9 Best Restaurants in Repubblica and Quirinale, Rome

With a chic, modern design featuring leather-and-velvet seats and 1960s lamps designed by Gae Aulenti, creative tasting menus by chef Heros De Agostinis, and special touches like a roving cart with a variety of delicious bread made in-house, this elegant restaurant inside the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi is a true five-star experience. The staff here go out of their way to explain every dish, find the perfect wine pairings, and ensure that guests have a wonderful time.

This old-school Roman restaurant traces its roots back to 1870, when a woman from the town of Amatrice in northern Lazio arrived in Rome and started to cook her town's renowned bucatini all'amatriciana near Termini Station. Whether the story is true or a legend, this is indeed a great place to try the famous pasta and other Roman specialties in an elegant space with white tablecloths, plates emblazoned with the restaurant's name, and courteous and formally attired waiters.

Hidden inside a covered arcade, this Sicilian pasticceria, which opened in 1955, has pastry cases filled with cannoli, cassata, cakes, and marzipan as well as savory items like sandwiches and arancini. Go for breakfast, and try the cornetto filled with ricotta and chocolate chips—this might be the only place in Rome where you can find it.

In summer, the line at this gelateria stretches out the door and around the corner. Though it's a franchise that originated in Rimini, it's loved by Romans for its rich, creamy gelato made with organic milk, fresh fruit, nuts, and chocolate. This location is a bit out of the way, but there are also branches in Prati, Ostiense, San Giovanni, and near Piazza Navona.

This chic, modern pasticceria and caffè run by a husband-and-wife team is the perfect place to stop for a quick lunch or something sweet near MACRO and Villa Torlonia. The panettone is award-winning, but it's far from the only thing worth trying—the cakes, petit fours, macarons, and gelato are some of the best in Rome. You'll also find savory pastries and sandwiches featuring house-made croissants and buns.

In Rome, you'll usually find either pizza tonda (round) or pizza al taglio (by the slice), but there's also pizza pinsa—an oval-shaped individual pie that's a little thicker than the classic Roman pizza. Pinsere is mostly a take-out shop, with people eating on the street for their lunch break, so it's the perfect quick meal. There is a large selection of meat and vegetarian toppings. The big winners are the tomato and buffalo mozzarella and the mortadella and pistachio versions.

At this old school restaurant favorited by politicians and other VIPs, jovial waiters in while jackets serve traditional seafood specialties, including raw platters, spaghetti with clams, and whole baked fish. It's one of the few places in town where you can still get risotto alla crema di scampi.

Just off Piazza Barberini, this upscale trattoria has been serving Tuscan classics since 1950. It specializes in high-quality meat dishes, including prime cuts of beef and veal. There are also a few key Roman dishes on the menu such as the artichoke starter. The wine list favors robust Tuscan reds and thick wallets. The decor is basic wood paneling and white linens, with the requisite older—and often grumpy—waiters.