Rome's 13 best pizzerias by style: thin, crisp Roman pizza at places like La Montecarlo and Ivo a Trastevere, pizza al taglio by the slice, and Neapolitan. What to order, what it costs, and the days they open, since many open in the evening only.
The short answer: for real Roman pizza, thin and crisp, eat at La Montecarlo, a minute off Corso Vittorio Emanuele, open nonstop from noon to midnight (margherita €9), or at Ivo a Trastevere, a pizzeria since 1962 (margherita €8). For pizza by the slice, go to Bonci Pizzarium after the Vatican Museums, or to Casa Manco in Testaccio Market. For Neapolitan pizza, 50 Kalò near Piazza della Repubblica (margherita €8.50).
Know which kind you're after. Pizza tonda (round Roman pizza) is rolled thin with a rolling pin and baked in a wood oven until it's crisp right to the middle; Romans call it scrocchiarella, crunchy. It's eaten at the table, and pizzeria menus open with fried starters such as supplì (fried rice balls with mozzarella inside). Pizza al taglio is baked in big rectangular trays (teglie), cut to the size you point at, weighed and priced by the kilo; it's the lunch and snack pizza. Neapolitan pizza, with its soft, puffy rim, is now made all over Rome, and award-winning pizzerias such as Seu Pizza make contemporary versions of it. You'll also see pinsa, an oval pizza made from a wheat, soy and rice flour blend; it's a modern recipe, not the traditional Roman pizza.
Check the opening days before you go: several pizzerias here open in the evening only, and three close on Tuesday. For the rest of Rome's food, see the best restaurants in Rome and the best gelato, and to fit pizza round the sights, start with things to do in Rome.
Roman pizza (pizza tonda). It's thin and crisp, eaten at the table, usually after a fried starter. La Montecarlo, on a lane between Piazza Navona and Corso Vittorio Emanuele, has made it since 1986, rolling the dough with a rolling pin and baking it in a wood oven. Paper tablecloths and quick-witted waiters: very Roman.
Order: a supplì (€2), then a margherita or marinara (€9 each), or the Montecarlo, loaded with mushrooms, artichokes, sausage, egg, peppers, onion and olives (€15). Spend: about €11 for a supplì and a margherita, before drinks. Open: Tuesday to Sunday, noon to midnight without a break, so it works for a late lunch. Closed: Monday. Book: you can't; it seats walk-ins and says its tables turn over fast. The catch: no bookings means no guaranteed table for a group.
Roman pizza rolled thin with a rolling pin, baked in a wood oven, since 1986. No bookings; open all afternoon, so it works for a late lunch. About 4 minutes' walk from Piazza Navona.
Ivo a Trastevere, on Via di San Francesco a Ripa, has been a Trastevere pizzeria since 1962, serving thin Roman pizza alongside Roman pastas.
Order: a margherita (€8) or the house Pizza Ivo with fried aubergine, guanciale and grana (€9.50); any pizza comes large for €1.50 more. Spend: €7.50 to €10 for a pizza, before drinks. Book: only for groups of 10 or more; everyone else walks in. Open: every evening from 6pm, plus Sunday lunch. The catch: you can't book a table for a small group. For the rest of the neighbourhood, see our Trastevere guide.
A Trastevere pizzeria since 1962. Bookings only for groups of 10 or more; everyone else just turns up.
Li Rioni, on Via dei Santi Quattro, about 8 minutes' walk east of the Colosseum, is a neighbourhood Roman pizzeria open since 1986, and a good pick for pizza after a day at the Colosseum.
Order: a supplì al telefono (€2.50), then a margherita (€7), a napoli with anchovies (€8) or a capricciosa (€10). Spend: about €11 with the €1.50 per-person charge, a supplì and a margherita, before drinks; its €7 margherita is the cheapest in this guide (for more meals on a budget, see cheap eats in Rome). Book: online. Open: evenings, 7pm to midnight. Closed: Tuesday. The catch: the online menu dates from June 2025, so prices may have moved.
A Roman pizzeria since 1986, east of the Colosseum. Metro: Colosseo (Line B), about 8 minutes' walk.
Emma, beside Largo di Torre Argentina, is the pick for a sit-down Roman pizza with a proper wine list (the pizzeria calls it its pride) and a thin, crisp base, with the supplier of nearly every ingredient named on the menu. It's also on our best restaurants in Rome list.
Order: a margherita (€10), a marinara (€9) or the margherita with buffalo mozzarella (€13), with a fried starter. Spend: €9 to €13.50 for a classic pizza, before drinks. Book: online. Open: daily for lunch and dinner. The catch: the menu online is from April 2025, so prices may have moved.
Round, thin pizza with the supplier of nearly every ingredient named on the menu. Book a table on its website. About 2 minutes' walk from Largo di Torre Argentina.
Dar Poeta, on Vicolo del Bologna in the north of Trastevere, has been open since 1995 and makes a pizza it describes as neither Roman nor Neapolitan but its own style. It's open all day, every day.
Order: the classics (marinara, margherita, napoli) or the amatriciana pizza with pancetta and pecorino. Spend: prices aren't published online. Book: not by phone or email; it says there's often a waiting list, so avoid peak times. Open: daily, noon to midnight. The catch: if you want the true thin Roman crust, go to Ivo instead.
No bookings by phone or email; it says there is often a waiting list, and suggests avoiding peak times. Open since 1995, all day.
Pizzeria Ostiense, on Via Ostiense just past the Pyramid, opened in 2014 and bakes old-school Roman pizza in a wood oven, with the Roman pastas (carbonara, cacio e pepe, gricia, amatriciana) too. It's a good choice if you're staying in or exploring Testaccio and Ostiense.
Order: a thin Roman pizza, or a Roman pasta if someone at the table isn't eating pizza. Spend: prices aren't published online. Book: you can't; it takes no bookings and doesn't deliver. Open: evenings from 6:30pm. Closed: Tuesday. The catch: it's evenings only.
Wood-fired Roman pizza since 2014. No bookings and no delivery. Metro: Piramide (Line B), about 6 minutes' walk.
180 Grammi opened in January 2018 with the aim, in its own words, of putting the round Roman pizza back where it deserves to be. The sit-down pizzeria is on Via Genazzano in Villa Gordiani, a residential area east of the centre.
Order: a supplì al telefono (€3.50) and a margherita (€10), or the margherita with Sciacca anchovies (€13); for a blowout, the white pizza with mortadella (€18). Spend: about €15 a head with the €1.50 service charge and a supplì, before drinks. Book: online only, up to 14 days ahead. Open: evenings from 7pm (its menu page gives table service until 11pm, its homepage until midnight). Closed: Tuesday. The catch: it's well away from the sights.
Tables are booked only through its website, up to 14 days ahead. It's in a residential district well east of the centre.
Pizza al taglio (by the slice and weight). Pizza al taglio is baked in long trays, cut to the size you show with your hands, weighed, and eaten on the spot or on the move, which makes it the easy pizza lunch. Bonci Pizzarium, opened by baker Gabriele Bonci in 2003, is our pick for pizza al taglio: long-risen dough and toppings that change with the season.
Order: point at two or three different slices, including a plain tomato one to judge the base. Spend: sold by weight, and prices aren't published online. Book: no need; order at the counter. Open: Monday to Saturday 11am to 10pm, Sunday 11am to 3pm and 5 to 10pm. It's 10 minutes' walk from the Vatican Museums, so it's the easy lunch after your visit. The catch: prices aren't posted online, so you only see the total once your slices are weighed.
No bookings: order at the counter. Metro: Cipro (Line A), about 2 minutes; the Vatican Museums are about 10 minutes' walk. Bonci also has a counter at Termini station, ground floor by platforms 1-3, open daily 7am to 9:30pm.
Casa Manco, at box 22 in the Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio, is our pick for lunch in Testaccio's covered market. It makes pizza in teglia with organic, semi-wholemeal flours and unusual toppings, and it publishes its prices per kilo.
Order: a mix of a classic and a special slice. Spend: pizza bianca is €11 a kilo, classic pizzas €16, filled pizzas €18 and specials €20 a kilo, so a 200-gram piece of a classic pizza is €3.20. Open: Monday to Saturday, 9:30am to 2:30pm. Closed: Sunday. The catch: it's lunch only, and the market shuts in the afternoon.
A stall inside the Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio, box 22, using organic and semi-wholemeal flours. Lunchtime only. Metro: Piramide (Line B), about 10 minutes' walk.
Neapolitan and contemporary pizza. Neapolitan pizza has a soft, puffy rim and a thin, soft centre. Several of Rome's award-winning pizzerias now make contemporary versions of it. Seu Pizza, by Pier Daniele Seu, near Roma Trastevere station, is our pick for experimental pizza, with toppings such as watermelon or mussels in Thai sauce; on its menu, the Assoluto di Melanzane is marked as 50 Top Pizza's pizza of the year for 2026.
Order: the Assoluto di Melanzane (€18), La Mia Margherita (€15) or a classic margherita (€12), or a tasting menu of six to eight courses (€40 to €60). Spend: about €24 a head à la carte for a fried starter, the Assoluto and the €2 service charge, before drinks. Book: online through the link on its website. The catch: à la carte has a minimum of two courses per person, it charges €1.50 to cut your pizza, and its website doesn't publish opening hours.
À la carte is a minimum of two courses per person. Opening hours aren't published on its website; book through the link on the site. About 5 minutes' walk from Roma Trastevere station.
50 Kalò is the Rome branch of Ciro Salvo's Naples pizzeria, on Via Flavia, between Termini and the Quirinal. Salvo is known for very high-hydration dough, which the pizzeria credits for its lightness, and the menu leans on Campanian cheeses and olive oils.
Order: a marinara (€7.50), a margherita (€8.50) or the margherita with buffalo mozzarella (€10), with a supplì (€3.50). Spend: about €14 for a supplì and a margherita with the €2 service charge, before drinks. Book: yes, except on Friday and Saturday. Open: 12:30 to 3:30pm and 6:30pm to midnight. The catch: it's a big place (150 covers over two floors), so it's lively rather than intimate.
Bookings taken except on Friday and Saturday. The Rome branch of Ciro Salvo's Naples pizzeria. Metro: Repubblica (Line A), about 6 minutes' walk.
L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele is the Rome branch of the famous Naples pizzeria, on Piazza Monte Grappa in Prati. Like the original, the menu is built on a few historic pizzas (margherita, marinara, cosacca and marita), served "a ruota di carro", as wide as a cartwheel, with a few seasonal and vegetarian extras.
Order: the margherita or the marinara. Spend: prices aren't published online. Book: online. Open: daily, noon to 3pm and 7pm to midnight. The catch: it's a short menu by design; come for the classic Neapolitan pizza, not for choice.
The Rome branch of the Naples original, with a menu built on the margherita and marinara. About 12 minutes' walk from Flaminio (Line A).
Al Forno della Soffitta, on Via Piave near Porta Pia, has made Neapolitan pizza in a wood oven since 1997, with 48-hour-risen dough. It's a family-friendly pick near the hotels around Termini, open every day.
Order: a marinara (€7) or margherita (€9), the margherita with buffalo mozzarella (€12), and a supplì (€2). Spend: about €11 for a supplì and a margherita, before drinks. Book: online. Open: daily, noon to 3:30pm and 5pm to midnight. The catch: the menu doesn't carry a date, so prices may change.
A Neapolitan restaurant and pizzeria with a wood oven since 1997; book on its website. About 15 minutes' walk from Termini.
Classic Roman pizza in the centre: La Montecarlo near Piazza Navona (open from noon), Emma by Largo Argentina.
In Trastevere: Ivo a Trastevere for thin Roman pizza, Dar Poeta for all-day hours, Seu Pizza at the southern edge for the big night out.
Near the Colosseum: Li Rioni (evenings only, closed Tuesday).
Near the Vatican: Bonci Pizzarium for slices; Da Michele in Prati for Neapolitan.
Near Termini: 50 Kalò and Al Forno della Soffitta for Neapolitan pizza, or Bonci's counter inside the station.
Pizza for lunch: Bonci Pizzarium, Casa Manco (Monday to Saturday until 2:30pm), or a sit-down lunch at La Montecarlo, Dar Poeta, Emma, 50 Kalò, Da Michele or Al Forno della Soffitta.
Margherita prices side by side: €7 at Li Rioni, €8 at Ivo, €8.50 at 50 Kalò, €9 at La Montecarlo and Al Forno della Soffitta, €10 at Emma and 180 Grammi, €12 at Seu.
On a Monday: La Montecarlo is closed. On a Tuesday: Li Rioni, Pizzeria Ostiense and 180 Grammi are closed. On a Sunday: Casa Manco is closed; Ivo opens for lunch.
Check it's open for lunch. Of the sit-down places here, Li Rioni, Pizzeria Ostiense and 180 Grammi open in the evening only, and Ivo a Trastevere opens for lunch on Sunday only. For a sit-down pizza lunch, La Montecarlo, Dar Poeta, Emma, 50 Kalò, Da Michele and Al Forno della Soffitta all open at midday; otherwise eat pizza al taglio.
Start with a fry. Roman pizzeria menus open with fried starters: supplì (rice with tomato and a mozzarella centre, called al telefono because the cheese stretches like a phone cord), fried courgette flowers with anchovy, salt cod fillets. Expect €2 to €4 each.
Bread and service charges: a coperto (cover charge) isn't allowed in Rome; restaurants may charge for bread or service only if it's printed on the menu before you order. Here: Li Rioni's menu lists €1.50 a head, 180 Grammi €1.50 service, 50 Kalò €2 service, Seu Pizza €2 service plus €1.50 to cut your pizza, and Ivo lists bread at €2. Tipping isn't expected in Rome.
Ordering al taglio: point at the tray and show the size with your hands; the slice is cut, weighed and priced by the kilo, so ask for a smaller piece if you want to try several. Saying "un pezzetto" (a small piece) works.
Booking: several pizzerias here don't take ordinary bookings (La Montecarlo and Pizzeria Ostiense take none, Ivo books only groups of 10 or more, Dar Poeta none by phone or email), so arrive when the doors open or late. 180 Grammi books online only; 50 Kalò doesn't book Friday or Saturday.
Pinsa: you'll see it in many bars and pinserie. Rome's tourist board describes it as an oval, hand-pressed base from a wheat, soy and rice flour blend with a long cold rise, crunchy outside and soft inside, certified by the "Originale Pinsa Romana" mark. Try it as a snack; for the classic, order pizza tonda or al taglio.
Cash and cards: carry a few euros in coins for a slice at a counter. To budget a whole trip, see what a trip to Rome costs, and to stay near the food, where to stay in Rome.
Stop reading lists.
Start the trip.
Tourli turns any guide into an actionable day plan — pinned to a map, walking directions and offline access included. One tap to save every place on this page.