Finding the best restaurants in Rome means understanding that this is a city devoted to a handful of dishes done perfectly, generation after generation.
Roman cooking is famously simple and specific: the four great pastas, cacio e pepe, carbonara, amatriciana, and gricia, plus artichokes, oxtail, and offal, executed with fierce consistency in family trattorias that have barely changed their menus in decades.
This is not a city of fusion or reinvention so much as devotion, and eating well here is about knowing where the locals go.
At the same time, Rome's dining scene has quietly grown more ambitious.
A cluster of Michelin-starred rooms, from a legendary rooftop overlooking the whole city to intimate chef's counters, pushes Italian cooking forward, while a new generation of young chefs reinterprets the classics with lighter hands and better sourcing.
Layered on top is the Roman-Jewish tradition of the old Ghetto, the pizza rivalry between thin Roman and puffy Neapolitan, the sacred rituals of espresso and gelato, and a street-food culture of supplì, pizza al taglio, and trapizzino.
This guide breaks Rome's food scene down by how you actually eat: our top overall picks, then the best by cuisine, the finest fine dining, the most romantic rooms, rooftop views, vegetarian standouts, the iconic Roman dishes and where to eat them, the best by neighborhood, and the buzzy new openings.
Reservations are strongly advised at the popular trattorias and essential at the starred spots. Come hungry, eat slowly, and never order a cappuccino after lunch.
