Tables outside a restaurant in Rome

BEST FASHIONABLE/TRENDY RESTAURANTS: MET

Located in the area of Ponte Milvio (Milvian Bridge ) is a crossroads of styles and trends and a hotspot for the trendsetters and jet set of Rome. MET alternates three colors, white, black and dark tones of brown tables with a minimalist design philosophy. The menu at MET deliberately offers a wide range of choice to meet the different tastes of its trendy clientele.

The Ponte Milvio itself has become a meeting point for young lovers thanks to the phenomenon of "Love Locks." Couples lock a padlock on the streetlights of the Ponte Milvio and throw the keys into the river below, thereby making an unbreakable bond of love.

• Open from 7:00 pm to 1:00 am
• Closed on Monday
• Address: Piazzale di Ponte Milvio 34
• Booking +39 06 33221237
• http://www.met-roma.it/

BEST CLASSIC ROMAN/HISTORICAL RESTAURANT: ANTICA PESA

Interior of romantic italian restaurant

In the 17th Century the customs office of the Papal State was located on Via Garibaldi in Trastevere. The office received the taxes for grain, and the customs officer decided to establish an old-time snack bar, which would provide bread and wine for the many peasants who came to the office.

The curious name Antica Pesa was given at the end of the 19th Century, when it's original function of a customs office was superseded by it's present life as an inn. Very soon the inn became famous throughout Rome, thanks to a wonderful bowling alley where the best players of Trastevere challenged each other. Today, one century later the bowling alley has been transformed into a splendid garden where summer evenings are spent.

• Open from 8.00 pm to 11.30 pm
• Closed on Sunday
• Address: via Garibaldi, 18 Roma - Trastevere
• Booking +39 06 5809236
• http://www.anticapesa.it/

BEST TRATTORIA: MACCHERONI

Italy's most popular dish worldwide is also the name of this distinctive restaurant at Piazza delle Coppelle. The restaurant has maintained and emphasized the delightful details of its rustic structure for an ambience that is inimitably welcoming and warm. Maccheroni's menu offers true, traditionally homemade Roman cuisine, as well as Italian regional specialties. Its wine list includes house wine and Chianti, as well as Italy's finest labels. Trattoria Maccheroni is located in the heart of one of Rome's most ancient neighborhoods and just a stone's throw from piazza Navona and the Pantheon.

• Lunch: 1.00 pm - 3:00 pm
• Dinner: 7.30 pm - 12.00 am
• Open every day
• Address: Piazza delle Coppelle, 44
• Booking +39 06 68307895
• http://www.ristorantemaccheroni.com/

BEST ENOTECA: ROSCIOLI

Not far from the noisy, vibrant and colorful Via Arenula, Roscioli is located in one of the most beautiful areas of Rome. Fresh bread, tasteful specialties and delicious wines are served every day in accordance with the best Roman traditions.

• Open from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm and 8:15 pm to 12:00 am
• Closed on Sunday
• Address: Via dei Giubbonari, 21
• Booking + 39 06 6875287
• http://www.anticofornoroscioli.com/

ROMAN PIZZA: MONTECARLO

An offshoot of Pizzeria da Baffetto, Montecarlo holds its own. Located near the Piazza Navona, it offers great pizza and great wines in a fun, noisy atmosphere. A favorite of locals and tourists alike. Montecarlo is a special little place full of Roman spirit, poetry and theatre.

• Open every day
• Address: Vicolo Savelli, 13
• Booking +39 06 6861877
• http://www.sevoinapizzadillo.com/

 
Roman specialty food! Bucatini at trattoria Bucatino.

BEST FISH RESTAURANTS: QUINZI & GABRIELI

The restaurant is situated on a small street near the Pantheon in the heart of Rome. Located in an antique 16th Century building, Quinzi & Gabrieli has three rooms with vaulted ceilings, an open front kitchen, and a charming terrace looking out onto a characteristic Roman square. In this famous restaurant all food is cooked in their open kitchens in front of the clients - straight from the fish tanks to the Chef's pots. The philosophy is, and has always been, the enhancement of local Italian products and the excellent fish from our seas. The chef's use few but high quality ingredients, which helps to really showcase the flavor of the seas.

• Open from 12:30 am. to 2:30 pm. and 7:45 pm. to 11 pm
• Closed Sunday and Monday
• Address: Via delle Coppelle 5
• Booking +39 06 68 79 389
• http://www.quinziegabrieli.it/

LUNCH RESTAURANTS: PIERLUIGI

Pierluigi's restaurant is situated in one of the most pleasant squares of Rome close to the Ricci palace, famous for its splendid sixteenth century fresco. Diners can choose between the fresh air and the tranquil area of outside tables or the air-conditioning and pleasant surroundings of the interior dining rooms. The restaurant is proud of its modern kitchens, which ensure the highest standards of efficiency while offering tasty dishes that unite creativity and tradition.

• Open from 12:00 PM till 12:00 AM
• Closed on Monday
• Address: Piazza dè Ricci 144
• Booking +39 06 68 61 302
• http://www.pierluigi.it/

GOURMET RESTAURANTS: LA PERGOLA

Situated at the Rome Cavalieri Hilton Roof Garden, La Pergola is a three-Michelin-star restaurant. Heinz Beck, Executive Chef since 1994 is the culinary genius behind one of the best restaurants in Italy with an international clientele that keeps coming back. It is known for its elegant cocktail bar that boasts an unparalleled panorama of the Eternal City with St. Peter's dome prominently in view. The frescoed ceiling and warm cherry wood interiors combined with the excellent setting create a magical atmosphere for the finest dining experience in Rome. La Pergola offers alfresco dining on its adjacent terrace during the summer.

• Address: Via A. Cadlolo, 101
• Booking: +39 06 3509 2152
• http://www.heinzbeck.com/

If you want a change after you have eaten Italian food every day during your visit, and you are up to taste something different, here is our suggestion in the heart of Rome, Trastevere:

BEST NON-ITALIAN CUISINE : JAPANESE/FUSION: SOMO

A marriage of class, design, curiosity, modernity and fully integrated technology, SOMO is a surprising new restaurant that takes its diners on a virtual journey to the Orient. Lighting by Avveniristiche Technologies gives the right tone to the sophisticated Japanese-style interior design immersed in the historic setting of Trastevere in the heart of Rome. SOMO's atmosphere gives birth to a sensational meeting point dedicated to the most demanding Italian public and international clientele.

The result is that SOMO is a perfect harmony between contemporary design and taste between the East and Europe.

• Open from 7:30 pm to 12:30 am
• Closed on Monday
• Address: via Goffredo Mameli n. 5 - Trastevere
• Booking: + 39 06 5882060
• http://www.somo.asia/

Be sure to view this article on Classic Roman Cuisine