The Perfect Foodie Day in Rome

Eat like a local

Maritozzi at Regoli Cafe

Rome has some of the most incredible food in the world. It is a place that many people gravitate to for their vacation and to see all of the amazing sites, but I go for the food. The best thing to do is to explore all of the small streets and you may find that the better food exists away from the large tourist attractions. 

Breakfast is typically a cappuccino and a cornetto (croissant) or a traditional maritozzo which is a soft brioche style roll split down the middle and filled with whipped cream. You are not eating it right if you don’t get cream on your face. Regoli Caffe http://www.pasticceriaregoli.com/ has some of the best, but if this is out of your way, many places have decent options. 

I like to wander around the Campo dei Fiore area and pop into Roscioli bakery https://www.anticofornoroscioli.it/  to get a piece of their delicious pizza. They have many different varieties from cheese, spinach, sausage and mushroom, but my favorite is their potato pizza. Trust me. It’s so good. And don’t overlook their baked goods. I grab some to go to snack on during the day. I am partial to a good sfogliatelle which is a crispy pastry filled with ricotta usually flavored with citrus. It was my grandmother’s favorite next to the Rum Baba (both of these desserts are actually from Naples where my grandmother was from).

Pizza at Roscioli- zucchini and sausage, plain cheese and escarole (from left to right)

Next I would walk over to the Jewish Ghetto area just to sample their classic artichoke dishes. When in season, you can see the artichokes being prepped right outside the restaurants to get them ready for a multitude of preparations. I would recommend trying both the Carciofi Alla Guidia (Jewish style artichoke) and the Carciofi Alla Romana (Roman style artichoke). The Jewish style is flattened and fried and the Roman style is braised in an olive oil and water mixture and flavored with mint, parsley and garlic. Both are delicious in their own way and worth trying to determine which you like the best. I liked Il Gardino Romano restaurant https://www.ilgiardinoromano.com/, but most restaurants in the Jewish Ghetto serve both.

While wandering around, stop to have a gelato (at least once each day). The best gelato places are the ones with the gelato covered with a lid in the display or where the gelato is not higher than the top of the container. The ones with the giant piles of gelato look great but they are not the most authentic and the freshest. Don’t miss trying nocciola (hazelnut) and pistacchio. I am almost always a chocolate ice cream fan, but these flavors are unreal. 

The Trastavere area has some great food spots and shopping. When you are there, stop into Trapizzino in Piazza Trilussa https://www.trapizzino.it/trapizzino/trapizzino-roma-trastevere/. It’s a local chain, but it’s good. There you will find two local dishes, suppli and trapizzino. Suppli is a rice ball that is shaped like an egg, breaded and fried. The inside is soft and creamy and comes in many flavors with the classic version being marinara sauce and cheese.  They are different from the American version which is usually larger and round in shape and the inside has a little sauce, ground beef and peas only in the middle with the cheese flavoring the rice. Trapizzino is a triangular shaped bread pocket filled with delicious ingredients. I tried the chicken cacciatore which I was really not sure I would like, but I loved it. I recommend getting a Spritz, relaxing and ordering a few things to try. 

For dinner, I highly recommend making your way over to the Roman Forum area and making a reservation at La Taverna Dei Fiori Imperiali https://www.latavernadeiforiimperiali.com/. It’s located on the Via della Madonna dei Monti and it’s a small family owned and operated restaurant. I go there at least once when I am in Rome. Every meal I have had there is outstanding and I recommend it to everyone. They do pasta very well and I love their Carbonara. They have two types, the traditional and one with fava beans, artichokes and peas. I had the non traditional one and it was incredible. I also recently had their pasta dish with mussels and pecorino romano,  their spaghetti with sea bass, orange and pistachio as well as their cacio e pepe. All were outstanding and I cannot wait to return. If you go, please let the family know that I sent you. 

Do you travel for food like I do? If yes, you may like my culinary retreats. We explore a region based on their food and food culture. It’s a 6 night experience and all is organized for you. I have heard all sorts of rave reviews including  “10 out of 5 stars”, “trip of a lifetime”, and “outstanding, well planned experience”. My next trip in October is to Sicily with a small group of hungry foodie travelers. Here is the link to the trip so you can see the details and read the testimonials from the last trip. At the very least hop on to sign up for my mailing list (below) so you can be the first to know about the retreats. Whether you are traveling solo, with a partner, parent, son/daughter, sister or friend, you are going to have a good time. And just released. Join my travel list here.

See you in the kitchen or on a food adventure!

Debbie