To be clear, we were only in Rome for 2 days. We barely scratched the surface of what there is to eat in Rome. So I would not claim that we ate the very best foods in Rome… HOWEVER these are the best foods that WE ate while in Rome. And oh baby were they delicious!
I am listing these foods in the order we ate them, not in any ranking or geographical order. 🙂
Let’s dig in!
Panini Sandwiches
The first meal we ate in Rome was lunch after we toured the Colosseum. We grabbed panini sandwiches from the nearby Italian chain Fuorinorma (Monti location). They were slicing all of the meats fresh in front of you, and the quality of the bread was excellent!
The olive tapenade with cold cut (ham) sandwich was very good! The prosciutto + fresh mozzarella was very good too, but we regret not adding sun-dried tomatoes or something else with a little extra flavor. You can request any additional toppings, but you have to suggest it.
I didn’t snap a picture of our particular sandwiches, but here is a picture from their instagram account that looks very similar to what we ate! If anything, our sandwiches were larger with more meat than that. The portions felt generous!
Another nearby sandwich shop I really wanted to try was Mizio’s Street Food. We will have to go back someday to compare & contrast!
Gelateria Al CoNosseo
While still in the Monti neighborhood, we had gelato for a refreshing afternoon treat! A favorite flavor amongst our group here was the brownie one- a very rich, dark chocolate.
I really liked the strawberry cheesecake of the flavors I tried here- it was incredibly creamy, and not too sweet.
The address is: Via Cavour, 289, 00184 Roma RM, Italy.
This gelateria has no official website, but here is their instagram account!
Giolitti
The next food we ate after touring the Pantheon was… more gelato ;). We knew we didn’t want to be TOO full with a big (and quite late) dinner coming up… but we also didn’t want to be starving in the meantime! Some of us in the group had a savory sampling from McDonalds, but some of us opted for more gelato. GOOD gelato.
This adorable ice cream parlor was a recommendation from a friend at my church who served her mission in Rome years ago and still dreams of these gelato flavors from Giolitti: raspberry and white chocolate. It really was incredible!
The raspberry flavor was so sharp and the white chocolate SO dense with little shavings of white chocolate. They even asked if I wanted to add cream on top- (yes please!)
Heads-up: At this location you pay first at the little counter and then take your little piece of paper back to the workers scooping up the flavors where they will fill your order for you!
Fettuccine Alfredo
Did you know that Rome is the birthplace of fettuccine alfredo? Alfredo Alla Scrofa is the restaurant where this recipe was first developed, in 1914– with homemade pasta, butter, and parmesan! You can read all about the story on their website HERE.
This was the only sit-down restaurant we ate at in Rome, and it was nice to relax after a long day of walking and sightseeing! We of course ordered the fettuccine alfredo- along with the eggplant appetizer (which was very good).
Admittedly, this place is a destination that caters to tourists (and is maybe a little overpriced), but that’s part of the charm. We enjoyed seeing all of the celebrities pictured on the wall who had been here to try the famous alfredo. The noodles were VERY thin and delicious, and the waiter mixes it all up right in front of you.
Arugula, Tomato + Ricotta Pizza
So, there are two different styles of pizza that we saw as we toured Italy.
- Of course you can order a round pizza at a sit-down restaurant
- You can also find HUGE sheet pan trays full of rectangular slices of pizza at most bakeries
We tried one of these sheet pan style rectangular slices for breakfast one morning on the way to our cooking class. You choose one that is room temperature, then they quickly warm it up for you as you pay.
This wasn’t too heavy, but substantial and delicious!
Antico Forno Serpenti is in the Monti neighborhood and an excellent bakery + pizzeria. Highly recommend.
Address: Via dei Serpenti, 122/123, 00184 Roma RM
Pastamania
The next delicious food we ate on Day 2 was our homemade pasta we made at the Pastamania class! This whole experience was excellent, by the way. Our whole group (11 family members from children up to grandparents) was accommodated and it was so much fun.
Here is the Airbnb Experiences link to the class, if you are interested.
We made homemade fettuccine which was added to a fresh tomato sauce (this was my favorite!!) and some ricotta-filled shaped pastas in a sage-butter sauce. Everything tasted so good, and it was really fun to see the finished product and feel pride in our new skills!
I also have to mention that they provided a chocolate salami dessert at the end – which none of us had heard of before. Let me tell you, it was SO good. We were all talking about it days after. I wish I’d snapped a picture!
Here is a link to a recipe for chocolate salami that looks similar to what we ate!
La Stregga Nocciola
I have been referring to this place not as La Stregga Nocciola, but as the Witch Hat Gelato. Apparently the title is literally translated to “Hazelnut Witch” and honestly that fits so well. There was some kind of magic happening at this gelateria- it was by far the best gelato we had on this whole trip to Italy. And guys, I enjoyed every single gelato we had! They were all good, this was just EVEN better!
I got the classic flavors pistachio and hazelnut and I am still daydreaming of them. My husband and I just sat there staring at each other in amazement at how delicious this gelato was.
The location was so dreamy on this little alleyway. We were also starving after a long afternoon of touring the Vatican City and carrying our bags all over the city thanks to a subway closing down, but that is neither here nor there.
Sfizio Pizzeria
Our last bite to eat in Rome was right by Termini Station before we boarded a train down to Florence. Sfizio Pizzeria is a casual place where you stand in line, order your pizza (from the pre-baked options available), then pay and find your own open table.
The pizza slices we ordered were ready fast, very affordable, and tasted great. I recommend this place (and so do many other Google reviewers!) if you are looking for a quite bite to eat by the train station.
Here is their instagram account to learn more!
Address: Via Giovanni Giolitti, 77, 00185 Roma RM, Italy
That’s it for the best foods we ate in Rome, Italy!
There were just one or two things we left off this list because they were just OK, not great or worth sharing.
I hope this is helpful for anyone heading to Italy and looking for ideas!
Let me know of your favorite foods from Rome in the comments below if you have some to share!
