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When you want a good meal to fill you up and leave you satisfied, Italy is definitely the place to go. Her capital Rome is understandably well-known for its food, and as such, any list of Rome’s best restaurants is a difficult proposition. It is easy to find a good hotel in Rome with an exclusive Italian restaurant, but the most special restaurants in the city go above and beyond the quality of their food. The restaurants listed here transcend simple food stops and are tourist attractions in their own right.

1) Colline Emiliane – The quintessential family-run Italian eating establishment, Colline Emiliane provides a delightful escape from the crowded streets of Rome. It is tiny, almost a hole in the wall on Via Avignonesi near Piazza Barberini, specializing in pasta-based dishes. Try the culatello di Zibello as an appetizer, with the finest prosciutto in the world, then move on to the house specialties, tortellini in cream sauce or the unique pumpkin ravioli.

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The service at Colline Emiliane is impeccable, and you can tell that the family goes above and beyond for each guest that graces the presence of their restaurant.

2) Hostaria Dell’Orso – The food at Hostaria Dell’Orso is simple, filling and effective, but its main attraction is its location. The Hostaria was originally founded in the 14th century, and resides inside a five-hundred-year-old inn.

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Have you ever wanted to eat by candlelight next to Corinthian columns, arched stone windows and little touches of brilliance everywhere, with the history of the Italian Renaissance infusing the air? The Hostaria dell’Orso provides a lovely dining experience for any Renaissance lover or romantic soul. The third floor of the restaurant is also home to a bar and discotheque, so after your gelato and after-dinner wine, you can take your lover or friends dancing.

3) Il Margutta RistorArte – It can be very difficult to be a vegetarian or a vegan in Rome. If it doesn’t have meat, it often has cheese, butter, or some other type of animal product. Il Margutta provides “meatless” versions of all the best classic Italian dishes, as well as specializes in the best regional vegetarian cuisine with artichokes, pumpkins, and of course, tomatoes.

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Located at Via Margutta near the historical Piazza di Spagna, Il Margutta RistorArte is the best specialty vegetarian/vegan restaurant Rome has to offer.

4) La Montecarlo – Italy is the holy land for pizza lovers, and at its heart in Rome, La Montecarlo offers the best Italian pizza in Rome. Specializing in thin-crust pizzas of all types, from fish to sausage to Margherita to cheese-less Marinara, Montecarlo always uses the best local tomatoes, herbs, spices and meat to ensure that its eating experience is excellent.

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Montecarlo’s specialty is a pizza with sausage and fried egg on top, which sounds strange, but has received rave reviews. Here you can indulge in the Roman tradition of baccala (salted cod) followed by pizza and wine. A runner up for the best pizza in Rome is Da Baffeto on Via del Governo Vecchio. The head chef at La Montecarlo is the daughter of the chef at Da Baffeto, proof that talent really does run in the family!

5) La Pergola – Finally, no top five restaurant list of Rome would be complete without a mention of La Pergola. If you’re a true gourmet, this three-star restaurant is among the top fifty eating establishments in the world. Elegant frescoed ceilings, a warm cherry wood interior, and huge windows overlooking the river only serve to accent the delicious, though expensive local cuisine.

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Ranging from roast duck to ravioli, definitely give the nine-course meal a try. After reading the menu, you’ll want to say, “I’ll have one of everything.” With over 45,000 bottles of wine to choose from, you do best relying on the expertise of the wait staff to provide you with the best wine in the city.