Where To Eat Near The Vatican

When hunger pangs strike in Vatican City, you’ll need to look for the best places and discover where to eat near the Vatican. Whether your itinerary includes a visit to the Vatican Museums, seeing the Sistine Chapel, touring Vatican City, or even climbing St. Peter’s Basilica’s dome, the neighborhoods surrounding Vatican City offer plenty of restaurant options for all price ranges and appetites. You’ll find everything from traditional Roman trattorias to international cuisine to cafes specializing in vegan or gluten-free fare.

When in Rome… try some of the local specialities, such as “Carciofi alla giudìa” – crispy fried artichokes!

Here are some of the best restaurants near Vatican City, organized below by neighborhood, with a little something for everyone.

Where To Eat Near The Vatican

If you are looking to try authentic Italian food near the Vatican, you will need to visit the (mostly residential) neighborhoods surrounding Vatican City: Prati, Trionfale, and Borgo. Our Vatican restaurant recommendations are all in these neighborhoods.

Prati

Prati is largely residential, stretching from the northeastern corner of Vatican City to the river. Its location makes it convenient when you’re looking for where to eat near the Vatican Museums. Our Prati recommendations cover a lot of culinary options, from hole-in-the-wall spots for a quick and delicious lunch to airy restaurants that invite you to linger over your meal. This neighborhood is also home to great options for vegans and gluten-free diners, not to mention one of Rome’s best coffee bars.

Take a moment to sit back and enjoy a coffee, and get a caffeine boost to fuel your next stop!

Some of Rome’s best coffee

• Sciascia Caffè (Via Fabio Massimo, 80/a) turns up on most round-ups of the best coffee in Rome, let alone near the Vatican. They’re famous for a sweet jolt of caffeine: espresso that has melted dark chocolate in it.

Great options for quick lunches

• Duecento Gradi (Piazza del Risorgimento, 3) is a popular little spot for sandwiches with a long list of filling options—including ingredients that will please both vegetarians and vegans. 
• La Pratolina (Via degli Scipioni, 248/250; Trionfale: Via Rialto, 16) is known for another type of Roman pizza called “pinsa,” which is more oval than round and uses a slightly different dough. (There are two locations near the Vatican; the other is on Via Rialto, 16, in the Trionfale.)

Traditional Roman fare

• Osteria Ragno d’Oro (Via Silla, 26) is an unfussy Roman osteria with plenty of local dishes and seasonal specialties.

A firm local favourite is the simple but delicious cheese and black pepper pasta dish “Cacio e pepe”

Vegan- and GF-friendly dining

• Flower Burger (Via dei Gracchi, 87) is a vegan burger joint where the buns come in different colors (and therefore eminently Instagrammable).
• La Soffitta Renovatio (Piazza del Risorgimento, 46/A) is certified by Italy’s celiac association—everything on the menu can be made gluten-free, and much of it is available lactose-free, as well.

Nice options for a leisurely meal

• Il Sorpasso (Via Properzio, 31/33) makes its own twists on Italian classics, both Roman and Tuscan, for both lunch and dinner.
• Del Frate (Via degli Scipioni, 118) is primarily a cozy wine bar, but it also has a dining menu. It’s a nice apertivo option.
• La Zanzara (Via Cescenzio, 84) is a bright restaurant open for lunch and dinner, serving both Italian and more international dishes (eggs Benedict is on the lunch menu, for instance).

Sweet treats

• Gelateria dei Gracchi (Via dei Gracchi, 272) is a favorite gelateria with locals, so even though it takes a bit longer to walk there, it’s worth it.

There is an abundance of unique flavors of gelato to try, in some of the best gelaterias in Italy, if not the world!

Trionfale

The Trionfale district stretches across most of the Vatican’s northern border, down to its westernmost point. It’s a little less convenient if you’re just looking for restaurants near the Vatican, with some of these recommendations further away on the northwestern side of the Vatican Gardens. It is, however, home to Rome’s largest covered market as well as a few places Romans all over the city love – including one of Anthony Bourdain’s favorite Roman pizzerias.

Great option for a quick lunch

• Pizzarium (Via della Meloria, 43) makes the kind of pizza people travel across the city for, whether they’re touring the Vatican or not (and yes, this is the place Bourdain loved). It’s pizza al taglio, with both traditional and inventive toppings as well as some favorite Roman fried appetizers like supplì. There’s almost no seating, so come prepared to eat on your feet.

One speciality you can eat on the go are suppli, with smooth fillings on the inside and crispy on the outside!

Traditional Roman fare

• Mercato Trionfale (Via Andrea Doria, 41) is the market in this area where you want to shop if you have a fridge to fill. But you can get something to eat here, too. There are stalls offering sandwiches, pizza, pasta, sweets, and picnic fixings like cheese and cured meats.
• Secondo Tradizione (Via Rialto, 39) is run by the owners of one of Rome’s most beloved small and family-run markets, La Tradizione. The restaurant serves beautiful renditions of Roman classics, plus an impressive selection of cheeses and cured meats.
• Osteria delle Commari (Via Santamaura, 23) is a popular restaurant with lots of Roman specialties on the menu, including seasonal dishes. Bonus: it’s an affordable option in an area where those aren’t as common.
• Il Segreto (Via Candia, 71) makes Italian and Roman dishes at both lunch and dinner, including a good selection of fish and a long wine list.

Gluten Free-friendly dining

• El Maíz (Via Tolemaide, 16) serves up Venezuelan street food like arepas and empanadas. Bonus: the menu is entirely gluten-free.

If you enjoy a charcuterie board then the Italian cured meat platters are a winner!

Borgo

The little Borgo neighborhood is perhaps the most conveniently located when you’re looking for where to eat neat the Vatican and you´re in need of a quick bite (there are lots of restaurants near St. Peter’s Basilica, for instance). Unfortunately, that means overpriced touristy places abound. We have two Vatican restaurant recommendations in the Borgo area, though—one for a unique break from Roman cuisine and one for everyone’s favorite sweet Italian treat.

When you need a break from Italian food

• Temakinho (Borgo Angelico, 30) is an upscale restaurant with a Brazilian-Japanese fusion menu. Reservations are required and must be made on the restaurant’s website.

Sweet treats

• Hedera (Borgo Pio, 179) is a gelateria with only a few flavors on offer each day, but that’s because they’re made fresh daily.

So much gelato, so little time!

What is the most popular food in Vatican City?

While Vatican City is its own country, completely enclosed by the city of Rome, it doesn’t have its own cuisine. 

Italian cuisine is intensely regional, and, once upon a time, you’d only be able to get the traditional foods of Rome and the greater Lazio region in Rome and around Vatican City. And, not only are there regional specialties throughout Italy, but there are also seasonal specialties. 

While most restaurants in the area still specialize in dishes from Rome and Lazio, you’ll also see some restaurants from other Italian regions—not to mention the cuisine of other countries altogether. And this is the mix of restaurant options you’ll find near the Vatican today: traditional Roman cuisine, specialties from elsewhere in Italy, and some foreign restaurants.

Even the simplest things like bruschetta are mouth-wateringly good!

Are there dining options inside the Vatican?

The list of things to do in the Vatican may not be long, but, taken together, they’re time-consuming. Between touring the vast Vatican Museums and seeing St. Peter’s Basilica, visitors typically spend most of a day in Vatican City. Some tours break for lunch but leave you to find your own food with little time between attractions, which may mean finding food on site.

So, yes, there are dining options inside the Vatican, though they fall into the “only if you’re hangry and can’t wait long enough to get to a good restaurant” variety (which might be necessary if you’re visiting the Vatican with kids).

The food is fine, even if it is sometimes cafeteria-style, but these are not meals to remember. If you can’t wait, though, there are a couple of options that at least offer a little bit of ambience: a restaurant with outdoor seating on the Pinecone Courtyard and a little rooftop cafe that you can only access if you’re climbing St. Peter’s Basilica’s dome.

Insider tip: Private Vatican tours have benefits beyond one-on-one time with your guide. With a private tour, you can also ask for detailed dining recommendations from your guide, whether you need to find a quick lunch near the Vatican when you’re between tours or you’re wondering where to eat after visiting the Vatican Museums.

All the family will love sharing a pizza, or two, or three!

FAQs – Where To Eat Near The Vatican

Where can I get a quick lunch near the Vatican Museums?

Some of the best places to go for a quick lunch close to the Vatican Museums are Duecento Gradi, La Pratolina, or Flower Burger in the Prati neighborhood, and Pizzarium or Mercato Trionfale in the Trionfale neighborhood.

Is there food inside Vatican City?

There are a few (unremarkable) cafes and restaurants inside the Vatican Museums, but otherwise the dining options are in the mostly residential neighborhoods that surround the enclave.

What food should I try near the Vatican?

You have plenty of cuisine options around the Vatican, just as you do all over Rome. You’ll find traditional Roman dishes, eateries that put their own spin on those dishes, and even some places that cater to people with dietary restrictions.

Are there vegetarian restaurants near the Vatican? 

If you are vegetarian or vegan then Flower Burger is a very popular vegan restaurant near the Vatican.

What are some of Rome’s traditional dishes?

Some typical Roman dishes are pasta e ceci, cacio e pepe, pizza al taglio, trippa, rigatoni con pajata, and (depending on the season) carciofi. For a much more detailed list of local specialties to look for on Roman menus, check out our article about what to eat in Rome.

Visiting the Vatican Museums will amaze and astound you!

Book your Vatican tours today, confident in the knowledge that you’ll eat well when you’re in the area with our Vatican restaurant recommendations.