The Eternal City is a foodie city, without a doubt. If you’re looking to experience the best food tours in Rome, this guide will help you find the best Roman foods to try plus cooking classes and wine tastings. All things foodie!
Here’s the best tours to enjoy Rome for foodies.
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Why Do a Rome Food Tour
Food is more than just something to eat in Italy; it’s a love language, it’s cutlural, it builds relationships, connections, conversations. It’s a HUGE part of life in Italy, and Italians are serious about their food.
That’s why so many people come to Italy ready to eat some of the best food they’ve ever had, bring back amazing foodie souvenirs, and embark on a cultural experience where food and tourism meet.
And so, doing a food tour in Rome will combine so many aspects of Italian culture and history into one unique experience. Whether you want to focus on wine tastings, learn how to prepare your own Italian pizza or pasta, or simply want to chow down on incredible food in some of Rome’s best neighborhoods, these tours offer something special.
And if you’re spending a few days in Rome, see my Rome itinerary guide here. It’s packed full of everything you need to know to have an amazing first time trip to Italy’s ancient capital city.
Best Food Tours in Rome, Italy (For 2024)
Set off on a culinary journey with these foodie tours in Rome. Buon appetito!
Trastevere Food Tour + Wine
Trastevere is one of Rome’s most captivating neighborhoods. It’s pretty, historic, and offers some of the city’s best nightlife and restaurants. So, of course, I have to include this Trastevere Guided Food Tour.
This walking food tour is iconic because you get to try a lot of high quality, gourmet Italian dishes and ingredients – all while sipping wine at 4 different local restaurants in Trastevere.
You’ll get to enjoy fine wine, 30-year aged balsamic vinegar, truffles (my favorites), and Italian cheeses and cured meats.
And that’s just the beginning. After the first venue, you’ll head on to try handmade pasta as well as pizza made from the area’s oldest wood-fired oven.
You will then get to end the tour with gelato, a classic post-dinner choice. Try flavors like lemon or pistachio for some quintessential Italian flavors. I love that the tour guide will also tell you how to spot authentic gelato.
There is some walking involved, so do wear comfortable shoes. The tour lasts about 4 hours, which may seem long until you consider how many hours Italians regularly spend around the dinner table.
If you are a vegetarian in Rome, this food tour is a good choice as there are a lot of meatless options available.
Price: Around €100 a person
Starting location: Piazza Trilussa, 46
Duration: 4 hours
Rome: Food Tour and Wine Tasting in a Traditional Trattoria
Walk from Campo de’ Fiori (one of my favorite places in Rome) to Trastevere sampling some of the best Roman cuisine in the city on this Rome Food Tour in a Traditional Trattoria.
You’ll also pair your dishes with carefully selected wines. And while you’ll sample your way to Trastevere, you’ll eventually settle in for supper at traditional trattoria in the neighborhood.
Expect to try dishes like baccalà fritto (fried salted cod) and supplì (rice balls). And once at the main restaurant, you’ll enjoy an antipasto and two first courses followed by dessert.
Plus, don’t just take my advice. This tour has LOTS of raving reviews that make it a top experience.
Price: Around €90 a person
Starting location: Piazza Campo de’ Fiori, 22
Duration: 4 hours
Budget-Friendly Rome Street Food Tour
Experience Rome for a local’s perspective as you walk around sampling street food like supplì, pizza al taglio, and gelato. You can choose between the Jewish Quarter and Trastevere for the tour.
Both options offer tastings of 5 different foods with beer and wine available.
This is a great choice if you’re looking for budget food tours in Rome, allowing you to get to know a local while trying authentic food in a relaxed setting.
Price: Around €40 a person
Starting location: Tiber Island or Campo de’ Fiori
Duration: 2.5 hours
Half-Day Frascati Wine Tour from Rome
If you’re curious to see more of the Lazio region of Southern Italy, I recommend a day trip to a winery. Frascati is only 30 minutes outside of Rome, and it’s a lovely place to do a wine and food tour in Lazio.
Frascati is known as the City of the Golden Wine of Rome. The town makes the most famous white wine from Lazio. It pairs beautifully with many pasta dishes.
So, this half-day tour to Frascati will allow you to sample wine and enjoy lunch at a traditional Italian farmhouse with vineyards and scenic views.
The tour lasts 4 hours. You will need to book the train from Roma Termini Station to Frascati Station, as it’s not included in the tour. The train ride is easy though, and only takes 30 minutes.
Price: Around €79 a person
Starting location: Frascati Train Station
Duration: 4 hours
Fettuccine, Ravioli, and Tiramisu Cooking Class
Don’t just enjoy delicious Italian cuisine – make it yourself! Doing a cooking class in Rome is a wonderful way to experience slow travel in Italy.
Practice making the perfect pasta dough to form fettuccine and ravioli. For the fettuccine, you can choose your sauce: tomato and basil, cacio e pepe, or amatriciana. The ravioli is prepared with butter and sage.
You’ll also make tiramisu, which you’ll prepare first.
Of course, you’ll then get to enjoy your homemade meal with a glass of wine or a drink of choice.
This is one of the best cooking classes in Rome for vegetarians.
Price: Around €69 a person
Starting location: Restaurant Gusto, Piazza di Sant’Apollinare 41
Duration: 3 hours
Combo Pizza and Pasta Cooking Class with Wine
Learn how to make Italian-style pizza and pasta with this Pizza and Pasta Cooking Class with unlimited wine. This is easily one of the best food tours in Rome for 2024.
You’ll go through all the steps of preparing your dough, making a sauce, and preparing toppings. For the pizza, you can choose to make a classic Neapolitan or Capricciosa pizza and cook it in a wood-fired oven.
Then, you will also get to learn how to make different pasta shapes.
Eventually, it will be time to feast on all your creations. The meal will end with tiramisu and limoncello – a go-to Italian aperitivo.
Price: Around €75 a person
Starting location: Metro stop Laurentina
Duration: 3.5 hours
Pasta & Tiramisu Cooking Class in Piazza Navona
Located in one of my favorite spots in Rome, this Pasta & Tiramisu Cooking Class is located right in the stunning Piazza Navona.
It’s a very classic food tour in Rome, allowing you to craft homemade fettuccine, while learning the secrets and simplicity behind a true Italian pasta dish.
You will prepare both an authentic tiramisu and a fettuccine with a sauce of your choice before enjoying at the restaurant overlooking the piazza and its famous fountains.
Drinks and appetizers are also included with your booking, and this one is also vegetarian friendly.
Price: Around €60 a person
Starting location: Piazza Navona
Duration: 2 hours
E-Bike Night Tour with Food and Wine Tasting
For something unique and memorable, hop on this E-Bike Night Tour in Rome and enjoy a mini food and wine tasting crawl as you pass by some of the city’s most famous landmarks on small group tour.
I love this tour because it combines a unique experience of e-bike riding with tourism, food, history, wine, landmarks – everything!
It’s the perfect sort of adventure, particularly excellent for those only in Rome for a few days.
The food aspect of the tour is nothing grand, however. It’s Italian cold cuts, cheeses, and wine.
Nonetheless, you’ll get to cruise through the city by night. And if you’ve been to Rome, you know the evenings are particularly beautiful when landmarks are lit up and a gentle glow highlights the cobblestone streets. Ugh!
Price: Around €64 a person
Starting location: Via Antonio Rosmini, 22
Duration: 4 hours
Must-Try Food in Rome
To help you choose the best food tours in Rome for your trip, here are some of the most popular dishes and foods to try in the capital city.
Truffles
A lesser-known fact about Italy, mushrooms are a big deal here. Sagre dei Funghi, or Fungi Festivals, happen around the country during early fall to celebrate the harvest and consumption of this divine food!
And so, one of the absolute best foods to try in Italy is truffles. While Abruzzo and Langhe are two of the most prominent areas for truffles, you can likely find them on menus across the country – as well as in Rome.
As for pairings, try truffles in pasta dishes like trofie al pesto or on bruschetta. You can also enjoy truffle oil drizzled over a variety of dishes for its added fragrant and wonderful flavors.
Supplì
These are deep-fried rice balls stuffed with mozzarella cheese and often mixed with tomato sauce, meat, or vegetables. They make for a perfect street food snack or appetizer when dining at a restaurant in Rome.
Tiramisu
I can’t not mention my favorite dessert! This is a must-try in Italy. Tiramisu consists of layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers, mascarpone cheese, and cocoa powder. It’s creamy, indulgent, and simply perfect.
Cacio e Pepe
Italian food is all about simplicity and that shows with this Roman dish. This pasta features spaghetti or rigatoni tossed with pecorino romano cheese, black pepper, and a bit of pasta water to create a creamy sauce. It’s famous in Rome.
Pizza al Taglio
Rome is famous for its pizza, and pizza al taglio (pizza by the slice) is a popular quick bite or street food option when exploring the city on foot. There are lots of great street food tours in Rome that will take you to the best pizza al taglio spots.
Carciofi alla Romana
Artichokes are a specialty in Rome, and carciofi alla romana is a delicious way to enjoy them. The artichokes are braised with garlic, mint, and lemon until tender.
Carbonara
This iconic pasta dish features spaghetti tossed in a creamy sauce made from eggs, pecorino cheese, guanciale (cured pork jowl), and black pepper.
Gelato
No trip to Rome would be complete without indulging in some gelato. Whether you prefer classic flavors like stracciatella and pistachio or more inventive creations, there are so many amazing places for gelato in Rome.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the best of Rome for foodies with these creative and immersive tours. 🙂
And remember to book your tour in advance to avoid missing out.
