Ritorno al Passato

The food is overpriced but it’s still nothing for perhaps the world’s best view of the Pantheon! I would never pay for a € 5 coffee anywhere… except in this nice café in Piazza della Rotonda because really, where else can you sip a coffee in the plain sight of the world’s only remaining ancient Roman building? It’s not like the coffee is bad anyway.
Seriously, this is the café that you see in many photos of the Pantheon!
Even as a «tourist trap», the service is splendid and the food is decent. While I would not suggest eating a full meal here because of its high price, I recommend taking the time to admire the Pantheon with a cup of coffee or a light breakfast here!

Conveniently located at the Pantheon but ordinary food.
Pizza is OK. Salads are OK. Service is fast and friendly.
View is terrific and people-​watching is good.

You must try here, Excellent food, wine, atmosphere, quality, service– 2^nd visit in 2 days, remembered us and sat us at request at same table. Yesterday was fantastic today lovely with music coming from the entertainers we can see from our table. This really was excellent food drink and service. Proper home-​made Italian pasta. This is what memories are made of.

Location, location, location. This place is situated perfectly if you want to sit by the patio, have a bottle of wine, a great dinner, and people watch with a perfect view of the Pantheon. This should be on any Rome tourist’s must do list. This also isn’t just about the view and experience. The food is downright excellent. We had the vegetable risotto, tagliatelle with sausage and mushroom, and Osso bucco with spaghetti. YUM!

I was really afraid sitting down here smack dab in front of the Pantheon that is was going to be one of those tourist type traps – but I couldn’t pass up the view!
No need to be scared! I was pleasantly surprised not only by how good my meal was but also by the hospitality of the staff – which sometimes can be lacking at places like this that tend to shuffle tourists in and out.
I ordered a Peroni and the Spaghetti alle Vongole and had them add small cherry tomatoes (pomodorini). It was sooo delicious. The place has slightly higher prices for similar dishes that you might find elsewhere, but again you’re paying for the amazing location. I travel to Rome for work often and will definitely being coming back! Brava!

Had a few cornettos and cappuccinos here to sit outside for a bit. Both were good. It’s next to the Pantheon so the prices reflect the real estate. Pay with cash or risk what we observed occur at a table next to us: pushy waiter verbally asks how much tip you want to be added to the card.

The restaurant, Ritorno al Passato, was in the prime location, right in front of the Pantheon, so the restaurant was filled with tourists.
We asked to be seated outside rather than inside, since the weather was so nice and we wanted to enjoy the culture.
In front of the restaurant (so in the piazza), there were live musicians performing and singing, we felt like we were in a movie scene, or dreaming! We couldn’t believe what was happening around us and where we were.
We ordered the classic carbonara, some ravioli for me, and an eggplant dish to share. The prices were alright, I don’t remember how much they were, but they weren’t overly expensive, but they weren’t cheap either.
Since both of us were used to Westernized Italian food, we were shocked to taste the carbonara. Made with fresh eggs, bacon/​ham and cheese, we were pleasantly surprised to taste the carbonara.
To be honest, the quality of food here at the restaurant wasn’t the best, compared to other restaurants we visited in Italy afterwards. However, given its prime location, it is worth sitting down, perhaps for a drink if you choose or plates to share.
The ravioli tasted great also, but again, compared to other Italian restaurants we visited after this day, the restaurant isn’t on our top tasting list. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our time here and the food was about average.
The eggplant dish was more flavourful, and I loved the texture of the eggplant.
Between the three dishes, both of us liked the carbonara the best and the ravioli the least.

Unfortunately it is the location that makes this restaurant as the food was average for inflated prices. The service was actually more friendly and attentive than I was expecting at this busy tourist hotspot.
The opportunity to sit in the piazza with sunlight streaming in, the magical accordion music floating through the air and the pantheon in your sights makes this place totally worth putting up with less than impressive food.

Ritorno al Passato or ‘Return to the Past’ Restaurant and Bar has prime location right in front of the historic Pantheon hence the fitting establishment name. Besides the ambiance and being able to have lunch, vino, and caffe in one of the busiest areas of all of Roma, the Piazza della Rotonda, the actual food and service was ok, not great authentic Italian Cuisine but ok. Ritorno al Passato has a normal Italian menu and I had a pizza with my favorite toppings of Prosciutto, Mozzarella and Mushrooms. The cost was higher than the quality would suggest but the location and the ambiance justifies.
With all the tourists and locals frequently walking by, my group and I found ourselves sitting for hours just catching up enjoying the ambiance meeting a lot of people with a few bottles of wine, table bread w/​olive oil and caffe.