patient and unbelievably kind — far from the norm in the Italian capital, so don’t get used to it.

After years of pop-ups in their apartment, baker Sofie Wochner and chef Domenico Cortese have inaugurated Marigold. The operation is part bakery, focused on naturally leavened breads and pastries, and part cafe, focused on hyper-local, foraged, and seasonal ingredients. The dining room’s light-filled, spartan interior is open for morning and midday meals from Wednesday to Sunday. The menu is vegetable-driven, offering a pleasing break from Rome’s seemingly nonstop carbonara train, with dishes like beets with roasted carrots, peaches, and labneh, or lupini bean hummus with herbs, green beans, hazelnuts, and plums.

After nearly 30 years at the helm of Rome’s first Thai restaurant, Beijing-born chef Ge Jing Hua opened Sinosteria in 2020 to serve a blend of Chinese regional cuisines like Beijing-style tripe with chile oil and cilantro, and Shandong-inspired squid with peppers, ginger, and bamboo. There are also signature creations like basmati rice with coconut milk, shrimp, capers, and oregano from Pantelleria. The front of house is expertly managed by Ge’s gregarious sommelier son Jun, whose natural wine list and coffee menu are outstanding.