Armando al Pantheon

"Just 100 feet from Rome’s most intact ancient monument, Armando al Pantheon champions local food traditions. For more than five decades, the Gargioli family has been dutifully producing Roman classics like fettuccine con le rigaglie di pollo (fettuccine with chicken innards) and coda alla vaccinara (oxtail braised in tomato and celery). Among the seasonal side dishes, look for puntarelle (Catalonian chicory) with anchovy sauce and carciofi alla romana (simmered artichokes) in the cooler months. Save room for the torta antica Roma, a ricotta and strawberry jam pie. The lovingly curated wine list gets better every year. Online booking is essential and opens (and books up) one month ahead." - Katie Parla

"Armando al Pantheon has been serving straightforward classics throughout its six decades of family ownership. Come here for simple and excellent Roman food, including fantastic amatriciana made with rigatoni and a sublime spaghetti alla carbonara. You can get a half-portion of pasta if you want to save some room for a second course, like the saltimbocca alla romana or the tripe cooked in tomato with pecorino cheese. Just make sure to book your visit in advance—Armando al Pantheon is closed on Sundays and remains one of the toughest reservations to get last minute." - gillian mcguire, annie replogle

"Armando al Pantheon serves the best amatriciana in the city. Their signature sauce, perfected over six decades, has the perfect punch of meaty guanciale, which gets caught in every mouthful of rigatoni alongside perfectly-crisp bits of pork cheek. The creamy carbonara also shares this same guanciale crunch, showered with pecorino on top. Does the pasta taste even better when you snag a table in view of the Pantheon? Absolutely. Just make sure to book your visit in advance—Armando al Pantheon is closed on Sundays and remains one of the toughest reservations to get last minute." - annie replogle

"Armando al Pantheon serves the best amatriciana in the city. Their signature sauce, perfected over six decades, has the perfect punch of meaty guanciale, which gets caught in every mouthful of rigatoni alongside perfectly-crisp bits of pork cheek. The creamy carbonara also shares this same guanciale crunch, showered with pecorino on top. Does the pasta taste even better when you snag a table in view of the Pantheon? Absolutely. Just make sure to book your visit in advance—Armando al Pantheon is closed on Sundays and remains one of the toughest reservations to get last minute." - Annie Replogle

"You'll find a mix of locals and international gastronome-types seriously perusing Armando el Pantheon's the menu, deep in contemplation, one assumes, of the feast to come. Sure, there’s chatter, but everyone’s pretty focused. It's plain they're determined to savor every bite. We can't say we blame them. Kick things off with a bruschetta topped with tomato and milky burrata cheese, then move on to a plate of fettuccine pasta with porcini mushrooms, or stick to the old Roman favorite, cacio e pepe (a creamy sauce made from pecorino and pepper). Come mains, the chargrilled lamb chops, if they have them, are bite-sized pieces of meaty goodness." - Maresa Manara