A Very Subjective List of the Best Bars in Rome

Issue #24

It’s hard to beat the views and the cocktails at the Court

Sometimes you’re wandering around and just (desperately) need a quick espresso or want to sit down for an Aperol Spritz or a glass of wine. And I’m not here to chastise you for picking a bar or cafe at random and sitting down for a drink. That said, the bars in Rome are not all created equal. Even something as simple as an Aperol Spritz can be botched. 

So how can you tell the difference between an authentic Roman bar and a tourist trap? First of all, look at the location. Generally speaking, you should avoid eating and drinking on the main piazzas with views of the city’s most famous monuments. Venturing onto the side streets helps. Places displaying oversize menus, signs, or product displays out front are usually tourist traps, so it’s best to avoid those. If it seems like the crowd is local, that’s a good sign. I’m not telling you to avoid places based solely on the presence of tourists, just to avoid the places where the crowd seems to be entirely made up of tourists. 

Still, there are definitely times when it’s worth seeking out one of Rome’s best bars. Perhaps you’re celebrating a special occasion, want to soak up a unique atmosphere, or check out a place making cutting-edge cocktails. This list is meant for those times. It’s not meant to be comprehensive. Like my list of the best places to eat in Rome, it’s admittedly subjective. So, without further ado, these are—in my opinion—some of the best places to drink everything from coffee to cocktails in Rome. I’ve divided this list into seven categories: best coffee bar, best wine bar, best amaro selection, most splurge-worthy cocktail spot, most cinematic bar, most cutting-edge cocktails, and best rooftop bar.

Best Coffee Bar

In the summer, my go-to order here is the granita di caffè con panna

If you’re visiting Italy you’ll quickly discover that bars and cafes generally serve espresso all day long in addition to soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. I will often pop into a random bar for a quick espresso macchiato when I need a boost. However, there are a couple of famous coffee bars worth seeking out, both near the Pantheon and both historic. Sant’Eustachio might be the more famous of the two, but I prefer the Tazza d’Oro. It’s been around since 1944 and roasts its beans in-house, so the smell is amazing. In the summer, I love their granita di caffè con panna (a sort of frozen coffee slushie with whipped cream). Pay at the cash register first and take your receipt to the bar.

Best Wine Bar

Ai Tre Scalini is on the left side of the street under the ivy

Wine bars are a dime a dozen in Rome, but the one that stands out to me is Ai Tre Scalini in Monti. It’s not a local secret, nor does it have the most extensive wine list around, but it is a dependable standby, beloved by locals and tourists for good reason. Positioned toward the bottom of the steeply sloping Via Panisperna, under a massive curtain of ivy hanging between the buildings on either side of the street, it’s casual, approachable, and affordable. You can order by the glass, by the bottle, or by the liter, half-liter, or quarter-liter. It serves an ample menu of pastas and mains, but if you just want a drink or a cheese plate, that’s perfectly fine. 

Best Amaro Selection

Il Marchese is an osteria, but you don’t need a reservation to sit at the bar

The bittersweet liqueurs known as amari take a lot of forms and pop up in a lot of places. Aperol and Campari are the most common amari you’ll likely encounter as aperitivi, but there are myriad amari that are usually served as digestivi (i.e. after dinner drinks meant to aid digestion). If you want to learn more about them, the place to go is Il Marchese, which has more than 500 labels. Pull up a stool at the bar and you can sip extremely rare amari or try their creative cocktails made using amari.