Here are our top 5 recommended cafés in Rome.
Sciascia Caffè
Rome’s local coffee enthusiasts have no doubt – they insist this is the place to go to find quality coffee. If you are pretty particular about your coffee, you found your new favourite place. Gambero Rosso, the Italian equivalent of the French Michelin Guide, awarded Sciascia Caffè’s coffee its highest rating (three coffee beans). When you think the coffee roasting tradition at Sciascia goes back to 1919, it’s not hard to see how they earned the accolate. The coffee beans are imported directly from Africa and several South American countries. Be sure to try the house speciality; un caffé con cioccolato (an espresso with chocolate).
Via Fabio Massimo 80°
Tel: +39 06 32 11 580
Station: Ottaviano
Caffè della Pace
Relaxed and trendy – two words that succinctly describe Caffé della Pace (Peace Café). The more than one hundred-year-old café is located in a popular quarter only a stone’s throw from Piazza Navona. It has, for many years, been frequented by young, trendy Romans; actors, advertising professionals, TV stars, journalists and other assorted VIPs all take time out of their busy schedule here. Placing yourself among modern-day Rome’s elite and trendy is a great way to get a feel for the high-life, without paying for it. The café is at its most pleasant mid-morning, when it’s not too crowded and you can lazily and peacefully appreciate the pretty Liberty interiors.
Via della Pace 3-7
Station: Stazione Termini
Tazza d’Oro
Tazza d’Oro is more than a café; it’s more like a coffee mecca. Year upon year, the Tazza d’Oro is awarded the top rating of three coffee beans in Italy’s gastronomic Bible, Gambero Rosso. Coffee experts and connoisseurs, not just from Rome but from all over the world, come here to drink a cup of delectable black stuff. If you fancy tasting the best of the best, ask for an espresso Jamaica Blue Mountain or a coffee brewed with the rare Maragogype beans. These coffee beans are first class. But, then again, everything here is! The café has been in operation since 1946, and the use of bamboo in the décor provides it with a charming ambience. It’s an absolute must.
Via degli Orfani 84
Tel: +39 06 67 89 792
Web:
Station: Stazione Termini
Caffè Sant’Eustachio
One of the most popular and prestigious coffee temples in Rome is located between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. The name is Caffé Sant’Eustachio, and it was established in 1938. The capital’s coffee lovers and specialists come here to taste the house speciality, Il Grancaffe Speciale, a lovely creamy espresso. You can sense the historical atmosphere as soon as you set foot inside Caffé Sant’Eustachio. A large part of the café’s coffee is still roasted on an old-fashioned coffee roaster from 1948, and Sant’Eustachio has long since become a Roman institution that is not to be dismissed. Its reputation has even reached outside Italy’s borders, which explains why John F. Kennedy, Naomi Campbell, Boris Yeltsin and others have dropped by for a cup of its coffee.
Piazza Sant’Eustachio
Tel: +39 06 68 80 20 48
Web:
Station: Stazione Termini
Il Bar
The humble name of this venue translates to The Bar. You may rightly add ‘…with the best views of the city’. Il Bar is located at the top of Castel Sant’Angelo, Castle of Angels, and, aside from coffee and gastronomic delights, the venue offers a grand 360-degree view over the Eternal City, Rome. The bar has existed since 1948 and yet not all Romans know of it. This is despite the fact that celebrities from around the world have stopped by, including The Queen, Sophia Loren, movie director Federico Fellini, former US President Jimmy Carter and several Italian presidents. All are up on the café Wall of Fame, along with many others. Ask for a Caffé Marrochino, an espresso with a shot of Fernet Branca. Enjoy.
Lungotevere Castello 50
Station: st Stazione Termini
