38 Best Restaurants in Piazza Navona, Campo de' Fiori, and the Jewish Ghetto, Rome

In the shadow of the Pantheon, this small family-run trattoria, open since 1961, delights tourists and locals alike. There's an air of authenticity to the Roman staples here, and the quality of the ingredients and the cooking mean booking ahead through the website is a must. If weather permits, ask for one of the three tables outside that overlook the famous monument.

This well-established hot spot on the Jewish Ghetto's main promenade has pleasant indoor and outdoor seating. The kitchen is kosher (many places featuring Roman Jewish fare are not) and is known for its Judeo-Roman meat dishes mixed with Middle Eastern recipes. Down the street is Ba'Ghetto Milky, the kosher dairy version of the original.

This popular wine bar a stone's throw from Piazza Navona is among the city's oldest and has a book-length binder listing wines from Italy, France, the Americas, and elsewhere. It offers great value and pleasant service and is a lovely spot for a light late lunch or an early dinner when most restaurants aren't open yet.

Smack in the middle of the city, with the freshest produce right outside its door, this pizzeria features pies made with dough by Rome's renowned family of bakers, the Rosciolis. The menu also offers a good selection of pastas, mains, and local Lazio wines.

In a window next to the entrance of this renowned gelateria, you can see the fresh fruit being used to create the day's flavors, which highlight the best of Italy—from Amalfi lemons to Alban hazelnuts. In addition to traditional options, look for interesting combinations like raspberry and sage or white chocolate with basil. There are also homemade chocolates and biscotti along the counter.

Open since 1900, Giolitti near the Pantheon is Rome's old-school gelateria par excellence. Pay in advance at the register by the door; take your receipt to the counter; and choose from dozens of flavors, including chocolate, cinnamon, and pistachio. The prices rise steeply with table service, so most people take it to go and eat outside.

The three Troiani brothers—Angelo in the kitchen and Giuseppe and Massimo presiding over the dining room and wine cellar—have been quietly redefining the experience of Italian alta cucina (haute cuisine) since 1990 at this well-regarded establishment in a tiny, nondescript alley north of Piazza Navona. The service is attentive without being overbearing, and the wine list is exceptional.

Thought to be the oldest restaurant in Rome (a document dates it back to 1518), La Campana is well liked for its honest Roman cuisine and its old-school, slightly upscale feel—think white tablecloths and unflappable waiters in black tie who have been there since the beginning of time. This is the place to have one of the best coda alla vaccinara (oxtail stew) in Rome, along with other specialties like saltimbocca and pasta all'amatriciana (a classic Roman tomato sauce with bacon-like pork cheek).

This chic seafood restaurant is a fun spot on balmy summer evenings, where elegant diners sip crisp white wine at tables out on the pretty Piazza de' Ricci. The carpaccio selection is exquisite, but there is also a large selection of pastas extravagantly topped with white truffles. As at most Italian restaurants, fresh fish is sold per hectogram (100 grams, or about 3.5 ounces), so you may want to double-check the cost after it's been weighed.

The shop in front of this beloved restaurant will beckon you in with top-quality comestibles like hand-sliced cured ham from Italy and Spain, more than 300 cheeses, and a dizzying array of wines—but venture farther inside to try an extensive selection of unusual dishes and interesting takes on the classics. There are tables in the cozy wine cellar downstairs, but try to bag a table at the back on the ground floor (reserve well ahead; Roscioli is very popular). The family also runs a coffee bar (Roscioli Caffè), bakery (Forno Roscioli), and a restaurant/wine bar/tasting room (Rimessa Roscioli).

The nondescript entrance on a narrow side street leads upstairs to the main dining room of this neighborhood favorite, where those in the know enjoy dining on classic Roman fare under arched, frescoed ceilings. Fried zucchini flowers, Roman-Jewish style artichokes, battered salt cod, and gnocchi are all consistently excellent, and the menu has some nice, historic touches, like a beef-and-citron stew from an ancient Roman recipe of Apicius. If the porchetta is being offered, order it.

Everyone in Rome knows Bar del Fico, located right behind Piazza Navona, so if you want to hang out with the locals, come here for a drink or something to eat at any time of day or night. In the mornings, chess players sit at tables outside under the shade of the fig tree that gives the bar its name; after sunset, the bar is packed with people sipping cocktails.

Here, gelato production is artisanal, and the selection of seasonal sorbetti and cremolate (the latter is similar to sorbetto but made with the fruit pulp rather than just fruit juice) is diverse. Although the gelateria got a contemporary makeover for its 50th birthday, it offers the same old-fashioned treats that the family has been serving for decades.

Bellacarne means "beautiful meat," and that's the focus of the menu here (though it's also what a Jewish Italian grandmother might say while pinching her grandchild's cheek). The kosher kitchen makes its own pastrami, but the setting is more fine dining than deli.

The rallying cry behind this cozy bistro on the edge of Rome's Jewish quarter is “happy animals make better cheese.” The interior is dominated by the deli counter that is piled with raw milk cheese from Italy and France—so naturally, a tasting platter is the popular choice and includes 3—10 cheeses to match any appetite. The menu of salads, toasted sandwiches, pasta, and polenta is limited but excellent.

Immediately beside the Pantheon is this gelateria, which is well known for its flavors, like mango, pistachio, and chocolate chip. The chocolate sorbetto—an icier version of gelato, made without the dairy—is also excellent, and even better with a dollop of whipped cream on top. The shop is small but the service is fast and friendly.

For good, hearty Roman cuisine in an area filled with mediocre touristy restaurants, head to this trattoria that's been on the scene since the late 1950s. Stick with the classics, perhaps starting off with a mixed salumi plate featuring Parma ham and buffalo mozzarella before moving on to a primi (first course)—the amatriciana (with tomato sauce, guanciale, and pecorino cheese) is one of the standouts. Desserts are made fresh daily, and the tiramisu is always a winner. As at most Roman trattorias, the house wine is pretty good, but the wine list also has a decent selection of other options. In warmer months, tables spill out onto Piazza del Fico, making this an especially wonderful spot in the evening. On the upper floor of the same building is Bistrot da Francesco Su, a higher-end restaurant serving contemporary cuisine.

The window reads "Filetti di Baccalà," but the official name of this small restaurant that specializes in one thing—deliciously battered and deep-fried fillets of salt cod—is Dar Filettaro a Santa Barbara. If it's in season, be sure to try the puntarelle (crisp chicory) tossed with garlic and anchovy dressing. The location, down the street from Campo de' Fiori in a little piazza in front of the beautiful Santa Barbara church, practically begs you to eat at one of the outdoor tables, where service is brusque. 

Don't let the country-kitchen feel fool you. This little spot off of Campo de' Fiori goes a step beyond the ordinary with constantly changing offbeat takes on Italian classics. There are also several good options for vegetarians including fried artichoke antipasti and meat-free lasagna.

Although this old-school, centro storico trattoria has been renovated, you wouldn't know it, and that's part of its charm. At lunchtime, it's often packed with a mix of civil servants from the nearby government offices, construction workers, and in-the-know tourists enjoying classic pastas, octopus salad, and secondi (second courses) such as roast veal with peas. The prices and decor are come una volta (like once upon a time) when the shop sold, as the sign says, wine and oil. You can still get wine here by the liter or by the fairly priced bottle. 

The highest-quality ingredients go into the gelato here, and the flavors range from the traditional to the wonderfully unique (think Gorgonzola or tobacco and chocolate). The fruit flavors are always in season.

The gelato is certainly excellent—the chocolate chip and After Eight (mint chocolate chip) flavors are delicious—but this small spot is also known for its affogato di zabaione (hot espresso poured over a small scoop of creamy marsala wine ice cream). Look for intriguing seasonal gelato flavors like pear cinnamon.

Some of the most innovative interpretations of fine Roman cookery can be found in this starkly chic restaurant on a backstreet between upscale Via Giulia and the Campo de' Fiori. Chef Anthony Genovese was born in France to Calabrese parents and spent time cooking in Japan and Thailand, so his dishes make use of nontraditional spices, ingredients, and preparations—garnering him a loyal following and multiple accolades. The prices are exorbitant, but the food is exemplary. Dishes include pasta bundles filled with onion, tapioca, and red currant in a saffron broth or duck with black salsify, caramelized pear, and chocolate sauce. You can choose one of the elaborate tasting menus that range from 4 to 16 courses.

A gorgeous space, with chandeliers and soaring original brickwork ceilings, is the setting for one of Rome's best seafood restaurants. Order à la carte, or if you're hungry, the eight-course tasting menu (given the quality of the fish, a relative bargain at €90), which might include cuttlefish-ink tagliatelle with mint, artichokes, and roe or shrimp from the island of Ponza with rosemary, bitter herbs, and porcini mushrooms. There is a great wine list, as well as an extensive list of bottled waters for perfect pairings.

There's something about this cozy wine bar that makes it feel as if it's in a small traditional village instead of a bustling metropolis. The walls are lined with a tempting array of bottles from around the Italian peninsula, and the counter is stocked with cheese and salumi that can be sliced and piled on plates to order. Plus, the kitchen stays open until the wee hours on weekends.

A large glass wall to the kitchen and massive skylight in the dining room hint at the contemporary leanings of this restaurant built atop the ruins of the Baths of Agrippa behind the Pantheon. The emphasis here is on high-quality ingredients and classic Italian culinary traditions interpreted for modern diners.

Fraschetta is the name given to one of the casual, boisterous countryside spots just outside Rome, where the menu focuses on porchetta, the Italian version of roast pork. This is a city-styled version of such an establishment, and the atmosphere is typical, with waiters yelling across the room and frequently breaking into song. Order porchetta (of course) and a cheese and charcuterie board, and follow it with pasta carbonara or amatriciana. The tiramisu here, served in a jar, is worth saving room for. Don't bother asking for a wine list—the only choice is the daily house wine, served in a tumbler, as it would be at a true fraschetta.

The crusts on the pizza at this casual, perennially popular spot just off the Piazza Navona are super-thin and charred around the edges a little—the sign of a good wood-burning oven. This is one of a few pizzerias open for both lunch and dinner, and it's busy day and night. Service is brusque, so don't expect to be invited to linger, but prices are low. When the weather is nice, there are tables outside, making this one of the most pleasant places for a cheap meal in the neighborhood.

Chef-owner Massimo Riccioli may have taken the nets and fishing gear off the walls of the trattoria he inherited from his parents, but this is still widely known as the place to go in Rome for first-rate seafood. The experience here includes friendly staff and undeniably high-quality fish, but be prepared for simple preparations and high prices. Make sure to start with any of the marinated seafood appetizers, like carpaccio of fresh, translucent fish drizzled with olive oil and perhaps fresh herbs. Pastas tend to mix varieties of shellfish, usually with a touch of oil, white wine, and lemon, and classic secondi like zuppa di pesce (fish soup) deserve top billing. At lunch, the restaurant's oyster bar also serves smaller plates, including sushi.