Brunch in Rome at the weekend: the best restaurants and cafes. In Rome too, weekend brunch has become a popular pastime. From traditional English breakfast to Italian-style Sunday lunch, there are many restaurants and bistros serving brunch from morning until late afternoon. Here we have chosen our favourite, making sure to include restaurants that range in price and cuisine, and that all create a relaxing setting for whiling away those precious weekend hours.
Brunch in Rome at the weekend
PIAZZA DI SPAGNA
Babingtons
At Babingtons, the historic tea room in Piazza di Spagna, an English-style brunch is served every day, Saturdays and Sundays included. A fixed menu priced at 33 euros includes a typical English breakfast dish, a home-made cake or pastry and a freshly squeezed juice. The menu comes with a Babingtons tea blend or one of their coffees. On the main menu you’ll find eggs Benedict on an English muffin with mushrooms and grilled tomatoes; a choice of pastry; orange or grapefruit juice; a Babingtons tea blend or coffee.
When: every day, Saturdays and Sundays included
Price: 33 euros
Babingtons Tea Room, piazza di Spagna 23, Rome. Tel. 06 678 6027
CENTRAL
Écru
A raw vegan brunch in central Rome? Écru‘s the place. At the restaurant and bakery two minutes from Via Giulia, you can choose between healthy, natural dishes, made according to the raw food philosophy, and organic, gluten-free products. You’ll also find many different drinks including a selection of bio wines. For brunch on Sundays there are two choices. The first is an option of sandwiches or sushi; yoghurt with fruit and granola or chia seed pudding with fruit; bread served with raw jam or hummus; pastries; a choice of drink; a choice of supplement; coffee/tea (30 euros). The second is a trio of dips with crackers; a mixture of vegetable crisps; spaghetti made with vegetables (like courgetti) or soup; pastries; a choice of supplement; coffee/tea (25 euros). And from 2pm onwards there’s live music.
When: from 12pm to 5pm on Sundays
Price: 25/30 euros
Écru, via Acciaioli 13, Rome. Tel. 06 6880 4282
AFRICANO
Dolce
For a New York-style Sunday brunch, head to Dolce, the restaurant and bakery in via Tripolitania (in the Africano district). The kitchen is transformed into a bakery with a menu brimming with the best international cuisine. From eggs to pancakes (9 euros), or even to sandwiches (11-12 euros), sweet and savoury are placed side by side. You can choose between an omelette with three fillings of your choice (mushrooms, spinach, avocado, mozzarella, turkey, and pancetta, to mention just a few) for 11 euros, or for the same price you can enjoy an eggs Benedict, Royal or Natural, on toasted bread baked in-house.
When: from 12pm to 3pm on Sundays
Price: choose from the à la carte menu
Dolce, via Tripolitania 4, Rome. Tel. 06.86215696
TRIESTE – PONTE MILVIO
Bakery House Roma
At Bakery House Rome (located both in corso Trieste and Ponte Milvio) the best of American traditions is taken seriously. Here, you take brunch slowly, starting at 9.30am for those early-risers, and finishing up at 4pm. On the menu you’ll find scrambled eggs and bacon, ham and cheese omelette, pancakes, french toast, bagels and sandwiches. Then there are also lots of pastries and cakes to choose from at the counter. We obviously recommend the absolute classic, pancakes with maple syrup, or, if you’re feeling naughty, pancakes with chocolate.
When: from 9.30am to 4pm
Price: choose from the à la carte menu (which you can find here)
Bakery House, Corso Trieste 157 b/c; via Riano 11, Rome. Website
VIA CAVOUR
Centro Bistrot
At Centro, brunch is served every Sunday from 10am to 4pm. There’s brunch on the à la carte menu, which offers a choice of typical English/American breakfast dishes, like pancakes (8-10 euros), brownies (5 euro), club sandwiches (12-13 euros), scrambled eggs (7-8 euros), burgers, and much more. There’s also a selection of smaller breakfast treats. For those that don’t fancy brunch, there’s always Sunday lunch. You can choose from traditional dishes on the Cento menu like sausage supplì and buffalo mozzarella from Battipaglia, typical Roman pasta dishes like cacio e pepe or amatriciana, or even vegetable patties served with mixed salad and crushed tomatoes.
When: from 10am to 4pm on Sunday
Price: choose from the à la carte menu
Centro Bistrot, via Cavour 61, Rome. Tel. 06 4891 3935
VIA NAZIONALE
Cucina Eliseo
Even on days when it’s blowing a gail, the Eliseo theatre never closes. And so on Sundays you can be sure to find the Eliseo Kitchen serving the all important Sunday brunch. There’s a buffet of cured meats, cheeses, pastries and jams, and then also small and large vegan and vegetarian dishes, created by chef Lorenzo Buonomini.
When: from 12pm to 4pm
Cost: 23 euros for adults (discounted to 18 euros with a theatre ticket), 18 euros for children (discounted to 13 euros with a theatre ticket)
Cucina Eliseo, via Nazionale 186, Roma. Tel. 392 091 3968
TRASTEVERE
Enoteca Ferrara
On Sundays in Trastevere, at Enoteca Ferrara, you can enjoy a breakfast buffet served to your table. While you can tuck in to typical Roman dishes, there’s also a range of other options: fried delicacies, healthy salads, roasted peppers, artichokes fried Roman-Jewish style, roast potatoes, meatballs in sauce, meat or vegetable patties, beef carpaccio, deviled chicken, tripe, omelettes, and quiches. Then there’s a great choice of starters including timbale, lasagne, gnocchi, pastas, soup, and buffalo mozzarella. For dessert, there are tarts, pastries and cakes (all home made) and, of course, tiramisù. If you’re accompanied by any little ones (aged 3 upwards) you can leave them in the care of qualified child minders that put on a different weekly workshop, such as cookery courses, fun and games, or storytelling in English.
When: from 1pm to 4pm on Sundays
Price: 25 euros (drinks not included); baby buffet 15 euros (including drinks and entertainment)
Enoteca Ferrara, piazza Trilussa 41 Roma. Tel. 06.58333920
TESTACCIO
Ketumbar
In Testaccio, Ketumbar’s organic brunch, served on Saturdays and Sundays, is the talk of the area. There’s a buffet ranging from antipasti to cakes and pastries, that changes seasonally. There are also many different soups, cous cous, dark taragna polente, fritters, hummus, cod au gratin, granary focaccia, salads and vegan dishes. The menu is accompanied by organic wine and artisan beers. At Ketumbar, brunch is also baby-friendly. There’s a children’s menu and an entire space dedicated to young children, who are cared for by qualified minders.
When: from 12.30pm to 4pm Saturday and Sunday
Price: 15 euros, drinks not included (10 euros for children, minders included)
Ketumbar, via Galvani 24 Rome. Tel. 06.57305338
BORGO SANTO SPIRITO
La Veranda
La Veranda is an elegant restaurant in Borgo Santo Spirito, with fresh and airy terraces and a walkway looking onto an internal courtyard. Once an old refectory, it’s fair to say it’s an atmospheric spot for brunch. Better known since it appeared in a few scenes of the film The Great Beauty by Paolo Sorrentino, you’ll find brunch here every Sunday. The menu, served by chef Claudio Favale, is typically English, and changes weekly. There are four different menus: big, light, baby and veg. Among the dishes that are an absolute must is buttered bread with jam, and eggs served with bacon, cheese, and potatoes. And then there’s also pancakes, yoghurt and fruit. And if you don’t manage to eat it all, there’s always the option to take away a doggy bag. Booking is advised.
When: from 11.30am to 3.30pm on Sundays
Price: Big: 29 euros; Light (without eggs and bacon); Baby: 15 euros; Veg: 26 euros. Drinks not included.
VILLA PAMPHILI
Vivi Bistrot
The weekend brunch at Vivi Bistrot in Villa Doria Pamphili consists of free-range scrambled eggs on toast with bacon, bio yoghurt with organic muesli and honey, pancakes with maple syrup and americano coffee. There are also a variety of whole meal baked goods on offer, such as bagels, muffins and baguettes. You can enjoy your breakfast at the restaurant itself, while reading the newspaper or surfing the free wifi, or you can choose from one of the many picnic menus (prices vary) which can be taken away with you in a box. The same opening hours and menu apply for their restaurant in Palazzo Braschi in Piazza Navona, where brunch includes juice, coffee, bagels with eggs and bacon, yogurt with muesli, or pancakes with maple syrup.
When: from 9am to 2pm Saturdays and Sundays
Price: 16 euros
Vivi Bistrot, Villa Doria Pamphili (ingresso di via Vitellia 102), tel. 06.5827540; piazza Navona 2 (Palazzo Braschi), tel. 06.6833779
CENTRO
Baccano
Baccano is central Rome’s Parisian-style bistrot, with its mirrors on the wall, and its palette of creamy white, black and bright red. Whatever it is that captures your imagination in this decorative restaurant, you can think it over while enjoying a tasty brunch. Served on Saturdays and Sundays and available on the à la carte menu, the kitchen is run by chef Marco Milani. You can choose from dishes such as burrata from Andria (15 euros), foie gras smoked in-house (30 euros), or fried eggs with cherry tomatoes and french fries (10 euros), burgers, sandwiches, cocktails and desserts. Brunching at Baccano is like a breath of fresh air, giving you the chance to escape from the touristy muddle that swarms close by.
When: from 11am to 4pm Saturdays and Sundays
Price: choose from the à la carte menu (antipasti from 12-22 euros, starters from 10-18 euros, mains from 14-25 euros, burgers 20 euros, desserts from 6-10 euros)
Baccano, via delle Muratte, 23, Rome. Tel. 06.69941166
TEVERE – PIAZZA DEL POPOLO
Baja
Baja is the restaurant that you’ll spot on the pontoon moored to the Arnaldo da Brescia river walk, not far off from Piazza del Popolo. On Sundays when the sun is shining they serve brunch at little tables on their terrace, or if it’s not so warm, on the sofas inside surrounded by an impressive array of industrial-design furniture. The kitchen, run by Chiara, changes its menu regularly. There are dishes ranging from prosciutto with melon or seasoned ricotta antipasti, to starters like semolina Roman-style gnocchi or red rice with prawns, almonds and sun-dried tomatoes. Then there are unusual mains like salmon au gratin served with swiss chard, almonds and lemon, or tender strips of chicken marsala. Then there’s a dessert buffet offering raspberry cheesecake, apple and pear strudel with cream; sachertorte; fruit Bavarois, and fruit salads.
When: from 12.30pm on Sundays
Price: 25 euros
Baja, Lungotevere Arnaldo da Brescia, Rome. Tel. 06 9436 8869
TESTACCIO
Rec 23
In Testaccio you’ll find a small piece of New York at Rec 23, in Piazza dell’Emporio. On Saturdays and Sundays it’s brunch o’ clock, there’s a savoury buffet of freshly prepared dishes, a dessert buffet, and a choice of juice and americano coffee (17 euros). On the menu you’ll find tomato and basil vegetarian lasagna, scrambled eggs, BBQ chicken wings, buffalo mozzarella DOP, vegetarian caponata, focaccia and salads. For dessert, there’s cheesecake, fruit tarts, biscuits from Umbria, doughnuts and pancakes. On Saturdays there’s a children’s play area (‘Bimbi Brunch’) with entertaining workshops put on by WorkInProject.
When: from 12.30pm to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday
Price: 17 euros (10 euros for children)
Rec 23, piazza dell’Emporio 2, Rome. Tel 06.87462147 ; 392.1207722
OSTIENSE
Porto Fluviale
In the Salotto district there’s a buffet brunch on offer at Porto Fluviale, a crowded Ostiense restaurant hidden amongst the various alleyways decorated by Roman street art. Here there are around 60 dishes on offer: hot and cold pasta dishes, soups, raw salads and cooked vegetable dishes, meats, and cheeses served with a variety of tasty dips and sauces. You can’t book a table but you can leave your name at the door.
When: from 12.30pm to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays
Price: 19 euros (12 euros for children)
Porto Fluviale, via del Porto Fluviale 22, Roma. Tel. 06.5743199
PIAZZA CAVOUR
CamilloB
At CamilloB, for brunch you can enjoy a detox dish or treat yourself to a pizza, all while the kids are taken off your hands for a few hours. Sunday brunch consists of different weekly dishes, and a buffet that includes vegetarian quiches, savoury tarts, eggs with bacon or cheese, omelettes, baked potatoes, salads, pilaf rice and quinoa. There’s also chicken curry, meatballs, cured meats, pizza, wholemeal focaccia, and zeppole (typical Roman pastries). As for the desserts, there are muffins, tarts, and pastries, and to drink there are freshly squeezed juices, smoothies, and coffees. While the adults enjoy their hour of relaxation, the little ones can have fun at the Spazio B play-area supervised by qualified child minders.
When: from 12pm to 3.30pm on Sundays
Price: 20 euros (10 euros for children)
CamilloB., Piazza Cavour 21/A, Rome. Tel. 06.6832077
*Traduzione a cura di Corinna Parker: Twitter
