Restaurant in Rome, Italy
Michelin-starred wine-first dining near Parliament.
A Michelin-starred creative restaurant steps from Rome's Parliament building, Achilli al Parlamento delivers serious tasting menus and an exceptional wine program at the €€€ tier — meaningfully below the €€€€ cost of comparable Rome alternatives. The dual-format setup (bistro at front, dining room at back) adds flexibility, but the main room is the reason to book. Reserve three to four weeks ahead.
Yes, book it — but understand what you're booking. Achilli al Parlamento is a Michelin-starred creative restaurant with deep roots in wine, steps from the Italian Parliament on Via dei Prefetti. At the €€€ price point, it sits a tier below the €€€€ Romans (Il Pagliaccio, Enoteca La Torre), which makes it one of Rome's more compelling arguments for Michelin-level cooking without the full-price commitment. If you want creative Italian cuisine, serious wine, and a room that earns its reputation, this is the right call.
Achilli occupies a dual-format setup that matters for your booking decision. The room closer to the entrance functions as a bistro — more casual, open at lunchtime, and better suited to lighter meals or solo visits. Move further in and the dining room proper takes over: walls lined with wine bottles, a more formal register, and the full tasting menu experience. The origin as a wine bar is still visible in the architecture of the space , this is not a room that has forgotten what it used to be, and that continuity gives it a character that newer Rome openings can lack. The physical layout rewards guests who know which room they want: if you're coming for a full dinner with a serious wine pairing, request the main dining room. If you want something more relaxed, the bistro side works on its own terms.
The menu at Achilli is built on creative dishes with Campanian influence , a southern thread running through essentially Roman cooking, grounded in traditional flavours but not bound by them. Tasting menus are the main format for the dining room, and the kitchen's sourcing philosophy follows the Italian calendar closely. What that means practically: the menu you encounter in autumn will be materially different from a spring visit. Rome's produce rhythm is pronounced , artichokes dominate from February through April, summer brings tomatoes and courgette flowers, autumn shifts toward game and mushrooms. A kitchen with this orientation will reflect those shifts in what lands on the plate. For a first-timer deciding when to book, autumn and early spring tend to offer the most depth in terms of ingredient range: you get the transition between seasons rather than a single peak, and tasting menus designed around that transition tend to show a kitchen's range more fully than midsummer or January visits.
The wine program is genuinely a feature here, not a supporting act. Bottles can be chosen directly from the wine boutique at the entrance , this is an unusual arrangement that gives guests more agency than a standard list, and the selection by the glass is reportedly extensive. For anyone who treats wine as the primary lens through which a meal should be understood, this setup is worth booking for in its own right. Cross-reference Achilli's approach with what you'd find at Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence or Dal Pescatore in Runate and you see a comparable wine-forward seriousness, though Achilli operates at a different price level.
Booking at Achilli al Parlamento is hard. A Michelin star in central Rome, near major government buildings, with a wine program that attracts both tourists and regulars from Rome's professional class , the table supply does not meet demand casually. Book at least three to four weeks in advance for dinner. The bistro side at lunch is more accessible, but if the full dining room is your target, plan ahead. Sunday is closed, which eliminates the most popular leisure dining slot and compresses weekend demand into Saturday evening. If you're visiting in spring or autumn, when seasonal menus are at their most interesting, competition for tables intensifies further.
Reservations: Essential for dinner; book 3-4 weeks minimum. Dress: Smart; the room has a formal register without being black-tie. Budget: €€€ , meaningfully below the €€€€ tier of comparable Michelin-starred creative restaurants in Rome. Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10:30 AM–10:30 PM; Monday 10:30 AM–1:30 PM and 3:30 PM–8:30 PM; closed Sunday. Bistro: Available at the front of the room, more accessible for walk-ins or same-week bookings. Google rating: 4.5 from 291 reviews.
See the full comparison below, but the short version: Achilli is the right choice if you want a Michelin-starred creative experience in Rome without moving into the €€€€ tier. All'Oro and Glass Hostaria offer comparable creative ambitions. For Rome's wider restaurant picture, see our full Rome restaurants guide. Wine-focused travellers should also check our Rome wineries guide. For context on Italy's broader creative dining scene, Osteria Francescana, Le Calandre, and Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler represent how far the Italian creative tradition extends beyond the capital. Comparable Paris-level ambition in the creative format can be found at Arpège or Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen, though both operate at significantly higher price points. For Rome stays, our Rome hotels guide covers where to base yourself nearby.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Achilli al Parlamento | €€€ | Hard | — |
| Enoteca La Torre | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Il Pagliaccio | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Aroma | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Idylio by Apreda | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| La Palta | €€€ | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Rome for this tier.
Yes, with a caveat on format. The bistro section near the entrance is the better choice for solos — it serves simpler fare in a more informal setting and is open at lunchtime, making it less pressured than the full tasting menu room. If you want the full Michelin-starred creative experience solo, you can do it, but book ahead and confirm the counter or small table availability when you call.
Lunch is the smarter entry point for a first visit. The bistro section operates at lunchtime with simpler, lower-commitment options, which lets you gauge the wine program and kitchen without committing to a full tasting menu spend at €€€ prices. Dinner is where the full creative menu comes into its own, but given the restaurant's proximity to the Italian Parliament, midweek dinner tables are harder to land.
The restaurant has been here since the 1970s and holds a 2024 Michelin star — it is not a new opening chasing attention. The format is dual: a bistro near the entrance and a more formal dining room behind it, with tasting menus built on creative dishes carrying Campanian influence. The wine list is a serious part of the offering; bottles can be selected directly from the wine boutique on-site, so factor that into your budget.
Small groups of two to four are the practical fit here. The venue's dual-room setup means a bistro table works for a relaxed group lunch, while the dining room suits a more considered dinner. Groups of six or more should check the venue's official channels before booking — tasting menu formats and wine-focused service are harder to pace for larger parties, and availability near the Parliament district is tight.
Book at least three to four weeks out for dinner, longer during Italian political calendar peaks when the Parliament is in session and the local professional clientele fills the room. The bistro section at lunch is more accessible, but even that has limited covers. A Michelin star in central Rome at €€€ pricing means this is not a walk-in venue — treat it as a reservation-required destination.
The kitchen works with creative tasting menus rooted in traditional Italian flavours and Campanian influence, which typically allows for flexibility, but no specific dietary accommodation policy is documented for this venue. check the venue's official channels before booking if you have strict requirements — tasting menu formats require advance notice to adjust, and this is standard practice at Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
