Eataly – Where To Eat In Rome

Now that I’ve given you the low down on my recent trip to Rome, I thought I’d hit the most important nail on the head – where to eat in Rome. With my unapologetic love of food, it should come as no surprise that I pretty much ate my way around Rome. From jam filled croissants, to creamy carbonara’s, you can bet I put the taste of Rome to the test…

Breakfast

Breakfast has, and always will be my favourite meal of the day and when it came to having breakfast in Rome, I couldn’t wait to try breakfast the Italian way. Croissants, strong coffee, omelette’s… oh yes, it tasted as good as it sounds.

My favourite breakfast of the trip was when we surprisingly stumbled upon Ginger – a gorgeous little gem for when you’re looking for a healthier option in Rome. I found it to be perfect for a health foodie like me, who 99% of the time, enjoy’s starting the day with fresh, good quality food (although, I can’t say the same can be said about the rest of my diet when in Rome).  The place itself was filled with locals and a few tourists which is always a good sign when hunting a good place to eat. Although, it’s display of vibrant fresh fruit, friendly atmosphere and it’s mouth watering menu caught my attention. Between the two of us, we shared two delicious croissants (one jam filled and one traditional), a granola pot topped with fresh fruit (this was delicious) and we both had an Italian coffee each. I got my coffee with almond milk which I was thrilled about as I had struggled with this for most places. All in all we had breakfast for  €14.50 – €7.25 each.

If you’re after a slightly cheaper breakfast option then another favourite breakfast place for me was a random pit stop that we took at Snack Bar Mauro. It can be found on the high street just outside the Pantheon. It’s only small but boy, is it home to the locals. Continuing with our love of croissants we ordered another jam croissant (my favourite out of the two), a traditional croissant, a bowl of juicy strawberries (some damn good strawberry they were) and two coffee’s. In fact, the coffee at Snack Bar Mauro was probably the best coffee I had when in Rome. All in all, we ate here for a total of €11 – €5.50 each – cheap but just as delicious!

Gelato

First and foremost, the important bit – gelato. Probably the one food group that the Italian’s are most famous for – their creamy, sugar filled, flavour loaded gelato that every tourist screams for. Apart from the first day, I had ice-cream every single day. I made it a mission of mine to pick out the best gelato shops around but let’s be honest, it’s hard to pick a wrong gelato store when in Rome.

A few of my favourites however were Antica Gelateria Trevi (just right to the Trevi Fountain), Melograno (left to the Trevi Fountain and is probably the most popular gelato store) and Della Palma which had to be my absolute favourite. The store itself was like a child’s candy store dream filled with 150 gelato flavours, sweets and other delicious treats. They even serve vegan friendly gelato for all you Vegan’s out there. My favourite flavours were the Black Forest gateau, snickers and caramel mousse. Whilst Della Palma was my favourite gelato store out of the three, nothing beats sitting next to the Trevi Fountain admiring Rome’s most beautiful tourist attraction whilst licking the biggest scoop of gelato you can get your mitt’s on.

Pizza

Ah Pizza. The second best bit about Italy. Although, it’s safe to say that the Italian’s, or should I say that us Brit’s, don’t do pizza like the Italian’s. Where we like to top our pizza’s with all the topping’s to provide flavour and variety, the Italian’s will let the base and cheese of the pizza do the talking instead. So don’t expect many toppings but do expect a lot of flavour, cheese and pizza drool.

My favourite pizza I had in Rome has to be the pizza I had at I’angolette Romano – a traditional restaurant located near Piazza Benedetto. I particularly loved the fact that this place was filled with locals and the decor boasted traditional Italian decor – nothing fancy, nothing modern – just pure Italian food, decor and customer’s. Anyway, I went for a tomato pizza (seen above) topped with ham, olives and a boiled egg – certainly not my usual pizza topping choice but it was delicious nether the less.

Another place we visited for pizza was a very popular restaurant just outside of the the Colosseum, Angelino “ai Fori” dal 1947. I’ll be honest and say that the only reason for our venue of choice was for the pretty outdoor seating area that was filled with twilight lights. I went for the sausage pizza and I was pretty damn happy with my choice. Sure, it could have had a few extra slices of sausage but it was still pretty damn good.

Est Artigiani del Gusto

A favourite restaurant of ours – which we visited twice – had to be Est Artigiani Del Gusto. A beautiful and intimate family run restaurant just off the Main Street, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II which links you to many attractions such as The Pantheon and Campo De Fiori (a beautiful little market place). This little gem was actually recommend to me by a follower on my Instagram account and for that, I am forever in foodie debt! 

I recommend booking a table before visiting, we forgot to book on our first visit but were luckily enough to have a table squeezed in for us, although, I’m sure last minute squeezes aren’t always an option for this popular restaurant. When it comes to the food – expect fine dining, high quality food but also expect affordability. In fact, we paid more for breakfast than we did for our dinner here (a bad breakfast experience I haven’t included)!

On our first visit I went for the crispy bacon pasta (which was my favourite) and on the second visit I decided to try their carbonara which from previous restaurant visits, I had seen many different variations of. However, it was safe to say that this carbonara was exactly what I expected from the Italians. It was creamy, thick and filled with the best crispy bacon bites that you will ever taste. Truly! The bacon also goes for the crispy bacon pasta too. In fact, I’d go back to this place just for the bacon! Heaven on a plate. We also shared a cherry pie to finish off our second visit which was lovely, but perhaps a little bit too sweet to have on your own – unless you’re a serious sweet’aholic!

L’insalta Cucina Mediterranea 

Just like ginger, this place is another healthy foodie spot and is famous for it’s humungous salad bowls. Although I’m prone to a bit of health every now and then, I can’t say I fancied a salad (in the slightest) so I went straight for the carbs again with a muscle and baby clam spaghetti dish and of course, with a side of bread. Delving into a bowl of Italian bread become a slight tradition for us whilst we waited for our food because let me tell you, walking 35,000+ steps a day really does reeve up your metabolism! The meal itself was delicious and actually, a firm favourite of mine. I’m a sucker for seafood and this dish was just perfect and for once, had the right amount of toppings!

You can find this little spot just outside the Vatican Museum entrance (just walk down the hill to the first square). It’s a small little place but has just the right amount of seats – inside and out. I’d suggest sitting outside so you can people watch and lap up the sunshine. It really is a great place to stop and fuel up. All in all, my dish cost me €11.50 which is very reasonable compared to other tourist restaurants close to main attractions.

Imago – Hassler Roma

I thought I’d save the best to last. This was by far, the most magical night during our trip to Rome – a sixth floor panoramic Michelin dinner overlooking the sight’s of Rome from sunset, to night fall. The restaurant itself was Rome’s first rooftop restaurant with views of the Spanish Steps and the city. Upon arrival you’re greeted with beautiful paintings that fill each window, soft music, elegant decor and lighting that reflects on all the mirrors which when it turns to nightfall, a truly magical atmosphere appears.

Whilst this place is a little pricey (not surprising for a 5 star Michelin) it is 110% worth it. The food, the experience, the service and the view was just something else and to be honest, besides seeing the Colosseum at dusk, it was one of my favourite experiences of Rome.

We both decided on the 3 course menu instead of the 6, 8 or 10 course tasting menu but with the amount of complimentary dishes that were sent to our table from the chef, we may as well of had the 8 course tasting menu. As for the food – it was by far the most delicious and outstanding food I have ever tasted. I went for the breaded scallops for starter, spicy duck for main and finished off with a rhubarb and almond dessert which, by the time we made our way through our 3 courses and the complimentary dishes, I was too full for! However,  there is always room for dessert so of course I ate it and I’m so glad I did because despite it looking like a fluffy meringue (not my favourite) it was heavenly. The caramel almond was just out of this world!

If you’ve got the money then I would definitely recommend booking Imago for your trip to Rome. Price wise, here’s what you can expect:

6 course: €150
8 course: €160
10 course: €170

As for the starters and mains, you’re looking at anything from €30 to the back end of €40. Which when you consider that a main course in England can be just under £20, it’s totally worth it to experience the most flavoursome foods that will make you question all your food choices again! You can have a look at the menu in more detail here.

Eataly, you’ve been a foodie’s dream…

Overall, I think it’s safe to say that you can’t really go wrong with good local Italian food. My number one foodie tip when it comes to eating in Rome would be to avoid the tourist restaurants (when you can) and go more for the backstreet restaurants, cafe’s and bars. These are the places that really value your custom and use proper Italian ingredients! Most importantly though, enjoy the food as much as you can! Whilst I love living a healthy lifestyle and eating healthy and nutritious food 80% of the time, I also love indulging in pizza, ice-cream and other delicious foods that really, shouldn’t be considered ‘naughty’ or ‘bad for you’. If you live a well balanced lifestyle then you can most definitely have the best of both worlds! Just make sure you squeeze Italy in there.

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