Rome restaurants

All restaurants in Rome, especially the better ones, will have touristy in them. After all, you are a tourist. You cannot avoid tourist in Rome. Second, what type of restaurant are looking for ?? They range from white table cloth and napkins to pizza.

PS the search function is exactly one and a half inches above, "I can't seem......." Gray box with big letters that spell SEARCH

Here are a few we tried last autumn
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/rome-again-restaurants-worth-seeking-out

One of our favorite meals was at Pizza in Trevi. Great atmosphere and though we were drawn there for the gluten-free options, the gluten-eaters in our family enjoyed it as well.

This should NOT be confused with Trevi Pizza around the corner, which feels more like a diner!

The location/appearance of the search button varies on different phones/tablets/computers.

On my phone, there is a little 5 horizontal stripes button on the upper laft of the screen. The word SEARCH is not included.

Actually, we've eaten at both those pizza places near the Trevi Fountain, both were excellent for what they were.

Yep, the search function isn't great. I usually enter my search criteria into Google, 'Rick Steves Forum Rome Restaurants' for example. (I only included the searches from last 2 years, as so much has changed since 2020.) https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Rome+restaurant&utf8=%E2%9C%93

Here are a few we liked on our last 2 visits - Osteria de Sostegno, near the Pantheon, was our absolute fav but didn't get there this trip. MUST reserve, or show up when they open for lunch, haven't been for dinner. https://ilsostegno.it/

Bocano, housed in a former bank, not cheap but elegant and nicely situated close to Trevi Fountain. (Open all day and no need to book ahead.) It's on the expensive side, but service and food are great. If you're there by 12:30, no need for a reservation. I would book if you're there later or after 6PM. https://www.baccanoroma.com/home_page_en/

Ditirambo- near Campo di Fiori, you can make reservations on line and it opens early for dinner, which was a plus for us. REALLY fun waitress, blue hair, fluent English. Great Roman classic menu. www.ditiramboristorante.it/

“Pizza In Trevi’ - Best pizza we had was pizza by the slice right around the corner from the Trevi fountain. We’ve always gone in the takeaway side but there’s also a sit down place next door. Go early.

Piccolo Vicolo next to Hotel Smeraldo turned out to be a gem. The best pasta of the trip, AND they had amazing salads as a main course.

We found it challenging to find non touristy restaurants in Rome, because we were in tourist areas. Having said that if you can wander into an area with more locals you may find something. We had a good meal in a little place near the Pantheon. No English spoken and a menu in Italian. Cannot remember the name.

We love Pizzeria San Marco - really diverse menu (pasta - pizza but also hamburgers, seafood, etc.).

I think there are two locations - the one we’ve gone to is near the Vatican (maybe ten minute walk).

We were the only people speaking English each time we’ve eaten there - off the beaten path but not hard to find.

I now follow them on Instagram and they seem to be a favorite of celebrities - soccer players, Angelina Jolie, Diane Keaton, Harvey Keitel, Whoopi Goldberg, etc. show up regularly!

Here’s a link - https://www.pizzeriasanmarcoroma.com/en-san-marco

In the not-so-touristy Testaccio neighborhood, south of the more touristy historic part if Rome that’s smack in the center, two of my top recommendations: Lo Scopettaro www.loscopettaroroma.com and Bucatino www.dabucatino.it .

There was another restaurant in Testaccio that had been a favorite, but I can’t recommend it any longer. At my last visit there, it had become waaay too touristy, and diners were treated as just tables to get food onto and then cleared, as quickly as possible to make room for the next paying mouths to get in and out, rake their money, and get rid of them. After taking our order, before even taking it to the kitchen to place, the waiter said we could leave cash on the table for his tip. He got none. We won’t be back there, but the two places I mentioned are where to go.

Afterwards, for gelato, go to where the neighborhood’s locals go: either Giolitti www.giolitti.it and/or Panna & Co https://pannaeco.wixsite.com/gelato .

Rome is famous for the delicious and tasty food, wow

If you can get a copy of Stanley Tucci's book, What I Ate in a Year, he gives several recommendations of his favorite restaurants in Rome. When we visit in a few months, I hope to try one of his recommendations.

We walk around and if a restaurant is full of locals, we go in. No name, fam owned, off the beaten path places on off the main thoroughfare streets. The best. Frankly, I never ask for dining recommendations. I’d rather hit a home run or make a mistake on my own. Our criteria: we don’t see an English menu or very few, if any, Americans. That’s just how we fly when traveling. So far, so good.

Jet lagged the first night, our Rome innkeepers at the Oceania Hotel recommended neary Target, for dinner. Rick's review is unexciting, but our mussels, Italian meats and cheeses appetizers, pasta Amatriciana (guancale) entree were top shelf and the tiramisu was the best we've ever had. And my wife is Italian and makes the best! The waiter said it would be better than hers! Uh-oh!