Best coffee bars in Rome
What are the best old school coffee establishments in Rome?
The Italian 30 second breakfast is an espresso and a pastry, eaten at the bar, before whizzing off on the moped to work. There is much less caffeine in espresso, than you think, because the coffee extraction for espresso is so rapid and powerful, there’s too little time for much caffeine to be extracted from the coffee.
These three bars are in the Italy’s Best little black book.
Sant’Eustachio
The espresso at Sant’Eustachio in Rome is so well-regarded that William Grimes of the New York Times advised those in the US seeking the perfect espresso, “…When the need for a real espresso becomes overpowering, buy a ticket to Rome, tell the taxi driver to head straight for the Sant’Eustachio caffe. The espresso will be perfect. A little expensive, but surely worth the trouble.”
Sant’Eustachio Il Caffè was founded in 1938. Located in the heart of Rome, in front of the Senato della Republica palace, it is just a few steps away from Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. The symbol of Sant’Eustachio Il Caffè is a stag which recalls the apparition and conversion to Christianity of the previously pagan Eustace. In the piazza of the same name stands the Sant’Eustachio Basilica, a church more than a thousand years old. On the top of the basilica, instead of the traditional cross, there is a white stag with a cross between its horns.
In 1999 the brothers Raimondo and Roberto Ricci began to run Sant’Eustachio Il Caffè. They decided to carry on the tradition, selecting the best coffee varieties and offering a range of products prepared with a legendary secret blend.
The Coffee Shop has 6 tables outdoors and inside the premises is still functioning a device to roast coffee over wood that goes back to the 1940’s.
Piazza Sant’Eustachio 82
santeustachioilcaffe.it
Tazza D’Oro
Nowadays it’s so hard to find a shop which survives for more than 20 years. Tazza d’oro stands alone. It’s a very old coffee shop. Founded almost 70 years ago it is still as fascinating as it was in the old days. The light-brown walls, the floor, the furniture, the coffee aroma which fills the air, the atmosphere, it’s all as if time has stopped here.
The beans are imported from all over the world and mostly from South America. Here you can try from the simple espresso, a small shot of concentrate coffee, or the “granita di caffè” (Iced coffee with cream). It’s served with “panna” (double cream) at the bottom, followed by a tasteful home made coffee, iced and crushed, and topped off with more panna.
via dei Pastini 11
Caffe Doria
Caffe Doria is situated inside the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, the original home of the noble Pamphilj family.
Beautiful wood panelling, and a stones throw from Piazza Venezia make this a good option if you are in the vicinity of the Pantheon or Piazza Venezia.
A must is their delicious ‘Marocchino’. It is served in a small glass and consists of a shot of espresso, cocoa powder and milk froth.
Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Via della Gatta 1
http://www.anticocaffedoria.it/
