Mudpie Fridays >> Restaurant >> The best restaurant near the Pantheon Rome

The best restaurant near the Pantheon Rome

I wouldn’t normally write an article about a specific eating experience. Especially when travelling somewhere like Rome. There are so many delicious restaurants and the range of Street Food is amazing. Yet there is something about the eatery we found that deserves a mention. Antica Salumeria Roma is most definitely a hidden gem and the beauty of it is that we stumbled on it by chance. When the curious ten-year-old decided to stick his head in what we thought was a tourist deli. Right next to one of the most visited tourist sights in Rome – The Pantheon. We had no idea that we were going to find one of the best restaurants near the Pantheon.

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The best restaurant near the Pantheon in Rome

The Pantheon is located in the heart of Rome. A stone’s throw away from the Piazza Navona and around a fifteen-minute short walk from the Trevi Fountain. Which is where we stayed when we visited in February. Rome is home to several Michelin Star fine dining restaurants, a wine bar and sandwich shop on every corner and plenty of great restaurants. In my opinion, this great place is home to some of the best food in Italy. So you should not have any trouble finding a great spot to eat in the Eternal City.

We arrived in Rome early and after spending almost the whole day sightseeing we were on the hunt for some good food. After walking past several restaurants selling traditional Roman cuisine. Charlie decided to head into what looked like a tourist deli… not for the first time on our trip. Little did we know we would find the best restaurant near The Pantheon in Rome.

What is Antica Salumeria Roma

The outside has a selection of different Italian cheeses, meats and fresh produce to tempt you into the shop. There was also a deli counter at the front selling different types of street food and Roman classics. Such as pizza bianca and roman-style artichokes to go. On the other side, there are various sweet treats. As you walk into the shop there are Italian meats hanging from the ceiling and cheeses. All packaged up ready to tempt the tourists. Plus lots of different wines to try. There are people on hand for tastings. We just thought it was a deli, it was not until we got talking to one of the ladies serving that we realised there was another option.

But if you wander through this area of the shop into the back there is a small room. With a few tables, the walls were covered with different bottles of wine and a large counter. Which is so covered in meats and cheeses you can not see the person standing behind it. As we walked in we realised it was a small restaurant. And much to our delight, there was a table for four free.

Where is Antica Salumeria Roma located?

As you stand in front of the Pantheon, you will some small shops on the left-hand side. As you look to the left you will see Antica Salumeria opposite the Obelisk Macuteo and del Pantheon water fountain in the Piazza Della Rotonda. You will also see various restaurants at the back of the Piazza with outdoor seating, such as Armando Gargioli with its outdoor tables. Which adds to the secret nature of this Italian restaurant.

What did we eat?

I think you can always tell if a place is going to be good by whether the locals use it or not. When we turned up two of the tables were occupied by Italians. There were only four tables in the dining room which had a very relaxed atmosphere. I would imagine in the Summer months it would be difficult to get a table in this traditional trattoria.

Most looked like they had finished work and decided to have a meal on the way home. Not only that but a number of people also stopped by to purchase some of the different cheeses and meats to take home. Using the deli counter at the back of the shop where our meal was prepared. Rather than the tourist package treats on show at the front of the shop.

As far as I can tell they only offered one dish. A selection of cheeses and meats is sold on the deli counter along with a small bowl of pickled olives and vegetables in olive oil. It comes with a basket of bread and the chance to try out whichever bottle of wine they had open. Your order is based on the number of people eating. There is no menu. We ordered for three which in hindsight may have been a mistake as we got so much. Our platter would have easily fed four people.

How much did it cost?

This is the beauty of it. It cost 20€ each. Compared to other restaurants that we visited during our visit I would say this was on par as you could usually pick up pasta dishes for around 15€. But for the portion size, location and what if it was it was great value.

The wine was sold by the glass and it literally was whichever bottle they have available from wine tastings. Although we did not ask for a wine list. You were given the chance to try it first. Prices will vary depending on what it was we paid 5-7€. You could also request a bottle since the walls were covered in local wines, the cheapest we saw was 12€. If you are travelling with kids as we were then be careful as they will offer drinks to them as well. Which we discovered was some sort of sweet fruity fizzy white wine. Not ideal!!

They sold some soft drinks by the bottle but we did struggle to get water. Thankfully we had our own. The meal for three with wine and a soft drink for Charlie cost 87€. We were completely full by the time we left.

Have you visited the Pantheon? Or eaten close by? I would love to hear about your favorite places in the comments below.