Where to eat in Ostia, Fiumicino, Fregene and Santa Marinella
From April to October, it’s tradition to head to the Roman seaside and indulge in delicious lunch on the beach. The beautiful weather, the sound of the waves, the fresh breeze, the food, and a chilled bottle of wine are more than worth the drive from Rome. The Roman coast is made up of a few distinct areas: Fiumicino, Ostia, and Fregene, plus Santa Marinella a little farther north. Most are a 30 to 60 minute drive from Rome depending on where you start. Here are my favorite seaside restaurants in each.
The best restaurants in Fiumicino
Fiumicino has shed its old reputation as nothing more than the airport town. It is now one of the best places on the whole Roman coast for seafood, and it is a 15 minute drive from Fiumicino airport, which makes it the perfect farewell lunch before a flight home. If you have an early departure, it also pairs well with my guide to the best restaurants near Fiumicino airport.
Gina a Porto Romano
If I am driving to the coast for lunch, I want to see the sea while I eat, and Gina a Porto Romano delivers exactly that from a patio right over the water. It sits on a quiet street next to the Porto Romano Yacht Club. The food is excellent and the wine list is thoughtful. Reserve a spot on the outdoor patio and start with the tuna tartare and continue with the spaghetti with clams. Trust me on this one.
📍 Via Costalunga, 31, Fiumicino
📞 +39 06 658 3143
💰 €60+
Mare Bistrot
Mare Bistrot is the one spot on this list that is not directly on the water. It sits along Via della Torre Clementina, the promenade that runs beside Fiumicino’s fishing port, so you are next to the boats and the canal rather than looking out over the open sea. I include it anyway because the food more than earns its place. This is the casual bistrot from Gianfranco Pascucci, whose nearby Pascucci al Porticciolo holds a Michelin star, and that same obsession with the day’s catch carries over to a relaxed, well-priced menu. Expect pristine crudi, light tempura and fried fish, whatever came in that morning cooked simply over the grill, and the fish sandwiches the place has become known for.
📍 Via della Torre Clementina, 126, Fiumicino
📞 +39 334 797 8290
💰 €60+
The best restaurants in Ostia
Ostia is the closest stretch of coast to central Rome, roughly 40 minutes away and reachable by train, and it is packed with restaurants and beach clubs. It used to be cheap and cheerful, but the dining has come a long way.
La Vecchia Pineta
La Vecchia Pineta is my ultimate favorite for lunch or dinner in Ostia. The indoor room is charming, decorated with portholes, but the real draw is the outdoor veranda overlooking the sea. It is perfect for a sunny lunch or a romantic evening. Order the crunchy baby squid with balsamic reduction and leek straw to start, the black fettuccine with clams and zucchini flowers as a first course, and the turbot with roasted potatoes as a main. You will thank me.
📍 Piazzale dell’Aquilone, 4, Lido di Ostia
📞 +39 06 5647 0255
💰 €50+
The best restaurants in Fregene
Fregene sits just north of Fiumicino and has been a Roman summer retreat for generations. The water is not my favorite along this coast, but the food and the golden-hour light more than make up for it, and it is my first choice for a long lunch that slides into aperitivo. It also has the highest concentration of beach restaurants near Rome where you actually eat with your feet in the sand.
Il Sogno del Mare
Il Sogno del Mare is not the fanciest place on the beach, but the kitchen has nothing to prove. Tables on the sand, a good breeze, a sunny day, and genuinely good seafood. For a first course, the paccheri tricolore are the way to go. The wine list is better than the setting suggests and the staff are quick and friendly. When you book, ask for a table in the sun in spring and autumn, or one in the shade but still on the sand in the hot summer months.
📍 Lungomare di Ponente, 25, Fregene
📞 +39 06 6656 2812
💰 €40+
Da Salvatore alla Scialuppa
Da Salvatore alla Scialuppa is another Fregene spot I keep coming back to. Reserve a table outside on the patio or sand rather than inside, which I find very old-fashioned. Start with the octopus, which is simply divine, and the seafood crudité, which runs from prawns to shrimp to oysters. For a main, go for one of the pastas of the day or the seafood risotto. When you are done, walk it off along the beach.
📍 Via Silvi Marina, 69
📞 +39 06 6656 0002
💰 €50+
Seaside restaurants in Santa Marinella
Santa Marinella is farther north, up toward Civitavecchia, and it is worth the extra drive. The beaches are among the cleanest on this coast, and the whole town has a quieter, more low-key feel than the busier stretches closer to Rome.
Il Trabucco
Il Trabucco is a wonderfully simple place, and I mean that as the highest compliment. It is indoors, but the big windows look straight onto the sea, so you never lose the view. The catch of the day is delicious and the raw fish is fantastic. The pasta is excellent too, and the wine selection is genuinely impressive for such an unfussy spot. This is the kind of restaurant I love most: no pretense, just very good fish and a table with a view.
📍 Lungomare G. Marconi, 123
📞 +390766379370
💰 €60+
Making a whole weekend of it? Pair lunch with somewhere to stay from my guide to the best beach hotels in Italy, or read my complete guide to Sabaudia and San Felice Circeo farther down the coast.
🍽️ Check out my guide to the best seafood restaurants in Rome
2 Comments
It was great reading your blog, very nicely executed. You obviously put a lot of effort into it. Awesome Pictures! Keep it up!
Thanks Kathleen! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂