Roman Street Food
Casual eating in the Eternal City: Our favorite Roman street food joints + what to avoid.
Do you remember 10 Hours in Rome, the guide we wrote for our friends who have a quick stop in Rome at the end of their Italian vacation this fall?
We received a lot of feedback on that post, some of it rather funny. One friend and reader wrote:
I loved (and had to laugh) at your blog post today. If Jim and I did all of those things in 10 hours, we would be in traction! But all were great recommendations, and we look forward to seeing some of your suggested stops.
Admittedly, it is an ambitious walk around the town. In Stefano’s words, a galoppata.
Well, those same friends made dinner reservations at Fortunato al Pantheon, a restaurant we like. But they asked if it made more sense to cancel the reservation and just sample street food throughout the day.
Honestly, that’s not a bad idea. It allows for a lot of flexibility and there are a ton of great food to try in Rome. Not surprisingly, some of Rome’s best food is found in the city's outskirts, in neighborhoods untainted by tourism. But it’s still possible to find authentic spots in the city center.
Here’s our subjective list of Rome’s best street food and where to find it in the historical center.
Cappuccino e cornetto
The classic Roman breakfast is a cappuccino e cornetto, consumed standing at the bar of your favorite coffee shop. A cornetto looks like a croissant but is sweet, not savory. Sometimes, it is filled with pastry cream (cornetto alla crema), other times with chocolate (cornetto al cioccolato) or jam (cornetto alla marmellata). The health-conscious may opt for a cornetto integrale made with whole grains, while others prefer an unadorned but delicious cornetto semplice.
You can order a cappuccino and a cornetto at any coffee bar - they are literally everywhere. If you are in town a few days, find a bar you like near your hotel or vacation rental, and become a regular. The barista will get to know you, greet you when you enter, and remember your preferred order. One bar we adore is the old-school Bar Farnese on Via Dei Baullari, an offshoot of Campo de’ Fiori, where barista-owner Angelo has been serving customers since the 1950s.
If you need a refresher, review this newsletter for a refresher on how to order coffee at a bar.
Bar Farnese - Via Dei Baullari, 20
Maritozzo alla panna
The distinctly Roman maritozzo alla panna is an oval brioche bun split open and stuffed with whipped cream. If you are feeling indulgent, order a maritozzo instead of a cornetto with your morning cappuccino, or enjoy one for a mid-morning snack.
Maritozzi can be found at bars and pastry shops throughout the city. Two reliable spots to try in the historical center are:
Roscioli Caffè - Piazza Benedetto Cairoli, 16
Regoli Pasticceria - Via dello Statuto, 60
Pizza al taglio
Rome has two types of pizzas: the round pizzas you order in pizzeria restaurants and pizza al taglio, the street food version. Pizza al taglio is pizza by the slice - big trays or long slabs of pizza with an array of toppings displayed behind glass at pizza joints throughout the city, perfect for a quick lunch or an afternoon snack. You can take your pizza to go, wrapped in butcher paper, but most pizza al taglio spots have counters or tables you can sit at while you eat your pizza.
Pizza al taglio can be found in pizza places and forni, or bakeries, everywhere in Rome. Here are a few of our favorites:
Forno Campo de’ Fiori - Piazza Campo de’ Fiori, 22. Even though this Roman piazza has succumbed to cheesy restaurants catering to tourists, Forno Campo de’ Fiori is an institution. Pro tip - if you buy pizza at Forno Campo de’ Fiori, the Drunken Ship pub right outside will let you sit there and eat it, as long as you order drinks from them.
Pizzarium - Via della Meloria , 43. Pizzarium is the creation of celebrity baker Gabriele Bonci and is widely considered the best pizza al taglio in Rome and possibly all of Italy. It’s a little off the beaten path, (but at least right outside the Cipro metro station) and there is always a line of Italians and tourists, so I’d only recommend going if you have some time to kill and really want to experience the pizza.
Antico Forno Roscioli - Via dei Chiavari, 34. The pizza is excellent, but the Roscioli brand has gained a ton of internet attention, so be prepared for long lines.
Forno Monteforte - Via del Pellegrino, 129. This bakery has sweet baked goods, bread, pizza al taglio, coffee and bar service, giving you a reason to stop by anytime of the day.
Antico Forno Urbani - Piazza Costaguti, 30. A historic bakery in Rome’s Jewish Ghetto neighborhood, this is a great spot to sample Rome’s two simplest pizzas, pizza bianca, with just olive oil and sea salt, and pizza rossa, with just tomato sauce on top.
Supplì
Supplì are risotto croquettes with a bit of mozzarella inside. They are to Rome what arancini are to Sicily. Supplì are often eaten as an appetizer to pizza, but they can be enjoyed on their own as a quick snack. Supplì can be found wherever pizza al taglio is sold, but here are a few go-to spots:
Supplizio - Via dei Banchi Vecchi, 143
Supplì Roma – Via San Francesco a Ripa, 137
Panini e Tramezzini
Rome’s sandwich scene is fantastic. Panini can be ordered throughout the city in bars, alimentari (delis), and the occasional paninoteca (sandwich shop). A tramezzino is a type of sandwich made of soft white bread with the crust removed, cut diagonally into triangles. Your panino may be eaten at room temperature, or they may ask you if you’d like it riscaldato (heated up) on a sandwich press. A reminder: a final “o” means singular, while a final “i” means plural, so order one panino and one tramezzino, or two panini and two tramezzini. Here are a few places to grab a panino:
Er Buchetto - Via del Viminale, 2F. Located near the Termini train station, an area we’d typically advise you to avoid, this spot is an institution well-known for its porchetta sandwiches.
Pane e Salame - Via Santa Maria in Via, 19. A small sandwich shop near the Trevi Fountain.
LaVita è un Mozzico – Via A. Brunetti, 4. Located on a small side street just off of Piazza del Popolo, this popular takeaway counter serves sandwiches with porchetta and other charcuterie fillings.
Gelato
You can’t visit Rome without stopping for a gelato. Just be sure to take the time to find a good one. Check out our guide on how to spot authentic gelaterias and avoid the bad ones, or head directly to one of our favorites:
Gelateria del Teatro - Via dei Coronari, 65. Located on the charming Via dei Coronari and home to our favorite flavor, Vecchia Roma.
Günther Gelato Italiano - Piazza di Sant’Eustachio, 47. Just behind the Pantheon, this unassuming gelateria serves excellent gelato.
Otaleg - Via di S. Cosimato, 14/a. Gelato spelled backward, Otaleg is a great place to stop for gelato in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood.
Aperitivo
The aperitivo is not an item to order and eat but rather the tradition of enjoying a pre-meal drink and snack. An aperitivo can be had at bars and casual eateries throughout the city. Usually, when you order drinks, they will bring you complimentary snacks to go with your aperitivo, such as olives, potato chips, and peanuts. Sometimes, the complimentary snacks are abundant. If not, you can order charcuterie or other appetizers to supplement your aperitivo. Rooftop bars are a great place to have an aperitivo. Here are a few of our favorite places, both at street level and on rooftops:
Il Fornaio della Sardegna, Via delle Carrozze, 85. A cute spot located on a small street near the Spanish Steps with an abundant aperitivo and many tagliere (charcuterie boards) to order if you are a little hungrier.
La Terrazza del Cesàri at 9Hotel Cesàri - Via Via di Pietra 89/A. A rooftop bar in Piazza di Pietra near the ruins of the Temple of Hadrian.
American Bar at Hotel Forum - Via Tor de’ Conti, 25. A rooftop bar in the Monti neighborhood overlooking the Roman Forum.
The Court at Palazzo Manfredi - Via Labicana, 125. A terrace bar overlooking Ludus Magnus, the ancient gladiator training grounds, with the Colosseum in the distance. Drinks are expensive, but they come with a meal-sized, multi-tiered platter of appetizers. Reservations are required.
What to Avoid
A plethora of shops purporting to offer Roman street food have been popping up in recent years. They cater mostly to tourists and are not authentic to Rome. Here’s our list of what to avoid:
Pasta to go. These places offer ready-to-eat pasta served in disposable containers. Skip these spots and instead enjoy your pasta seated at a restaurant.
Lasagne and parmigiana to go: Same as the pasta to go places - these are tourist traps. Keep walking.
Trapezzini. Trappezzini are pockets of pizza crust stuffed with toppings and served cone-style to-go. It’s a newer-to-the-scene invention that gets rave reviews from some, but we’re old school and not quite convinced. Try it if you wish, and let us know if we are too set in our ways.
More on Rome
For more tips and recommendations on Rome, have a look at these past newsletters:
It’s worth an airplane ticket for a Maritozzo alla pano! 🇮🇹😘