The 12 best pizzerias in Rome

Pinsere serves the typical oblong Roman pinsa to a continuous stream of hungry visitors. Traditionally prepared, the crust is light and easy to digest, and the toppings are a scrumptious combination of seasonal vegetables and locally cured meat. The kitchen is in plain view, and the counter showcases a tempting assortment of the daily menu. Enjoy your pinsa at the counter inside, outside the small eatery or on the go.

After more than a decade of strictly takeaway offerings, Pizzeria Magnifica became a stylish pizzeria defined by a minimalist design and a capacity of 60 seats in the residential Balduina neighbourhood, a 15-minute bus ride from the Vatican Museums. On the menu, classic options like Margherita, capricciosa and marinara are prepared with the chef's personal touch. If you’re craving a culinary adventure, alternatives like baccalà black cod with olives, capers and crunchy purple potatoes or salmone Scozzese (Scottish salmon) with burrata fresh cheese, marinated Savoy cabbage, lemon and leek sprouts are great options.

Crunchy and soft simultaneously, Angelo e Simonetta is the perfect place for your carb fix after venturing to Villa Torlonia and Villa Ada parks. The now-popular pizzeria al taglio opened back in 1987 to a constant flow of hungry Romans and well-deserved culinary awards. The pizza is tall and crispy enough to delight locals, made with high-quality flours and topped with a tempting combination of ingredients. Relish your mouth-wateringly delicious slice on a rustic wooden tray by the counter inside or on the bench outside when the weather allows.

A favourite street food place among locals, Trapizzino combines the handy shape of the beloved bar-style tramezzino sandwich with a slowly-leavened pizza dough filled with succulent Roman classics like coda alla vaccinara (oxtail simmered in tomato sauce), veal tongue in green sauce, tripe or fava bean purée with sauteed chicory. Pizza chef Stefano Callegari launched this innovative format in Testaccio in 2013; it immediately became such a success that today you’ll get to devour a trapizzino for lunch, dinner or as an afternoon nibble in five different locations scattered across the city.

This hidden gem near Trastevere has already carved a spot for itself in the city’s culinary scene. The slightly chewy consistency of Neapolitan pizza and the crunchiness of the Rome-style crust is the result of the double-leavening Pier Daniele Seu gives to his creations. Toppings are innovative and a daring combination of flavours where tradition and seasonality perfectly blend with the chef’s personal twists. The grey-hued contemporary interior features classic round tables, a larger common table, six seats at the beer counter and six more at the kitchen counter with a view of the oven to watch the chef in action.

Known for its Rome-style pinsa, at Pinsa e Buoi you can also indulge in traditional dishes created with a twist, such as a carbonara with truffle, fettuccine with clams and porcini mushrooms, or dumplings stuffed with Pecorino cheese served with tripe. The oval-shaped pizza, left to rise for two to three days, comes with a large selection of toppings that range from classics to inventive options inspired by traditions like the boscaiola with sausage, truffles and porcini mushrooms, the cacio e pepe with truffles, and the contadino with four types of cheese, pear and walnuts.

The name translates to “little hole,” and a delicious little hole is exactly what Piccolo Buco is. Famous for both its location just a stone’s throw away from the Fontana di Trevi and lip-smacking gourmet pizza, the venue gets crowded by tourists and locals alike mere minutes after opening. Stretched by hand, the 48-hour slow-leavened dough makes for a crust that becomes simultaneously chewy and slightly crunchy and raises a delicious fat edge (cornicione) that reminds of the Naples tradition. Preference is given to Slow Food-recognised products when selecting toppings.

Known for its thin and crunchy crust (scrocchiarella, as Romans like to call it) made with a locally-sourced mix of organic flour and white spelt, Emma is a landmark for Rome-style pizza in the city centre. Conveniently located close to Largo Argentina and the Jewish Quarter, Emma is a large and elegant restaurant founded in 2014 by Francesco Roscino. Toppings are made with carefully selected ingredients from the best regional products such as 30-month-old Parmigiano Reggiano, oregano and anchovies from Sicily, or buffalo mozzarella from Paestum.

At Pizzarium, you can't go wrong. Founder and chef Gabriele Bonci has been the undisputed star of Rome's pizza-by-the-slice scene since opening his shop in 2003. The fragrant and crunchy crust is the fastidious work involved in picking stone-milled high-quality flours, a slow and long leavening of the dough, and a perfect level of hydration. The toppings are constantly changing, even several times a day. Along with classics such as tomato and oregano, more creative ingredients like cured meat and vegetables, all artisanal and from organic and biodynamic farms, add a kick to the already-delicious offerings.

Located in Monteverde just above Trastevere, the restaurant and pizzeria La Gatta Mangiona is always a safe bet for tasty traditional pizza. Since its opening in 1999, pizzaiolo Giancarlo Casa’s priority has been the quality of the ingredients. He was one of the first to add a sophisticated twist to affordable fare with toppings like spiced lard or cured duck meat. The simple look of the space is the perfect background to a hearty rustic pizza where the Neapolitan and Roman traditions seamlessly blend.

A no-frills pizzeria serving the traditional pinsa, La Pratolina has been a local institution since its first opening in 2001. Located in Prati near the Vatican, the stripped-back interior perfectly complements the cooking style and the chequered tablecloths complete the rustic scene. The dough, made with a locally-sourced, OGM-free mix of flour and sourdough, is slowly leavened to ensure a crunchy base. Toppings include regional products such as speck from Alto Adige, parmigiano Reggiano cheese from Emilia Romagna, buffalo mozzarella from Campania and 'nduja spicy sausage from Calabria. Open only for dinner, although not usually crowded by tourists, this is a local favourite, so booking in advance is highly recommended.

Sbanco is another creation by Stefano Callegari, the founder of Trapizzino and one of the busiest pizza chefs in Rome. A large and comfortable interior welcomes you, and you’ll get to choose whether to eat your pizza at the table or while lingering on the sofa. The high-heat oven is to ensure a crust crunchy enough to meet the expectations of the Roman clientele, and creative toppings garnish gourmet dishes like Greenwich and Monarca.