Where to eat international cuisine at Rome's Testaccio Market: from Chinese to Greek

The new Testaccio Market was inaugurated in 2012, following the relocation of the covered market in Piazza Testaccio to a new site on Via Galvani, specifically designed to accommodate the historic businesses and further expand its offerings. This 5,000-square-meter facility can accommodate 103 vendors and features a large underground parking lot with 270 spaces. Construction work on the market uncovered significant archaeological finds, which, thanks to the Special Superintendence for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Rome, have allowed the creation of a museum within the same area, open to the public on designated days. From a gastronomic perspective, the Testaccio Market has a European feel, combining traditional food stalls with authentic shops and restaurants, creating a culinary journey from the weekly shopping to tastings among the stalls. It is precisely this aspect that has opened up a wide spectrum of possibilities for the market, transforming it into a gastronomic hub where you can sample products, dishes, and flavors of every kind and origin. In addition to businesses offering traditional local dishes, we can find a wide selection of establishments offering international, ethnic, and oriental flavors and aromas. This is where we've focused our attention, and so we've decided to recommend some of the must-see places to eat international cuisine at Testaccio Market.

Dumpling Bar Testaccio

Fans of Chinese cuisine will certainly recognize this restaurant and the name behind it: Gianni Catani, a highly experienced chef who has been studying Chinese cuisine for years and expressing it in his celebrated Dumpling Bars. The Piazza Meucci location, in the Marconi district, is the first artisanal Chinese dumpling shop in Italy, and this year they jumped at the chance to open another one inside the Testaccio Market, at booth 38. Here, regional Chinese tradition reigns supreme, with dumplings taking center stage, but there are also other tasty options, such as stir-fried spaghetti (with pork, shrimp, or vegetables) or bao (typical Chinese steamed buns) with bacon. There's truly something for every palate, and there's no shortage of unique and sophisticated variations, such as those filled with shrimp and chestnuts, a version with beef and truffle, and another with pork and artichokes (from €6 to €7.50 for five pieces). These can be consumed inside the market, sitting in the common areas, or purchased and then finished cooking at home.

Dumpling Bar Testaccio. Box 38 c/o Testaccio Market. Website. Facebook. Instagram.

Spiros Greek Cantina

Greek cuisine is at home at Mercato di Testaccio in stall 93, thanks to this street food kiosk with Mediterranean flavors. Spiros opened in 2019 from an idea by the Carnabuci family, who decided to transform the pleasant memories of their Greek vacations into a restaurant with Hellenic flavors. The style and colors are reminiscent of the typical tavernas found on the Greek beaches, as are the menu items, which feature the most famous traditional specialties. We offer pita gyros for all tastes (with pork, chicken, feta, halloumi, or falafel, from €5 to €6), traditional Greek salad (€5), souvlaki (traditional chicken or pork skewers, €2.50 each), moussaka (a Greek and Middle Eastern pie made with eggplant, meat, and béchamel sauce, €6), dolomades (rice rolls wrapped in vine leaves, €4), and much more. Savoring these dishes at the tables facing the kiosk counter is sure to give you a delightful taste of the Greek islands, all while staying in the capital.

Spiros Greek Kantina. Box 93 c/o Testaccio Market, Rome. Tel. 392 427 5757. Facebook. Instagram.

More Green

If you find yourself at the Testaccio Market at lunchtime and crave an exotic dish, Altro Green is the place for you. Here, Asian cuisine takes center stage, while also placing a focus on healthy and balanced eating. This journey to distant lands begins with pad thai (typical Thai street food noodles, with salmon, chicken, or shrimp, or a vegan version, from €5.90 to €6.90), followed by Thai rice (with salmon, chicken, shrimp, or a vegan version, from €6.90 to €7.90), ramen (with salmon, chicken, or a vegan version, sautéed vegetables and onions, from €4.90 to €7.90), and poké with a wide selection of toppings (from €7.90 to €15.90). Added to this are vegetable soups, salads, smoothies, and fruit juices, for anyone who prefers a lighter, healthier option. You can eat their dishes in the common areas of the market, or order them to take away.

Altro Green. Box 77 c/o Testaccio Market, Rome. Tel. 340 892 6474. Instagram.

Other international offerings at the Testaccio Market

If your palate isn't satisfied, Mercato di Testaccio also offers other interesting options: Toastaccio, at stall 75, for example, makes toast the main menu item, serving 29 creative variations; Meating, at stall 59, offers authentic American smash burgers served in artisanal buns and their homemade meatballs; and finally, Da Corrado at Banco 18, which focuses on the rediscovery of ancient traditional Italian recipes, but adds a selection of high-quality foreign products, such as French, English, and Greek cheeses, or xoriatiki, a traditional Greek salad with feta.

Testaccio Market is a market that has made a difference in Rome's market landscape, transforming its historical and cultural paradigm into a new and more contemporary vision. Inside the stalls, you can sense quality and attention to produce, while also integrating the tradition of the food market with a compelling and interesting selection of authentic restaurants that, struck by the space's potential, have chosen to make it their home. Testaccio Market's ongoing evolution, combined with the organization of events and open days, and its openness to a variety of food cultures, have made this place a true social and urban landmark, giving our markets a new lease of life. This growth has attracted the attention of larger businesses, which unfortunately have little in common with the aforementioned concepts and atmosphere: the recent opening of a McDonald's on the Via Galvani side of the market has left us amazed, to say the least. We trust, however, that the well-known fast food chain does not represent real competition for the market's activities and, although immediately nearby, is so distant from the identity of this place that it fails to connect with it, leaving room for the lively, familiar, and pleasantly social spirit of its stalls.