Do you love coffee and want to make sure you get the best of the best in Rome? Find out where to find the best coffee in Rome and what to order in our guide to the best coffee experiences in the capital.
A very old TV commercial circulated in Italy when I was a child. It showed Italian actor Nino Manfredi saying ‘Coffee is a pleasure. If it is not good, what sort of pleasure is that?’, just before savoring a lovely cup of the espresso of choice.
Many Italians from my generation would remember that ad and many would agree: bad coffee is awful but good coffee can be a real pleasure, a sensory awakening that starts on your lips and tongues and becomes a full body experience once caffeine makes its way though your body.
If you are in Rome, you will find no shortage of good coffee, but what if you wanted to go from good to great? If you are wondering where to find the best coffee in Rome and what coffee specialties to order where, keep reading.
The best coffee in Rome: St Eustachio il Caffe’
If you are looking for the best espresso in Rome, the black delights Italian simply call ‘caffe” then the place to be is Bar Sant’ Eustachio.
This coffee shop is a real institution in Rome: is serves delicious coffee al banco (meaning: standing, at the bar) and has the added advantage of being in the very centre of the city, in historical piazza Sant’ Eustachio, after which is it named.
The square is worth visiting even if you are not a coffee lover but for the caffeine addict this is a real treat: as ‘Un caffe’ per favore‘ and you will soon be served a strong yet delicious small cup that will make you see what real coffee is all about.
If you want more than just a quick caffeinated gulp, have a peek to the far end of the shop and take in the ancient coffee machines and grinders: they will give any modern sleek contraption a run for their money!
Just a word of caution: coffee here is served already with sugar so if you need to avoid it, make sure you tell them (senza succhero per favore)
Address: Piazza Sant’ Eustachio, Rome city centre
Best granita di caffe’ in Rome
On a hot or even just warm day in Rome, head to Piazza del Pantheon and go to the famous Caffe’ Tazza d’oro, just beside the square (you can see it from just outside the church, super easy to find thanks to large yellow and black signage outside).
This is another Rome institution and the thing to order here is granita, crushed ice infused with coffee and topped by fresh whipped cream.
It is an indulgent delight and contains just enough sugar to make it totally addictive. Have it while strolling around the area for maximum pleasure
Address: Via degli Orfani, 84
Best cappuccino in Rome
If you like the velvety milky caress of real Italian cappuccino one worth seeking out is the one made in Cannoleria Siciliana.
This is a Sicilian pastry and food shop I regularly go to for their mini cannoli (perfect with coffee!) and I am told has a wonderful cappuccino worth having.
The reason why I am relying on hearsay is that I don’t drink milk anymore but my sources are local, many and reliable.
Address: Piazza Re di Roma, 10, Corso Trieste, 100 e Piazzale degli Eroi, 24
Best tiramisu in Rome (coffee based)
Tiramisu is not a Rome specialty as such (it s said to come from Veneto).
However, if you are in the city and want a soft scoop of this most delicious of Italian dessert, you will find great satisfaction in the tiramisu of Bar Pompi, legendary tiramisu place in the city.
Pompi didn’t start off as a big brand but rather as a gelateria in the 1960s who came up with an especially delicious take on tiramisu to then become a well known international name with several branches in the city.
Its dominance over any other tiramisu place in the city has been undisclosed for decades but in the last few years a new name has arisen to stardom: Zum
When it comes to tiramisu battles, I believe the only way it to go and test out yourself what makes your taste buds sign louder: they are both in the centre so a tiramisu face off is easy to arrange.
Address Pompi: Via Santa Maria in Via, 17 (Trevi) Address Zum: Piazza del Teatro di Pompeo, 20
Incidentally, Zum is beside one of the best gelato places in Rome: if heading that way with kids, everyone can have a treat!
Best affogato al caffe’
Affogato is a mix of two of the things that Rome dies best: gelato and coffee.
With affogato, you get a large cup of vanilla ice cream ‘drowned’ in espresso and the result is every bit as delicious as you can imagine.
A great lace for it is Panella, historical coffee hang out in via Merulana, 54 (Termini area) where you can also get a great cappuccino topped with Chantilly cream. If you are in the mood for a treat, this is a great address to have!
I hope you enjoyed this article and helped answer the question: what are the best coffee experience in Rome?