Rome’s best places to eat and drink

Housed in the stately column-lined Galleria Doria Pamphili, Caffe Doria is a fantastic spot to sip cocktails and gaze at art.Credit: Caffe Doria

Rome’s food scene is as fascinating and eclectic as its history. Generational trattorias serve classics, young Roman chefs flirt with tradition and neon-lit cocktail bars do mixology right. Here, the old mixes with the new on every level and exciting trends continue to bolster the culinary scene to consistently position it as one of the world’s great food capitals.

Zia

Credit: Zia

Contemporary fine dining
Modest fine dining and wining never disappoints and chef Antonio Ziantoni’s precision, passion and talent is boundless. Awarded a star in the Michelin guide in its first year, Zia changes the menu seasonally as you’d expect and presents a variety of meats such as sweetbreads and prize cuts from duck to guinea fowl. Risotto and pastas stand out and acclaimed pastry chef Christian Marasca’s delights dazzle, particularly the spectacular Tourbillon. Add delightfully competent staff and the vibe here is creative and innovative. Yet Zia isn’t fussy and the overall experience leaves you satisfied and, quite simply, plain happy.
Via Goffredo Mameli, 45, 00153, Rome, [phone], www.ziarestaurant.com

Pulejo

Credit: Pulejo

Nordic interiors, Italian flavours
Pulejo in Rome’s Prati district is on the cusp of greatness (by the time you get here, it will most likely have a Michelin star). Chef and owner Davide Puleio says his brand of fine dining is about comfort and service, not formality, and this philosophy permeates his menu. His humble rise has taken him to London, Copenhagen, Milan and finally back to his native Rome. Signature dish, Mi-Ro is saffron risotto topped with oxtail and is Milan and Rome on a plate. With minimalist interiors, creative dishes and straightforward service, Rome’s opening of the year is here to stay.
Via dei Gracchi, 31, 00192 Rome, [phone], pulejo.it

Rimessa Roscioli

Credit: Maurizio Camagna

Wine tasting and pairing experience
Food lovers and wine aficionados will love Rimessa Roscioli. Wine tasting dinners have you sampling eight wines with cured meats, fresh mozzarella and seasonal specialities, plus a Roman pasta dish and dessert. The Roscioli name in Rome is synonymous with prized food and wine outlets from deli-style Roscioli Salumeria to Antico Forno Roscioli for bread and pizza and Caffè Roscioli (hands down best club sandwich in town). Keeping with that reputation, Rimessa Roscioli doesn’t disappoint either. Cooking classes are available, as is an international wine club to have favourite drops delivered to your door.
Via del Conservatorio, 58, 00186, Rome, [phone], www.rimessaroscioli.com

Seu Illuminati

Credit: Seu Illuminati

Pizza innovation
For gourmet pizza, you can’t go past Seu Illuminati. Pier Daniele Seu started off his career with the best in Rome, Gabriele Bonci, but has put his own stamp on this city. With wife Valeria Zuppardo, he pushes boundaries at this modern pizza restaurant in the quieter part of Trastevere. His pizza is long leavened, making it soft and airy, and he flirts with ingredients. The classics are on the menu but each season brings highly anticipated new creations with anything from truffles and liquorice to cocoa and coffee. Don’t forget to start with fritti (fried treats) as the locals do and leave room for indulgent dessert pizza slices, rarely seen in Rome.
Via Angelo Bargoni, 10 - 18, 00153 Rome, [phone], www.seupizza.com

Marzapane

Credit: Marzapane

Immaculate bistro dining
Refined yet homely, sophisticated but unpretentious, Marzapane is casual and fine dining at the same time. In an unassuming locale that looks more like a townhouse you’d expect in London instead of Rome, the interiors are just as elegant and clean lined. Chef Antonio Altamura has ample international experience and guides the kitchen with tasting menus that centre on prized produce that’s been smoked, ash or carbon baked, flame grilled or cooked in clay pots.
Via Flaminia, 64, 00196 Rome, [phone], www.marzapaneroma.com

Pianostrada

Credit: Pianostrada Laboratorio di Cucina

Unforgettable flavours, stunning setting
What began in 2014 as a hole-in-the-wall in Trastevere, all-women owned Pianostrada Laboratorio di Cucina has quietly transformed into a local institution. Their house baked focaccia stuffed with mortadella and ricotta or topped with prosciutto and figs are not to be missed. The deconstructed tempura fried Roman zucchini flowers and daily pasta specials are a hit too. Sit at the open kitchen counter, one of the vintage design table settings or out in the bijou fairy-light adorned garden.
Via delle Zoccolette, 22, 00186, Rome, [phone].

Drink Kong

Credit: Alberto Blasetti/Drink Kong

Bright lights and impeccable cocktails
Slick interiors, arcade games and neon lights might try to distract, but your first sip of a Patrick Pistolesi cocktail is what will leave the lasting memory. The Irish-Roman barman revolutionised mixology in Rome and has the accolades to prove it. Cocktails here are mood-based and things like lobster rolls, bao and tacos are on the menu at Rome's only entry on the World 50 Best Bars list.
Piazza di S. Martino Ai Monti, 8, 00154 Rome, [phone], www.drinkkong.com

Santo Palato

Credit: Santo Palato

Modern day trattoria, vintage vibe
Rome will be forever grateful that Abruzzo native Sara Cicolini walked away from her medical studies to become a chef. Hailed for redefining the concept of the traditional Roman trattoria, Santo Palato predominantly serves up age-old quinto quarto (Roman for nose-to-tail cuisine) dishes like tripe and pan-fried innards. Her cuisine is best described as ethical, simple and creative. The changing daily blackboard keeps regular diners here on their toes and hot tip: the carbonara is silky and unforgettable.
Piazza Tarquinia, 4 a/b, 00183 Rome, [phone], santopalato.superbexperience.com

Caffè Doria

Credit: Andrea Di Lorenzo/Caffe Doria

Cocktails and artworks
Caffè Doria sits within the Galleria Doria Pamphili, an underrated gallery that has the city’s most impressive private art collection. Sip expertly mixed cocktails while admiring a Caravaggio in the elegant indoor space or head to the courtyard with its imposing columns for the real showstopper. The creative drinks list plays with infusions and syrups, giving a savoury touch with ingredients such as basil and capers - think a Champagne Risotto cocktail that comes complete with a rice crisp. Add to that, delectable canapés and a gin trolley with over 80 labels.
Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Via della, Gatta, 1, 00186 Rome, [phone], www.caffedoria.it

Da Enzo al 29

Credit: Da Enzo al 29

Classic Roman cuisine and setting
You will need to line up (and for a while) to snag a table at Trastevere’s most popular trattoria, which has developed a cult-like following. Thankfully fame hasn’t affected the quality and the service (friendly and rough around the edges) and dishes (high comfort and high quality) are exactly what they should be. Start off with the burrata; mozzarella and anchovy stuffed zucchini flowers; and when they’re in season, golden fried artichokes. The Roman pasta quartet (carbonara, amatriciana, cacio e pepe, gricia) never disappoints nor does the coda alla vaccinara (oxtail). Don’t leave without trying the mascarpone and wild strawberry mousse.
Via dei Vascellari, 29, 00153 Rome, [phone], www.daenzoal29.com

Armando al Pantheon

Credit: Armando al Pantheon

Carbonara with a view
Steps from the Pantheon, the Gargioli family have served up outstanding Roman fare here for six decades. The classics reign supreme from the carbonara and cacio e pepe to saltimbocca alla romana (pan-fried prosciutto and sage-topped veal cutlets). And whatever is in season ends up on the plate too from puntarelle (Catalonian chicory served with a lemon, olive oil and anchovy dressing) in the cooler months, through to spring, artichokes served braised with calamint or twice fried. Reservations can be made online - don’t turn up without one.
Salita de' Crescenzi, 31, 00186 Rome, [phone], www.armandoalpantheon.it

Retro Vino and Caffè

Credit: Retro Vino and Caffè

Small plates and natural wines
The feel is relaxed at this offshoot of Rome’s foraging gem Retrobottega. The all-day coffee and wine bar morphs slowly from breakfast to brunch, lunch to dinner. The ever changing and thought-provoking menu consists of share dishes - think perfectly stuffed pastas and small creative vegetable plates - and can be enjoyed inside on the communal table or outdoors, while the list of natural wines is broad. The Retro brand is for hardcore food and wine lovers.
Via d’Ascanio, 26a, 00186 Rome, [phone], retro-bottega.com