$5 Lunch In Rome

Finding a decent $5 lunch can be hard anywhere in the world. In pricey cities like Rome, it is difficult but not impossible. At today’s exchange rate, $5 converts to 4.18 Euro.

If you head outside of the main tourist route in Rome, finding a cheap meal is much easier than in central Rome. Still, even amidst the masses of tourist traps, there are still a few places in Rome where you can get a decent bang for your buck.

If you happen to be touring the Vatican, don’t even think about buying food from the little trucks that are parked in front of St. Peter’s, along the Vatican walls, or in front of the Vatican museum. They sell nothing but low quality food at astronomical prices. My advice? Go find Alice.

Alice Pizza a taglio is located on Via delle Grazie, just about halfway between St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum. It is a side street just off the main road leading to the museum. The place is small and nondescript. No music, no tables or chairs, just fantastic and cheap pizza. The great thing about Pizza a taglio is that you can mix and match as many kinds as you like. They will  warm it, set it on a tray, and you can sit outside and rest your weary feet or people watch as you eat.

A pizza trio like this one will cost 3.90

Though I have never tried a slice I didn’t like at Alice, my favorite is the pizza with mushrooms and four cheeses. So far, we have spent 3.90 Euro. Luckily, water in Rome is free, good, and cold when you fill up your bottles at any of Rome’s water fountains. Which leaves us with .30 Euro, just enough to head across the road from Alice to the bar for a quick “pocket coffee,” a mini shot of espresso encased in chocolate.

Pocket Coffee, never leave home without it!

Fed, watered, and tanked up on caffeine, Vatican Museums here we come!

3.90 Euro well spent in Rome!

Alice Pizza: Via delle Grazie 7, Rome.