Anywhere else you’d avoid the restaurant sitting just 100 metres from one of the city’s most celebrated monuments, assuming it would be a tourist trap. Armando al Pantheon, however, is different. It’s one of the hardest restaurants to secure a reservation at in Rome. And for good reason. Run by the Gargioli family since 1961, with a location that – as the name suggests – is just steps away from the Pantheon, it is one of the best restaurants to indulge in a bowl of pasta at in Rome (if you can get a reservation). It excels at old-school Roman classics like spaghetti with oil, garlic and chilli. One more thing to love about Armando: is also one of the few places in Rome to offer gluten-free pasta. armandoalpantheon.it/en

You can’t leave Rome without trying the city’s signature pasta dish. Cacio e pepe may be the best example of the power of simplicity, a bowl full of flavour made with just three ingredients: spaghetti, aged pecorino Romano cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Unsurprisingly you will find it on many menus but the version to beat is at Felice a Testaccio, one of Rome’s best restaurants, where the pasta is tossed at the table. feliceatestaccio.com

Look, the truth is, you don’t need to order the spaghetti carbonara. When you are at Salumeria Roscioli – a true local Rome landmark that is mash-up of a deli, wine bar, and restaurant – whatever you order, from a plate of salume, or pasta, or cold cuts, to the stuffed rabbit, will be outstanding. But carbonara is another of those quintessential Roman dishes that you should eat while you’re here and Roscioli, predictably, does a great job and often referred to as the best in Rome. salumeriaroscioli.com/en

If you have a hankering for some seafood pasta, Il Tempio di Iside is the best restaurant in Rome to head to. Just a short walk from the Colosseum, this temple to all things fishy is known for its super-fresh seafood, carefully prepared to bring out the flavour. It is best-known for its delicate crudo but it also does a nice line in seafood pasta. If the prawn fusilli doesn’t suit your mood, try the ravioli stuffed with baccala, or salt cod. instagram.com/tempiodiisideroma

There may be a New York feel not just to the interiors of Baccano, but also parts of the menu – as well as top-notch burgers, they even have an oyster bar – but the heart of this bistro near the Trevi Foundation is pure Rome. Chef Nabil Hadj Hassen helmed the restaurant kitchen at Salumeria Roscioli for many years and his touch with pasta is as deft as ever. The tortellini – a Bologna specialty – stuffed with beef, mortadella and parmesan, is magnificent and some of the best in Rome. baccanoroma.com

When there are so many wonderful restaurants in Rome to be found a short walk from wherever you are staying, why would you take a 20-minute taxi trip to Da Cesare al Casaletto? Because this rather nondescript trattoria is a local legend where everything, including the superb pasta, is made with predominantly local ingredients. The fried gnocchi on a bed of melted pecorino cheese is swoon-worthy. It’s no wonder locals consider this pasta dish the best in the city. trattoriadacesare.it

You won’t find Da Augusto on social media. The family-run restaurant doesn’t even have a website. What it does have is a line of people queuing up out the door as soon as it opens, as its first in, first served. Ask any local where you should dine and this traditional restaurant in the Trastevere area will often be recommended as the best in Rome. The pasta here is homemade, humble and delicious. Most begin with Rigatoni cacio e pepe or all’Amatriciana. Make sure you complete the meal with a slice of their tiramisu.

An easy walk from the Trevi Fountain, this family-run trattoria has been serving up classics from the Emilia-Romagna region – known for its egg-rich pasta – for more than 50 years. Easily one of the best mainstay pasta restaurant in Rome. Colline Emiliane is the place to come when you are looking for something a little bit different. Among the best-loved specialties is their green lasagne, which gets its colour from the spinach added to the dough. collineemiliane.com/en