Eat like a local

[revised March 2026] Many of you ask about “non touristy restaurants”. Let’s be honest, Rome is a touristy city and most of the restaurants in the centre now cater for tourists more than locals. They can be good, anyway, even if you will be surrounded by many languages different from Italian. We tried to provide an updated list here, but we are more and more convinced that best value for money is now to be found in suburban ‘hoods. And a good restaurant is a valuable reason to “go the extra mile” and explore Rome a bit off-the-beaten-path, don’t you think?

Here we started a list of “suburban” restaurants you might consider during your trip, and we have a  many other places to try!

• Acacie e Pepe: you have to go far here, in Centocelle, to try the inventive proposals of the home chef Edoardo
• Bobo is a restaurant inside the “House of Jazz” and you can eat creative cuisine in a pleasant garden while a concert is going on, a very pleasant experience! Located near Ostiense district.
• Casadora is a pasta shop where you can also eat the freshest pasta in your life, while comfortably seated in a pleasant space, in the district called “Delle Vittorie”.
• La Casetta Garbatella: it is not so common in Rome to have a nice garden to eat peacefully outdoors. This place is just next to the metro B “Garbatella” station.
• Osteria Fratelli Mori: awarded family run restaurant in Ostiense with great respect for tradition and quality. Spacious cozy room for a relaxing dinner, which is not always easy to get in the historical centre.
• Hosteria Po: an elegant space with refined cuisine not too far from Borghese park
• Misticanza: a gourmet vegetarian restaurant near the Park of Caffarella, with seasonal menus
• Osteria Sauli in the heart of Garbatella, roman cuisine with some incursions in Abruzzo and Apulia traditions.
• Pecorino: in Testaccio, a traditional and lively restaurant of Roman cuisine
• Piatto Romano: traditional trattoria in Testaccio, serving old fashioned recipes
• Porto Fluviale: trattoria, pizzeria, small tastings, aperitivo, brunch….everything! In the “trendy” district of Ostiense
• Pro loco Centocelle: really off the beaten path, for adventurous travellers who want a local experience with mile zero products only.
• Ristoro degli Angeli: in Garbatella, an awarded restaurant with some creativity
• Da Roberto e Loretta: same family is in charge since three generations, tables with a good distance from each other (yes, this is quite rare in Rome!), service is good and menu is seasonal. A good address in the district of San Giovanni.
• Trattoria Pennestri: in the district of Ostiense/Testaccio, a cozy living room to enjoy “revisited” traditional cuisine.

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