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Rome Food & Drink

Roman cuisine is loved for being exceedingly flavorful, simple and satisfying. Continuing centuries of old-school traditions, dishes in the capital have their roots in ‘poor man’s food’ and are often prepared using few ingredients in creative ways, constituting a cuisine that is full of character and pays homage to the local delicacies.

Roscioli

Forget sticky bowls of carbonara and goopy meat dishes—this is modern Italian dining at its best. Roscioli’s menu is fresh and inspiring, with delicate plates like smoked swordfish carpaccio and king prawns made with burrata cheese and mullet eggs. 

Otaleg

Marco Radicioni opened Otaleg in the Portuense district in southwestern Rome in 2012. The name is simply “gelato” spelled backwards, which mirrors the shop’s design, in which the gelato workshop fills the storefront, rather than hiding in the back. Otaleg’s rich and creamy all-natural gelato is made from high-quality ingredients like Valrhona chocolate, bourbon-Madagascar vanilla beans, and IGP Tonda Gentile Trilobata hazelnuts. 

Panificio Bonci

Located not far from the Vatican, Panificio Bonci is a bakery opened by internationally renowned baker and Pizzarium founder Gabriele Bonci in 2012. Bonci trades in Roman bakery classics like loaves of bread, cookies, cakes, pastries, and some prepared foods, such as impeccably roasted chicken

Litro

Visit the Fontanone or another scenic overlook on the Janiculum Hill, then head over to Litro for some refreshment. This cafe and wine bar pours natural wines with light snacks and a few hot dishes that change regularly. Litro is a popular spot for aperitivo in the early evenings, and has a fully stocked bar specializing in Italian liqueurs and mezcal.

Nonna Betta

The dishes at Nonna Betta, a Kosher restaurant on the main street in Rome’s Jewish quarter, are inspired by traditions that evolved during the 300-year-long period in which Roman Jews were confined to a walled Ghetto. Persecution and poverty gave rise to dishes favoring 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).

Roman cuisine is loved for being exceedingly flavorful, simple and satisfying. Continuing centuries of old-school traditions, dishes in the capital have their roots in ‘poor man’s food’ and are often prepared using few ingredients in creative ways, constituting a cuisine that is full of character and pays homage to the local delicacies.

Roscioli

Forget sticky bowls of carbonara and goopy meat dishes—this is modern Italian dining at its best. Roscioli’s menu is fresh and inspiring, with delicate plates like smoked swordfish carpaccio and king prawns made with burrata cheese and mullet eggs. 

Otaleg

Marco Radicioni opened Otaleg in the Portuense district in southwestern Rome in 2012. The name is simply “gelato” spelled backwards, which mirrors the shop’s design, in which the gelato workshop fills the storefront, rather than hiding in the back. Otaleg’s rich and creamy all-natural gelato is made from high-quality ingredients like Valrhona chocolate, bourbon-Madagascar vanilla beans, and IGP Tonda Gentile Trilobata hazelnuts. 

Panificio Bonci

Located not far from the Vatican, Panificio Bonci is a bakery opened by internationally renowned baker and Pizzarium founder Gabriele Bonci in 2012. Bonci trades in Roman bakery classics like loaves of bread, cookies, cakes, pastries, and some prepared foods, such as impeccably roasted chicken

Litro

Visit the Fontanone or another scenic overlook on the Janiculum Hill, then head over to Litro for some refreshment. This cafe and wine bar pours natural wines with light snacks and a few hot dishes that change regularly. Litro is a popular spot for aperitivo in the early evenings, and has a fully stocked bar specializing in Italian liqueurs and mezcal.

Nonna Betta

The dishes at Nonna Betta, a Kosher restaurant on the main street in Rome’s Jewish quarter, are inspired by traditions that evolved during the 300-year-long period in which Roman Jews were confined to a walled Ghetto. Persecution and poverty gave rise to dishes favoring 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).