Opened in 2016, the Mercato Centrale in Roma Termini – the city’s main train station – features around 20 artisanal food stalls showcasing the best produce from Rome and Italy.
The project was a huge investment and rejuvenated a somewhat forgotten part of town with the reopening of the Cappa Mazzoniana space, which was originally designed to be the station’s dining hall. Today visitors can enjoy the huge vaulted ceilings and the giant marble kitchen hood, the centerpiece of this impressive space, and satisfy hungry stomachs at the same time.
The market attracts locals and tourists alike and the convenient location makes it an excellent spot to grab a truly delicious breakfast, lunch, or dinner before catching your train and continuing your adventures. So, what’s good to eat at Mercato Centrale in Rome? Answer: everything, but here are some of our favorite stalls.
© Mercato Centrale
Edoardo Cicchinelli’s stall stocks a wonderful selection of Italian gastronomic goodies, sourced from small, ethical producers and farms. You can ask for sandwiches or focaccia stuffed with cheeses, prosciutto, salami, and other cured meats or, as we like to do, skip the carbs and enjoy a tagliere, or platter, of cold cuts. There are also a few dry goods on sale too, such as jarred pesto, anchovies, and pasta, which make excellent souvenirs or gifts.
© Mercato Centrale
The brainchild of Roman-born chef and baker Stefano Callegari, the trapizzino is a triangular pizza pocket stuffed with comforting traditional recipes such as chicken cacciatore, slow-cooked oxtail stew, eggplant parmigiana, and meatballs in tomato sauce. As well as the firm favorites, the menu also features rotating specials utilizing the best of the season. We like the autumnal pumpkin stew with crunchy almonds and a dusting of salty pecorino cheese. And don’t snooze on the supplì either, these fried rice balls are crunchy on the outside and oozing deliciousness on the inside. In fact, we love Trapizzino so much, we included them in our list of the best pizza in Rome.
© Mercato Centrale
Follow your nose to Luciano Savini’s stall, which is a celebration of il tartufo. These perfumed buried treasures have been the family business since the 1920s when Luciano’s father discovered his passion for exploring woodland and hunting down truffles. At Mercato Centrale, truffles transform soups, salads, and pasta dishes, including twists on Roman classics like carbonara and gricia.
© Mercato Centrale
It’s not all meat, cheese, and carbs at Mercato Centrale. Most stalls have at least a vegetarian option but La Bottega di Marcella Bianchi has the best choice, especially if you’re in the mood for something fresh and vibrant. Marcella’s mission was to choose organic, fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and develop vegetarian and vegan recipes that were packed with flavor, putting an end to the vegetarian option being seen as the sad and tasteless choice. We love the vegan burger here, made with legumes and paired with a choice of toppings such as caramelized onion, baby spinach, vegan mayo, aubergine, green rocket sauce, and more.
© Mercato Centrale
For pizza by the slice, an essential street food snack, there’s Raffaele D’Errico, whose baked goods are also stocked in both Turin and Florence’s central markets. In Rome, you’ll find crunchy sourdough pizza bread with a soft, flavorsome crumb. Either on top or stuffed inside, you’ll find high quality ingredients treated with care. Think roasted cherry tomatoes with creamy mozzarella or twice-cooked local greens, scented with garlic and chilli, and paired with salty capocollo salami.
© Mercato Centrale
Browsing the gorgeous displays from pastry shop Sabato Sessa, it can be hard to know what to order. Our advice? Try as much as you can. The undisputed queen of the stall though, is the sfogliatella, a crunchy, shell-shaped pastry filled with ricotta and candied fruit and hailing from Naples, where this family-run business started in the 1930s.
Love browsing lots of different stalls all in one place? We’ve put together this list of our favorite markets in Rome.
