Cuca’s Picks: ROME
Over the years we have shared countless times with Cuca’s customers our favourite restaurants from every city we know. The truth is that people in search of the tastiest food from around the world seem to trust chefs’ picks when choosing food, and since everyone asks our humble opinion, we have decided to start a proper “Our Picks” section where we give you our recommendations on where and what to eat. Go ahead, try for yourself and share these lists as you please, but just because we may help you find a new favourite, please don’t forget about your first love, Cuca!
What can I say… Rome isn’t just a city, it’s an edible time machine. For over two thousand years, emperors, artists, and everyday Romans have shaped a food culture so fiercely beloved that even the boldest chefs tread carefully here. It’s a place where recipes are guarded like family heirlooms, where the wrong pasta shape with the wrong sauce can spark a debate louder than a Vespa horn. The standards are sky-high, the traditions unshakable, and yet, when done right, the food is life-changing. What remains are institutions and innovators alike, each serving dishes that honor the past while making your present moment unforgettable. Below is a small selection of absolute gems narrowed down from the city’s endless trattorias, pizzerias, and pastry counters. Buon appetito!
Luciano Cucina Italiana
Imagine stepping into what used to be a forgettable corner pizzeria behind Campo de’ Fiori, only to find it reborn as Luciano’s colorful temple to pasta. There are hanging plates, a green feature wall, and even a cheeky photo series of Luciano smashing spaghetti and meatballs—because, let’s be honest, that’s not Roman fare. The vibe is youthful and stylish, the menu fixated on pasta done impeccably, and the pasta—oh, the pasta—handmade in the open kitchen with such confidence you can taste it. It’s where “fun, good-looking food-lovers” come to worship at the altar of egg, cheese, and guanciale.
Price: $$
What to order: Signature Carbonara.
Colline Emiliane
Since 1967, this family-run gem has been serving Emilia-Romagna on a plate, right in the heart of Rome. The Latini family hand-rolls pasta every morning—no shortcuts, no machines—then pairs it with sauces so rich and soulful they make you forget you’re on a busy city street. Inside, the warmth is palpable: wooden chairs, handwritten menus, and a kitchen that smells like Sunday lunch at a nonna’s. It’s the kind of place where the servers remember your face and recommend your next dish before you even sit down.
Price: $$$
What to order: Tortelloni di zucca (silky pasta pockets with sweet pumpkin filling) or their Tagliatelle alla Bolognese or both!
Roscioli
Roscioli is less “restaurant” and more “culinary overachiever’s dream.” It’s a deli, a salumeria, a restaurant, and a wine cellar all rolled into one gloriously chaotic, candlelit experience. Outside: a food shop stacked high with artisanal meats and cheeses. Inside: tables packed with locals and food pilgrims, clinking glasses under walls lined with wine bottles. You can start with burrata and anchovies, move to silky pastas, then end with tiramisu—if you’ve somehow resisted buying half the shop on your way to the bathroom.
Price: $$$
What to order: Maialino del Chianti (pulled suckling pig on crispy bread with pickled vegetables) or their Rigatoni Burro e Parmigiano.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Rome loves its offal, and L’Osteria della Trippa wears that love proudly. This isn’t tourist-friendly “light Italian fare”; this is the city’s culinary heritage in all its rich, slow-cooked glory. The room is warm and unfussy, the kind of place where the smell of simmering tomato and mint greets you before the menu does. Diners lean in over steaming bowls, mopping up sauce with hunks of bread, the hum of conversation mixing with the occasional pop of a cork.
Price: $$
What to order: Trippa alla Romana.
53 Untitled
A wildcard on the list—53 Untitled blends Roman casualness with contemporary creativity. The menu shifts with the seasons, but the energy stays the same: unpretentious, playful, and full of unexpected pairings that actually work. The space feels like a neighbourhood secret—warm lighting, friendly staff, and food that invites you to linger longer than you planned.
Price: $$
What to order: Seasonal pasta specials.
Romanè
From the minds behind Trapizzino comes a trattoria that’s polished but deeply rooted in Roman tradition. Think crisp white walls, wood tables, and an atmosphere that’s somehow both relaxed and celebratory. Here, the classics aren’t re-invented—they’re perfected. Each pasta arrives glossy, unapologetically rich, and generously portioned, served with a quiet confidence that says, “we know this is good.”
Price: $$$
What to order: Rigatoni alla Carbonara or any pasta for that matter.
La Montecarlo
Chaotic, cheerful, and absolutely essential for understanding the Roman dining psyche. La Montecarlo is where locals squeeze into tight tables near Piazza Navona, the waiters shout orders over clinking plates, and the pizza comes out fast, thin, and bubbling. It’s not about presentation—it’s about flavor and fun, eaten shoulder-to-shoulder in a room that feels like a perpetual Friday night.
Price: $$
What to order: Pizza Montecarlo & their Cacio e Pepe.
Pizzeria Da Baffetto
Small, bustling, and beloved by those who know where to find it. Da Buffetto is the definition of a Roman neighborhood joint—tables covered in paper placemats, waiters darting between chairs, and dishes that taste like they’ve been made the same way for decades. It’s comfort in its purest form, without the fuss.
Price: $$
What to order: Amatriciana.
All’Antico Vinaio
The Florentine sandwich king has conquered Rome, and the lines prove it. Huge schiacciata breads are split open and crammed with layer upon layer of cold cuts, cheeses, spreads, and veggies until you have to wonder how it’s physically possible to bite into them. The energy is loud, the portions are generous, and the sandwiches are the kind you dream about long after the crumbs are gone.
Price: $
What to order: The “Favolosa”—salami, pecorino cream, artichoke cream, and spicy eggplant.
Sant’Eustachio Caffè
An espresso institution since 1938, Caffè Sant’Eustachio sits near the Pantheon, drawing coffee lovers from around the globe. The secret? A proprietary roasting process and a closely guarded blend that produces a thick, caramel-colored crema. The space is small, the counter service brisk, and the coffee? Worth every second of the queue.
Price: $
What to order: Espresso (no sugar, no milk, just pure, potent bliss).
Giolitti
A Roman gelato icon since 1900, Giolitti feels like stepping into a time capsule where marble counters meet mountains of gelato in jewel-like colors. Tourists and locals crowd the counter, debating flavors with the intensity of wine critics. The staff work fast, scooping towering cones and topping them with whipped cream as if calories simply don’t exist here.
Price: $
What to order: Pistachio gelato.
Bonci (Pizzarium)
If Michelangelo had swapped marble for dough, he’d probably have ended up here. Gabriele Bonci’s Pizzarium is Rome’s temple to pizza al taglio—thick, airy slabs baked to perfection and topped like a work of modern art. You don’t get “pepperoni” here; you get potato with rosemary, mortadella with pistachio cream, zucchini flowers with anchovies. The counter gleams under the weight of dozens of topping combinations, and the staff slice your chosen canvas with scissors, charging by weight.
Price: $$
What to order: Potato and mozzarella slice (a Bonci classic).
