Where to eat on the Roman coast: Fiumicino, Ostia, Fregene, Santa Severa, Santa Marinella and Anzio
The sun shines on the Roman cobblestones: it’s time to leave the city behind and head towards the salty breeze of the coast.
Fiumicino, Ostia, Fregene, Anzio, Santa Severa and Santa Marinella await you, your short sleeves and your sunglasses. The time for spaghetti a vongole and orata in crosta is here. Here you have a list of the best restaurants on the Roman coast where to get your boost of iodine and more.
Where to eat in Anzio
Da Alceste
Piazzale Sant’Antonio, 6
06.9846744
Da Alceste is a historical fish restaurant in Anzio, a point of reference for seafood cuisine and the portodanzese tradition. Alceste and Giuseppe’s children, Gino and Maria Elena Regolanti, keep the family tradition alive with historical dishes with a modern touch. Among the first courses, you’ll find big classics like spaghetti with clams or with anchovies and pecorino as well as main courses with a vintage taste like pesce all’acqua pazza, fresh fish, cooked in a flavorful broth, or guazzetto di pesce, a wholesome fish stew. The beautiful terrace is worth a mention.
Da Romolo al porto
Via Porto Innocenziano, 19
06.9844079
Among the most well-known restaurants in Anzio, Walter Regolanti’s Romolo al Porto certainly deserves a shoutout. With about 100 seats between the indoor room and the porch, Walter offers a daily cuisine that bets everything on the local produce: fish, crustaceans, shellfish in an infinite variety of hours d’oeuvres, culminating in a pasta dish that feels like dessert. Their winery is also excellent, full of bubbles, not to be underestimated.
Pierino
Piazza C. Battisti, 3
06.9845683
Alessandro Catarinozzi’s Pierino is a historical name. The seafood you eat here is in its most authentic and classical form. There are crudités, fresh pasta, risotto alla pescatora, ands simple main dishes accompanies by seasonal side dishes, like the orata al forno with porcini mushrooms. Foie gras is also available. The canteen is wide and the service informal but well-prepared and knowledgeable.
INSPIRATION
Best Beaches Near Rome
Where to eat in Fregene
La Scialuppa da Salvatore
Via Silvi Marina, 69
06.66560002
Scialuppa da Salvatore, a beach establishment with over sixty years of history, seamlessly combines tradition and modernity. With multiple dining areas, including a beach section where you can dine with your feet in the sand, it offers a unique experience. Chef Fabio Di Vilio creates both classic dishes like bruschetta alle vongole and innovative ones, such as ricciola ciauscolo and stracchino cheese focaccia. Also, don’t miss the unique and flavourful risotto with anchovies, almond cream, and orange burnt. The homemade desserts and extensive wine list, with over two hundred options, are also excellent.
La Baia di Fregene
Via Silvi Marina, 1
06 66561647
Benny Gili’s La Baia is considered a real household name, not only in Fregene, but the entire Lazio coast. Despite the massive space, it’s impossible to find a table unless you book many days in advance. The reason of this success is the authentic cuisine, local but well-curated, that will dazzle with the simple non-banality of its selection, especially for the dishes of the day. Among the most famous dishes, is pasta with limpets or clams, sea carbonara, and obviously, the fish crudités. Another icon is the bruschetta with smoked sardines and red onions. The winery is also very well-furnished.
Casa Carmen
Lungomare di Ponente 103
06.69341945
Casa Carmen, led Lorenzo Biancolella, Roberto Tomasini, and Annalisa Polo, exudes a captivating Spanish flair. In the youthful and vibrant atmosphere that they created; you can indulge in a Mediterranean cuisine meant for sharing. You can get classics, like raw and marinated red shrimps, spaghetti with clams and bottarga, local tellinas, but also more elaborated dishes, like fresh fish ceviche, Galician-style octopus, and Formentera-style lobster. One of the highlights is the outdoor grill, used for perfecting the octopus and to roast the catch of the day. To complement your meal, have a look at their outstanding drink offer, including gin, sangria, and rum. Casa Carmen is a true culinary gem.
Four years after opening in Fregene, Casa Carmen has opened its second location in Fiumicino on Lungomare della Salute, and unlike the one in Fregene, it has a sea view.
Puntarossa Da Renatone (Maccarese)
Viale dei Monti dell’Ara, 425
06.6672300
Puntarossa da Renatone is the meeting spot for tv personalities and foodies. Under the porch you will enjoy amazing food prepared daily by Renato Salvatori, who goes by Renatone. His first courses of the day are unparalleled, usually fresh pasta, sometimes stuffed. The crudités are delicious, and so are the bruschette and the fritti. The most popular choices are tonnarelli cacio e pepe con le cozze (mussels), tagliatelle alla gricia di spigola, and octopus salad and potatoes with red onion confiture. The service is welcoming and knowledgeable, just like the wine selection, curated personally by Maurizio.
Santa Lucia (Maccarese)
Via della Luna
06.8540230
The restaurant and farmhouse, Santa Lucia, located just three kilometers from the coast in Maccarese, offers a serene and high-quality experience. The carefully designed suites and restaurant are surrounded by two saltwater pools and a solarium, which altogether create a picturesque setting. Chef Daniele Lubei’s gastronomic offerings revolve around the principle of sustainability and the love for local agriculture, on which basis he designed an exquisite five-course vegetarian tasting menu. The wine, happy-hour and breakfast options are also of exceptional quality.
INSPIRATION
Day Trips from Rome
Where to eat in Ladispoli
The Cesar
Palo Laziale, Via Palo Laziale
Located in La Posta Vecchia, the former residence of Jean Paul Getty, the Cesar Restaurant boasts a sunlit terrace overlooking azure waters. This restaurant redefines authentic Italian cuisine with a contemporary twist. Chef Antonio Magliulo and his team invite you to embark on a gastronomic journey. The menu emphasizes fresh, locally sourced ingredients from the hotel’s garden and trusted suppliers. Each dish reflects a commitment to quality and sustainability, central to their “Il Dolce Far Bene” program.
Where to eat in Santa Severa
Albergo Pino al mare
Via Cneo Domizio, 32
07.66570027
Simple and genuine cuisine based on the local catch and the greens from the surrounding countryside. This is the foundation of the philosophy of the restaurant Pino al Mare. Whether you eat in the indoor part of the hotel, in the porch, or on the beach, you will eat amazing fritture, crudités and first dishes. If in season, you simply must have the tiramisu di cachi.
L’isola del pescatore
Via Cartagine, 1
0766 570145
Only a few feet away from the Santa Severa Castle is the restaurant Isola del Pescatore. Here, clients are welcomed by Fabio Quartieri in a relaxed atmosphere where you can taste the amazing produce, whether indoors or outdoors. Their hors d’oeuvres mixes are a must: they will bring you many small dishes so that you can try a bit of everything. Their first dishes are generous and their desserts fantastic. If you want to eat by the castle and be waited on by a knowledgeable team, this is the place for you.
INSPIRATION
Visit the Castle and the Medieval Village of Santa Severa
Where to eat in Fiumicino
Pascucci al Porticciolo
Viale Traiano, 85
06.65029204
A Michelin star and much more for Pascucci al Porticciolo by Gianfranco Pascucci e Vanessa Melis. He’s in the kitchen, she’s with the guests, a work and life couple who knows how to keep their clients entertained and relaxed. In an ethereal atmosphere, elegant and marine, with tables covered by long white tablecloth reaching the floor, you will taste a groundbreaking cuisine. The local catch is king, featuring Fiumicino brackish herbs and inspiration taken from wild game and the Middle East. The menu changes continuously and it can be enjoyed in various tasting menus. The food-wine combination is not to be missed.
Il Tino
Via Monte Cadria, 127
06 5622778
Tino, Lele Usai’s Michelin-starred restaurant upstairs at Nautilus Marina, offers a romantic and elegant atmosphere with limited seating. Chef Usai and his team create explosive dishes using locally sourced seafood and contemporary techniques. Behind a glass window, you can witness the art in the making as they enhance the local catch with innovative techniques and pairings. From the tantalizing iodized garden to the exquisite smoked scampi and vanilla risotto, their creations are truly extraordinary. Choose from two tasting menus or opt for the à la carte selection, accompanied by impeccable wine pairings.
QuarantunoDodici
Via Monte Cadria, 127
06.6581179
Lele Usai maneuvers between Michelin stars and trattorias: on the ground floor of his Nautilus Marina, there is his bistrot QuarantunoDodici. In a wide and well-lit space extending outdoors, you will taste a direct sea cuisine that changes every day. The menu includes crudités and spaghetti con telline, but also more fusion choices like Thai clams sauté and smoked mackerel with misticanza, boiled egg and mayonnaise. Another great dish is the pink shrimp cream risotto and the fried paranza “when the sea allows.” The wine selection is also quite good. The service is informal and fast.
L’Osteria dell’Orologio
Via della Torre Clementina, 114
06.6505251
Osteria dell’Orologio is a small yet vibrant restaurant, where Chef Marco Claroni creates wonderful and innovative dishes using the local catch. From aged salted tuna heart to bresaola and bottarga, the cured seafood options are exceptional. The menu also includes excellent raw and cooked fish, fresh pastas, and daily specials. The desserts are also worth a try and the wine room, expertly tended by Marco’s wife Gerarda, offers a fantastic selection.
Follis
Via della Torre Clementina, 146
06.39915713
Elegant and refined. But also dynamic and “easy-going.” The two souls of Follis, between Chef Daniel Celso’s cuisine and quality mixology, continue to be the fundamental characteristics of this restaurant in Fiumicino. Follis offers high-quality cuisine, made with excellent raw ingredients, necessary to create a gastronomic offering that, while maintaining its wide selection of seafood dishes, also includes a variety of land-based dishes. The aperitif is accompanied by a small tasting consisting of three cicchetti, either from the sea or the land. The menu features over 700 labels, including a careful selection of Italian wines, as well as a wide range of champagnes, and French red and white wines. Additionally, making the drink selection even more interesting is the drink list curated by Samantha Parente.
Clementina
Via della Torre Clementina, 158
328 818 1651
At Luca Pezzetta’s Clementina, you will find one of the best pizzas in the whole of Lazio. Luca, born in 1989, is at once a volcanic and introverted soul, who grew up between the Castelli Romani and Fiumicino. After having trained in Rome with the master of pizza, Gabriele Bonci, he opened Clementina, where he showcases his expertise in various dough creations: from focaccia, to traditional Roman pizza, pizza al taglio, pan-baked pizzas, as well as breads, pastries and other exceptional baked goods. The pizza toppings, of course, feature fish, lovingly seasoned by Luca himself in his open storage cells. The Capricciosa with olives, fried artichoke petals, tuna or amberjack prosciutto and mullet roe is definitely worth a try! Also excellent are the fried food options and the wine list, curated by Daniele Mari.
La Marina
Via della Torre Clementina, 140
06.65047360
Located on the same street, Alessandro Pietrini’s La Marina is a gem offering an unpretentious and authentic seafood cuisine. Fresh fish is at the centre of it all and in fact the menu changes daily (even hourly at times!) ensuring you get the best and freshest offerings from the sea itself. The list includes incredible raw fish express first courses and juicy main dishes infused with seasonal Mediterranean flavors. Complementing the culinary delights is an excellent selection of sparkling wines and a variety of local and international wines. For those seeking a daring experience, La Marina Sushi Bar awaits right next door, featuring innovative cross-pollinated creations that blend the best of Japan and Italy.
Angoletto – La Boutique del Pesce
Via delle Ombrine, 42c
347.9875303
Angoletto is a small and vibrant seafood restaurant that proudly offers a 100% local culinary experience. In this intimate and welcoming place, every detail is meticulously attended to and you get to savour a cuisine that it deceptively simple, but in reality, carefully thought through with expertise and taste. Explore the raw and cooked fish options, both equally mouth-watering, and don’t miss out on the exceptional pasta dishes, such as the black garlic spaghetti with scampi tartare, parsley oil, and chili pepper or the cuttlefish tagliatelle with puntarelle and aioli sauce. To complement these succulent dishes, choose a wine from the thoroughly organised wine cellar, boasting around sixty labels.
Where to eat in Ostia
La Vecchia Pineta
P.le dell’Aquilone, 4
06.56470255
Since the 1930s, the terrace of La Vecchia Pineta restaurant has captivated Romans with its steadfast and unpretentious seafood cuisine. The menu features a trio of appetizers that include an enticing seafood salad, marinated mullet, and julienned vegetables with citrus shrimp, each honouring the local sea. To follow the appetizers, the risotto alla pescatora and the fried squid and shrimp have become over the years, key legends at the restaurant and are therefore a must-try!
Royalbeef
Via Rutilio Namaziano, 16/18
06.51844763
And if you’re tired of fish, let there be meat! Royalbeef in Ostia breaks the mold and warmly welcomes you to indulge in delicious meat dishes in a coastal setting. Entrepreneur Giuseppe Domenico Larosa proudly presents a wide variety of meats from around the world, expertly grilled and cut at your table. Complementing the meats are delightful seasonal side dishes, along with exceptional first courses and appetizers with an American twist. Don’t miss out on their selection of beers and local wines, which perfectly complement the flavors on offer.
Molo 17
Via dei Lucilii, 17
06.5624278
Not directly on the beach but hidden in the alleys of Ostia, you’ll find Molo17, the little sea jewel by Simone Curti e Fabrizio Moscara. The former in the kitchen and the latter in the hall, they lovingly lead with the philosophy of the genuine and simple. Both are former fishermen and lovers of great food so they created a restaurant that is good and accessible price-wise. The menu varies by season with some evergreen dishes like octopus and smoked potatoes or linguine with red shrimps, lime and vanilla. They also have two tasting menus.
Where to eat in Santa Marinella
Molo21
Lungomare Guglielmo Marconi, 21
328.6692629
Molo21 in Santa Marinella is simple and relaxing, almost fit for meditation. It’s a restaurant facing the sea where you can enjoy light hors d’oeuvres like tuna tartare, trawl sashimi, shrimp mince, and then a traditional spaghetti alle vongole or linguine with pane, burro e alici. To start in great style, you can’t not order a selection of oysters.
