Rome is famous for four types of pasta: carbonara, amatriciana, gricia and cacio e pepe. Beloved and botched the world over, these pasta recipes are an art form here in Rome. Seemingly simple but deceptively difficult and judged daily by the world’s strictest food critics — Italians.
By following this guide, you can avoid falling into the many tourist traps laid across Rome’s city centre. Here are our tried and trusted recommendations for where to eat pasta in Rome, and a handy map to see which are closest to you!
Why not learn to make Roman pasta & tiramisù yourself on a fun hands-on cooking class!
👉 Check out our Pasta & Tiramisù Class
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Flavio al Velavevodetto
Address: Via di Monte Testaccio 97, 00153
You’ll never eat anywhere quite like Flavio al Velavevodetto. The restaurant is hewn within Mount Testaccio (Monte Testaccio)—a man-made mountain of ancient amphorae shards situated close to the River Tiber and its ancient emporium. Dine inside its cavernous interior, and you’ll notice that the surrounding walls exhibit encased shards of broken pottery.
But that’s not what people come to Flavio for.
Nowhere in Rome does rigatoni alla carbonara better than Flavio al Velavevodetto.
The restaurant has won an award for the “Best Carbonara Pasta in Rome”. Come and try it for yourself and you’ll understand why. It’s a simple dish of al dente rigatoni interspersed with sinfully crunchy guanciale (pork cheek) and slathered in a creamy sauce of pecorino, parmigiano and egg.
You can easily reach Flavio al Velavevodetto via Rome’s public transport. Take the Metro B Line to Piramide and walk 5 minutes, or take a bus or tram to Via Marmorata.
Da Bucatino
Address: Via Luca della Robbia 84, 00153
Big, hearty portions of no-nonsense Roman dishes is Bucatino‘s raison d’être. This bustling Testaccio restaurant feels more like an Italian grandmother’s living room than the restaurant at the heart of Testaccio, and that’s precisely why you must come here.
Da Bucatino serves the most abundant portions of pasta in Rome. Order the pici all’amatriciana and your waiter will turn up with two things: the biggest bowl of pasta you’ve ever seen and a branded bib he will proceed to tie around you.
This is not infantilising; leaving Da Bucatino splattered in tomato sauce is as certain a thing as death and taxes. Make sure to book in advance. Bucatino fills up fast, especially at weekends.
Eataly
Address: Piazzale 12 Ottobre 1492, 00154
Eataly is the high-end supermarket of the Bel Paese. It’s a culinary Mecca of fresh produce; Italy’s answer to Whole Foods—home to the best ingredients money can buy at often eye-watering prices.
This is where affluent Italians do their grocery shopping and inquisitive travellers take out personal loans to do souvenir shopping. Each of its three floors is home to a restaurant, pub or delicatessen where you can sit down and try traditional dishes and much more reasonable prices than Eataly’s produce.
Eataly’s second-floor restaurant serves up the best spaghetti al pomodoro you’ll ever eat. Made from 100% Italian grain spaghetti afeltra IGP, cherry tomatoes, Roi extra-virgin olive oil, and a sprinkle of Sicilian salt, it’s Eataly’s undisputed masterpiece (or capolavoro as they say in the local lingo). ?
Ristoro degli Angeli
Address: Via Luigi Orlando, 2, 00154
Nestled beneath a portico in the historically working-class (increasingly gentrified) district of Garbatella, Il Ristoro degli Angeli is a Michelin-starred restaurant that’s deserving of a detour.
Its eccentric owners offer a small but specialised menu in which every dish is infused with careful consideration. Make sure to try out their signature pasta, the Fettuccine degli Angeli, made from mountain butter, aged parmesan cheese and toasted sesame.
Renato al Ghetto
Address: Via del Portico d’Ottavia 5, 00186
Set inside a century-old palazzo, Renato al Ghetto is an interesting affair aesthetically. Its minimalist decor blends effectively into the historic surroundings.
Renato al Ghetto is among the best kosher restaurants in Rome for delicious twists on traditional Roman dishes. After starting with carciofi alla giudia (Jewish-style artichoke), which is a deep-fried starter that’s as crispy as it is delicious, we recommend either pappardelle al sugo di stracotto (thick egg pasta with stewed beef rather than the usual wild boar) or tonarelli with honey mushrooms, truffles and dried meats (one of the most inventive variations of pasta in Rome).
Make sure to book as this place can get busy.
Bottega Tirso
Address: Via Tirso 36, 00198
Situated a five-minute walk from the Italian Art Nouveau neighbourhood of Coppedè, Bottega Tirso is a charming little restaurant situated well off the beaten path and away from the touristy centre.
Portions seem small but are more filling than you think, and what they lack in size they make up for in taste. Specialities vary by the day, but some of the mainstays are homemade tonnarelli with pumpkin, guanciale (pork cheek) and pecorino cheese or paccheri pasta with octopus, date tomatoes and piastacchio grains.
Booking is advisable as the Bottega has limited capacity. Please be aware that it is closed on Mondays.
Piatto Romano
Address: Via Giovanni Battista Bodoni 62, 00153
Nestled on one of Testaccio’s side streets, just off the main square, Piatto Romano is a real gem of a Roman restaurant. Not as well-known as its more prestigious neighbours, Flavio al Velavevodetto and Da Felice, it is smaller, more understated, and — for our money — offers better bang for your buck for great pasta in Rome.
Meaty pasta dishes and beautifully prepared vegetables are its main highlights, and while Piatto Romano does classics like carbonara and cacio e pepe especially well, its the ragù di pecora (sheep ragu) that really steals the show. Be sure to book at least a day in advance as they fill up quickly.
Tonnarello
Address: Via della Paglia 1/2/3 00153 and Piazza della Scala 19/21, 00153
So popular they had to open two, Tonnarello draws its crowds for a reason. Situated in the trendy—and increasingly touristic—district of Trastevere, it specialises in homemade ‘tonnarelli’ pasta dishes and hearty, meaty Roman dishes like saltimbocca and baby lamb chops.
Their menu is impressive, but the best thing about eating at the flagship restaurant on Via della Paglia is dining al fresco in the cobbled courtyard, concisely called Largo Maria Domenica Fumasoni Biondi, and watching the world go by.
Bear in mind that you cannot book for Tonnarello, so either turn up early (before 19:00 for dinner) or be prepared to queue.
Osteria dell’Angelo
Adddress: Via Giovanni Bettolo 24-32, 00195
Osteria dell’Angelo is a real relic of a restaurant, serving up a set menu of Roman antipasti, pasta and main courses with dessert wine and cookies to finish.
Regularly featuring in the prestigious Slow Food Guide to Italy, this traditional osteria prides itself on simplicity and good hearty food. The service is typically Roman (which is no-nonsense and direct but can be confused with rude and/or standoffish) and the format is unusual, in the sense that rather than receive a menu, your waiter will just read out the daily menu.
Osteria dell’Angelo specialises in the three Roman pasta dishes: cacio e pepe, carbonara and amatriciana. While the portions are more than enough, don’t expect gargantuan ones like you get at places like Da Bucatino. That’s because these pasta dishes are part of a broader set menu, and as long as you don’t eat for a few hours beforehand you should have no problems making your way through it.
Scarlatti
Address: Via Alessandro Scarlatti 4B, 00198
If you’re looking for a sleek, stylish bistrot lunch in the vicinity of Villa Borghese, Scarlatti does some of the best pasta in Rome.
Scarlatti’s specialities are fettuccine with citrus-scented white meat sauce and tagliolini with salmon, confit cherry tomatoes and arugula pesto. But the menu ventures well beyond pasta to include breaded salmon fillets with creamed cannellini beans, turmeric and chicory and roast pork cooked at low temperature with fennel gratin.
Please be aware that the kitchen is open only during weekdays from 12:30 pm – 3 pm. Booking is advisable as Scarlatti has limited capacity.
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Each small-group class specialises in classic Italian recipes, from hand-made fettuccine pasta and creamy, dreamy tiramisù. If you want to treat yourself to a boozy cooking class with typical Italian cocktails, make sure to check out our Spritz and Spaghetti Class!
