Founded by three friends with a passion for wine and fine food, Antico Arco attracts foodies from Rome and beyond with its culinary inventiveness and high style. The location is a bit removed from the city setting, up on top of the Janiculum hill, right near the Villa Pamphili park. But its charming setting, in a precious little villa, makes for a homey ambience that's difficult to come by elsewhere in the city. There's a substantial bar at which you can enjoy an aperitivo while you wait for a table, but do book ahead, as this place gets packed with its fans from the nearby American Academy and staff of the American University of Rome. Seating upstairs is cozy, particularly in winter; you feel as if you're dining in a friend's lovely attic. The menu changes with the season, but you may find such delights as flan di taleggio con salsa di funghi (a taleggio cheese flan with mushroom sauce), or a carré d'agnello (rack of lamb) with foie gras sauce and pears in port wine. The chocolate soufflé with a molten chocolate center, is justly famous among chocoholics all over the city.

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