10 of the best Italian restaurants in Rome
A fig dish at experimental Marzapane ... its oysters with sugared ginger don't sound terribly Roman, or do they?
One thing that should be eternal about the Eternal City is great Italian food.
But that doesn’t mean pizza Napoli or pasta marinara every night.
These 10 restaurants range from a cozy trattoria through an experimental bistro to the city’s most Michelin star-spangled establishment.
What do they have in common?
Not spaghetti bolognese on the kids’ menu.
They’re all highly regarded for the Italian culinary niche they serve.
La Pergola
He may be “a German in Rome,” says the Michelin Guide of La Pergola’s head chef, Heinz Beck, but his Roman and Mediterranean cuisine make him “more Italian than most of his colleagues.”
Nice compliment, especially when accompanied by three Michelin stars -- more than any other restaurant in the city.
Eating here is as much a theatrical as a culinary experience. But the showmanship shows off the cooking.
Serving “The Sea,” Beck’s signature dish, a waiter pours a “wave” of seafood broth over a freeze-dried “rock” of scampi claws and potato, which then dissolves into the “seabed” of barnacles, white shrimp and Venus clams.
The oldest bottle on the wine list dates to 1888, and there's a water menu with 29 choices -- try asking for “the tap.”
Dishes from €39 ($53).
La Pergola, Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria, Via Alberto Cadlolo 101; +39 06 3509 1
Antica Pesa
“One of Rome’s most loved restaurants by the international jet set,” is how the Italian food guide Gambero Rosso describes this chic trattoria.
Robert De Niro and Madonna are among the members of that illustrious group pictured in attendance on the restaurant’s walls.
Apart from the opportunities for star-spotting, it’s the subtly modernized traditional trattoria dishes that appeal at this renovated ancient warehouse.
The Monte San Biagio burger was created in honor of the restaurant’s returning American clients; the roasted pork and mozzarella “millefeuille” with pear sauce is an intriguing meaty take on what is normally a dessert.
Dishes from €15.
Antica Pesa, Via Garibaldi 1; +39 6580 9236
Sake-glazed black cod, roasted pigeon with black tea and cappelletti pasta with smoked eel and cocoa powder exemplify his cosmopolitan and gently experimental approach to haute cuisine.
One of Rome’s oldest luxury rooftop restaurants, Imàgo has a 360-degree view across the historical center of the city from its position atop the Spanish Steps as well as one Michelin star.
August former diners at Imàgo in former incarnations include JFK, Grace Kelly, Federico Fellini and Audrey Hepburn.
Imàgo’s shining marble floors with antique wooden inlay, mirrored tables and soft background music create an elegant, La Dolce Vita atmosphere, with a hint of decadence.
Dishes from €33.
Imàgo, Hotel Hassler, Piazza Trinitá dei Monti 6; +39 6 6993 4726
Pipero al Rex
Meat-lovers, lick your lips.
But don’t just expect juicy fillets to be thrown into your cage at Pipero -- you’ll also get to try unusual meats cooked with subtle blends of spices, fruits and herbs.
The tasting menu includes raw goose with an apple and mustard topping, rabbit in boiled zucchinis, snails with garlic, lentils and whiskey and piglet served with a beer and cherry sauce.
Young chef Luciano Monosilia’s sophisticated way with flesh won Pipero al Rex a Michelin star after only two years.
Dishes from €22.
Pipero al Rex, Via Torino 149; +39 6481 5702
What makes dinner here special is not just the exquisite Italian and international food, but the panorama over the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.
It’s arguably the best view of any restaurant in the Italian capital, including Imàgo’s.
Changing every day, the tasting menu is strong on fish.
The tartar of Carloforte tuna, from an island off Sardinia with a tradition of trapping the fish, is served with a delicate avocado sauce -- sounds improbable but the two subtle flavors really complement each other.
Other specialties include risotto with langoustine sauce and salt cod with zucchini flowers.
Former premier Mario Monti and the French actor Alain Delon are said to be among regular diners.
Dishes from €19.
Restaurant Roof Garden, Hotel Forum, Via Tor Dei Conti 31; +39 6679 2447
“The fish is affordable and zero-food mile. It comes directly from the fishermen’s nets in the port of Anzio to the table,” says Italian food and wine magazine Gambero Rosso of Fish Market.
To order here you line up, market-like, at the counter, where a net's worth of fresh fish is on show, write what you want on a piece of paper, pay in advance, then sit down to be served.
It’s a fun and efficient way to dine and this trattoria is so popular it doesn’t take reservations.
Set in the young, popular neighborhood of Trastevere, overlooking the Tiber River, there's a modern, Scandinavian-style design and a lively atmosphere.
Dishes from €8.
Arancia Blu
Vegans and vegetarians were long ill-served in the Italian capital but finally the vegetable is receiving its due.
Combining Italian cuisine with Asian and Middle Eastern influences to spicy, creative effect, Arancia (meaning “orange”) Blu is one of Rome’s top vegan restaurants.
You’ll get egg-free mayonnaise with lemon and ginger on the avocado, almond and cumin salad.
Mustard ravioli and saffron and pepper trennette pasta are more experimental.
Dishes from €9.
Arancia Blu, Via Cesare Beccaria 3; +39 6361 0801
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