Looking for a place to satisfy your desire for good food while sightseeing in Rome? Head to Mercato Centrale Roma to feast on some of the most scrumptious food that you can find in the city. While Rome has several eateries and restaurants, this food market brings together an eclectic range of local food combined with international flavors.
You can keep coming back and taste something new every day just like I did during my stay.
Located in the Termini Station, this is among the best places to sample all kinds of delicious Italian and Roman cuisine, all under one roof. You can even get some grocery shopping done at the market. It is a place where locals and tourists from all over the world mingle and bond over food – in that sense, it is also a cultural hub.
Mercato Centrale Roma: The Best Food Market in Italy Not to Miss
About Mercato Centrale Roma
Spread over 1900 square meters and covering three floors, Mercato Centrale Roma has a whopping 18 food shops on the ground floor, while the first floor is home to celebrated Chef Oliver Glowig’s restaurant “La Tavola, il Vino e la Dispensa. The entire second floor is dedicated to tasting the delectable recipes of food artisans. Besides this, spaces for private functions and public events too are available on both the first and second floor.
You can taste authentic food while interacting with fellow foodies in a comfortable ambience. It is a one stop food destination that saved me the trouble of going to several different places scouting for my preferred choice of food. Dining here is all about fresh, local food direct from farm to kitchen and on to your plate. There are enough seating arrangements in the market to sit back and enjoy the food and beverages, but you can also pack it up to savor it later.
If you love artisanal food made using traditional methods, the food market is the place to go. Handmade by skilled food artisans with great expertise, these food products showcase Italy’s culinary heritage. You can relish the flavors of high quality local ingredients that are used to prepare the food products.
Reasons to Visit Mercato Centrale Roma
Mercato Centrale Roma is a bustling place filled with appetizing smells and sights that attracts food lovers looking for a good meal at reasonable prices. Good food at this market is all about cooking by going back to the roots or to the basics of culinary tradition and combining it with a contemporary approach to produce delicious food. International flavors too are adapted into the cuisine.
With skilled artisans and the best ingredients, the result is good food that will satisfy any visitor. The company slogan “La bontà è elementare” (goodness is simple) exemplifies this fact. You can drop by for breakfast, lunch, dinner or drinks from 8 a.m. till midnight.
Favorite Food Stalls
Each of the food stalls here has a range of mouth-watering food items that serves different food preferences that I loved sampling. The common factor is that wherever you go, you will get something tasty! At La Pasta Fresca, you can taste Egidio Michelis’ bronze-cut durum wheat pasta, fresh handmade stuffed pasta, and sauces made using traditional recipes.
Ramen lovers must try Akira Yoshida’s Ramen preparations such as Black Shoyu ramen with intense flavors, White Shio ramen that has a more delicate taste, and Red Spicy ramen which as the name suggests is spicy hot. If your love for pizza has brought you to Mercato Centrale Roma, well then, you have come to the right place.
Make your way to Stefano Callegari’s Trapizzino for its famous triangular pizza pocket stuffed with traditional Roman food. Try the pizzas produced by using different types of flour and made with traditional recipes at La Pizza. Il Pane e la Pasticceria by Gabriele Bonci offers bread, pastries and pizza.
Can’t resist sushi? At Il Sushi, go for the handcrafted sushi created with Italian ingredients packed daily in boxes for your eating pleasure. Tartufo (Truffle), Cristiano Savini’s high quality offering is another must-stop. Indulge your sweet tooth at Il Gelato where Luca Veralli’s ice cream is made from local, organic ingredients. La Pasticceria has wonderful pastries and classic Italian desserts. Beverages too are aplenty. Drop in at La Birreria for a wide range of beers served by the glass or pint. La Caffetteria is for coffee drinkers. You can also taste wine by the glass or buy bottled wine at Il Vino al Bicchiere.
Grocery Shopping
Those who prefer to stay in rented apartments during their Rome visits and like cooking on their own will find Mercato Centrale Roma a great place for grocery shopping. At Vegetariano e Vegano (Vegetarian and Vegan), you can buy fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, mushrooms as well as vegan and vegetarian food products made with organic ingredients as well as dry foods and packaged products. Non-vegetarians can head to La Carne e i Salumi for grilled meat, cold cuts and raw meat. Buy cheese at Il Formaggio. If you like artichokes and mushrooms, I Carciofi e i Funghi is the place to go.
Roman and Italian Cuisine All in One Place
Eat like the locals at Mercato Centrale Roma where you have the best of Roman and Italian cuisine all in one food market. Besides the shops that have a range of food products, the restaurant La Tavola, il Vino e la Dispensa serves the finest traditional Italian cuisine as well as Roman delicacies. Helmed by chef Oliver Glowig, the restaurant is a great place to relax and savor amazing dishes with your family, friends or on your own. My recommendations – the eliche pasta with cheese, pepper and sea urchins, tortelli pasta in oxtail stew, and the risotto all’amatriciana. Yummy!
It’s All About the Location
Conveniently located in Via Giolitti 36 inside the Termini Station that is in close proximity to several other tourist attractions in Rome, Mercato Centrale Roma is easily accessible. If you take a bus and alight at Giolitti, Gioberti or Termini stops, the food market is just five minutes by foot. Metro Lines A or B will transport you to the Termini Stop from where a five-minute walk will take you to Mercato Centrale. The food market is easy to reach from the Fiumicino and Ciampino airports as well.
When in Rome, visit Mercato Centrale Roma
Food is an important aspect of any traveling experience especially in a historic city like Rome. Traditional recipes, culinary heritage and international appeal make for a great blend at Mercato Centrale Roma. Inhale the delicious aromas and let your nose lead you to the food shop of your choice!
For more information about Mercato Centrale Roma check out their website.
I loved the Mercato Centrale! I had to wait for my train for quite a while, so I wandered around, not really hungry. It was a wonderful place to kill some time and shop for foodie souvenirs!
So true! It’s a fantastic place to hit up while waiting for your train and lots of stuff to buy for the road.
Great post! Thanks for sharing this amazing post.
Such a fantastic place you visit and this post is really mouth watering food. I loved the Mercato Centrale. I can’t wait to go there and taste it all. Thank you so much!
What a nice meals in Italy Rome !
What a delicious meals!! These dishes looks mouthwatering in your post. I would love to visit this place and taste all the dishes which you mentioned in your post. Thank you!
Would love to visit this! Sounds like an absolutely amazing experience!
Defiantly going to visit Mercato Centrale next time I’m in Rome. Started it on my Google maps. Thank you for the article.
Wow, this place is fantastic! The food seems delicious! Nice post!
The food is delicious!!
This is precisely the sort of article I shouldn’t read at night, when I’m hungry, because there’s every chance I won’t sleep now! I haven’t been to this particular market but I’ve been to a similar one in Florence and it was a delightful foodie experience. This looks amazing and filled with absolutely delicious foods… one of the problems I have in Italy is what to eat, so this approach, pick-and-choose, works really well for me. Thanks for letting me discover this!
It is a great way to get an introduction to the food Rome has to offer!