10 Must-Try Foods to Try in Rome

1. Amatriciana

Hello, beautiful. If push comes to shove and I have to choose a favorite of the three famous pasta dishes in Rome, I'd have to go with pasta all'amatriciana. This is a classic pasta dish with just a handful of ingredients: tomatoes, guanciale (pork cheek), and pecorino Romano cheese.

The tomato sauce is typically served over either long, thick spaghetti noodles called bucatini, or rigatoni, a bigger version of penne.

Surprisingly, this is one of the dishes that isn't often found outside of Italy. The closest we get to it is usually the international version of spaghetti but since that uses ground beef in the sauce, it's actually closer to Bologna's tagliatelle al ragù instead.

Every time I go to Rome, this is the first plate I happily dig into.

Most of the best dishes in Italy are simple and use few, high quality ingredients and pasta all'amatriciana is one of the best examples of that.

Where to Eat Amatriciana

You can find amatriciana on menus all around Rome but I think my favorite (and the most affordable) has to be at Vino Bono Osteria in the northern end of Prati, one of my favorite areas of Rome.

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2. Carbonara

Now that I'm playing favorites, I have to go to my number two: carbonara. If you've only ever eaten carbonara outside of Italy, you're in for a real treat here. While most international recipes call for cream, the original version that you'll find in Rome doesn't use cream at all.

Instead, the carbonara sauce you'll dig into here only uses: egg yolk, pecorino Romano, pasta water, guanciale, and freshly ground black pepper. Just like amatriciana, it's typically served with bucatini or rigatoni noodles.

Even without the cream, carbonara in Rome is somehow much creamier than the international counterpart and is sure to leave you wanting more.

Where to Eat Carbonara

Just like amatriciana, carbonara is not difficult to find. Borghiciana Pastificio Artigianale makes a mean one but just note that the restaurant is really small. If you have to wait long, you can find another option nearby.

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3. Cacio e Pepe

To round out Rome's trifecta of iconic pasta dishes is cacio e pepe. This literally translates to cheese and pepper so just by the name, you should have a good idea of what you're getting here.

While most of the meals on this list are not vegan-friendly, this one is vegetarian-friendly since it isn't topped with pork cheek like the other two. The cheese used in cacio e pepe is pecorino Romano, melted to become creamy and a heaping portion of freshly ground black pepper.

Just because it's my third favorite of the three doesn't mean it's not a delicious choice, it's just really tough competition between them.

Where to Eat Cacio e Pepe

Since cacio e pepe is another of the most common dishes in Rome, this one is also not tough to find throughout the city. In my experience, they're all damn good but if I had to pick a favorite, I'd go with Alfredo e Ada. The small restaurant is conveniently on one of my favorite walking streets in the city so be sure to stroll along it before or after your meal.

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4. Porchetta

Porchetta is a type of roasted pork commonly found in Rome. Since the whole pork is roasted to make porchetta, it's not a common dish to find at homes but instead is an easy to find street food.

The most common way to find the dish is as porchetta sandwiches. These sandwiches you can get plain of course but for a classic Roman style, the sandwich filling is often pecorino Cheese (are you seeing a pattern here?), sun dried tomatoes, and a special green sauce made with herbs.

Where to Eat Porchetta

Although you can find porchetta stands around Rome, my favorite porchetta sandwich is served at Porchetteria La Rinascita. This is on the same street as the cacio e pepe recommendation above.

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5. Roman Pizza

We all know classic Neapolitan pizza but where that pizza is thick and with minimal ingredients, Roman pizza is pretty much the opposite. Most Italian food is super simple but Romans love to go wild with their pizza toppings.

Instead of buying a round pie like you might be used to, Roman pizza is often served by the slice (a rectangle, not a triangle) and is more commonly eaten as a quick street food rather than at a sit down restaurant. This makes it one of the best things to eat for budget travelers and vegetarians and vegans since you have so many varieties to choose from.

Where to Eat Roman Pizza

When trying traditional Roman pizza, I recommend you let yourself get creative with the toppings. The cacio e pepe pizza at Corner Pizza is especially delicious.

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6. Carciofi alla Romana

Romans love their artichokes. So much so that there are two ways you'll see them on the menu: carciofi alla Romana, or Roman-style, and carciofi alla Giudia, or Jewish-style.

Roman style artichokes are pan braised, meaning their cooked stem-side up in boiling water, olive oil, and plenty of seasoning. When they're ready, these artichokes are soft and super flavorful. They're often on the menu of restaurants as an antipasto, or appetizer.

Where to Eat Carciofi alla Romana

If you want to try the two types of artichokes side by side to compare, I recommend ordering both options at the restaurant in the Jewish quarter highlighted below.

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7. Carciofi alla Giudia

The other artichoke commonly found in Rome is the Jewish-style artichoke, or carciofi alla Giudia. Although they use the same main ingredient, the end result is super different.

Where Roman-style is soft and almost creamy when bitten into, the Jewish-style are fried until crisp. Really, that's it: a deep-fried artichoke with a heavy sprinkle of salt and an optional spritz of lemon. These are often commonly found on the menus of restaurants for an appetizer.

Where to Eat Carciofi alla Giudia

There's nowhere better to eat Jewish-style artichokes than in Rome's historic Jewish quarter. Here you can indulge in a lot of great dishes but just be sure to start your meal off with a plate of carciofi alla Giudia to share. I can recommend the ones at Casalino Osteria Kosher.

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8. Supplì

Now that we're talking about fried food in Rome, I have to mention supplì. You've maybe heard of arancini, a fried rice ball commonly found in Southern Italy but supplì is like the cousin.

Both supplì and arancini use rice as the main ingredient but classic supplì is just tomato sauce, mozzarella, and rice fried, whereas arancini also uses meat and peas. Arancini are also much bigger where supplì are like rectangular rice croquettes.

Although that's the classic supplì, you can find them with a variety of different fillings.

Where to Eat Supplì

I've eaten a lot of supplì on my trips to Rome and even compared to what you can get as antipasto in restaurants, I think the grab and go ones at Bona, a local chain, are the best. While I've linked to a location I've been to a few times, you can find these all around the city.

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9. Pizza e Mortazza

Pizza e mortazza is the Roman way of saying a mortadella sandwich. Although mortadella comes from Bologna, the whole country (myself included) adores it.

This sandwich is made with "white pizza," which is just a thin and crispy bread. When I had this sandwich, there wasn't anything else on it, just a big heaping of mortadella. I'm sure some bakeries serve it with cheese and other toppings though.

Where to Eat Pizza e Mortazza

This is commonly found at bakeries around the city. It's my go-to for the train each time I leave Rome since it's easy to grab and go and eat on the move.

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10. Maritozzo

Italians are big on breakfast - my only real complaint when it comes to Italian cuisine. Instead, more often than not, breakfast is an espresso or cappuccino with a croissant. But, in Rome they offer a unique alternative to the classic croissant: maritozzo.

Maritozzo is a bun filled to the brim with homemade whipped cream. Although it sounds like it should be super sweet, it's actually not too sugary, but still is far from being savory.

Whenever I'm in Rome, I have to eat at least one maritozzo because why not but it's not my favorite staple. I do recommend you give it a try and decide for yourself as I have friends, especially Italians, who are crazy about them.

Where to Eat Maritozzo

Just like the rest of the foods to try in Rome, there isn't just one place to try the "best." These are served as cafes around the city but I can recommend Parenti, just next door to Vatican City. What I like about this bakery is that they also serve mini ones if you just want to try a bite.

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Which Roman Food Will You Try First?

Man oh man, I love the food in Rome. Although the 3 main Roman pastas are easily my favorites on this list, the street food and breakfast bites are also well worth trying. Italy is all about their traditional dishes so no trip to Rome will be complete without trying at least one of their best dishes. On top of it all, I highly recommend a gelato a day to keep the doctor away!