Cheap Eats In Rome, Italy Under 5 USD

1. Hamburgeseria

Enjoy scrumptious burgers with alcoholic beverages while being entertained by live rock and blues music in Hamburgeseria. Their best seller the Il Lardellato which is made of 180 gm (6.3 oz) of ground beef, their signature homemade barbeque sauce, Colonnade lard, 3 slices of Grana Padano cheese, drizzled with a reduction of balsamic vinegar, rocket salad, tomato, and topped off with bread. Their wide variety of burgers and specialty sandwiches are pricey but you can order snacks and sidings for less than 5 USD. Snacks like chili bites, chicken fingers, and corn dogs cost 4 EUR or around 4.55 USD. Onion rings, stick fries, and other side dishes range from 3.5- 4 EUR (3.98-4.55 USD).

Hamburgeseria

Address: Via dei Reti 40 Rome, Italy

Opening/Closing hours: Monday: CLOSED / Tuesday to Thursday: 12:00PM – 4:00PM, 6:30PM – 1:00AM / Friday to Saturday: 12:00PM – 4:00PM, 6:30PM – 1:00AM / Sunday: 6:30PM – 12:00AM

Website: Hamburgeseria

2. La Renella

Located in Trastevere center, La Renella Bakery provides the city with high-quality bread, cakes, and pizza baked by traditional methods used since 1870 in an old-fashioned wood-burning oven. 2.60 EUR (2.96 USD) can buy you bread with flavors like ciriole, rosette, ciabatte, and rosettine. A little pricier at 3.4 EUR (3.87 USD) is their Panini All’ Olio (oil bread) and at 4.50 EUR (5.12 USD) is the Bocconcini All’ Olio. Their pizzas, biscotti, and torte e crostata are priced above 10 EUR (11.38 USD). Taste their panini (sandwiches) at 3-3.50 EUR (3.42-3.98 USD).

La Renella

Address: Via del Moro 15, Trastevere, Roma, 00153

Opening/Closing hours: Sunday to Thursday 7:00AM – 12:00PM / Friday to Saturday 7:00 AM – 3:00PM

Website: La Renella

3. Pinsere

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Pinsere serves the best pinsa in the city. Pinsa is an oval shaped dough similar to pizzas only lighter, more toasted, and easy on the stomach. It’s a type of pasta found only in Rome made with an interesting combination of fresh and colorful ingredients. It is served fresh and fast right after you order it. With a 5 USD budget, you can buy a single serving of Bianca pinsa for 1 EUR (1.14 USD ), Margherita or Potate for 3.5 EUR (3.98 USD). Pinsa with bacon, tomatoes, and leeks is a crowd favorite with a 4.5 EUR (5.12 USD) price tag. Visit their restaurant at Via Flavia 98 and enjoy good food with exceptional service.

Pinsere

Address: Via Flavia, 98, Veneto, Roma 00187

Opening/Closing hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM / Saturday to Sunday: CLOSED

Website: Pinsere

4. Forno Campo de Fiori

Forno offers the best bread and baked pastries with the same good taste and high quality they have maintained for the past 30 years. In the traditional style of an artisanal bakery, they use high-class ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, specialty jams, best quality butter, and the efforts of the highest skilled hands in creating their products. Their best selling products have gained recognition in Rome and all over the world. Their calzoni sells for 2.50 EUR (2.85 USD) while the remaining items on the menu are priced above 5 USD. Their servings are hefty so you may want to share the pizza and bread with some friends and shell out 5 USD each to purchase white pizza, zucchine, pomodori, and rustici which sells for 16 EUR (18 USD) each.

Forno Campo de Fiori

Address: Piazza Campo de’ Fiori, 22, Campo de’ Fiori, Roma 00186

Opening/closing hours: Monday: CLOSED / Tuesday to Sunday: 7:00AM – 2:00PM & 5:00PM – 8:00PM

Website: Forno Campo de Fiori

5. Trattoria Vecchia Roma

This wine and oil cellar frequented by Romans for playing cards offers the same famous cuisine they became known for over one hundred years. The Trattoria, established in 1916, continues to serve their delicious traditional home style cooking such as the Bruschetta all’aglio 1 EUR (1.14 USD) and for 2 EUR (2.28 USD) you have Bruschetta alla crema d’olivia, Bruschetta ai funghi Porcini and ai Carciofi, and for 3.50 EUR (3.99 USD) Crostini Mist.

Trattoria Vecchia Roma

Address: Via Ferruccio, 12C, Esquilino - Termini, Roma 00185

Opening/closing hours: Monday to Saturday: 12:30 – 15:00, 19:00 – 23:00 / Sundays: CLOSED

Website: Trattoria Vecchia Roma

6. Kathmandu Fast Food

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In Kathmandu, you enjoy the best Indian/Nepali cuisine in Rome. The menu is simple with dishes made from authentic Indian ingredients at very affordable prices. Have chicken dishes like Pollo Kabab and Pollo al Curry and a rice dish with fish (Menu Fisso Riso Pollo Verdura) for only 4 EUR (4.56 USD). There are rice and pasta dishes below 5 EUR (5.70 USD) like the Riso/Pasta Especial Con Gamberi (4.50 EUR or 5.13 USD) and Riso/Pasta Speciale Con Pollo. CombineD with other items on the menu and you can feed an entire family!

Kathmandu Fast Food

Address: Via Buonarroti, 38, Esquilino - Termini, Rome 185

Opening/closing hours: Monday to Sunday: 11:00AM to 11:00PM

Website: Kathmandu Fast Food

7. Trapizzino

A decade ago, a professional Pizza maker named Stefano Callegari created a unique triangle-shaped pocket pizza that became an iconic street food. The soft dough of the Trapizzino is made from yeast and wheat flour and stuffed with a variety of condiments and flavors of different cuisines. With 4.50 EUR (5.13 USD), you can taste exceptional flavors like Parmigiana, Garofano di Manzo, and Baccala Alla Puttanesca just to name a few. Eat them on the go or dine-in matching the dish with a bottle of good wine.

Trapizzino

Address: Via Giovanni Branca, 88, Testaccio, Roma 00153

Opening/closing hours:Monday: CLOSED / Tuesday to Sunday: 12:00PM to 1:00AM

Website: Trapizzino

8. Banco

Banco is a quaint, hole-in-the-wall fast food joint that offers fresh food on the go. Their menu, mostly vegetarian cuisine, consists of rolls, burgers, sandwiches, salads, nuggets, desserts, soups, and roast potatoes. For 5 USD and less, you can buy a piece of cake (3.40 EUR or 3.88 USD) or a sundae (2.8 EUR or 3.19 USD). The nuggets range from 3.60-5.20 EUR (4.11-5.93 USD) while the roast potatoes come in medium and large sizes priced at 2.8 EUR (3.19 USD) and 3.8 EUR (4.22 USD) respectively.

Banco

Address: Via Ostiense 40/a 00154 ROMA, IT

Opening/closing hours: Sunday to Thursday: 12:00 AM to 11:00 PM / Friday and Saturday: 12:00AM to 12:00PM

Website: Banco

9. Pastificio

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The former pasta factory is located in an industrial building on the first floor where customers can relax while dining on Italian cuisine amidst classy modern interiors. Taste their mini Tiramisu for 4 EUR (4.56 USD) and Sorbetti e gelati at 5 USD. Some sandwiches are priced from 2-5 USD like the Sandwich di Tonno e maionese and Tri di arancini della tradizione. Their great tasting pasta dishes are moderately priced around 10 USD.

Pastificio

Address: Via Tiburtina, 196, San Lorenzo, Rome 00185

Opening/closing hours: Sunday: CLOSED / Monday to Saturday: 7.00pm - 2.00pm

10. Mordi e Vai

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

In 2013, Gambero Rosso awarded Mordi e Vai as the regional champion in the Roman cuisine street food category. Their best sellers are the stuffed sandwiches and signature traditional Roman “poor dishes”. Scottona, the tasty boiled meat without any additives used in sandwiches and meatballs; Picchiapo which is a sandwich stuffed with Roman casserole; and the Cecchini, a kind of sausage are their popular house specialties. For less than 5 USD you can enjoy their Panino con Allesso, Panino con Trippa (3.50 EUR or 3.99 USD), Panino con “Picchiapo” (4 EUR or 4.56 USD), and Polpette di scottona (2 EUR or 2.28 USD).

Mordi e Vai

Address: Nuovo Mercato Comunale di Testaccio, Via Beniamino Franklin, 12/E, 00153 Roma RM

Opening/closing hours: Monday to Saturday 8:00AM - 3:00PM

Website: Mordi e Vai

Dining like the Romans

Rome is one of the best places to go if you are looking for a gastronomic adventure. The city offers a variety of international cuisines plus their local fare is quite exceptional. For 5 USD and less, you can already enjoy all of these dishes regardless if you prefer to eat them while exploring the lovely streets of Rome or settle down in their cozy, rustic restaurants while you take your time savoring every bite. Try them all when you visit Rome!