Eating, drinking and dancing
We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in Rome.
Restaurants
Gusto
Gusto is a huge restaurant, pizzeria, wine bar, cookshop and bookshop all in one, good for weekend buffet brunch when you refill as many times as you like and pay for what you eat by weight (of the food, not of yourself once you’ve finished).
Piazza Augusto Imperatore, 9
(+39 (0)6 322 6273)
Arancia Blu
Vegetarian restaurants are a rarity in these parts and this is a contender for Rome’s best. Arancia Blu is a stylish, alternative, urban bistro with a great wine list.
Via dei Latini 55-65
(+39 (0)6 445 4105)
Il Drappo
Quiet, with soft music and subdued lighting, this is an ideal place sample an array of inventive Sardinian specialities.
Vicolo del Malpasso, 9
(+39 (0)6 687 7365)
Camponeschi
Eat in one of the best fish restaurants in Rome, while enjoying a front-row view of the Piazza Farnese. Praise has been heaped on the ambiance, the service and the food here. Come and try it for your yourself.
Piazza Farnese, 50
(+39 (0)6 687 4927)
Santa Lucia
Located behind the Piazza Navona, sometime celeb haunt Santa Lucia provides comfortable outdoor seating and simple, traditional Italian food such as pastas, seafood and vegetarian dishes.
Largo Febo, 12
(+39 (0)6 688 02427)
Il Brillo Parlante
A wine bar that does very good food. Choose from 20 wines by the glass at the bar and/or eat downstairs in one of several wood-panelled rooms. The menu is relatively extensive; choose from cured meats, crostini, pastas, grilled meats, and wood-fire pizzas.
Via delle Fontanelle, 12,
(+39 (0)6 324 3334)
L’Altro Mastai
This is a recent addition to Rome’s list of Michelin-starred restaurants and serves exciting Mediterranean dishes. The beetroot ice cream was a very pleasant surprise.
Via Giraud 53
(+39 (0)6 683 01296)
Da Lucia
It’s well worth tracking down this gem of a trattoria on a cobbled backstreet. It's packed to the rafters with locals and specialises in simple, typically Roman dishes, such as spaghetti with pecorino and pancetta, and fried artichoke hearts.
Vicolo del Mattonato 2,
(+39 (0)6 580 3601)
Cafés
Giolitti
A veritable institution: one of Rome’s oldest ice-cream parlours, Giolitti dates back to 1900 and is within my-cone-hasn’t-melted distance of the Pantheon. Classic interiors complement the Italian versions of knickerbocker glory and peach melba.
Great for: Classic gelato.
40 via Uffici del Vicario, Rome 00186
(+39 (0)6 699 1243)
Il Gelato di San Crispino
Handily located near the Trevi fountain, this gelateria is claimed by many to make the best ice cream in Rome, if not the whole country. Flavours are seasonal and made with top-quality ingredients. Try a classic stracciatella, pistachio or hazelnut, or something more exotic, such as liquorice root, green tea, or saffron.
42 via delle Panetteria, Rome 00187
(+39 (0)6 679 3924)
Bars and clubs
Enoteca Antica
A drink in this dark, atmospheric spot in an ancient wine cellar is the perfect ending to a visit to the nearby Spanish Steps. Enter through a discreet door and decide whether to opt for a tiny table in the back, or stand at the bar where wine bottles are stashed in every nook and cranny.
Via delle Croce 76B
(+39 (0)6 679 7544)
Freni E Frizioni
This quirky bar in up-and-coming Trastevere is housed in a former garage. The patrons tend to spill out into the square outside, cocktails in hand.
Via del Politeama, 4 - 6
(+39 (0)6 583 34210)