The old papal city around the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, where Armando, Roscioli and Forno Campo de' Fiori anchor the daily food map.
Roscioli in Rome's Centro Storico runs deli, restaurant and wine cellar as one room. Kitchen leans roman, salumeria. At Via dei Giubbonari 21.
Signature: Carbonara, Cacio e pepe, Burrata with anchovies
Order: The carbonara, the burrata with anchovies, and any cheese flight from the counter.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead for dinner. Lunch is the easier seating and the same kitchen runs both services.
Armando al Pantheon in Rome has cooked the four Roman pastas and the quinto quarto canon since 1961, a few steps from the Pantheon. Located in Centro Storico.
Signature: Cacio e pepe, Coda alla vaccinara, Abbacchio
Order: Cacio e pepe, coda alla vaccinara, and the abbacchio when it's on the carte.
Tip: Bookings open exactly two months ahead on the website. Walk-up tables exist but only for lone diners and only at 12:30.
Pianostrada in Rome's Regola district is the all-female kitchen behind the focaccia di Pianostrada (rosemary, mortadella, stracciatella) and the modern Roman.
Signature: Focaccia, Polpette di bollito, Tagliolini cacio e pepe
Order: The mortadella-and-stracciatella focaccia and the tagliolini cacio e pepe.
Tip: The garden seats book six weeks out for summer. Closed Monday all day.
Il Sanlorenzo in Rome's Centro Storico is the Michelin-starred seafood-only room. Priced at €€€€. At Via dei Chiavari 4/5. Booking recommended.
Signature: Crudi di mare, Spaghettone alle vongole, Scampi
Order: The crudi platter and the spaghettone alle vongole with the daily catch.
Tip: The €85 lunch tasting is the more accessible entry; dinner runs €150 carte. Book a fortnight ahead.
Rimessa Roscioli in Rome is the wine-tasting dinner format from the Roscioli family. Located in Centro Storico. Kitchen leans italian, wine-led.
Signature: Wine tasting dinner, Salumi flight, Pasta carbonara
Order: The full tasting dinner; the wine flights are the experience, not optional add-ons.
Tip: Single seating at 20:00. Reserve a fortnight ahead; the salumi flight alone is worth the ticket.
Anthony Genovese's Il Pagliaccio in Rome's Centro Storico holds two Michelin stars for a cross-cultural tasting menu rooted in Italian and Southeast Asian.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The €120 lunch tasting is the value entry to the kitchen.
The Troiani brothers' Il Convivio in Rome's Centro Storico holds one Michelin star for the modern Italian carte they have cooked since 1988.
Tip: Closed Sunday all day. The €95 weekday lunch tasting is the easier entry; cellar tour by request.
Riccardo Di Giacinto's All'Oro in Rome's Flaminio holds one Michelin star for the chef's reading of Roman dishes through a modern fine-dining lens.
Tip: Closed Sunday all day. The €110 vegetarian tasting menu runs the same number of courses as the carnivore carte.
Daniele Lippi's Acquolina in Rome's Centro Storico holds one Michelin star for the seafood-only tasting carte, with the Mediterranean catch driving.
Tip: The €85 lunch tasting at five courses is the easier entry; dinner runs seven courses at €140.
Andrea Antonini's Imago at the Hassler Hotel in Rome holds one Michelin star for the modern Italian tasting menu and the rooftop view across the Piazza di.
Tip: The €120 vegetarian tasting runs at the same seven-course length. Sunset bookings sell out four weeks ahead.
Giulio Terrinoni's Per Me in Rome's Centro Storico holds one Michelin star for the chef's seafood-led modern Italian, with both a tasting carte.
Tip: The tipico dei tappi small-plate carte lets you build a tasting at your own pace. Closed Sunday.
Arcangelo Dandini's Supplizio in Rome's Centro Storico is the suppli specialist counter, with 12 daily versions including cacio e pepe and mortadella.
Signature: Suppli, Suppli cacio e pepe, Mortadella ball
Order: The classic suppli al telefono, the cacio e pepe version and the mortadella ball.
Tip: Cash and card. Open 12:00-22:00 Tue to Sun; closed Monday. Small standing counter only.
The Roscioli family's Antico Forno in Rome's Centro Storico is the 200-year-old neighbourhood bakery counter, with pizza bianca, pizza rossa.
Signature: Pizza bianca, Pizza rossa, Maritozzo
Order: Pizza bianca (the classic), pizza rossa with anchovies, and a maritozzo con la panna.
Tip: Open Mon to Sat 07:00-19:30; closed Sunday. The maritozzo sells out by 11:00.
Osteria Da Fortunata in Rome's Centro Storico is the pasta-by-hand trattoria where you watch the pasta makers roll fettuccine in the window from a long.
Signature: Fettuccine, Cacio e pepe, Tagliatelle al ragu
Order: Fettuccine al ragu, cacio e pepe rolled fresh in the window, and a quartino of house white.
Tip: No bookings; queue from 19:00. Three locations across the centre; the Via del Pellegrino is the original.
Matricianella in Rome's Centro Storico runs the canonical Roman trattoria carte: amatriciana the dish that named the house, saltimbocca alla romana.
Signature: Bucatini all'amatriciana, Saltimbocca, Concia di zucchine
Order: Bucatini all'amatriciana and saltimbocca alla romana, with a quartino of house Frascati.
Tip: Closed Sunday all day. Book a week ahead for the courtyard terrace; the indoor room is calmer.
Trattoria Dal Cavalier Gino in Rome's Centro Storico is the politicians' lunch room near the Parliament, with frescoed walls and the coniglio alla cacciatora.
Signature: Tonnarelli cacio e pepe, Coniglio alla cacciatora, Saltimbocca
Order: The tonnarelli cacio e pepe, coniglio alla cacciatora, and a half-litre of house Frascati.
Tip: Closed Sunday. Book a week ahead; the back-room frescoed alcoves are the ask.
Sant'Eustachio Il Caffe in Rome's Centro Storico has roasted espresso over a wood fire since 1938. Order the gran caffe speciale. Booking recommended.
Signature drink: Gran Caffe Speciale
Tip: Order at the cassa first, then take the ticket to the bar. Two euros at the counter, four at the tables.
Tazza d'Oro in Rome by the Pantheon has roasted espresso since 1944. Located in Centro Storico. Order the granita di caffe con panna. At Via degli Orfani 84.
Signature drink: Granita di caffe con panna
Tip: Order the granita di caffe con panna in summer; counter-stand espresso year-round. Closed Sunday.
Roscioli Caffe in Rome's Centro Storico is the espresso-and-pastry counter from the Roscioli family. Order the espresso, maritozzo con panna.
Signature drink: Espresso, maritozzo con panna
Tip: Open from 07:00; the maritozzo sells out by 11:00. Bar-stand espresso is the steal at 1.50 euros.
Caffe Canova Tadolini on Via del Babuino is the 1818 sculptor's atelier turned cafe-museum since 2003, with the four Tadolini generations' busts.
Signature drink: Espresso, cappuccino
Tip: Cafe open daily 08:00 to midnight; standing-counter espresso is the steal at 1.50 euros, the Paolina room charges three times more.
Barnum Cafe in Rome's Centro Storico is the third-wave coffee room serving filter, V60 and flat whites alongside brunch plates and a small natural-wine list.
Signature drink: Filter coffee, flat white
Tip: Open 09:00-23:00. Brunch on Sunday is the busiest slot; book or arrive before 11:00.
Sensorio Coffee Lab just north of Piazza del Popolo is the 2023-opened house-roasting bar pouring single-origin espresso, batch brew and hand-poured filter.
Signature drink: Single-origin pour-over, batch brew
Tip: Open 08:00-16:00 Mon to Fri, 09:00-16:00 weekends. The pour-over flight is the order; pastries and brunch run all day.
Bar del Fico in Rome's Centro Storico is the piazza-side all-day cafe and aperitivo room with the city's most photographed fig-tree terrace and a long.
Signature drink: Espresso, aperitivo
Tip: Open daily 08:00-02:00. The piazza terrace fills first; book aperitivo for groups of six or more.
Ciampini in Rome's Centro Storico is the 1947-founded piazza cafe with gelato counter, the lunchtime carte and the espresso ritual on Piazza San Lorenzo.
Signature drink: Espresso, gelato, cocktails
Tip: Open daily 07:00-23:30. The piazza terrace fills at lunch; the gelato counter has 24 daily flavours.
Antico Caffe della Pace in Rome's Centro Storico is the 1891-founded literary cafe with marble counters, the famous wisteria-fronted terrace and a late-night.
Signature drink: Espresso, cocktails
Tip: Open 09:00-02:00. The wisteria terrace blooms in April and May; book a fortnight ahead for those weeks.
Forno Campo de' Fiori in Rome's Centro Storico has baked the pizza bianca that defines the city since 1924, with the Roscioli family owning the brand.
Tip: The pizza bianca with mortadella eaten standing up is the working-quarter ritual. Cash only.
Worth the queue: Pizza bianca with mortadella
Pasticceria De Bellis in Rome's Centro Storico is Andrea De Bellis's modern-Italian pastry counter, with eclairs, the signature Setteveli chocolate cake.
Tip: The €5 individual Setteveli is the order; whole cakes book three days ahead. Closed Monday.
Worth the queue: Setteveli, eclair
Panificio Passi in Rome's Centro Storico runs a 1916 family bakery near the Spanish Steps, with pizza bianca by weight, sourdough loaves and a long focaccia.
Tip: Open from 07:00. The pizza bianca lunch counter heats up at 12:00; arrive before then for the freshest batch.
Worth the queue: Pizza bianca
Pasticceria Cinque Lune in Rome's Centro Storico has baked Roman classic pastries since 1880, with cornetto sfogliato, sfogliatella and a long display.
Tip: The cornetto-and-cappuccino breakfast set is 3 euros at the counter; standing room only.
Worth the queue: Cornetto sfogliato
Sant'Eustachio in Rome has roasted espresso blends over a wood fire since 1938. Located in Centro Storico. Open mon-fri 09:00-18:00, sat 09:00-13:00.
Tip: The whole-bean Gran Caffe Speciale retails at 18 euros per 250g bag; wood-fire flavour is the city classic.
Sources from: Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia
How they serve: Espresso, Whole bean retail
Tazza d'Oro in Rome's Centro Storico has roasted classic Italian espresso blends since 1944, with the wholesale bean operation supplying half the Centro.
Tip: The whole-bean Regina dei Caffe blend retails at 12 euros per 250g; granita di caffe is the summer order.
Sources from: Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala
How they serve: Espresso, Whole bean retail
Marziali 1922 on Via Po in the Pinciano quarter is the third-generation heir to the 1922 Marziali brothers torrefazione, pouring the house blend in espresso.
Tip: Open 08:00-23:00 Mon to Sat. The house blend retails as whole bean at the counter; the cold brew is the summer order.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Brazil, Colombia
How they serve: Espresso, Cold brew, Specialty, Whole bean retail
Caffe Vitti in Rome's Centro Storico is the 1898-founded espresso bar with a small in-house roaster, the working-quarter espresso ritual and a gelato counter.
Tip: Open daily 07:00-22:00. The whole-bean blend retails at 14 euros for 250g; espresso is 1.20 at counter.
Sources from: Brazil, Colombia
How they serve: Espresso, Whole bean retail
Il Goccetto in Rome's Centro Storico is the historic wine bar with a 1500-label cellar, the city's oldest aperitivo room since 1969 and salumi boards.
Signature pour: Frascati Superiore Castel de Paolis, by the glass
Wine focus: Italian regional whites and reds by the glass
Food: Salumi and cheese boards, no kitchen
Tip: Cash only. Open from 18:30; no bookings. The back-room cellar is the spot to ask for after 21:00.
Enoteca Corsi in Rome's Centro Storico has been a working-day lunch trattoria with retail wine shelves since 1937. Cash only, lunch service 12:00-15:00.
Signature pour: Frascati Superiore by the carafe
Wine focus: Italian regional wines
Food: Roman trattoria lunches only
Tip: Cash only. Open lunch only; no dinner; closed Sunday. House wine by the carafe is 6 euros per half-litre.
Casa Bleve in Rome's Centro Storico is the Bleve family's salumeria-and-wine-bar with a 1000-label cellar, the daily lunch buffet of salumi and cheese.
Signature pour: Vintage Sagrantino di Montefalco, by the bottle
Wine focus: Italian regional wines, deep cellar
Food: Lunch buffet, dinner carte, salumi
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Lunch buffet is 35 euros all-you-can-eat with a glass of wine.
Rimessa Roscioli in Rome's Centro Storico is the Roscioli family's wine-tasting cellar with a single 20:00 seating, the €95 four-hour set of salumi.
Signature pour: Roscioli house carbonara paired with Cesanese
Wine focus: Italian regional wines, full tasting program
Food: Multi-course wine-paired dinner only
Tip: Single 20:00 seating only; book a fortnight ahead. Closed Sunday.
The Jerry Thomas Project in Rome's Centro Storico is the city's original speakeasy, with a 1930s-era classic cocktail carte and a daily password posted.
Signature drink: Classic cocktails, prohibition-era
Food: Small snacks
Tip: Members or guests; check the daily password on the website. Book a fortnight ahead.
Stravinskij Bar in Rome's Hotel de Russie is the courtyard cocktail bar with the city's most pleasing summer garden, the classic-cocktail carte.
Signature drink: Stravinskij Negroni, Hugo Spritz
Food: Aperitivo plates, full carte
Tip: Open daily 11:00-02:00. Book the garden seats two weeks ahead from May to September.
Salotto 42 in Rome's Centro Storico is the long-running cocktail bar opposite the Temple of Hadrian, with a vintage book-and-design library wall and a Roman.
Signature drink: Negroni, classic cocktails
Food: Aperitivo plates, brunch on Saturday
Tip: Open daily 10:00-02:00. The piazza-facing terrace fills first at sunset; book at the front bar.
The Hassler Bar in Rome at the Hassler Hotel is the historic cocktail bar opposite the Trinita dei Monti, with classic cocktails, the marble counter.
Signature drink: Hassler Spritz, Negroni
Food: Aperitivo plates, light carte
Tip: Open daily 11:00-02:00. The piazza-facing window seats are the request for sunset.
Club Derriere in Rome's Centro Storico is the speakeasy behind Etabli, with a 1920s-era cocktail carte and the city's quietest dark-corner bar.
Signature drink: Signature cocktails, prohibition classics
Food: Small snacks, late-night plates
Tip: Entry via the Etabli restaurant; ask for the back room. Open 22:00-03:00; closed Sunday.
Barnum Cafe in Rome's Centro Storico is the all-day cafe with a strong cocktail list after 18:00, a natural-wine selection by the glass and a brunch carte.
Signature drink: Signature cocktails, natural wine
Food: Brunch, dinner carte
Tip: Open daily 09:00-23:00. The Sunday brunch sets cost 22 euros; book a week ahead.
Argot in Rome's Centro Storico is the live-jazz cocktail bar with the city's strongest jazz programme four nights a week, a long classic-cocktail carte.
Signature drink: Classic cocktails, jazz
Food: Small plates, late-night kitchen
Tip: Open Tue-Sun 19:00-02:00. The jazz nights run Wed to Sat from 22:00; book the back tables.
Cul de Sac in Rome's Centro Storico is the 1977-founded enoteca with a 1500-label Italian cellar, the long-bench room and the late-night Roman small plates.
Signature drink: Italian regional wines, by the glass
Food: Salumi, cheese, Roman small plates
Tip: Open daily 12:00-16:00 and 18:00-24:00. No bookings; queue from 19:00 for benches.
The Race Club in Rome's Celio district is the 1920s-themed speakeasy with a 200-cocktail carte from the prohibition era, the city's most playful cocktail.
Signature drink: Prohibition-era classic cocktails
Food: Snacks, small plates
Tip: Member access via website RSVP; open Wed to Sun 22:00-03:00. Phone-down policy on the door.
Arcangelo Dandini's Supplizio in Rome's Centro Storico is the city's specialist suppli counter, with the classic al telefono and 11 modern versions (cacio e.
Try: Suppli al telefono and modern variations
Tip: Open 12:00-22:00; closed Monday. Suppli cost 3 euros each; the cacio e pepe is the lead order.
Antico Forno Roscioli in Rome's Centro Storico is the 1972-Roscioli-family bakery counter with the pizza bianca by the kilo, eaten standing on the alley.
Try: Pizza bianca, pizza rossa, maritozzo
Tip: Open Mon to Sat 07:00-19:30. Pizza bianca costs 16 euros per kilo; ask for 200g for one person.
Open Baladin in Rome's Campo de' Fiori district is the city flagship of the Baladin brewing group, with 40 taps including the brewery's classics.
Tip: Open daily 12:00-02:00. The 4+4 tasting flight at 12 euros covers four of the Baladin classics.
MyAle Craft Beer and Street Food in Rome's Centro Storico off Campo de' Fiori is the rotating craft beer pick-up since 2014, with 20 Italian and import.
Tip: Open Tue-Sun from 18:00. The focaccia plus craft-bottle pairing at 12 euros is the value entry.
Mercato di Campo de' Fiori in Rome's Centro Storico is the historic open-air piazza market (since 1869), with produce, flowers and spice stalls.
Tip: Closed Sunday. Tourist-heavy by 11:00; arrive 08:00 for the local-trade hours and produce.
Mercato Rionale Flaminio II in Rome's Flaminio district is the local covered market with 60 stalls of produce, cheese, fish and meat, serving the residential.
Tip: Closed Sunday. The cheese counter stocks aged pecorino di Roma; the fish counters end by 12:00.
Forno Campo de' Fiori in Rome bakes pizza bianca by weight at €3-4 per slice. Cash only. Open Mon-Sat 07:30-14:30 and 16:45-20:00; closed Sunday.
Try: Pizza bianca by weight
Tip: Cash only. Open Mon-Sat 07:30-14:30 and 16:45-20:00; closed Sunday.
Arcangelo Dandini's Supplizio in Rome's Centro Storico is the specialist suppli counter at €3 each. Two suppli and a glass of wine runs under €10 for a quick.
Try: Suppli al telefono
Tip: Open Tue-Sun 12:00-22:00; closed Monday. Cash and card Cash is faster than card.
Enoteca Corsi in Rome's Centro Storico has been a working-day lunch trattoria with retail wine shelves since 1937. At Via del Gesu 87. Booking recommended.
Try: Roman trattoria lunch with house wine
Tip: Cash only. Open lunch only; no dinner; closed Sunday. The 12:30 seating is the busiest.
Pianostrada in Rome's Centro Storico runs Saturday-Sunday brunch with the focaccia di Pianostrada, polenta-and-egg plates and a modern Roman menu.
Order: Focaccia with mortadella and stracciatella, plus poached eggs over polenta.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead for the garden seats from May to September. Closed Monday all day.
Ginger Sapori e Salute in Rome's Centro Storico runs an all-day vegetarian-friendly brunch carte near the Spanish Steps, with granola bowls.
Order: Granola bowl with sourdough toast, avocado and a soft-boiled egg.
Tip: Open daily 09:00-23:30. The brunch carte runs all day; weekend bookings recommended.
Barnum Cafe in Rome's Centro Storico runs weekend brunch with avocado toast, poached eggs and sourdough plates, with a strong filter coffee and natural-wine.
Order: Avocado toast with poached egg and the maritozzo savoury with porchetta.
Tip: Book Sunday brunch a week ahead. The brunch set with coffee and juice runs 22 euros per head.
Ciampini in Rome's Centro Storico runs an all-day brunch on the Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina terrace, with classic Italian breakfast pastries.
Order: Cornetto sfogliato, cappuccino and a frittata of seasonal vegetables.
Tip: Open daily 07:00-23:30. The piazza terrace fills at brunch; arrive before 11:00 on weekends.
Pizzeria Da Baffetto in Rome's Centro Storico has cooked the canonical paper-thin Roman pizza since 1962, with the late-night seatings running to 00:30.
Try: Roman pizza, suppli, fritti
Tip: Cash only. No bookings; queue from 21:30 for the 22:00 seating. Closed Tuesday all day.
Pizzeria La Montecarlo in Rome's Centro Storico is the late-night Roman pizza room that grew out of Da Baffetto's overflow crowd, with seating to 00:30.
Try: Roman pizza, suppli, fritti
Tip: Open daily 12:00-15:00 and 18:30-00:30. The 22:00 seating is the easier slot vs Da Baffetto next door.
Open Baladin in Rome's Campo de' Fiori district runs the kitchen and the 40 craft taps to 02:00 with burger plates, fries and Italian craft beer alongside.
Try: Craft beer, burgers, fried plates
Tip: Open daily 12:00-02:00. The flight tasting at 12 euros for four taps is the late-night order.
Maccheroni in Rome's Centro Storico runs the kitchen to 23:30 with Roman pasta classics, a piazza terrace and a wine carafe list, the late-bistro alternative.
Try: Roman pasta classics, salumi
Tip: Open daily 12:30-23:30. Book the piazza terrace seats a week ahead for May to September.
Shari Vari Playhouse occupies a seventeenth century palazzo a short walk from the Pantheon, running daytime cafe and restaurant service that turns over to a clubby night programme of house, hip hop and commercial sets on weekends.
Tip: The Friday and Saturday late slots fill with a student crowd and the dress code tightens after midnight. Reserve a table if you want guaranteed entry on a peak weekend.
The Hassler's bar sits at the top of the Spanish Steps with a terrace that looks straight down Via Sistina and across the rooftops of the centre, a piano-lounge classic that has been the canonical aperitivo balcony at Trinita dei Monti for decades.
Tip: Book the small outdoor terrace at sunset rather than the inside lounge; the seats are limited and the Spanish Steps view is the reason to come. Smart dress, no shorts in the evening.
Settimo sits on the seventh floor of the Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese with a wraparound terrace that takes in the Seven Hills and St Peter's dome, with chef Giuseppe D'Alessio running a modern Roman menu alongside a bar that opens for sunset cocktails.
Tip: Bar service runs through the dinner hours; if you only want a drink, ask for the lounge terrace rather than a dining table. The Villa Borghese gardens are a short walk after.
Cielo runs across two floors on top of the Rocco Forte Hotel de la Ville at the head of the Spanish Steps, with the sixth-floor bar handling cocktails, DJ sets and light bites under red-and-white striped umbrellas and the seventh-floor restaurant taking dinner service.
Tip: Sunset DJ sets on the sixth floor are the reason locals queue; arrive 18:00 if you want a table on the terrace edge. Cocktails run around 25 euros so this is a one-drink stop for most.
The Jerry Thomas Project hides behind an unmarked door on Vicolo Cellini and has been Rome's canonical speakeasy since 2010, with bartender Antonio Parlapiano's classic cocktail programme placing the room on the World's 50 Best Bars list six times.
Tip: Reservation is required and the day's password comes with it, plus a five euro membership at the door. Tuesday to Saturday only, room holds maybe 30.
The Race Club hides a 1930s-styled basement under a Via Labicana shopfront dressed as a mechanic's workshop, with brick vaults, armchairs and a list of ten signatures alongside the classics, including a charity drink series that funds chosen causes.
Tip: Five euro membership at the door; the basement room is small so book a banquette on weekends. The upstairs garage is the cover, the cocktails are downstairs.
Argot tucks a cavernous downstairs room into the back streets behind Campo de' Fiori, run by three Roman owners as a salotto di casa with dim lighting, kitsch furniture and a weekend live music slot alongside the cocktail programme.
Tip: Annual membership card required at the door; the live music runs weekends and pushes the room past 02:00. No kitchen so eat first.
Open Baladin opened on Via degli Specchi in the Regola district in 2009 as the flagship of the Baladin brewery's Roman push, with around 40 taps, more than 100 Italian craft labels in bottle and a kitchen that runs gourmet burgers and beer-braised plates.
Tip: The bar runs continuously through service so you can drop in for a beer at 18:00 or eat dinner at 22:00. The fatate fries with homemade ketchup are a regular order.
La Vineria, the Reggio family's century-old enoteca, sits in the middle of Campo de' Fiori with cheap glasses at the inside counter, a wider outside markup and a piazza-side crowd that locks down the square through the late hours.
Tip: A glass at the inside bar is the deal; tables on the piazza carry a markup for the view. The kitchen is short, eat first elsewhere.
Il Vinaietto has been a counter-only wine bar near Largo Argentina since the 1960s, run by Marco Maccione and Giancarlo Ministeri with a long list of Italian regional wines including organic and natural pours and a street-side crowd that spills onto Via del Monte della Farina.
Tip: Drink standing; there are no real tables. Bring euro coins for cheap glasses and ask the owners for a regional pick.