The Rome Food Bible 📖
This is the source of truth for Roman restaurant choices. The Ward-side cousin curates Roman dining for her clients and her family, and the Katie Parla guide is her standing reference. When the group asks “where should we eat in X?”, the answer comes from this list.
Below: confirmed reservations, the map (filterable by category and source), the upscale picks with views the cousin specifically recommends, the full guide by category, and Chris’s 2015 Rome list (the original Anthony-Bourdain-era curation, with notes from places he actually visited).
From the cousin directly: “The best Roman fare is not necessarily found at the fancier places, but if you want a special atmosphere AND superior, more international cuisine…”
The Bourdain-era list
Chris’s 2015 Foursquare list of Rome places to try — saved during his Anthony-Bourdain-fueled food-research phase. Of the 43 places, he visited 9 in 2015 and has personal notes on each one. Cross-references with the Katie Parla guide flagged where they overlap.
✅ Been there (2015)
📋 Still on the list
Places Chris saved in 2015 but never made it to. Organized by category.
What the guide actually says
- Order at least 2–3 courses at trattorie. You don’t need every course, but firing a single plate per table is impolite to the kitchen. Antipasto + secondo + contorno works. So does primo → secondo.
- Book everywhere with a group this size. Cousin’s direct advice: book everywhere except gelaterie. 13 people walking in unannounced doesn’t work.
- Pizza tonda = Roman round pizza, crispy and chewy with barely any rim. Different animal than Neapolitan. Both have great representatives in Rome.
- Pizza in teglia = sheet-pan pizza sold by weight. Counter-service, point to what you want, they cut and weigh. Gabriele Bonci (Pizzarium) elevated this style.
- Supplì = fried rice ball, classic Roman street food. Supplizio specializes.
- Gluten-free is workable. Cousin: “ask about gluten-free if you venture beyond the link I already sent.”
- Avoid influencer recs, especially gelato. Cousin’s words: “often ill-informed & tourist traps.”
- Tourist-trap tell: tout out front + picture menu + English-only + no locals. Real-thing tell: handwritten/chalkboard menu + locals present.
- Markets are for locals, not tourists. Say buongiorno on approach, grazie, arrivederci on exit. Useful phrase: posso? (“may I?”) before touching produce. One bag per product.
- Romans shop daily. Small fridges. They buy what looks best that day. The neighborhood market (mercato rionale) is the social hub.
- Pizzarium tip from 2015: “Go before 12:30 or after 2:30.” — Chris’s actual visit note. Bourdain-fueled crowds were already a thing in 2015; they’re worse now.
Frank, Collin, and the rest of the planning crew will be adding picks for Florence, Siena, Paris, Bordeaux, and the Riviera as they firm up.