Where to Eat Near the Vatican: Borgo, Prati and Tourist Traps

Around the Vatican you can eat very well or very badly depending on the street. St Peter's Square and the Via della Conciliazione draw millions of visitors, and many tables are aimed squarely at them; ten minutes' walk away, in Prati, restaurants live mostly off a local clientele. This guide does not give a list of addresses whose prices we cannot verify: it explains which streets to choose, which warning signs to avoid and how to organise lunch around a visit.

The basic rule: walk 5 to 10 minutes away

The most expensive and least interesting tables are the ones you can see from St Peter's Square and along the Via della Conciliazione. The further you go north and west into Prati, the more local the clientele becomes. Lunch ten minutes from the basilica often costs less, and it is better.

The Via della Conciliazione

Borgo and Borgo Pio: be careful

The Via di Borgo Pio is charming, pedestrianised and very busy. You will find some genuinely good restaurants next to places that live off passing trade. Before you sit down:

look at the cover charge ("coperto") and the bread charge printed on the menu; the cover charge is legal in Rome but must be displayed;
be wary of laminated menus with photos of the dishes, translated into six languages, and of waiters who call out to you in the street;
compare the price of classic pasta dishes (carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana) with a restaurant in Prati;
check the price of drinks: bottled water and "house" wine are where the bill swells.

Our guide to scams to avoid in Rome explains the bill traps in detail.

Prati: where locals eat

Prati, to the north, is the Vatican's residential district: straight avenues, offices, families. The Via Cola di Rienzo and the streets around it concentrate trattorias, pizzerias, bars and pastry shops. The side streets west of the Via Cola di Rienzo are quieter and more authentic. Our guide to Prati and Borgo presents the district in detail.

In these streets, book for dinner: the good tables are small and fill up. At lunchtime on weekdays many office workers eat in, which is a good sign.

A quick lunch before or after the museums

Pizza al taglio (by the slice): the cheapest lunch; you order by weight or by the piece at the counter.
Tavola calda: the day's cooked dishes served at the counter, often with set lunch deals.
The Trionfale market: stalls of cold cuts, cheeses and fruit, and small food counters; handy for a takeaway picnic, Monday to Saturday in the morning.
Inside the Vatican Museums: a cafeteria serves simple dishes along the route; it is convenient but less economical than a pizza outside the walls.

Have your coffee "al banco" (standing at the counter): it costs less than at a table.

Which time of day

Before the museums: a cappuccino and a cornetto in a Prati bar, then walk to the entrance (Viale Vaticano).
At midday: eat before or after the visit rather than in the middle; between 12:00 and 14:30 queues and prices peak near the square.
In the evening: dine in Prati, or cross the Ponte Sant'Angelo towards Piazza Navona and the centre. Our guide to Roman cuisine and trattorias lists the dishes to look for on a menu.

What it costs

We do not publish restaurant prices that the venues do not display themselves: read the menu outside, check the cover charge, and refuse any menu without prices. The best indicator remains the clientele: if you mostly hear Italian, you have probably chosen well.