Eating in Rome: the back story

About Eating in Rome: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Rome Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

In the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Italia, Rome has one restaurant with Three Stars, La Pergola at the Rome Cavalieri; three with Two, Acquolina, Il Pagliaccio and Enoteca La Torre; and sixteen with One. Beside them, the city’s trattorias and osterias keep faith with the cucina romana: cacio e pepe, gricia, amatriciana and carbonara, artichokes in season, and the offal dishes of the old slaughterhouse quarter of Testaccio.

The starred tables

La Pergola, on the top floor of the Rome Cavalieri on Monte Mario, holds Three MICHELIN Stars in the 2026 guide. Acquolina (at The First Arte), Il Pagliaccio near the Via Giulia and Enoteca La Torre at Villa Laetitia on the Tiber hold Two. Several of the one-stars are on hotel rooftops: Imàgo at the Hassler, La Terrazza at the Hotel Eden and Aroma at Palazzo Manfredi, facing the Colosseum.

The trattorias

The MICHELIN Guide also selects the classics: Armando al Pantheon, run by the same family since 1961, Roscioli near the Campo de’ Fiori, Da Cesare in Prati (founded 1921), and Taverna Trilussa (founded 1910) and Antica Pesa in Trastevere.

Book the starred tables weeks ahead; for the trattorias, book a day or two ahead, or come at opening time.

Testaccio and the quinto quarto

Testaccio grew up around the city’s slaughterhouse, and its kitchens still cook the quinto quarto, the “fifth quarter” of offal and tail. Trattoria Pennestri, near the Ostiense, and L’Osteria della Trippa in Trastevere hold Bib Gourmands in the 2026 guide.

Pizza and supplì

Roman pizza is thin and crisp; pizza al taglio, by the slice, is sold by weight. A supplì is a fried rice croquette with a heart of mozzarella.

Our advice: see our article on Roman cuisine for the dishes to look for, and where to taste them.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Eating in Rome: the back story before you go.