December 29th, 2023

The best restaurants for a business trip in Rome

Taking a meeting out of the office is a crucial stage in advancing conversations, building trust, and closing deals. Sharing good food in a relaxed environment breaks down the walls of a formal meeting room, allowing all parties to be more creative, open, and positive.

Rome has a long-standing tradition of hosting business lunches at its fine-dining restaurants, characterful cafes, and distinctive trattorias. With an inspiring backdrop of ancient landmarks and culture, the Italian capital is the ideal setting to break bread and enhance business relationships.

We’ve found the best places in the Eternal City to eat and drink while you make those important negotiations.

Seu Pizza illuminati

If you want unforgettable pizza, you’re well positioned to find it 200km north of Naples. Rome is home to thousands of pizzarias, and one that’s far enough outside the tourist trap for a business lunch is Seu Pizza Illuminati.

A short taxi ride out of the city centre will bring you to this cool, minimalist restaurant, where Chef Pier Daniele Seu lives by the philosophy that the perfect pizza starts with the perfect dough, and after a visit here you’ll agree.

Creatives in particular will enjoy the young but elegant atmosphere at Seu Pizza Illuminati, where the experimental pizza toppings will be the perfect ice breaker to your business lunch.

Due Ladroni

Here’s one for those clients you really want to impress. Due Ladroni has been situated on the lively Piazza Nicosia for over 100 years, operating under various guises, and serving excellent food to earn its status as a favorite business dining spot among the city’s movers and shakers.

The restaurant’s traditional dishes favor seasonal ingredients, while its wine list draws from some 15 Italian regions. The interior’s dark paneling and white tablecloths are pleasingly suggestive of Old World Italy.

You and your guests won’t be short of small talk with the stories behind these walls, which over the years have been witness to high society love triangles and even the arrest of a ‘90s government minister caught up in an infamous bribing scandal.

Luciano Cucina Italiana

Luciana Monosillio’s eponymous restaurant makes carbonara its main character – and rightly so. Designed by Rome’s ‘Carbonara King’, this fresh take on the ancient Roman dish is like none you’ve tasted before.

The small, informal dining rooms and relaxed atmosphere of this modern trattoria allows the food to take centre stage. The internationally-celebrated pasta and delicious wine (on tap) are certain to make an impression on whatever lucky person you’ve invited along to talk business.

Shinto

If you’ve had your fill of pasta and are looking for something a little different, Shinto offers its creative Japanese menu in a hip, modern setting on Via Ludovisi. Sushi is one of the most popular cuisines the world over – and for good reason. This high end sushi served with a friendly vibe is sure to impress business associates.

Be aware – the servers are known to recommend rolls that are a bit ‘out there’ which could make for a fun round of sushi roulette for more daring diners. Book ahead.

Le Jardin de Russie

A Mediterranean oasis in the heart of the city, Le Jardin de Russie offers stylish cuisine designed by Michelin-Starred Chef, Fulvio Pierangelini (known as the “food whisperer’). Fulvio’s gourmet a la carte menu is a testament to Leonardo da Vinci’s insight that ‘simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’.

Enjoy lunch on the hotel terrace’s expansive surroundings or wow clients with a view of the restaurant’s interior, hand painted by Gio Bressana, who imagines historical beauty through a contemporary lens. As the hotel is frequented by actors and models, you’ll be in good company.

Taverna Lucifero

How did Taverna Lucifero make the list despite not being open at lunchtimes? Well, if you’re looking for a business dinner with amazing food, wine, service, and atmosphere, this is the place.

Loved by locals, and so highly recommended through word of mouth it doesn’t concern itself with a website, Taverna Lucifero promises a relaxing evening to converse and enjoy perfectly cooked steak and genuinely unforgettable fondue without ever feeling rushed.

Owner Francesco-Marie is usually to be found delighting diners with a personal, tailored experience, and shaving truffles directly onto their pasta. Business connections will be impressed by this place, whose heavenly food contrasts playfully with the restaurant’s name.

Image Credits: Table of diners by RawPixel.com © Shutterstock; Pizza by Chlophoto © Shutterstock; Carbonara pasta dish by Antonio Truzzi © Shutterstock; Sushi dish by anatoliy_gleb © Shutterstock; Wine glass by Brian A Jackson © Shutterstock.