American food in Rome: where to find a burger, pecans, the late game and a Thanksgiving turkey

You moved to the city of cacio e pepe, and you'll still want a cheeseburger and the 1 p.m. game some Sunday. Rome can do both, if you know where to look and don't mind import prices.

The short version

• US chains: Five Guys opened its first Rome restaurant at Termini station in 2021 [1]. Starbucks arrived in central Rome in 2023 and added outlets at Termini [2]. McDonald's is all over the city.
• Groceries: Castroni, a small Rome deli chain with three stores, stocks stuffing mix, pumpkin puree and pecans. Drogheria Innocenzi in Trastevere and Emporio delle Spezie in Testaccio carry imported ingredients [3].
• Thanksgiving: turkey (tacchino) is easy to buy in pieces and harder to get whole. Order from a butcher (macelleria) well ahead. This year Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26.
• NFL: Rome is six hours ahead of New York most of the year, so 1 p.m. ET games start at 7 p.m. Irish and Scottish pubs near the center are your best bet [4].
• NBA: most games tip off between 1 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. Rome time. This is a streaming-at-home sport.

American chains in Rome

Rome resisted American coffee chains longer than most European capitals, and the city's espresso culture means you'll pay more for a latte at Starbucks than for a cappuccino at the bar next door. Still, sometimes you want a Venti.

These sources are from 2021 to 2023, so check opening hours (and that a location is still open) before you go. Store counts change.

A few tips:

• Burgers are everywhere now. Rome has plenty of Italian-run burger joints, many with Italian beef. They're usually better than the chains, with a side of cultural confusion when you ask for ketchup.
• Brunch and pancakes have caught on in Rome, mostly as a weekend thing. Ask around for current favorites, since places come and go.
• Bring your own hot sauce. Spicy in Rome means peperoncino. If you live on Frank's or Cholula, stock up stateside.

US groceries: where to find the taste of home

Italian supermarkets are great at Italian food and only so-so at everything else. For American staples, you'll mix three sources [3]:

1. Castroni. A small Rome delicatessen chain with three stores, famous among expats for its imported shelf. At Thanksgiving time it's the go-to for stuffing mix, pumpkin puree and pecans [3].
2. Drogheria Innocenzi in Trastevere, an old-school grocery recommended for imported American Thanksgiving ingredients [3].
3. Emporio delle Spezie in Testaccio, stocked with pecans year-round plus a long list of spices and imported foods [3].

National chains can fill gaps. Readers of The Local report pre-made cranberry sauce at Esselunga, dried cranberries at Conad, Lidl and NaturaSì, marshmallows at Flying Tiger and fried onions at IKEA [3]. For harder-to-find items like Crisco, online sellers deliver nationwide; American Crunch, based in Milan, ships across Italy [3].

What you'll struggle to find:

• Canned pumpkin in bulk (Castroni's puree is your best shot)
• Peanut butter beyond a jar or two in big supermarkets
• Brown sugar the way American recipes mean it (look for zucchero di canna, which works for most baking)
• Baking soda labeled the American way (ask for bicarbonato di sodio)
• Ranch dressing (you'll be making your own)

Prices for imports run high: a jar of US peanut butter or a box of mac and cheese will feel like sticker shock compared with a Target run.

Thanksgiving in Rome

Thanksgiving isn't a holiday in Italy, so it's a regular workday, and turkey is a lunchtime cutlet food here, not a centerpiece. Here's how Americans pull it off:

1. Order the bird early. Ask your local macelleria for a whole turkey (tacchino intero) two or three weeks ahead. Say how many kilos: a 6 kg bird is about 13 pounds. Some Americans have also ordered turkey through the butcher counter at Eurospin [3].
2. Check your oven. Italian ovens are often smaller than American ones. Measure before you order a 20-pound bird. A turkey breast (petto di tacchino) or a few legs (fusi) can be the smart compromise.
3. Shop for sides at Castroni and the specialty grocers a couple of weeks ahead. Stocks run out the week of Thanksgiving [3].
4. Outsource the pie. Homebaked takes orders for ready-made pumpkin, pecan and apple pies [3].
5. Or skip the cooking. Several Rome restaurants and bars host Thanksgiving menus, and expat groups organize dinners. They book up, so look in early November.

Watching the NFL and NBA

Time zones

Rome is on Central European Time, usually six hours ahead of New York. For a few weeks in spring and fall, when Europe and the US switch clocks on different dates, the gap is five hours.

The 7 p.m. kickoffs are the sweet spot: dinner and a game. Sunday Night Football is for the truly devoted.

Where to watch

A Rome-based guide to watching the NFL, last updated in February 2026, recommends these pubs [4]:

• Scholars Lounge, Via del Plebiscito 101, near Piazza Venezia. Irish-owned, English-speaking, with a dedicated room for NFL games [4]. A Wanted in Rome listing from 2017 lists late opening hours, so check current hours before kickoff [5].
• Shamrock Pub, Via del Colosseo 1/c, near the Forum end of Via Cavour. The guide's author expects staff to put a game on if you ask [4].
• The Highlander, Vicolo di San Biagio 9, near the Pantheon. A Scottish pub that other fans recommend for NFL [4].

Call ahead on game day, especially if your team isn't a big draw. Knowing both teams' names helps when you ask the bartender. The guide also notes that Italy's public broadcaster RAI has shown the Super Bowl and Thanksgiving games free on TV, but not regular-season games [4].

For NBA and most NFL regular-season games, you'll stream at home with a subscription to the league's international service. Check what's offered in Italy before you cancel anything stateside, and remember that a VPN may break the terms of your US streaming plans.

If you're looking for a Super Bowl watch party or someone to share a turkey with, post in our community group for Americans in Italy. Somebody always has a plan, and usually a spare chair.

Sources

1. Dissapore: Five Guys apre a Roma Termini il 4 ottobre (September 30, 2021)
2. Wanted in Rome: Starbucks opens in Rome's central Termini station (May 26, 2023)
3. The Local Italy: How to create an authentic Thanksgiving in Italy (November 18, 2025)
4. Saturdays in Rome: Where to watch NFL in Rome (updated February 28, 2026)
5. Wanted in Rome: Scholars Lounge Rome (2017 listing)
6. Money.it: Starbucks Roma, dove si trova (April 10, 2022)

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• Nightlife in Rome
• Cost of living in Rome vs Boston
• Shipping your things and pets from the US