Where to Eat in Monti, Rome: Restaurants, Pizza & Wine Bars
Updated: Sep 15
Updated 15 September 2026.
After the Colosseum, the useful question is usually simple: do you want pizza now, a proper sit-down meal, or somewhere to spend the evening over wine? My shortlist of restaurants in Monti starts with that decision.
I have visited all six places below. For this update, I have also checked venue information and compared travellers’ reviews to help you judge portions, queues and the type of meal to expect. The photographs are credited to their sources.
My quick choice: La Prezzemolina for pizza near the Colosseum; Tettarello for a relaxed meal with both pizza and pasta; Ai Tre Scalini when wine and atmosphere matter more than keeping a strict timetable. Benso is useful for a group with different tastes. For Japanese food, choose between Temakinho’s Brazilian-inspired combinations and Hasekura’s more traditional approach.
Affiliate disclosure: I may earn a commission if you book through the GetYourGuide link below, at no extra cost to you. The restaurant links are provided for information.
Choose your Monti restaurant
Place | Why choose it / plan around |
|---|---|
La Prezzemolina | A quick pizza lunch. Pizza priced by weight; few seats. |
Trattoria il Tettarello | Pizza and pasta at the same table. Book ahead for a weekend dinner. |
Benso | A broad menu and a seated meal. Include the €2-per-person service charge. |
Ai Tre Scalini | Wine and an unhurried evening. Walk-ins only; allow time to wait. |
Temakinho Monti | Creative rolls and cocktails. Order several dishes to share. |
Hasekura | Sushi, sashimi and Japanese small plates. À la carte; book an earlier dinner slot. |
La Prezzemolina: pizza by weight near the Colosseum
Address: Via del Colosseo 1 E/F. Best for: a flexible lunch rather than a long restaurant stop.
The useful thing here is control over your order: choose the pizza you want, indicate the size of the piece, and it is weighed. Several small pieces let you try different toppings without committing to a whole pizza. Recent diners repeatedly describe this format; they also mention a small room and a queue that can move faster than it looks.
My tip: start with two small, contrasting pieces. Look for a simple potato or mushroom topping alongside something richer, depending on the counter that day. Ask for the total before adding another heavy slice: a price per kilo is not the price of the piece in front of you.
For timing, the venue’s Tripadvisor listing currently shows 11am–5pm daily. I would plan this as lunch after sightseeing, with takeaway as the fallback if the seats are full. A manageable ordering queue does not guarantee a table.
Assorted slices of pizza al taglio from La Prezzemolina in Monti, — with toppings like mushrooms.
Prosciutto crudo and rocket at La Prezzemolina. Photo: @laprezzemolina, 25 June 2026. Original Instagram post
Trattoria il Tettarello: when the table wants both pizza and pasta
Address: Via dei Capocci 4. Best for: a casual seated meal with mixed tastes.
Tettarello makes sense when one person wants Roman pasta and another wants pizza. Reviews from families and couples repeatedly mention thin, crisp pizza, substantial portions and an informal atmosphere. That makes it a more useful choice for a mixed group than a place whose appeal depends on everyone ordering one signature dish.
My tip: order your main course first and be selective with starters. If you are sharing, one starter for the table leaves more room to judge the portions when the food arrives. Pizza, lasagne and tiramisu are recurring favourites in the reviews; treat them as a shortlist to compare with the day’s menu.
Book for a weekend dinner: several diners describe queues outside, including people who had reserved and saw others waiting. Service reports vary, so I would put this after the day’s timed visits rather than squeeze it between two bookings. For reservations, the contact listed by Rome’s tourism office is +39 06 474 2130.
Pizza Margherita served at Trattoria Al Tettarello in Monti, Rome — thin, crisp, and freshly made.
Benso: a broad menu, with a bill you can estimate
Address: Via Cavour 215. Best for: a seated meal when everyone wants something different.
Benso offers Roman pasta, pizza, meat and fish. My starting point would be the Roman pasta section; carbonara and amatriciana are €15, while cacio e pepe in a Grana basket is €17 on the official menu checked for this update. The burrata ravioli with pistachio cream and stracciatella, €20, are the richer alternative if that combination appeals.
My tip: compare complete orders, not the cheapest main. Two €15 pasta dishes plus the listed €2 service charge per person make €34 before drinks, sides or dessert. A Margherita is €10; adding burrata or truffle costs extra. These are menu examples, not a fixed-price meal offer.
The other distinction is between an ordinary table and a pre-arranged group meal. Reviews describe both, sometimes with very different service experiences. For a large party, agree the menu and timing directly. For a couple, use the à la carte menu and book ahead at busy times.
Plates of tomato bruschetta with mixed greens and a glass of spritz cocktail at Benso in Monti Rome
Ai Tre Scalini: choose it for wine, and leave time to wait
Address: Via Panisperna 251. Best for: a sociable wine stop or a flexible evening.
Ai Tre Scalini does not accept reservations. Its own website confirms that, even though some restaurant directories suggest booking. The published opening hours are noon to midnight daily.
My tip: speak to the person seating guests before settling into the crowd outside. Find out how the queue works that evening and whether an indoor or bar seat would be quicker. I would choose a wine by describing what I like and giving a price range, then build the food order around it.
Lasagne, pork dishes and sharing boards recur in the reviews, but opinions on food, portions and service are mixed. Two practical details matter: a main may arrive without vegetables, and a board for two may be a starter rather than dinner. Ask what accompanies your order.
I would come for the wine-bar evening and keep a backup. A long wait is harder to justify when all you need is a substantial, prompt meal.
white lasagna topped with grated cheese and a basil leaf at Ai Tre Scalini wine bar in Monti, Rome.
Temakinho Monti: rolls, tropical flavours and cocktails
Address: Via dei Serpenti 16. Best for: a change from Roman cooking and a meal built around sharing.
Temakinho is the choice for Japanese-Brazilian combinations. The current brand menu includes breaded prawns with spicy banana sauce, rolls with mango, and salmon with cream cheese and banana. Choose it because those combinations sound appealing: they are central to the experience.
My tip: pick different flavour profiles rather than several similarly rich rolls. For two people, I would start by choosing one shared starter and two different rolls, ask how many pieces each contains, and decide whether to add more. That is a starting order, not a promise that it will be enough for dinner.
Reviews often praise the combinations and staff’s explanations, while some question the value relative to portion size. Include cocktails when estimating the total. The brand’s online menu is useful for ingredients; confirm the Monti selection and prices when booking.
Check that your reservation is for Monti, not Borgo or Fiumicino. Some reviews on this listing actually describe the airport branch, so I have excluded those from the advice here.
Colorful sushi rolls and cocktails at Temakinho in Monti, Rome — a Japanese-Brazilian fusion place.
Hasekura: make room for more than a sushi platter
Address: Via dei Serpenti 27. Best for: a deliberate Japanese dinner.
Hasekura offers sushi and sashimi alongside chirashi, tempura and soups. The restaurant explicitly says it does not offer all-you-can-eat dining. Its approach is to assemble a meal from several smaller dishes, so one mixed platter should not automatically be treated as a complete dinner.
My tip: ask for help balancing raw fish with a cooked dish, and set your budget before ordering a succession of plates. This gives you a more varied meal and makes the final bill easier to control. Reviews repeatedly raise price as a consideration, even when praising the fish.
I would book an earlier dinner slot. One detailed review describes being asked to order quickly at a late sitting; that is a reason to confirm the kitchen’s last-order time, not proof that every evening runs that way. Rome’s tourism listing reports closure all day Sunday and at lunchtime on Monday. Reserve through the venue’s official booking links or call +39 06 483648.
Two pieces of green matcha mochi on a ceramic plate at Hasekura, a Japanese place in Monti, Rome.
Bluefin tuna preparation at Hasekura. Photo: @hasekuraroma, 15 October 2025. Original Instagram post
A morning detour: the food market on Via Baccina
For food shopping, head to Via Baccina 36. The covered neighbourhood market is a separate place from Mercato Monti Urban Market on Via Leonina 46, known for fashion, vintage and design.
I would visit Baccina in the morning, especially if you have an apartment kitchen. Market directories identify fresh produce, fish, meat and the fresh-pasta workshop Pippo Tortellino. Check which stalls are open when you arrive; the published directories disagree on afternoon closing times. It is a useful food-shopping detour, rather than a dependable late lunch or dinner plan.
Fresh seafood on display at Mercato Rionale Monti in Rome — offering local fish, shrimp, squid.
How I would fit the meal around the Colosseum
Before a timed entry: leave the seated meal until afterwards. The restaurant’s address is only part of the calculation; your ticket’s meeting point and arrival instructions matter too.
After a morning visit: choose La Prezzemolina for flexible portions and takeaway, or reserve Tettarello or Benso if sitting down is the priority.
A seasonal prosciutto-and-fig combination shared by La Prezzemolina in August. Toppings vary through the year. Photo: @laprezzemolina, 12 August 2026. Original Instagram post
For the evening: keep Ai Tre Scalini for a flexible wine-led plan. Book one of the restaurants if you need a reliable start time, while allowing for normal service delays.
For the sightseeing part, see my Colosseum audio-guide review. If your next day is around the Vatican, the Prati restaurant guide covers that side of the city.
Would a food tour suit your evening?
A food tour is worth comparing if you want several tastings and someone to explain them. Check the actual neighbourhood, meeting point, inclusions and walking distance: a tour advertised as “Rome food” may run well outside Monti.
Eating in Monti: quick answers
Where should I go for pizza after the Colosseum?
La Prezzemolina suits a quick lunch with portions chosen by weight. Tettarello suits a seated meal when your group also wants pasta.
Can I reserve at Ai Tre Scalini?
No. The venue’s official website says it takes walk-ins only. Choose a restaurant that accepts bookings if waiting would disrupt your evening.
Are the listed prices a complete meal budget?
No. The Benso examples are individual menu prices checked on 15 September 2026. Drinks, additional courses and any stated charges must be added. Elsewhere, I have avoided presenting older reviewers’ bills as current prices.
About this guide: visits inform the selection; current venue information and a qualitative review of traveller feedback inform the practical checks. Menus and opening arrangements can change. About Italy Private Tour.
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