Roman Dining: A Child’s Paradise

When in Rome, begin with the food. There are three things Rome has in spades: pizza, pasta and gelato. So what kid won’t love it at first bite? Add a bichiere of vino and a cappuccino for yourself, and it’s easy for the whole family to love this pulsing capital.

How and where do you find family-friendly dining that makes everybody happy? Know the players. Sorting out the various names for places to eat is the first step. While many well-traveled foodies will no doubt know their trattorias from their enotecas, here's a guide to help the rest of us keep the different types of Italian eateries in order.

• Trattoria: Casual, unpretentious place serving a changing seasonal menu of local and universal favorites. In Rome, however, this term may mean a slightly more upscale place than in the countryside.
• Osteria: Usually a casual restaurant/tavern serving local wine and food, but again, in Rome this may be a rustic name for a trendy wine bar—a look at the menu with tell you.
• Restaurant: Fancier and more upscale than a trattoria or osteria, a restauant will have a more complex menu and often higher prices. Not the best choice for small children.
• Locanda: Originally an inn, but especially in Rome it can be more like an osteria or trattoria.
• Pizzeria: Pizza is made here and sold for take-out, although many now have a few tables.
• Paninoteca: Sandwiches only.
• Bar: More like American cafes, serving drinks, coffee, and often sandwiches or bruschetti (open-faced toast with a topping).
• Café: Similar to a bar, but perhaps a bit fancier and serving cakes and sweets, often sandwiches as well.
• Tavola calda: Hot foods served cafeteria style, a good place for finicky eaters because they can see each dish before ordering.
• Rosticceria: Roast meats and chicken may be sold for take-out or, if there are tables, for eating in.
• Enoteca: A wine bar, which may serve light food. Not the best choice for kids.
• Gelateria: Sometimes a shop, sometimes with tables, sometimes just a window opening to the street, this is where you buy the incomparable Italian version of ice cream. If you can’t pronounce the name, just point to the flavor.
• Pasticceria: Sells pastries, cakes and sweets, often a café as well.

• Chocolate and pistachio gelato...hmmm, heaven.
• lightmatter

Places to eat near major sights

Brek

It may be a chain, but it’s a good one, with gloriously fresh ingredients prepared to order as you watch, and served cafeteria style. Largo di Torre Argentina 1, Tel. +06-682-10353. Open 8 a.m.—midnight; near the Spanish Steps.

Bruschetteria degli Angeli

Large bruschetti with all kinds of toppings (picture pizza made on slices of bread). Open weekdays for lunch and dinner. Piazza Benedetto Cairoli 2/a, Tel. +06-6880-5789; not far from the Forum.

• Italy is famed for its cured meats and sausages
• Stillman Rogers

Il Forno di Campo de Fiori

Pizza and breads baked in giant brick ovens are handed over to crowds of regulars and tourists alike, so you may have to wait for a table in the lively piazza. Campo de Fiori 22, Tel. +06-6880-1594, www.fornocampodefiori.com. Open Mon.-Sat. 7 a.m-2 a.m. Located a few blocks from the Pantheon, in the piazza with one of Rome’s oldest street markets. The market is a good place to purchase provisions if you’re renting an apartment.

Antico Forno Marco Roscioli

Although it doubles as a salumeria—a deli—there is a restaurant/wine bar, too, where you can order light dishes, delicious pizza and made-to-order sandwiches, if you can choose from the mind-boggling array of cheeses, hams and cured sausages. It draws a smart crowd at night, but this is still suitable for kids at lunch, and the breads are superb. Via dei Guibbonari 21/22, Tel. +06-687-5287. Just off Campo dei Fiori.