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Latteria Borgo Pio
The marble bar at this veteran cremeria (a dying breed of bar selling farm-fresh milk) has been propping up espresso-guzzling, cornetto -munching locals since 1912 (the wooden fridge is even older). Catch up on local gossip beside the poker machine, or kick back with the paper and panini on the postcard-worthy street.
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Le Coppelle
Pose at Le Coppelle and partake in some 21st-century dolce vita . The recently refurbished bar has partially taken over the pretty piazza as its salon, with leopard-skin chairs and lipstick-red sofas on which to recline, watch the beautiful and the damned, and drink a cocktail (around €10 ).
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Le Jardin Du Russie
Perhaps you can't afford to stay here but you should splash out for a drink in what is surely one of the most enchanting bars in the city. It's set in the courtyard of the Hotel de Russie (a favourite of visiting celebrities), with terraced gardens and sun-shaded tables, and is impossibly romantic in a kind of 19th-century-traveller way.
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Lettere Caffè Gallery
This literary café is one of the best examples of Rome's trend for bars crossed with bookshops. You like books? You like blues and jazz? Then you'll love Lettere Caffè. Performances usually start at , followed by DJs playing indie and new wave.
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Libreria Del Cinema
Ponder Pasolini over peppermint tea at this intimate café, set snugly inside a hip cinema bookshop. Filled with the chatter of local directors, actors and writers, the bookshop itself boasts an arty selection of DVDs, as well as a busy cultural calendar. Check the website for upcoming screenings, readings and discussions.
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Linari
Spot this by the crowds of old-time locals. It has the busy clatter of a good bar, with excellent pastries, splendid coffee and bar-side banter. There are some outside tables but you'll have to fight the elderly ladies of the neighbourhood to get one.
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Locanda Atlantide
You wouldn't find this unmarked, back-street, graffiti-covered door among a string of workshops and warehouses unless you were in the know. Descend into a cavernous place with décor best described as recycled. Its lively alternative gigs are always fun and full; it's good to know that punk is not dead. Come here to tickle Rome's grungy underbelly.
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Max's Bar
Max's unthreatening, friendly vibe is what has endeared it to so many men for so long. An institution in gay Rome, it's an informal place favoured by the young, old and everyone in between. Between drinks you can take to the dance floor and bop your cotton socks off to mainstream house or American pop.
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Metaverso
The smallest, friendliest place on the Monte Testaccio strip, cellar-club Metaverso packs in a cool, alternative crowd, and plays mostly hip-hop and electronica, with the occasional foray into out-there stuff like acid house. Projections of old movies in the arched interior make it doubly hip. Admission is around €5 and drinks are cheap.
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Metropolitan
This modern multiplex not 2m from Piazza del Popolo has four screens and the latest surround-sound audio technology. New releases, blockbusters and the more off-beat Hollywood films are regularly shown in the original language. For popular films it's best to book ahead.
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Micca Club
Pop art fills ancient cellars and brick arches change colour every few seconds at this curious underground venue. It's dedicated to the '60s but isn't a nostalgia trip, though Austin Powers types are in evidence. Expect live jazz followed by rare '60s grooves. Book online, or, if you can't make it, listen to it: Radio Città Futura broadcast shows live.
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Miscellanea
Subtitled the 'international students' pub' this is a spartan place. An American-student magnet, it's tucked down a cobbled alley near the Pantheon, and has spindly tables and chairs outside a pub-bar interior. A media (large) beer costs around €4 .50/.50 before/after .
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Modò
A black-and-white confection: consider wearing black to fit in. This long narrow bar is a sophisticated, intimate venue, with live music (mainly jazz) followed by DJ sets. It's gay-friendly for a Sunday aperitivo .
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Nuovo Cinema Aquila
Fresh from an extreme make-over, Il Pigneto's retro picture palace is the neighbourhood's latest new cultural hang-out with its three luxe cinemas, exhibition spaces, bar and film-themed bookshop.
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Nuovo Sacher
Owned by cult Roman film director Nanni Moretti, this is the place to catch the latest European art-house flick. Originally designed to support home-grown film talent, it shows films in their original language (English, French, Swedish etc) on Monday. Summer screenings take place in the courtyard next to the cinema.
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Ombre Rosse
One of the cornerstones of the Trastevere drinking scene, this bar sits on a pretty piazza under a shady tree, the sought-after outside tables surrounded by hanging flower baskets. A great place to watch the world wander past.
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Oppio Caffè
This new American-style bar sports a modern look with a glass and metal bar, Plexiglas chairs and flat plasma screens on bare brick walls. A favourite of the city's aperitif set, it's a great place to snack while sipping on cocktails and listening to DJs spin lounge, jazz and house. From the terrace there are great views of the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
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Palatium
Drop those Valentino shopping bags and refuel at this sleek, kosher showcase for Lazio's bumper produce. Explore lesser-known local drops such as Aleatico, and snack on local artisan cheese, olives and salami. Lunch is served from to and dinner from to .
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Qube
Rome's multilevel clubbing giant has retro, live disco and death rock on Thursdays; gay night Muccassassina (www.muccassassina.com in Italian) on Fridays; and hip-hop, disco revival and electro on Saturdays.
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Qube Off
With three floors, Qube is Rome's largest disco. Thursday is Radio Rock night; Saturday is UnderG.R.A.und, with hip-hop and R & B, disco revival and minimal, electro and techno. Rome's biggest gay and lesbian one-nighter, Muccassassina ('cow assassin'; www.muccassassina.com), takes place on Fridays. It's run by Circolo Mario Mieli, who also organise Gay Pride. In July and August it moves outdoors - check the website for the current location.
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Rashomon
No Euro disco trash here, just unadulterated indie, new wave and electronic beats, both live and DJ spun. Past guests to have hit the decks include German electro meister Marek Hemmann, Denmark's Jonas Koop and Holland's genre-busting Legowelt.
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Rialtosantambrogio
You might feel that you've stumbled into an art school, but this ancient courtyard-centred building is the most central centro sociale (organised squat). It's open to all and is a radical melting pot, with gigs, club nights (a monthly funk night among others), exhibitions and art-house cinema.
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Rive Gauche 2
Inexplicably named after Paris's legendary left bank, this is one of the most popular pubs in San Lorenzo. Nearly always full of students, foreigners and assorted friends, it's a vibrant and animated spot that creates a genuinely infectious buzz. Be warned, however - it's a big place, gets very full, and has only one tiny loo.
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Rosati
Historically Rosati, overlooking the vast disc of the piazza, was the hang-out of the left-wing chattering classes. Authors Italo Calvino and Alberto Moravia used to drink here while their right-wing counterparts went to the Canova (06 361 22 31; Piazza del Popolo 16; ; -midnight ;) over the square. Today basking tourists are the main clientele at both.
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Salotto 42
Slinky and quietly fashionable on this extraordinary piazza, this bar is as close as you'll get to a sitting-room experience in the city centre. With oversize flock wallpaper, armchairs and soft sofas, coffee-table books lining the walls and an aquarium on TV, it's run by a glamorous Italian-Swedish couple. Aperitivo (from to ) is mainly Swedish.
