# The 38 Best Restaurants in Rome, According to a Best-Selling Local Cookbook Author
Roman cuisine reflects the city itself, layered in tradition and full of contrasts, according to a best-selling local cookbook author writing for Eater. The author, who has spent years eating throughout Rome, identifies meals shaped as much by history as by the hands that prepare them.
Family-run trattorias form the backbone of Rome's dining scene, having served the city's defining dishes for generations. The author compiled a list of 38 restaurants representing the best of what the city offers.
The cuisine draws from deep historical roots. Dishes like cacio represent the traditional Roman palate that has persisted across time. The author's selections reflect an understanding that Rome's food culture cannot be separated from its past, with establishments maintaining culinary practices passed down through families.
The framing positions Rome's restaurant landscape as one where heritage and contemporary execution merge. Long-established venues continue to define what Roman food means, offering diners direct connection to the city's gastronomic history. The author's curatorial approach suggests that understanding Rome's best restaurants requires understanding both the dishes themselves and their role in the city's cultural fabric.
This perspective emphasizes that eating well in Rome means engaging with tradition. The selection of 38 restaurants serves as a guide to where that tradition lives most vibrantly today.