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Divinum
In the corner of this enchanting square, you can sit outside and overlook the worn columns of the Tempio di Adriano. During the day try the caffè completo (around €3 /around €1 seated/at the bar) - it's served with cream in a cup lined with chocolate. At night the tables are white draped and candle lit, and it's more of an eatery (pasta, salads etc) but still good for a drink.
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Doney H Club
A former dolce vita hang-out on swinging Via Vittorio Veneto, the Doney has been revamped and relaunched. Housed in the plush Westin Excelsior Hotel, it's a classy joint in red and black with candelabras and artistic baubles. Frequented by wealthy Romans, out-of-towners and tourists, it's open all day but generally heats up around aperitif time.
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Doppiozeroo
Fashionable Romans flock to this easy-going, trendy bar that is all things to all people. Sleek and modern, it serves coffee and pastries for breakfast, pizza by the slice or snacks for lunch; tea in the afternoon, and aperitivo between and .
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Druid's Den
A smoky Irish nook of a pub, the Druid's Den attracts a crowd of young expats and Roman Anglophiles. The atmosphere is convivial and although there are no great surprises - walls are wood-lined and covered with Celtic paraphernalia - it's a laid-back spot for a pint or two.
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English Theatre Of Rome
The English Theatre of Rome stages a mix of contemporary and classic plays, stand-up comedians, and bilingual productions, mainly at the Teatro L'Arciliuto, near Piazza Navona, and occasionally other venues.
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Enoteca Piccola
Despite being in one of Rome's most touristy areas, this wine bar retains an old-fashioned, unaffected feel. A local said dismissively, 'the fridge is small', but the selection of Italian wines is good if limited, and well accompanied by cold cuts and cheeses.
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Enoteca Trastevere
A popular, unusually spacious enoteca in Trastevere, with little painted tables and chairs inside and out. A glass of wine starts at around €4 and there are over 500 from which to choose, with a long menu of good if overpriced snacks to accompany them.
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Etablì
Chilean-Italian brothers Massimo and Alessandro Aureli are the smiling hosts of this informal enoteca -lounge-bar-café restaurant in a 16th-century building. A new address on the itinerary of Rome's beautiful people, it's named after the antique work benches that the brothers brought back from Provence alongside the many other antique furnishings. Roman lovelies float in and out to have a drink or coffee, read the paper, and indulge in aperitivo or the restaurant's cucina creativa (creative cuisine).
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Etò
A shiny, hi-tech club, hosting shiny, dressed-up people, Etò plays commercial house and dance to a lively crowd, and serves knock-your-socks-off cocktails. Most summers it moves to the terrace of the Palazzo dei Congressi in EUR : go-go dancers on the walls of Mussolini's stern architecture have to be seen to be believed.
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Faggiani
Some of the best coffee and cornetti (croissants) in Rome are served up here in old-fashioned style by waistcoat-wearing barristi . There are a few street-side tables, but most customers get their daily fix at the polished bar.
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Fake
Fake has gone through a few changes of hands over recent years but this venue has maintained its popularity for its laid-back atmosphere. The pop-art décor is looking a bit tired but it's having a refit, and the floaty harem-styled seating area makes you feel like you're on holiday. Although it's a club it's laid-back enough to go for a drink; there's no admission charge and cocktails are around €10 .
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Fanfulla 101
This raw'n'retro cultural centre (hidden behind an unmarked workshop door) keeps left-leaning loafers oiled with dirt-cheap drinks and anything from live indie, jazz and rock, to art-house films, and DJ-spun reggae, house and Jap-pop kitsch. The run-down shack on the corner across the street starred in Pasolini's Accattone .
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Femme
A hang-out just off Campo de' Fiori, Femme has all-women DJs, and a hip bar interior: you sit on silver cubes, leaning against wavy modernist banquettes.
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Ferrara
While the restaurant (open from to ) dishes can be hit and miss, the snug, softly lit wine bar is a constant winner. You might need the waiters' help to navigate the two-volume (one for red, one for white) 1000-label wine list. Relieve the exhaustion with the scrumptious selection of aperitivo snacks (from to ).
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Fiddler's Elbow
The granddaddy of Rome's Irish pubs, the Fiddler's Elbow sticks to the tried-and-true formula that has served it so well over the last 25 years or so: the winning combination of Guinness, darts and crisps. That's not to imply that the menu's limited - providing the beer chasers are more than 180 labels of whisky and rum.
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Finnegans
At first glance this seems like an Irish pub anywhere in the world, but look closer and it has some Italian twists. Many of the clientele are good-looking and there's table service. You can also order bellinis and snacks alongside the pints of Guinness. Popular with expats and young Romans, it's Irish-run and shows all the big football and rugby games.
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Fluid
A bit too try-hard, this is nonetheless popular and worth a try if you like a designer setting as a backdrop for a drink. Punters sit on illuminated ice-cube-style seating and the interior design is best described as cosmic-cave chic. Most clientele think they're too cool to look even vaguely interested in what they are doing.
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Fonclea
Don't let the English country pub decor put you off - this is a great little venue for live music. Most nights there are cover bands playing a gamut of musical styles, from jazz to soul, funk to rock. Sustain yourself with the very eatable Italian and Mexican food, a choice of more than 200 cocktails, and English beer on tap.
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Forte Prenestino
Housed in a huge 19th-century fortress complete with moat, this centro sociale hosts all sorts of counterculture events, from gigs to monthly fair-trade produce market terra TERRA (www.terraterra.noblogs.org in Italian).
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Freni e Frizioni
One of Rome's coolest bars, Freni e Frizioni (meaning 'brakes and clutches' - the venue was once a garage) is close to the Tiber. It's run by the same people as equally hip Société Lucète . Inside mixes vintage furniture and modern art, outside happening crowds fill the entire little piazza at night. Drinks are reasonable and aperitivo a bargain (beers/cocktails cost around €5 /around €7 from to ).
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Friends Art Café
This high-tech steel-and-chrome favourite is a glitzy, cheerful, noisy spot and offers a bountiful aperitivo (around €6 to around €7 ). There are two other branches at Via Piave 69-73 (06 420 14 285; Piazza Fiume; ; - daily except Sun afternoon) and Via della Scrofa 59 (06 686 14 16;; ; - ). All have wi-fi access.
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FuzzyBar
Naff name aside, Fuzzy is seriously clued-up about wine and food. New World drops are snubbed for Old World gems; the gourmet aperitivo focuses on small-scale Italian producers; and regular tasting events span oils and wines to regional cuisines. Note the kitchen closes at from Sundays to Thursdays. If you write/read Italian, join the email list (fuzzybar@libero.it) for the lowdown on upcoming events.
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Garbo
Tucked away in a quiet corner of Trastevere, Garbo is a gay club with a relaxed atmosphere that caters to Italians and visitors of all ages. Officially it's a private club, but visitors are welcomed into the intimate candlelit interior by the jovial Irish owner.
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Gay Village
In summer, Gay Village takes over a 6.5 hectare site of historic parkland and transforms it into an outdoor entertainment complex with bars, two dance floors, an open-air gym, an exhibition space and an outdoor cinema. There's live music, theatrical performances, film screenings and a whole lot more.
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Gilda
Cue impressive displays of cleavage and silver foxes on the dance floor: Rome's partying politicians, actors and glamorous wannabes have been coming to Gilda to let their expensive hair down for decades. Named after the Rita Heyworth film, it's a dressy place where jackets are required and the music is pure pop. The glamour pusses transfer to Ostia in summer for Gilda on the Beach.
