La Pergola
Heinz Beck seals the carbonara inside square fagottelli at La Pergola, and the very thin pasta opens in your mouth to let it out.
Why go
Beck was a young Bavarian sous-chef to Heinz Winkler when the Rome Cavalieri asked Winkler, in 1994, for a cook to open a restaurant on its top floor on Monte Mario, and Winkler sent Beck (Elite Traveler). La Pergola won its third MICHELIN star in 2005, which Reporter Gourmet called something unthinkable considering the level of haute cuisine in the capital at any time in the 1990s and early 2000s
(Reporter Gourmet). It is the only three-star room in Lazio in the 2026 guide, and MICHELIN named Beck its Mentor Chef for 2026 (Scatti di Gusto).
You understand the quality of a meal the next morning, when you wake up in great shape,
Beck told Lorenzo Ruggeri of Gambero Rosso when the room reopened after its refit in June 2024. He germinates legumes in the kitchen: We reactivate the germ and use enzymes to increase the bioavailability and quantity of nutrients
(Gambero Rosso). Reporter Gourmet's critic ate the second menu after the reopening in 2025 and wrote that the food at La Pergola is anything but hospital fare.
That 2025 dinner opened with an aperitif Beck makes at a trolley beside the table when he can. It brought a baby squid with all its innards barbecued for thirty seconds, and potato chips with red-fruit ketchup: My name is Heinz, how could I not make my own ketchup?
The critic named the risotto alla scapece with saffron, scampi carpaccio and zucchini one of the best dishes of the evening.
The glazed sweetbreads came with a burnt-wheat tarallo (a ring-shaped biscuit) and struck the same writer as a remarkable interpretation of the most noble of offal, which has a tradition all its own in Rome
(Reporter Gourmet). Andrew Harris of Elite Traveler had the lamb in 2024, cooked in a charcoal Josper oven and laid among seeds and vegetables to represent ancient Rome's most famous thoroughfare,
the Via Appia (Elite Traveler).
Marco Reitano, who had run the wine beside Beck for thirty years by 2024, sets no wine pairing. Of course if guests want to be guided I build a pairing on the spot, but here they often prefer to open a bottle,
he said in 2024 (Gambero Rosso). In June 2024 ten courses cost 350 euros and seven cost 290, or you can order from the carta.
Passione Gourmet's review of 2015, as Scatti di Gusto quoted it, warned that for the most hardened enthusiasts, who go round many tables in search of strong emotions, flashes of brilliance and original, intriguing ideas, it is not the most exciting experience
(Scatti di Gusto). MICHELIN's inspector found in 2024 that however many times you come here, you find that your memory never quite does justice to the magnificent and expansive views of the capital
(MICHELIN Guide).
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Fagottelli La Pergola, which Scatti di Gusto's writer called in 2015
a most successful dish whose only fault is that it makes you want seconds.
4 - Order: the risotto alla scapece, Reporter Gourmet's pick (2025).1
- Order: the glazed sweetbreads, Reporter Gourmet (2025).1
- Order: the lamb on the Via Appia Antica, which Harris found
cooked to perfection
(2024).3
What locals & experts say
- Igles Corelli, chef (Scatti di Gusto, 2018):
An unreachable legend where one always goes more than gladly.
10 - Gambero Rosso, Ristoranti d'Italia 2026: Tre Forchette at 94 out of 100, tied for the highest score in Rome.7
- Reporter Gourmet (2025):
Beck is still Beck and deserves to be where he is, at the top of Rome and at the top of every ranking.
1
Good to know
- Where: the ninth floor of the Rome Cavalieri, Via Alberto Cadlolo 101, on Monte Mario.
- When: dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday. In 2020 the restaurant also shut for three weeks in January and three in August.9
- Booking: book through the hotel's La Pergola page or by phone on +39 06 3509 2152. In 2020 tables opened four to five months ahead, at the start of each month, against a card guarantee.9
- Dress: the 2020 house rule:
For gentlemen, a jacket is required, although a tie is not necessary.
9
Verdict
must-visit — Go for a long dinner of Heinz Beck's light, technical Mediterranean cooking above the city, and ask for the carbonara-filled pasta that has outlasted his menus. The tasting menus cost 290 and 350 euros in 2024.