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Akab
This eclectic former workshop has an underground cellar, an upper floor, a garden and a classically whimsical door policy. On Saturday the two levels pulsate to R & B and the latest house music, whilst Friday nights Akab zips up its boots and goes back to its roots with live music.
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Al Vino Al Vino
A studiously rustic vine-decorated place, with ceramic table tops and terracotta and ceramic floors set against large contemporary paintings, this is an attractive spot to linger over a fine collection of wines, particularly passiti (sweet wines). You can accompany them with snacks, including some Sicilian dishes.
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Antica Enoteca
Local shoppers and shopkeepers pack this much-loved wine bar, full of frescos and 19th-century fittings. Plonk yourself at the long wood-and-brass counter and take your pick from the wine list and snacks, or plunge into the back room for decent pasta or pizza.
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Antico Caffé Santamaria
Despite the name, this is notably new: a smart chrome-and-glass café, with a fantastic position opposite Santa Maria Maggiore. You can sit face to face with the magnificent church façade at sun-shaded outside tables, which is pleasant despite the busy junction.
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Art Studio Cafe
An unusual modern café that's spacious and airy, with white seating and lots of objets d'art for decoration and for sale. It also houses an interesting, accessible mosaic school, where you can take classes in the ancient art.
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Artù
Housed in an old parsonage, this diminutive, dark-panelled birreria (brewery) with stained-glass windows and an open fireplace is a favourite of thirsty expats. A good spot for a lingering beer and a long natter over a candlelit table, it also serves pretty good food, including pastas and sandwiches.
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B>Gallery
Contemporary art buffs and the design-inclined know where to head for a cultured sip. Join them in the minimalist bookshop/bar for fashionable tomes and cool Camparis, or head into the basement gallery for anything from multimedia and fashion installations to Mexican photography.
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Bar del Fico
At the time of writing Bar del Fico was undergoing some works to shore up its façade. By the time you read this, fingers crossed, this long-standing favourite of the capital's bohemians will have reopened and you can return to while away days and nights at its fig-tree-shaded tables. The elderly chess players never left: they carried on their games in the cobbled street beside the building site.
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Bar della Pace
People looking for images of la dolce vita would be hard pushed to find a better picture than the Bar della Pace. Sharp-dressed urbanites sip on their drinks, while behind them ivy cascades down the facade of the Art Nouveau cafe. It's not cheap, but as a place for an early-evening aperitivo in summer or a leisurely nightcap in winter, it takes some beating.
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Bar Le Cinque
There's no sign outside, and it looks like a run-down ordinary bar, but this is a Trastevere favourite, and always has a small crowd clustered around outside, here for the nice location, easy-going vibe and cheap drinks.
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Bar San Calisto
Those in the know head to this down-at-heel bar for its basic, stuck-in-time atmosphere and cheap prices (a large beer costs around €3 .50). It's the most bohemian bar in the area and attracts everyone from dodgy drug dealers and long-term soaks to elderly matrons and American students. It's famous for its chocolate - drunk hot with cream in winter, eaten as soft, creamy ice cream in summer.
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Bar Zest At Radisson Sas Es. Hotel
Atop the Radisson SAS es. Hotel and opposite Stazione Termini, Bar Zest swaps Esquiline grit for cool, clean chic: we're talking Jasper Morrison chairs, eye-candy waiters, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a sexy rooftop pool (sometimes open to the public - call ahead). Sip a Mai Tai, nibble on bold Med-twist nosh and forget the mayhem below.
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Baràbook
Yes, it's a bar… with books, which line the walls alongside oddball retro finds and art. In the middle, at a long communal table lit by low-strung lamps, locals read, chat and sip the house speciality spritzer. Aperitiv o(happy hour) comes with DJ tunes on Fridays and Saturdays from , and the Sunday brunch ( ) is tasty fuel for cultured brains.
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Bartaruga
VIPs, theatre darlings and the charming come to sip cocktails amid this exuberant and eccentric baroque ensemble of oriental furniture, velvet fabrics and Venetian chandeliers; the soundtrack is loungey and jazzy and the mood relaxing and chatty.
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Bevitoria Navona
No wine bar on Piazza Navona is ever going to be cheap and off the beaten track, but this is one of the better places. Drink at the bar (around €4 for a glass of Frascati Superiore) or sit outside and pay for waiter service. If you get the chance check out the remains of Domitian's stadium in the cellar.
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Bloom
In a converted 14th-century chapel, Bloom is closely related in style to nearby club La Maison, hosting a younger-but-just-as-gorgeous crowd. The steel bar, 21st-century Art Deco, Philippe Starck lighting and a menu of Italian-Asian fusion food all add to the ambience of city-centre swank. It turns into a disco at weekends. Dress the part unless you want to stick out like a bad haircut.
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Bohemien
This elegant little bar feels like something you might stumble on in left-bank Paris: small, with mismatched chairs and tables and an eclectic, fittingly boho crowd drinking wine by the glass or cups of tea. It's gay but attracts all types.
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Caffè Capitolino
This amazing terrace overlooking the domes of Rome is a well-kept secret, hidden away behind the museum, and accessible from the piazza (via a separate entrance behind Palazzo dei Conservatori) even if you haven't done the cultural bit.
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Caffè Farnese
We're with Goethe, who thought Piazza Farnese one of the world's most beautiful squares. Judge for yourself from the vantage of this unassuming café. On a street between Campo de' Fiori and Piazza Farnese, it's ideally placed for whiling away the early afternoon hours. Try the caffè alla casa (house coffee) - made to a secret recipe, it resonates with lemon and other delicious flavours.
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Caffè Letterario
Cars make way for culture at this former garage basement, now a cavernous concoction of designer bar, bookshop, art gallery, performance space and nooks with cosy lounges. Grab a beer, eye-up the art and schmooze with the local culture crew. Credit cards not accepted.
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Caffè Sant'Eustachio
A small stand-up place with some of Rome's best coffee, this is always three deep at the bar. The coffee is created through a special process - note how the barristi turn away to complete the secret recipe. Served sugared with a layer of froth, it's superbly smooth and guaranteed to put some zing into your sightseeing. Specify if you want it amaro (bitter) or poco zucchero (with a little sugar). It's been serving its caffeinated delights since 1938, and the décor hasn't changed much since then.
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Casa Dell'architettura
As Rome gets its cultural groove back, a new league of themed cultural case (houses) is keeping culture-vultures busy. One of the lesser-known gems is Esquiline's Casa dell'Architettura. Set in a beautifully restored fin de siècle aquarium designed by Ettore Bernich, its flouncy, glass-domed hall regularly hosts architecture-themed exhibitions. It has a slick design-themed bookshop for coffee-table cred, and a raffish little garden for the concrete-jungle fatigued.
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Casina Valadier
While this chichi restaurant - housed in a beautifully restored neoclassical lodge with a sterling panorama of northern Rome - is perfect for a romantic rendezvous, we think its lush, citrus-sprinkled garden is perfect for lazy, sun-soaked sipping. So slip on those shades and toast to the view with a flute of pink prosecco .
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Cavour 313
This is one of Rome's oldest wine bars. Sink into its publike cosiness and choose from a list of about 1200 labels, including Italian wines and notable Californian and Australian vintages. There's also a food menu featuring a superb cheeseboard.
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Chiostro Del Bramante Caffè
A well-kept secret: you can have a drink or creamy cappuccino, and snack (or brunch on weekends between and ) on salads and so on (around €8 to around €12 ) in the Renaissance splendour of Bramante's cloister, which often hosts dramatically contemporary art installations. There's also wi-fi access.
