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

This neighborhood institution serves all the Roman-Jewish classics. Like most of the starters, the carciofi alla giudia (Jewish-style artichokes) are outstanding, and a perfect meal might also include the carbonara, which incorporates dried beef instead of guanciale, or the semolina gnocchi baked in a terra-cotta ramekin. The restaurant gets extremely busy, so don't expect service to be all that attentive; the food more than makes up for it, though.

The craft beer movement has taken hold in Italy, and this stylish, sprawling space tucked down a tiny side road near Campo de' Fiori is headed up by the Baladin beer company. Staff members take their jobs—and brews—seriously, and they're helpful with recommendations from the more than 40 choices on tap and the over 100 options in bottles. For food, there are chicken strips, hand-cut chips, and savory burgers.

This casual, trendy place—vibrant with colorful paintings by local artists—is a great spot to enjoy an ancient piazza while savoring a glass of wine or a gourmet meal. The simple but innovative menu includes dishes like Roman artichokes with baccalà, beef tagliata (sliced grilled steak) with a red-wine reduction, and a perfectly cooked duck breast with red fruit sauce. Outdoor tables (April–October) make you feel as if you're in an open-air museum since your perch looks out over the Tempio d'Adriano (AD 145). If ever there was a place to linger outdoors over limoncello, this is it.

This tiny, old-school bakery famed for its Roman-Jewish sweet specialties doesn't have a sign but is easy to spot because there is always a line snaking out the door. Service is brusque, choices are few, what's available depends on the season, and when it's sold out, it's sold out.

The place to go for Rome's extraordinary carciofi alla giudia, Piperno has been in business since 1860. The location, up a tiny hill in a piazza tucked away behind the palazzos of the Jewish Ghetto, lends the restaurant a rarefied air. In addition to the artichokes, try the exquisite prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella plate, the fiori di zucca ripieni e fritti (fried stuffed zucchini flowers), and filetti di baccalà to start. The display of fresh, local fish is enticing enough to lure diners to try offerings from sea instead of land.

Frequented by tourists and government officials from the nearby Senate alike, this caffè is considered by many to make Rome's best coffee. Take it at the counter Roman-style—servers are hidden behind a huge espresso machine, where they vigorously mix the sugar and coffee to protect their secret method for the perfectly prepared cup (if you want yours without sugar here, ask for it senza zucchero). Their sister caffè, Emporio Sant'Eustachio, is a modern specialty coffee shop a few minutes’ walk away past the Pantheon.

On the east corner of the piazza, in front of the Pantheon, this has been the place for serious coffee drinkers for nearly 80 years—there are no tables or frills, but there is a no-nonsense attitude when it comes to the dark coffee roasts that are perfect for espresso. Consider indulging in a granita di caffè con panna (coffee ice with whipped cream).

The sidewalk tables of this caffè and its restaurant annex offer a grandstand view of all the action of the Piazza Navona. This is the place that invented the tartufo, a luscious chocolate ice-cream specialty.