Where to eat near Piazza Navona in Rome and at the Pantheon. While Rome’s historic center is glorious (we’re looking at you, Colosseum) we sadly can’t say the same of its most of its eateries. After all, postcard-worthy sights attract tourists, which in turn reap lackluster restaurants that have no qualms about serving you a microwaved carbonara. But if you know just where to go, you can handily sidestep tourist traps and dine fabulously without ever leaving the neighborhood. Our series will cover the Eternal City’s biggest sites and their surrounding culinary hotspots, starting with architectural heavyweights Piazza Navona and the Pantheon.

LUNCH & DINNER

Roscioli

A wine bar, gourmet deli, and restaurant all rolled into one, Roscioli is chicer (and more expensive) than your typical Roman trattoria, but worth the splurge. Kick off your meal with their dreamy burrata with sundried tomatoes, and order their carbonara to follow. Reservations recommended.

Roscioli. Via dei Giubbonari, 21/22. Tel 066875287. Facebook Page

COCKTAILS

Bar del Fico

This hip, shabby-chic locale doubles as a restaurant and cocktail bar. In the morning, stop by for a quick café or grab a burger at lunch (Fico is one of the only places in Rome who gets the American staple right). Italian classics like pizza and pastas also make up the menu. In the evening, expect music, phenomenal cocktails, and a lively crowd.

Bar del Fico. Piazza del Fico, 26. Tel 0668808413. Facebook Page

TRADITIONAL ROMAN

Armando al Pantheon

Armando’s is probably the only eatery in the city that is mere feet from a tourist site yet still dishes out authentic food. Expect Roman classics like steamed artichokes, pasta alla gricia, braised oxtail, and saltimbocca. Make sure to book a table in advance!

Armando al Pantheon. Salita dei Crescenzi, 31. Tel 0668803034. Facebook Page 

COZY 

Etablì

Hands down our favorite bistro in town, Etablì easily beckons to tired travels: designed to mimic your living room at home, the cozy interior boasts plush arm chairs, leather sofas, vintage chandeliers, and best of all, a toasty fire crackling in the fireplace. It’s open all day, serving up English breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails. Top dishes include cacio e pepe with black truffle; sake marinated salmon (above); and their revisited saltimbocca, veal with sage, prosciutto, in a chicory and pecorino cream.

Etablì. Vicolo delle Vacche, 9. Tel 0697616694. Facebook Page

GELATO

Gelateria del Teatro

While Rome is packed with gelaterias, few of them actually offer the real deal (beware of anything neon-colored and piled high over its container). Gelateria del Teatro, thankfully, produces true, artisanal gelato, seeking out high quality ingredients like almonds from Sicily and lemons from the Amalfi coast. Del Teatro’s selection features over forty flavors, which range from traditional to eccentric: choose from classics like strawberry and coffee, or try dark chocolate infused with D’Avola wine.

Gelateria del Teatro. Via dei Coronari, 65/66. Tel 0645474880. Facebook Page

ROMANTIC DINNER

Coromandel

“I envisioned Coromandel to resemble a place that you’ve always imagined, a place that you stumbled upon during a vacation or in reading a book, or watching a movie,” owner Katie Minniti has said of her restaurant Coromandel. Tables are decorated with tarot cards, bookshelves line the walls, and porcelain tea cups are laid out for tea and coffee. While the eatery is opened from early to late, we recommend stopping by here for dinner: their slow-cooked beef cheek with a sweet potato puree, baby onions, and cacao; calamari with ricotta, spinach, and Trapanese pesto; and tortelli filled with capon in a broth of mushroom, lapsang tea, and a sprinkle of  aged Parmesan are three of the reasons why.

Coromandel. Via di Monte Giordano, 60. Tel 0668802461. Facebook Page

DINNER

Risotteria Melotti

With sister locations in New York and Verona, Risotteria Melotti finally arrived to Italy’s capital just over a year ago. The restaurant’s muse is riso or rice, cooked into everything from risotto, to arancine, to tiramisu’, to piadine, and more. In keeping with Melotti’s theme (rice is after all the North’s carb of choice) , wines here are strictly from Veneto.

Risotteria Melotti. Via della Vetrina, 12a/b. Tel. 06 686 8093 Facebook Page