Ritorno al Passato

Very first meal in Italy.
Dining outside with the fam, a stone's throw from the Pantheon.
How could this not be 5-stars?
(We were still 'starstruck' at/by Italy so we were generous with the ratings.)

Could this place be dubbed as a 'tourist trap' - complete with the super smooth 'Hype Man' out front (our first encounter with one, but definitely not our last) - sure.

But the food was (mostly) delicious, the pricing was solid and we left stuffed. What's not to like?

Was it the best pizza I ever had? Nope. (But it was much better than a lot of places throughout the country, that's for sure.)

Were the starters a bit 'different' from what you'd expect in America? Yeah.
(Just getting a massive-sized plate with one sauteed artichoke swimming in a pool of wildly flavorful olive oil isn't what we're used to... nor a medium-sized plate that's just a few hunks/shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano.)

There was also a 'learning curve' when it comes to if/when to tip and how some workers were more than forward with asking/suggesting one but other times they wouldn't. Confusing, for sure.

Gnocchi al ragù 5/5

Add a nice meat sauce and was potato filled. Fresh homemade pasta. Which everyone says, but you could really tell here. Good size portion two people could share.

This restaurant is a gem! Everything that we ordered was amazing. The fried anchovy appetizer was well cooked and crispy. Also, the sausage and mushroom pizza had a perfectly crunchy crust and was filled with toppings. Both pastas that we ordered was wonderful as well, especially the penne with arrabbiata sauce. For entrees, the calamari, Roman style chicken, and veal are all great options. The veal entree came with spaghetti and mushrooms which paired well with the veal. The calamari was light and perfectly cooked as well. The portions are large as well so you are getting a decent amount of food in every dish.

The staff did a great job of coming to our table often and making sure that everything was fine. They cleaned the table as needed, and the service was quick as well. We did not need to wait long for our food to come out.

The restaurant is also located in the perfect spot. While eating, you get a direct view of the historic Pantheon (see my attached pictures).There was also some lovely music playing near the restaurant as well.

It was a great overall experience!

We had a late dinner and drinks here and it was great! They are open late and still serve food and it was all very good! We got the fried anchovies, pasta with speck and artichoke, and a Roman style artichoke. The service was great, the drinks and wine were good, and the dinner views are unmatched- I definitely recommend!

Updating previous review with more photos that I recently found. Not sure if this place is still open, due to the pandemic, but we had a great time there in January 2020!

The food and service here were absolutely horrendous. It's a good location right in front of the Patheon so I suppose nothing has to be good to get business. We started with the saddest ham and cheese board I've ever seen for €16, was just a few slices of each on a small plate. The chicken Caesar salad was not bad had decent flavor but the chicken was way over cooked and there was a hair in it. My son got a pizza that looked barely edible. My Peroni was even luke warm. The servers all seemed to have an attitude too. Would recommend to avoid this place if possible.

Located in the Pantheon's square, among several other restaurants, this does provide quite a view to go with your meal. Compared to the other restaurants, it's decently priced (avoid the restaurants that charge €12-€16 euros for simple dishes (such as the Cacio e Pepe/spaghetti with pepper, lasagna, etc.)) with about €9-€12 euros for a pasta dish.

PROS
-Across from the Pantheon and the Pantheon fountain
-Service is relatively quick
-Waiter at the entrance isn't too pushy, compared to other restaurants that hound for potential guests
-Spaghetti bolognese was delicious and the sauce was perfect. Right portion too

CONS
-Pan handlers, and those selfie "vendors" will try to engage those who are seated closest to the Pantheon outside. Waiters weren't proactive with dissuading this or intervening
-Restaurant needs to be maintained more. I understand they're in a heavy tourist area, however that should be an opportunity to show off versus show the age of the restaurant. My menu was literally falling apart, and many of the tables appeared to be wobbly
-One restroom to rule them all...not bad when the restaurant is slow but considering the winding staircase you take down, I can imagine how it is when crowded

Lastly, they automatically add a tip to the bill regardless if you're eating solo (me), as a duo, or with a group. Mine came out to €1,50 euro (not bad compared to some other places), not sure if it would've been higher if I was with someone

Happy Hour, not because they have discounts but because when you're sitting there having a drink looking at the a Pantheon you're happy! I found myself stopping by before dinner or coming back here every night to enjoy the view. They're open late. This is the place for that photo of you truly enjoying Rome. I like that they have free peanuts with your drinks. I'm not a fan of the potatoes chips, I actually look for that when I stop for a drink.
I didn't care for the pizza, I'm a pizza snob after Da Francisco but I enjoyed the spaghetti with clams.
I officially claim this as my neighborhood bar, that is when I'm in Rome :-)

My friends and I decided to stopped by here and gave this place a try since it was close to our meeting point, as we had to meet the rest of our group to go to the Vatican's city. The location of the restaurant gave us a wonderful view of the Pantheon as well as the city's square. The service that I have encountered in Italy have been positive. However, the server we got from this restaurant, provided the most wonderful service and was so patient with us. Especially when we asked him if we can split the bill, since it's a big no to some places. I got the vegetables lasagna. Nothing special on that dish, but it was comforting and flavorful. Now that I think about it, it was a bit overpriced for the portion. Including that dish, along with the service charge and a bottle of water, I paid about $18 US dollars.

Avoid this place. My friend ordered the lamb chops with potatoes for 20 euros. The lamb was almost inedible consisting mostly of bone and gristle. Another had fettuccine alla bolognese which was mediocre at best. This place has lousy food, lousy service and high prices.