One More Cup of Coffee on the Go – The Recommended Cafés in Rome
Ladies and gents, please welcome our beloved coffee. It opens the morning, strengthens the afternoon and awakens the evening. It also accompanies Italians throughout the hours of the day, in its various forms and strong flavors. Coffee is one of Italy's strongest players whilst standing at the bar or sitting tableside. Just don't ask for a latte!
- Haleli Amiad - Romio Team
- 30 May, 2022
Coffee in Rome…
Let’s put the concepts and customs in order first. In the morning, the average Italian (named Alessandro for that matter) drinks a cappuccino. Alessandro drink his cappuccino standing at the bar, and eats away a cornetto (the Roman version of a croissant) filled with cream. This is his average breakfast, and he loves every drop of steamed milk that fills his coffee. Cappuccino is full of foam, and if you want it without foam you can ask for “cappuccino senza schiuma” (which means, you guessed it right, “cappuccino without foam”).
Alessandro continues from there to the office – he’s working for two hours and his eyes are closing by themselves. He goes down to the bar (Café) below his workplace and orders a coffee, but this time he orders a short espresso – “caffè corto”. If he prefers a long espresso then he’ll ask for a “caffè lungo”, and if he partied late into the night before, he’ll ask for a double espresso – “caffè doppio”. Alessandro no longer drinks cappuccino during these hours, the milk makes a bit of a mess in his stomach. It is no longer customary to order a cappuccino at the neighborhood bar as from noon (unless you ask for it, of course).
Alessandro opens a button after eating Suppli and pasta for lunch. He feels tired after all of these carbs and goes to the bar next to his office for the third time. He orders more coffee. After finishing his work day he’ll pass by the regular bar on his way home and, again, drink coffee.
Alessandro, Giovanni, Marco or even Francesco – it really doesn’t matter. Italians drink their coffee in quantities, and usually while standing next to the bar (it’s an economic thing, sitting at a table costs more). They don’t linger more than five minutes on consuming their caffeine, and immediately go about their day alert and happy. The truth is that in Rome you will find at least five coffee bars per meter and all are excellent. Those located next to the fountains and piazzas are usually more expensive because of the view, but you want the best and deserve it, so here is our list of the best Cafés in Rome. Don’t be a tourist, drink at the bar!
The coffee is amazing and the food is just the best! Roscioli
ROSCIOLI CAFFÈ
Address: Piazza Benedetto Cairoli 16 (Campo de‘ Fiori).
Roscioli Café is a small and perfect bar. It has a wonderful bakery in that offers both sweet and savory pastries, which you can enjoy alongside a steaming and energizing coffee. The place is relatively small and its merchandise may be a little more expensive than its surrounding cafés, but when it comes to half a euro here or there, don’t let that bother you.
Opening hours: Monday – Saturday 7:00-18:00
Sunday 8:00-18:00
Faro
Address: Via Piave 55
Faro is a young and modern café, where it’s nice to sit with a laptop and write a poem about the vacation in Rome, or just work a little. It’s nice and niche, and uses only Arabica coffee from single and selected plantations that have been awarded quality labels. Its location deviates a little from the route of the historical sites in the city center, but you’ll have to believe us that it’s worth the walk.
Opening hours: Monday-Friday 8:00-16:00
Saturday-Sunday 9:00-17:00
La Casa del caffè Tazza d’Oro
This tourist Café in the city center brings thousands of people to it and for a good reason. Whether your heart desires a coffee to take home (or as a gift to someone who really deserves it), or whether you just want a sip of the black gold Tazza d’Oro (which loosely translates to a “golden cup”), this is the place to be. It also sells coffee making equipment such as liqueurs, capsules and moka pots.
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 7:00-20:00
Sunday 10:30-19:30
Antico Caffè Greco
Address: Via dei Condotti 86 (Spanish Steps)
This is the oldest Café in Rome, and the second oldest in all of Italy. It opened its doors in 1760 and used to be a well-known meeting place for artists, politicians and writers throughout the years. As befitting a place with such an important title, it’s one of the most expensive Cafés in Rome. Well, what can you expect from a Café that overlooks a Gucci store?
Opening hours: Sunday-Monday 9:00-21:00
More then just café. Antico Caffè Greco
Sant' Eustachio Il Caffè
Address: Piazza di San Eustachio 82 (Pantheon, Piazza Navona)
This exquisite Café offers an authentic experience, both in terms of design and atmosphere, and in terms of the quality of the coffee. Established in the 1930s, it is considered by many locals to be the best coffee in Rome. The beans are roasted “live”, and the water used in making the coffee comes straight from an ancient aqueduct. You can also buy coffee by weight and enjoy the Roman flavors on your return home.
Opening hours: Sunday-Thursday 7:30-1:00
Friday 7:30-1:30
Saturday 7:30-2:00
Sciascia Caffè 1919
Address: via Fabio Massimo 80/a (close to the Vatican)
The Café won the title “Best Cappuccino in Italy” in 2005, and not for nothing. The place that opened its doors over 100 years ago brings with it the best that Rome has to offer when it comes to the bitter and addictive drink. It boasts a flagship shot of espresso with a bit of dark chocolate, and also offers a diverse selection of small pastries to sweeten the day.
Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 7:00-21:00
One hundred years of addictive coffee. Sciascia Caffè 1919
In sum, the coffee in Italy and Rome in particular is truly one of the best in the world, if not the best. Don’t forget to order something small to snack on, and if the caffeine hit you hard – any of the above places will gladly offer you decaffeinated coffee (“caffè decaffeinato”, or simply “decaffeinato”), or a hot chocolate. For fans of boiling coffee, order it “Ben Caldo”. Enjoy!
