We call it “forno”, “panetteria”, or “panificio”, and you will understand when you are getting close to one from the fragrance that will envelope all your senses. What are the best bakeries in Rome? Roscioli has been holding steady among the first on the list for a long time and still is. But thankfully, it’s not the only oven dishing out delicious types of bread, pizza, focaccia, and pastries.
Among our favorite Roman bakeries, we can’t miss places like Tulipane in the Prati district, Panificio Bonci also in Prati, and the historical Panella in the Esquilino. In this article, I write about the Roman bakeries that are popular among locals and, therefore also appreciated by visitors.
Even though bakeries are known for their baked goods, which include both sweet and savory products, in Italy, the bakeries that specialize in sweet pastries, cakes, and desserts are mainly known as “pasticcerie”, pastry shops. If you have a sweet tooth and you mainly want to explore the realm of Italian cookies, pastries, and tarts, check out the article I devoted to the best pastry shops in Rome.
Map of the best bakeries in Rome
Antico Forno Roscioli (Centro Storico)
Roscioli is an institution among Roman bakeries and for sure one of the oldest. Founded in 1972 when the Roscioli family took over from a previous small bakery, they quickly established their name among the best baked goods in the city.
They are famous for their focaccia type of bread and Roman-style pizza, but you can also find Roman and Italian traditional sweets and cakes. So for Carnival, you can tuck into the typical frappe and castagnole, and for Christmas their artisan panettone.
If you are in the area around lunch or dinner time, you can enjoy a piece of pizza by the slice either standing next to one of their top counters or on the go. If you like their products and wish to have a more relaxed meal, in Via dei Giubbonari 21 is bistro-style Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina.
- Where: Via dei Chiavari 34.
- When: Monday to Saturday 7 am-7.30 pm, Sunday 8 am-6 pm.
- Website.
Panificio Bonci (Prati)
Bonci is famous for his Pizzarium also in Prati, hands-down one of the best pizza places in Rome. After the success of Pizzarium, Rome-born Gabriele Bonci launched his bakery in 2012.
Located less than 5 minutes walk from Mercato Trionfale food market, all the bread of Panificio Bonci is made with high-quality flour, either whole-grain or semi-whole-grain, often ancient grains native from Italy, and always let it rise with sourdough rather than chemical yeast.
Also home to a small deli, you can find ready warm courses to enjoy with a slice of their bread or pizza.
- Where: Via Trionfale 36.
- When: Monday to Saturday 8.45 am-8.30 pm, Tuesday to Thursday, they take a break from 3 to 5 pm. Sunday closed.
- Website.
Tulipane (Centro Storico)
This lovely Roman bakery is nestled in the heart of the Centro Storico between Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the beautiful Via Giulia, one of my favorite streets of Rome. Apart from buying a loaf of their delicious bread, you can enjoy a light meal on-site or on the go if you want to resume quickly your sightseeing.
Women-run, the two young founders and owners treat their customers to a sweet and savory breakfast and a choice of courses for lunch that always have bread as the starting point. For breakfast or any snack, you can try their delicious pastries such as croissants, babka, cookies, tarts, and the very Roman, cram-rich maritozzo.
For lunch, you can either go for a slice of their luscious pizza or trust their creativity and try one of their original courses.
- Where: Via del Pavone 28.
- When: Every day 8.30 am-3.30 pm.
- Website.
Panella (Esquilino)
Panella is another historical bakery in Rome and is located in the Esquilino neighborhood not far from Termini train station and near the beautiful important church of Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, one of the best places to see religious mosaics.
Founded in 1929, Panella started off by dishing out local types of bread and little by little evolved by adding pizza and pastries. While it’s not the cheapest among the best bakeries in Rome, there’s no doubt that Panella offers a huge variety of baked goodies able to please literally every taste and preference.
From top-notch pizza to several types of bread from different Italian regions, grissini, croissants, and brioches, to light meals and coffee, at Panella, you can enjoy a casual lunch, a tasty aperitif, and a cozy dinner.
- Where: Via Merulana 54.
- When: Every day 7 am-10 pm.
- Website.
Forno Campo de’ Fiori (City Center)
For more than 30 years, Forno Campo de’ Fiori has been making bread, pizza, and pastries following traditional recipes and preserving old artisanal baking habits.
Among the products that make them popular are pizza bianca (white pizza), pizza rossa (red pizza), bread with olives, bread with raisins, bread with walnuts, and tart with sour cherries, a typical Roman cake.
Here you are sure to find Christmas, Easter, and Carnival seasonal sweets.
- Where: Campo de’ Fiori 22.
- When: Monday to Saturday 8 am-2.30 pm and 4.30-7.30 pm. Sunday closed.
- Website.
Antico Forno ai Serpenti (Monti)
Antico Forno ai Serpenti is one of the historic bakeries in Rome and apart from all the typical and most traditional types of bread, they produce every day a wide range of biscuits, cakes, pastries, and tarts, so cherished by Romans.
Everything is produced in their open lab, strictly artisanal and far from the industrial production process.
- Where: Via dei Serpenti 122.
- When: Every day 8 am-9 pm, Sunday until 6 pm.
- Website.
Santi Sebastiano e Valentino (Salario/Trieste)
This is a German-inspired bakery in Rome in the Salario district near Via Nomentana. It’s the perfect place for a casual lunch if you are visiting the bizarre Coppedè Quarter and the wonderful Villa Torlonia Park.
High-quality flour and close attention to detail are what define their bread, but this Roman bakery has worked on the evolution of the concept and since its inception has been placing bakery and kitchen side by side.
Here, in fact, you can also stop for brunch, a light lunch, and an aperitif. Their restaurant is cozy and welcoming. I had brunch at Santi Sebastiano e Valentino bakery with my husband and everything was excellent, from their pizza to their pastries to the tea I ordered, served in a beautiful teapot.
- Where: Via Tirso 107.
- When: Tuesday to Saturday 7.30 am-11 pm, Sunday 8 am-3 pm. Monday closed.
- Website.
Panificio Passi (Testaccio)
Located close to our all-time favorite restaurant Felice a Testaccio, Panificio Passi dishes out everyday artisan bread and biscuits of the old Roman tradition. The intoxicating fragrance released by their oven will lead you in the right direction without hesitation.
Apart from artisan bread and cookies, here you can also buy cold cuts and cheese, as well as supplì, deep-fried rice balls, one of the most popular street foods in Rome.
- Where: Via Mastro Giorgio 87.
- When: Monday to Saturday 7.30 am-2 pm and 4.45-7.45 pm. Sunday closed.
Antico Forno Urbani (Jewish Quarter)
Also known as Forno del Ghetto, Antico Forno Urbani is a historic bakery in the Jewish quarter. The Urbani brothers moved to Rome from the Marche region and first opened near Piazza Bologna and around the Vatican. In 2000, they moved to the Jewish quarter and stayed there since.
Bread in every shape, the most traditional flavors of pizza, and obviously the unleavened bread typical of the Jewish kosher tradition are always available at the Antico Forno Urbani. The latter is also sold in two new versions, one whole-grain and one with turmeric.
- Where: Piazza Costaguti 30.
- When: Monday to Thursday 7.30 am-2.30 pm and 4.30-7 pm, Friday only until 2.30 pm, Sunday 9 am-1.30 pm. Saturday closed.
La Renella (Trastevere)
This might easily be the most famous among the bakeries in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood. Halfway between a bakery and a pizza al taglio place, La Renella is a perfect street food place to stop at if you fancy a delicious slice of pizza on the go.
Their bread is always high-quality and they sell to the local restaurants along with their customers. You will quickly spot La Renella around lunchtime from the queue at their door of hungry customers craving their pizza.
- Where: Via del Moro 15.
- When: Every day 7 am-10 pm.
- Website.
Buono Come il Pane (Bufalotta)
Famous for allegedly producing one of the best panettone in Rome, mastro fornaio Mario delle Fave has been in the business since he was 12, almost 60 years ago. Apart from dishing out pastries and cakes, Buono Come il Pane is also a historic Roman bakery producing all types of local bread.
When his son Christian took over, this traditional bakery evolved into a bistro-bakery that serves casual meals with always a focus on their delicious bread made with a diverse range of flours from kamut to farro spelt to semi-whole-grain buratto.
Far from the city center, you will need a car to get here. It’s a perfect stop if you are heading to the Porta di Roma shopping mall, one of the largest in Rome.
- Where: Via Ferruccio Amendola 92/94.
- When: Every day 7-12 am.
- Website.
Cose Buone dal Forno – Trevisiol (Monteverde/Gianicolense)
Not far from Trastevere, this is one of the most popular bakeries in Rome’s Monteverde area among locals. The location is perfect if you are thinking about visiting the famous Porta Portese Sunday flee market, which is about 5 minutes on foot.
Open all day long, here you can enjoy every meal of the day right from breakfast tucking into their creations of savory bread and sweet pastries. Part of the shop is also devoted to selling the best specialties from all the Italian regions from cold cuts to cheese to craft beers.
- Where: Via di Val Tellina 66.
- When: Monday to Saturday 7 am-9 pm. Sunday closed.
- Website.
Panificio Mosca (Prati)
Panificio Mosca is an institution among the Roman bakeries. After opening their first shop in 1915 in the Monti neighborhood, they are now near the Vatican. Long-rising, high-quality flour, no chemicals, and a wide choice of sweet and savory products that belong to the Roman and central Italian tradition.
At Panificio Mosca, you will find many types of bread including unleavened, pizza by the slice, and pastries such as the very Roman maritozzo, tarts, and wine-based ciambelle biscuits.
- Where: Via Candia 16.
- When: Monday to Saturday 8 am-2 pm and 4-8 pm. Sunday closed.
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