Trastevere or Testaccio: Which Rome Food Tour Should You Book?

Rome’s two most-booked food tours run in two neighbourhoods that could not be more different: Trastevere, the pretty one across the river with the evening crowds, and Testaccio, the working district behind the old slaughterhouse where Romans go to eat. Both are worth it. Which one you should book depends on the time of day you have free and how Roman you want the food to be.

Side by side

Trastevere: the evening tour

Across the river from the centre, Trastevere is the neighbourhood postcards are made of, and its food tours run when it looks best: from six or seven in the evening, when the lanes fill and the wine bars open. Expect a supplì from a counter, a glass in an enoteca, a plate of pasta in a trattoria that has been there for decades, porchetta or pizza al taglio, and gelato at the end, with the guide steering you off the main squares into the streets where the food is still Roman. It replaces dinner and it is a good night out. Choose it for a first visit or an evening you would otherwise spend looking for a restaurant.

Testaccio: the market tour

South of the Aventine, Testaccio was built around Rome’s slaughterhouse, and its cooking, the quinto quarto, the fifth quarter of the animal, came from the workers paid in offal. The tours start at the Mercato di Testaccio, one of the best markets in the city: a trapizzino, the pizza pocket invented here, pizza bianca with mortadella, cheese and salumi from the stalls, and then a trattoria for the dishes you will not find on a tourist menu, coda alla vaccinara, rigatoni con la pajata, trippa alla romana, alongside the four pastas. It is the most Roman food tour in Rome and the least photogenic, and food-first travellers should not miss it. Morning tours end with a full lunch.

The third option: the Jewish Quarter and Campo de’ Fiori

Daytime tours through the Ghetto for carciofi alla giudia and the kosher bakery, then Campo de’ Fiori for pizza bianca and supplì. More history than either of the others, best in artichoke season from February to May. See Rome food tours for all three.

Which one, for which traveller

• One evening free, first time in Rome: Trastevere.
• Food is the reason you came: Testaccio.
• Travelling with children: Testaccio in the morning; the market is the show.
• Second visit: whichever you did not do, or the Jewish Quarter.
• Both, in one trip: Testaccio on a morning, Trastevere on your last evening. They do not overlap.

Frequently asked questions

Is Trastevere or Testaccio better for a food tour?

Trastevere for an evening with wine and atmosphere; Testaccio for the market and the most Roman cooking. Food-first travellers usually prefer Testaccio.

What is the fifth quarter?

The quinto quarto: offal, tails and tripe, the cuts the Testaccio slaughterhouse paid its workers with and the base of dishes like coda alla vaccinara.

Are Rome food tours worth it?

Yes; they replace a meal and tell you where to eat for the rest of your stay, which in Rome saves more than the tour costs.

How much do they cost?

About 60 to 110 euros for three to four hours with eight to ten tastings.

Can vegetarians do them?

Trastevere adapts easily; Testaccio is meat-heavy by nature, though guides can substitute. Say so at booking.