How to Eat in Rome on the Cheap

Rome is a great city for food ' so great, in fact, that you may blow your food budget. It's possible to eat well on a shoestring, though, especially if you enjoy picnics.

Things You'll Need

• Local Guidebooks
• Maps
• Restaurant Journals
• Travelers' Checks

Instructions

1. Drink coffee and eat breakfast or snack food standing up. It will almost always cost you more to sit down in a café than it will to stand at the bar, and it will often cost even more to sit at the outdoor tables.

2. Shop at the markets or "alimentari" (food stores), and picnic as much as possible. You will save a lot of money if you can self-cater at least two meals a day ' just be careful with perishable foods, especially if you don't have a refrigerator in your room.

3. Eat lunch in a wine bar, rather than a trattoria or restaurant. Many wine bars offer a selection of sandwiches, cold cuts or appetizer-type plates that will fill you up without emptying your wallet.

4. Get a quick slice of pizza for an inexpensive lunch or dinner. While many of the pizzas will be different from the pizza you may be used to at home, be adventurous - this is the real thing.

5. Stay away from American-style fast food. A hamburger and fries won't be the budget choice that it might be at home, and will almost certainly be much less interesting than the local food that you could be sampling.

6. Make lunch your main meal of the day. You'll often find that the lunch menu at a restaurant is somewhat cheaper than the dinner menu, even if it includes essentially the same foods.

7. Eat gelato. This wonderful Italian ice cream is ubiquitous and comes in an almost endless array of flavors. Ask locals for their favorite "gelaterie," or consult your guidebook for a list of the best ones in town.

8. Stray away from the most popular tourist areas and try to find neighborhood eateries that seem to be filled with locals. Remember that the people who live in a city always know where to find the best food deals.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember your weight conversions when buying food for picnics. When you purchase food such as cheese or sliced meats by weight, it may be priced by the "etto," which is a hectogram (100 grams), just short of 1/4 pound.

• Get a good budget guidebook that contains extensive listings of affordable restaurants and cafés. Consider photocopying the pages you need at your local library, then leave the heavy books at home.

• Look for tourist menus, which are usually posted outside restaurants. You may get a better deal on a three- or four-course meal than if you ordered à la carte. While the choices may be limited, the savings are usually worthwhile.

• Remember that most restaurants in Italy include a cover charge in the bill; this usually appears on the menu or bill as "pane e coperto."

• Keep in mind that a service charge is automatically added to your bill in most European restaurants. Tipping over and above the included service charge is optional, though it is usually customary to leave some small change on the table. Check your bill to see whether the service charge has been added so that you can tip appropriately.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish