One of the best parts of Rome, Italy is, in my opinion, the food. There are so many different restaurants and shops that have delicious food. I am a vegetarian and I was a bit worried about finding a variety of foods that I could eat. Luckily, that has not been an issue for me. After starting my first few weeks of school and settling into my schedule, I began looking for quick places to eat in between classes when I only have about an hour. John Cabot University is located in a neighborhood in Rome called Trastevere. In the past couple of weeks, I have narrowed down my favorite food stops for lunch. All of these restaurants and shops I would recommend to anyone traveling in Rome. They have been my favorites since I arrived.

Classico Supplì

1. Supplì
Supplì is located right off the main street, Viale di Trastevere, and is near the John Cabot campus. It is not a sit-down restaurant but has more of a street food environment. They have many different options but the most popular are the supplì. A supplì is a rice ball that is usually filled with tomato sauce and cheese and is a traditional Roman food. When you bite into the crunchy outside, you are met with a warm flavorful inside. They have the traditional supplì but they also have many other types. One of my favorites is the cacio e pepe supplì, which is packed full of flavor and cheese. One of the best things about this restaurant is how cheap the food is. Each supplì costs only about 2.50 euros and is super filling. The shop is full of locals and I would recommend it to anyone studying abroad in or visiting Rome.

The entrance to Donkey Punch

2. Donkey Punch
Another restaurant that I go to quite frequently is a sandwich shop called Donkey Punch. This shop is super popular among John Cabot students because of the student discount that they have. It gets super busy around lunchtime but is definitely worth the wait. All of their sandwiches are named after different classic rock musicians. They use super fresh ingredients and the sandwiches are quite large. If you are a John Cabot student they also offer a free beverage with the purchase of a sandwich. This sandwich shop is only about a minute or two walk from the Guarini campus and has a few seats inside to eat. On one of the walls of the shop, there is a painting that includes all of the musicians the sandwiches are named after.

3. Bar Latteria
I feel that this list would be incomplete if I did not add a coffee and pastry shop. This is a very cute shop right around the corner from Piazza Trilussa. Bar Latteria has outside seating where you can sit and sip on a coffee or snack on a pastry. The pastries are super delicious and very reasonably priced. There is a large variety of pastries and good coffee. My favorite thing to buy is a small cream cornetto, which is about the size of a donut, and it only costs 0.90 euro. I usually stop at this shop on my way to class and take my pastry to go. The people are always super nice and the shop is always busy with locals.

The traditional tiramisu

4. Tiramisu Trastevere
The last place on my list is Tiramisu Trastevere which is, you guessed it, a tiramisu shop. This has been my favorite dessert place since I first tried it. They have a variety of different types of tiramisu with different add-ons. I personally love the traditional and the caramel tiramisu. It is a really cute shop and everything is super fresh. They put together the tir  amisu right in front of you and are super quick. You can get a coffee with your tiramisu and sit next to the window and watch all the people go by. They also offer vegan and gluten-free options. This is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to end the night because this shop is open until midnight.

Written by: Madeleine, Fall 2023 Rome student from Washington State University