One of my favorite things to do in Rome is a food tour, and I have previously been on great ones in Testaccio and Trastevere with Eating Europe, as well as one in the Centro Storico with another company (really good!). This holiday season we were traveling in Rome with my mother and decided to try Eating Europe’s food tour via golf cart, as it would have been difficult for her to do a full walking food tour in the December evenings. We all really loved this tour, as it was really fun and allowed us to explore several areas of Rome via an open air golf cart, from Prati, Gian, Trastevere, and Testaccio!  Our tour met at our first stop near the Vatican in Prati and then we legit drove around Rome on a golf cart until the tour ended! Be sure to bring a coat, but the experience in the golf cart was pleasant and I would absolutely recommend this tour. This post reviews our tour, including what and where we ate!

STOP ONE: A TRAPIZZINO AT AL SORPASSO

The first stop of our tour was for a new Roman food (for Rome and me!), the Trapizzino! And by “new Roman,” our guide described the trapizzino as a Roman food created in recent Roman memory. A trapizzino is similar to a pizza pocket; a triangle of bread stuffed with your choice of pizza “toppings,” meant to be eaten on the go. I loathe “eating on the go” so I was very happy that were sitting down a table with cutlery for my first trapizzino. I was also super excited to try a trappizzino on this food tour, as I had never had one despite visiting Rome many times.

The restaurant where we began our tour and tasted the trapizzini is called Sorpasso. Sorpasso is located in the Prati neighborhood of Rome, not too far from the Vatican and extremely close to our hotel, the Meridien Visconti. Sorpasso is quite cute, and I would love to come back here for a proper sit down dinner (its on my Rome list!). At Sorpasso, our group had our choice of the four classic trapizzini: tomato sauce and meatballs, tounge with a green sauce, Chicken Cacciatore, and eggplant parmigiana. Everyone except Dan opted for the tomato sauce and meatball; Dan went with the tongue. We also selected a white or red wine glass to pair with the trapizzini.

STOP TWO: A GORGEOUS VIEW FROM GIANICOLO HILL, WITH PROSECCO!

Our second stop on the tour was a ride up Gianicolo Hill for a glass of Prosecco in a plastic cup in Piazza Gianicolo overlooking Rome. Gianicolo Hill, or Janiculum Hill in English, is considered the “8th” hill of Rome and offers stunning views of Rome and the Vatican, as well as Fontana dell’Acqua Paola (which is almost as beautiful as Trevi (and much less crowded) and only a 6 minute walk from Pizazza Gianicolo). We stayed on Gianicolo Hill for about 15 minutes, discussing Rome’s history and enjoying the stunning views of Rome. The views are magical at night, but I think they are even better at sunrise and sunset. You can bring your own beverage like our tour guide, but there is also a snack bar selling cocktails and drinks on site. Personally, this was one of my favorite stops on the tour. I absolutely love this view, but its somewhat difficult for the normal tourist to visit.

STOP THREE: MA CHE SIETE VENUTI A FÀ

Our third tour stop brought us down from Gianicolo Hill to Trastevere (where Dan and I studied in law school!) for a suppilì at a well-known craft beer bar, Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fà. Meaning “What Did You Come To Do?”, Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fà was incredibly crowded on this Saturday evening, and it probably didn’t help that it was the day before New Year’s Eve. Due to the crowds, we made a quick stop inside the bar and took a glass of craft beer and our supplì to go, LOL.

For those looking for a craft beer in Rome or just a fun pub, Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fà is a good option. In terms of the supplì, supplì is a traditional Roman food made of a rice ball mixed with cheese and/or meat and/or veggies and deep fried. Reminiscent of arancini from Sicily, but extremely different, LOL. Supplì are honestly not my favorite Roman food, but they are certainly a true Roman experience, and one that is very affordable. Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fà is a good option for a fun evening out in Trastevere.

STOP FOUR: APERITIVO AT ERCOLI

We next moved to a lovely little bar and restaurant called Ercoli 1928. Self described as a “gastronomic experience, Ercoli was giving me real Roscioli vibes. Ercoli currently has three locations in Rome, Prati, Viale Parioli, and Trastevere, where we visited. Each one claims to be a bit different, and the Ercoli location in Trastevere was part Italian market, part swanky bar, part restaurant.

We met in the bar area for an Aperitivo! An aperitivo is one of my favorite Italian traditions: a snack and a cocktail before your meal. At Ercoli we each tried a traditional Aperol Spritz and a small plate of charcuterie and cheese, which was excellent. I am very interested to return and try the full menu.

STOP FIVE: FRIED ARTICHOKES AT ONE OF TRASTEVERE’S BEST RESTAURANTS

The fifth stop on our tour was at a very well-known trattoria in Trastevere called Trattoria da Enzo al 29. Trattoria da Enzo is an old school Roman trattoria serving traditional Roman food, think a tiny dining room, checkered table cloths, all four of Rome’s best pastas (gricia, cacio e pepe, carbonara, and amatriciana), fried artichokes (only when in season), and meatballs made with mortadella and pecorino, and chicory. Basically, everything at da Enzo is great, and both locals and tourists know this well. Da Enzo does not accept reservations and you must arrive early to get a table! We arrived around 7:30 and da Enzo was packed with a line around the block. Luckily our guide had called ahead, and someone ran us out freshly fried artichokes sprinkled with chunky sea salt, one of Rome’s winter specialties. As always, the fried artichokes were excellent. While I would have preferred a proper sit down meal at da Enzo, I was happy not to deal with the crowds. Unfortunately for most tourists, you cannot get this fast service unless you are on this tour!

STOP SIX: ROMAN PASTA & TIRAMISU AT RISTORANTE ANGELINA 

After our previous five stops and all of that food, we sat down for a proper Roman meal in Testaccio! Testaccio is a Roman neighborhood that, in my opinion, has largely avoided the crazy Roman crowds. Testaccio was long ago the neighborhood of the slaughterhouses, making nose to tail dining popular, and its famous for a “mountain” made of trashed wine jugs (it just looks like a hill). Ristorante Angelina is located not too far from that trash mountain, lol. We walked up a small flight of stairs at Ristorante Angelina and sat down for dinner in a dining room reminiscent of something Martha Stewart would make up. We dined on one of Rome’s four traditional pastas at Ristorante Angelina, amatriciana, which is pasta cooked with guanciale, pecorino romano cheese, and a spicy tomato sauce. Our portions were HUGE and the amatriciana was absolutely fantastic! Definitely one of the best that I have had in Rome. Our amatriciana was paired with red wine (our choice) and for dessert, our first of the tour, we had the most amazing tiramisu! We all know tiramisu and I usualllly don’t love it, but this was the absolute best one I have ever had. I blame the amazing cream on top!

STOP SEVEN: OLD SCHOOL GELATO AT GIOLITTI

Our fantastic food tour finished in Testaccio, at a Testaccio institution called Bar Giolitti. Bar Giolitti is a real old school gelateria in the hear of Testaccio, not to be confused with the famous gelateria with a very similar name and sign near the Pantheon (although they are allegedly run by the same family, LOL). Bar Giolitti is known for one thing, and that is its gelato, which is, of course, served in those conical silver containers from where all good gelato originates. You may see a few tourists at Giolitti (such as our tour) but this place is mostly local Romans who have been visiting for years. Giolitti offers many, many flavors, but one of its most interesting is zabiaone, which is egg, sugar and sweet wine. This was our second time visiting Giolitti, and I will absolutely return. This time around, I tried stracciatella and zabiaone topped with Giolitti’s homemade whipped cream. An excellent way to end the food tour!

STEAL OUR TRIP

Eating Europe Food Tours: We took the VIP Golf Cart Rome Food Tour, although I think I have taken every one of Eating Europe’s Rome food tours (they are all fantastic, see here and here). Everything mentioned here is included.

Il Sorpasso: Via Properzio, 31/33, 00193 Roma RM, Italy. Closed Sunday. Open Monday – Saturday 9:00 AM – 1:00 AM.

Gianicolo Hill (or Janiculum Hill in English): via Garibaldi, Salita di Sant’Onofrio. Open all hours. Free. We brought our own Prosecco but you can buy drinks from La Terrazza Del Gianicolo.

Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fà: Via Benedetta, 25, 00153 Roma RM, Italy. Open daily 11:00 AM – 2:00 AM.

Ercoli 1928: Via Giggi Zanazzo 4. Three locations – we visited Trastevere. Reservations recommended.

Trattoria Da Enzo al 29: Via dei Vascellari, 29, Trastevere. Open 12:15 – 15:00, 19:00 – 23:00. Closed Sunday. Casual. No reservations. Go early and expect to wait.

Ristorante Angelina a Testaccio: Via Galvani, 24a, 00153 Roma RM, Italy. Open daily 12:30 – 3:00 and 7:30 – 11:30. Reservations suggested. Closed for lunch on Tuesday.

Bar Giolitti: Via Amerigo Vespucci 35. Open daily 7h – 23h. Inexpensive. No website.