Not so long ago, it wasn’t easy to find great Trastevere restaurants or eateries in general. Locals knew where to stop to eat well in Trastevere, but travelers had a hard time finding genuine traditional food and were more likely to just end up with a tourist meal.
No doubt, you will be visiting Trastevere even if you have only two days in Rome. Now, while you can still find the usual touristy menu, finding great places to eat in Trastevere is way easier. We like the neighborhood and, luckily for us, we tried quite a few of the best restaurants in Trastevere. So here we are, with our favorite places for a hearty meal, a great pizza, and a fantastic gelato.
Best restaurants in Trastevere, Rome – Where to eat and drink in Trastevere
Da Enzo al 29, top Trastevere restaurant
When planning where to eat in Trastevere, impossible to forget Enzo Al 29, one of the best restaurants for traditional Roman food. This is one of the popular historic restaurants in Rome where they serve all the typical local dishes.
Such as? Try rigatoni alla carbonara, rigatoni all’amatriciana, tonnarelli cacio e pepe, coda alla vaccinara and Roman-style tripe. When in season, don’t miss the delicious artichokes carciofi alla romana.
Enzo al 29 restaurant is located close to Santa Cecilia Basilica, so a perfect stop for a dinner in Trastevere after your sightseeing.
- Where: Via dei Vascellari 29.
- When: Every day except Sunday 12.30-3.30 pm and 7.30 to 11 pm. They accept reservations only for dinner over the phone (+39) 06 58 12 260.
- Website.
Zia, Modern Restaurant in Trastevere
A young chef, Antonio Ziantoni, and a relatively young restaurant in one of Rome’s most competitive and most popular neighborhoods, Zia is one of the very best Trastevere restaurants. Not a cheap eat, Zia Restaurant is a guarantee of fine dining and elevated culinary experience.
Awarded with a Michelin star, the food is eclectic and never boring. With a clear French influence, Ziantoni doesn’t stray too far from the local trattoria either, and the high quality of the ingredients is the perfect starting point for an original and delicious menu rooted in the Mediterranean but that often winks at Scandinavian flavors and traditions.
- Where: Via Goffredo Mameli 45.
- When: Tuesday-Thursday 7.30-9.30 pm, Friday-Saturday 12.30-2.30 pm and 7.30-9.30 pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.
- Website.
Taverna Trilussa, historic Trastevere restaurant
This a historic eatery in Trastevere serving customers only for dinner. Open since 1910, their philosophy has always been to offer truly Roman recipes, those hearty, right-in-your-face dishes that are meat-centric and heavy on your stomach. If you eat them every day, though. If you take them as a once-in-a-while treat, they will fulfill your guilt sense and get you going satisfied for the whole day.
Taverna Trilussa is owned by the Piroli family, well-known also for another relatively new opening that was very much welcomed by Romans, Pirò, one of the best seafood restaurants in Rome located in the city center.
- Where: Via del Politeama 23.
- When: Monday to Saturday 7-11 pm. Sunday closed.
- Website.
Aromaticus, one of the best places to eat in Trastevere
This is one of the newer entries in the Trastevere restaurants scene but not in Rome. Aromaticus, in fact, opened its first restaurant in the Monti area and due to the increasing success, they decided to double the effort.
Green and eco-friendly, Aromaticus welcomes hungry visitors to their bright, large and comfortable bistro in the heart of Trastevere, where, let’s be honest, it’s not easy to find eateries where you don’t elbow who’s sitting on the neighboring table.
Just like their smaller restaurant in Via Cavour, also this space has a large display of aromatic herbs. Their menu is mainly vegan even though they also serve some (very little) dishes featuring fish, eggs, or cheese like mozzarella or Greek feta. Here, you can order a hearty yet light lunch such as a rich salad, a veggie burger, or a super fulfilling Buddha bowl with the grain of your choice between quinoa or rice and different veggies.
- Where: Via Natale del Grande 6/7.
- When: Every day except Monday from 12 to 11.30 pm.
- Website.
Seu Pizza Illuminati, the best pizza place in Trastevere
In Trastevere, you will also find one of the best pizza in Rome. High-quality ingredients and very original combinations for the toppings, here you are not going to find the traditional Margherita, Marinara, or 4 Stagioni pizza. The crust is thin and sort of chewy Naples-style.
The restaurant is very large and there is plenty of space but you will still need to book otherwise you won’t find a place, especially on weekends.
- Where: Via Angelo Bargoni 10/18.
- When: Wednesday to Monday 7 pm-12 am, Saturday also for lunch 12 pm to 3.30 pm. Tuesday closed.
- Website.
Meridionale, vintage dining in Trastevere
This is a cozy small restaurant in Trastevere where you can sample traditional dishes surrounded by a vintage 70s-style décor. The gastronomy of central and southern Italy inspires the chef of this restaurant. In particular, you will find dishes from regions like Lazio, Campania, Basilicata, Molise, Calabria, Puglia, and even Sardinia and Sicily.
The menu includes starters and courses made with seafood, meat, and even some options for vegetarians.
- Where: Via dei Fienaroli 30/a
- When: Every day for dinner 7-10.30 pm, Saturday and Sunday also for lunch 12-2.30 pm.
- Website.
Ercoli 1928 from breakfast to dinner in Trastevere
After some 100 years of serving and selling delicacies in Prati, Ercoli 1928 doubled the experience by opening what soon became one of our go-to restaurants in Trastevere. The large space inside to which you add a few tables also outside for an alfresco meal makes it a comfortable spacious venue.
Open all day long from early morning and boasting their own pastry chef, at Ercoli 1928, you can enjoy all meals of the day, including a delicious breakfast with freshly dished out croissants and brioches filled with the cream you prefer. As you can see below, we opted for a luscious pistachio cream!
Customers will enjoy a scenery of excellent regional products for sale and used to make the meals served for lunch and dinner. This is a place where you can eat and buy what you just tried, for yourself or as a special gift for your foodie friend, whether it’s local cheese or hearty cold cuts.
- Where: Via Zanazzo Giggi 28.
- When: Every day 7.30 am-1 am.
- Website.
Nannarella for Roman food in Trastevere
Nannarella is one of the historic Trastevere restaurants located in the very heart of the neighborhood. They are open all day long from early lunch to dinner, so you can also stop for an aperitif.
Their reason for pride is the typical Roman thick pasta known as tonnarelli, proudly handmade. But that’s not all you will find at Nannarella. This is a great place to stop for a scrumptious traditional Roman meal to recharge and carry on with your sightseeing.
Along with the Roman pasta quaternity, you can order other local specialties such as saltimbocca alla romana, coda alla vaccinara, and meatballs in all types of sauces. Pizza lovers will enjoy the oval-shaped Roman pinsa.
- Where: Piazza di San Calisto 7/a
- When: Every day 11 am- 11.30 pm.
- Website.
Le Mani in Pasta seafood restaurant in Trastevere
We were recommended this relatively new restaurant in Trastevere by a local ex-pat and it was a great surprise. The owners and founders are one from Sardinia and one from the Puglia region and the touch from the two regions is clear from the dishes and the ingredients.
I ordered great spaghetti with clams, prawns, and bottarga, mullet roe, typical from Sardinia and it was delicious.
One of our favorite seafood restaurants in Rome, Le Mani in Pasta is pretty small so if you know that around lunch or dinner time, you are going to be in Trastevere, I highly recommend ringing them up to book your table.
We arrived by surprise and were lucky to find the last table available, even though with the condition of leaving by a certain time. We happened to be totally fine with it because we were with our toddler who’s not really able to sit for too long. If you go with toddlers or small children, they can make light pasta for them with only tomato sauce and olive oil.
- Where: Via dei Genovesi 37.
- When: Tuesday to Sunday 12.30-3 pm and 7.30-11.30 pm. Closed on Monday.
- Website.
Porto Quadro, Sardinian restaurant in Trastevere
Ingredients of the highest quality, warm and cold raw seafood, gourmet cuisine, and haute patisserie are some traits you can expect at the recently opened Porto Quadro restaurant in Trastevere.
Here, nothing is left to chance. Great attention to detail is paid to each course, from the starter to the dessert, as both taste and appearance are made with care. The promise, “We bring the flavor of the sea into the heart of Rome”, is ambitious but has so far delivered fully.
- Where: Piazza Ippolito Nievo 13.
- When: Monday to Saturday 8-11 pm, Thursday to Saturday also 12.30-2.30 pm. Closed on Sunday.
- Website.
L’Elementare, great pizza in the heart of Trastevere
Among the best restaurants in Trastevere, I couldn’t miss L’Elementare. This is a pizzeria where the pizza is perfectly Roman-style, thin and crunchy, or “scrocchiarella“, as we call it in Rome.
Their menu changes with the season but some of their strengths remain throughout the year and include specialties like the slightly hot-chili Double Marinara, the delicious Puttanesca with stracciatella of Pugliese burrata, and the hot Datte Foco (Roman for “set yourself on fire”) starring ‘nduja Calabrian spicy sausage.
- Where: Via Benedetta 23.
- When: Every day 12 pm-1 am, on Monday only from 6 pm, Friday and Saturday until 2 am.
- Website.
Pizzeria Ai Marmi, historic pizzeria in Trastevere
Pizzeria Ai Marmi is a pretty large restaurant in Trastevere yet on weekends you can expect a long queue to enter. Called by Romans also with the moniker of “obituary” because of its white marble tables, Pizzeria Ai Marmi is one of the oldest restaurants in Trastevere and has been operative for 90 years.
For some 40 years managed by the Panattoni brothers, the pizza of Pizzeria Ai Marmi in Trastevere has always had the same dough and recipe. An active wooden oven dishes out typical Roman-style pizzas, strictly thin and “scrocchiarella” (crunchy) all evening non-stop to hungry locals and tourists in the rustic and very simple décor.
With rich toppings with fresh and seasonal ingredients, while the pizza is memorable, I’m sure you will want to try also their famous supplì, typical Roman street food.
- Where: Viale Trastevere 53.
- When: Open only for dinner 6.30 pm-2 am. Closed on Wednesday.
- Website.
Il Tonnarello, a tourist hub but decent food in Trastevere
With tables both indoor and outdoor, Il Tonnarello is pretty much always packed, so if you are having lunch in Trastevere on the weekend, our suggestion is to book. The great position tucked away just behind Santa Maria in Trastevere Basilica, a spacious outdoor and not-so-small indoor, pretty rare in Trastevere, and decent food are the reasons you are likely to see always people eating at Il Tonnarello.
I’ll be honest here, I’ve been to Il Tonnarello only once and even though it’s not one of my favorite Trastevere restaurants, I didn’t dislike my food. If you are looking for a decent Roman taste for affordable fares and a relaxed atmosphere where to eat, you can certainly give this a try.
- Where: Via della Paglia 1/2/3.
- When: Every day from 10 am.
- Website.
Spirito Di Vino, one of the historic Trastevere restaurants
This is a bit of a high-end restaurant in Trastevere and we’ve been during the Twilight Trastevere Food Tour we recently took.
This is an ancient synagogue, a medieval house, a cloister now turned into a restaurant. Their promise is traditional, ancient recipes made with fresh and organic ingredients, some coming from the Slow Food Presidium.
Their dishes are homemade and genuine, they never use frozen ingredients. They boast a fantastic wine cellar with a huge list and the ancient settings of the republican age of Rome.
- Where: Via dei Genovesi 31a/b.
- When: Every day for dinner only from 7.30 to 11.30 pm. Closed on Sunday.
- Website.
Trapizzino, delicious street food in Trastevere
A one-of-a-kind street food place in Rome, Trapizzino opened a restaurant also in Trastevere after their first successful experiment in the Testaccio neighborhood.
Their restaurant in Trastevere is more of a winery bistro rather than exclusively a street food place. You can enjoy your trapizzino together with a glass of wine from the large list of regional vintners.
As per their usual, you can choose one of the five classic options including Parmigiana, tongue in a green sauce and meatballs on a tomato sauce, and three seasonal flavors that always change.
- Where: Piazza Trilussa 46.
- When: Every day from 10 am to 1 am, Friday and Saturday until 2 am.
- Website.
Antica Norcineria Iacozzilli, a deli in Trastevere
This is not exactly a restaurant, but a deli selling all types of traditional local goodies and a perfect place if you are into street food. On display are mainly regional products but you can also find cured meat or cheese from other Italian regions.
You can buy the typical porchetta, pizza bianca, prosciutto and other specialties. It’s a perfect place to take away lunch on the go, buy something for dinner at home if you are renting an apartment, and obviously gift shopping for your family and friends.
- Where: Via Natale del Grande 15/16.
- When: Every day 9 am-1 pm and 4.30-8.30 pm. Sunday closed.
Eggs Restaurant in Trastevere
The name is pretty self-explaining. This restaurant in Trastevere combines modernity and tradition and is the kingdom of eggs. In one of the coolest and most unusual Trastevere restaurants, all the dishes contain eggs of some sort, not necessarily chicken eggs, also of quail, and dishes made with luxurious caviar treats.
From a long list of egg-based starters to Roman classics such as carbonara to meat and fish dishes prepared with unmissable ingredients such as pork filet on a lemon and yolk sauce.
The last time I visited Eggs, I ordered one of their carbonara dishes, the one with red prawns from Sicily. The prawn was raw and extra fresh, the egg was creamy just how the carbonara needs to be and the crushed pistachio on top added the perfect crunchy touch to make it complete.
My tablemates ordered different types of carbonara, some classic, one with porcini mushrooms, one with ‘nduja hot sausage and stracciatella fresh cheese, and one with duck breast and provolone cheese, and they all looked pretty happy. For my son, I ordered a fantastic pumpkin pureed (vellutata) soup with chestnuts and crunchy hazelnuts.
Our desserts were also delicious. I ordered a “tronchetto”, mousse of peanuts, apricot, and salted caramel, while others ordered classic tiramisu perfectly made.
- Where: Via Natale del Grande 52/53.
- When: Every day 12-11 pm.
- Website.
La Tavernaccia
Meat lovers can’t miss La Tavernaccia restaurant in Trastevere for truly traditional dishes served in a truly family-like atmosphere. Think rabbit, wild boar, pork, and the unmissable Roman abbacchio (lamb) and coda alla vaccinara (oxtail stew).
The menu changes with the season, even though some classics remain all year round. Their specialties include sucking pig, wild boar, tripes Roman style, and other dishes loyally prepared according to the Roman tradition.
Located in the Trastevere area towards Portuense, La Tavernaccia welcomes often locals on the lookout for the flavors of the oldest tradition.
- Where: Via Giovanni da Castel Bolognese 63.
- When: Thursday to Tuesday 1-3 pm and 7.30-11 pm. Closed on Wednesday.
- Website.
Rumi Bottega Organica
Rumi Bottega Organica is not a restaurant in the classic meaning of the term. It’s a food store where they also make dishes to take away or deliver. So why am I recommending it? Because their ingredients are all organic, carefully selected from local producers, and their dishes are made with attention to detail.
They also have a few tables but the place is small and doesn’t allow for much seating room. However, if you are renting an apartment or are staying in a hotel in Trastevere but don’t feel like eating out or having anything too heavy, grab one of the dishes of Rumi Bottega Organica and you will have a light, nourishing, and healthy meal.
If you are too tired after a day of sightseeing and prefer to stay in for dinner, with a few euros, you are going to enjoy a lovely meal made of ancient grains, organic seasonal veggies, and local meat and fish.
- Where: Via dei Fienaroli 4.
- When: Monday to Friday 9 am-10 pm, Saturday until 7 pm. Sunday closed.
- Website.
Casa Mia In Trastevere Trattoria
This is a local trattoria in Trastevere serving the dishes of the Roman tradition. The interior, too, with its checkered tablecloths and old Italian cinema images, reeks of tradition.
Cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara pasta dishes are all included in the menu where traditional local cuisine plays a major role alongside a wide list of national wines.
Casa Mia is also a hotel, in case you are looking for a place to stay in Trastevere in the pulsing heart of the Roman movida.
- Where: Via della Renella 88/89/90.
- When: Every day from 12.30 pm to 12 am.
Le Levain, the best bakery in Trastevere
Inspired by the French boulangerie (bakery) concept, Le Levain is a “pasticceria” in Trastevere that serves bread, pastries, cakes, and sweets strictly handmade with ingredients of the highest quality.
Their promise? All-natural pastries, cakes, and bread where no chemicals, no half-processed products, preservatives, or perfumes are used.
This is a fantastic place for breakfast or a lovely casual lunch in Trastevere trying their stuffed baguette bread, croissants, sandwiches and bagels, salads, soups, and pizza.
- Where: Via Luigi Santini 22/23.
- When: Every day from 8 am to 8.30 pm. Sunday until 8 pm.
Otaleg, one of the top gelaterias in Trastevere
This is hands-down one of the best gelaterias in Rome and also one of my favorites. Their all-natural products are made with high-quality ingredients, and their expertise allows them to try always new and daring combinations of ingredients.
It’s very close to Santa Maria in Trastevere Basilica, in the heart of the neighborhood, so you will likely end up passing by. Especially in summer, you will hardly resist.
- Where: Via di San Cosimato 14a.
- When: Every day 12-10 pm. Friday and Saturday until 12 am.
Fiordiluna, all-natural gelato in Trastevere
Fiordiluna is one of the historic gelato shops in Trastevere. It’s been there for almost 30 years and its success doesn’t show any sign of cooling.
They have been among the first ones to make sugar-free gelato, which doesn’t sacrifice the creaminess of their delicious products. All-natural and with zero chemical addiction, I never miss one of their scoops when I’m in the area.
Not exactly one of Trastevere restaurants where you can sit and have a complete meal, but definitely a place to try.
- Where: Via della Lungaretta 96.
- When: Every day 12-10 pm. Friday and Saturday until 11 pm. Monday closed.
Fatamorgana, original artisan gelato in Trastevere
With several gelaterias scattered in the most strategic places all over Rome, Fatamorgana couldn’t miss a spot in the popular Trastevere neighborhood. Possibly one of the most prolific gelato shops in the capital, here you will find very original flavors and combinations.
Some of my favorites? Gelato with black rice and rose petals, and gelato made of dates, chocolate, and salted peanuts.
- Where: Via Rome Libera 11.
- When: Every day 12.30 pm-12 am. Friday until 12.30 am.
