Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Play the Roman: sit at a bistro table on Pepy's narrow pavement terrace and watch the fountains gush and motorini whizz by on Piazza Barberini. It's a…
Must-see nightlife in Rome
San Giovanni & Testaccio
If you've time to kill, this relaxed cafe is the answer. Anticafé doesn't charge for its drinks, rather you pay for the time you spend there – €4 for the…
Centro Storico
The very picture of a glamorous lounge bar, Salotto 42 encapsulates Rome's dolce vita style. Set on a charming piazza facing ancient Roman columns, its…
Centro Storico
A relic of the city's once-vibrant leftist counterculture, this frills-free enoteca near Campo de'Fiori opened in the 1960s and was swiftly adopted by…
Southern Rome
It's not so much about the food as the eye-catching industrial design at this contemporary lounge-bar/restaurant in ever-more-hip Ostiense. Hobnob over an…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
Hands-down Testaccio’s most sought-out spot after dark, wine bar Barnaba favours natural and independent producers spanning the bel paese. It also…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Part of the Trimani family’s wine empire (their vast enoteca around the corner on Via Goito stocks 4000-odd Italian and international labels), this is an…
Centro Storico
The Roman branch of a well-known Naples coffee house, this stately art-deco cafe enjoys a prime position on graceful Piazza di Pietra. Star of the show…
Centro Storico
Housed in a 16th-century palazzo, Etablì is a rustic-chic lounge bar-restaurant popular for coffee, aperitivo or a late-night drink. It’s laid-back and…
Centro Storico
This friendly juice bar is a good bet for a refreshing smoothie or juice extract. Recharge your batteries with a freshly squeezed Energizzante, made with…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Opposite Monti's much-loved Ai Tre Scalini, this bohemian bar-bistro accommodates the people who can't squeeze in over the road but are seeking a…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Run with much pride, passion and creativity by the Nardecchia family for almost 80 years, Caffè Lungara is an address Romans love, from students to arts…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
This welcoming all-rounder is a prime spot in which to lounge in comfort (grab an armchair if you can) over breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, or a dusk…
Rome
A modish restaurant-cafe in the university district near Via Nomentana, Momart serves one of Rome's most bountiful spreads of apericena (an informal…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Fashionistas and style gurus congregate at this rakish lounge bar for their 7pm aperitivo (pre-dinner drinks). Part of the art deco Hotel Locarno near…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Cleverly designed to look like a vintage joint, the Yellow Hostel's around-the-clock bar is constantly packed with young international travellers. DJs…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
This boho cafe-bar on pedestrian- and shop-strewn Via della Lungaretta is an arty spot for early-evening drinks and bites between marble busts and…
Centro Storico
A speakeasy with a 1920s look and password to get in – check the website and call to book – this cult trendsetter has led the way in Rome's recent love…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
In 1818 sculptor Antonio Canova signed a contract for this studio that agreed it would be forever preserved for sculpture. The place is still stuffed with…
Ancient Rome
A historic wine bar, Cavour 313 is a snug, wood-panelled retreat frequented by everyone from tourists to actors and politicians. Housed in a bottega …
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Few places evoke the San Lorenzo student vibe quite like this grungy drinking den near Piazza dei Sanniti. A diehard icon of this working-class…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Buzzing with a buoyant, young, staunchly Roman crowd, this sassy corner cafe is a relaxed and easy spot for lapping up a bit of local dolce vita over a…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
On a narrow street lined with raucous drinking holes, this brick-vaulted bar-pizzeria wins plaudits for its outstanding collection of craft bir (beer),…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
All exposed brick and mismatched furniture, this large, New York–inspired venue caters to all moods, serving aperitivo (drink plus buffet €10), restaurant…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Think living room with zebra-print chairs, walls of indie art, Lou Reed biographies wedged between wine bottles, and owner Gabriele playing his favourite…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
This hole-in-the-wall Trastevere institution (look for the 'Vini & Olio' sign scrawled above the door) is lined by bottles of grappa and wine for sale,…
Southern Rome
Heading south along the Appian Way, you come to this tiny streetside cafe with pavement tables shaded by a gnarled old olive tree, a hunger-appeasing…
Rome
Occupying an ex-wool factory in Rome's northeastern suburbs, this cool underground venue hosts live gigs and hot clubbing action, led by top Roman crews…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Secreted in the Esedra Arcade near Piazza della Repubblica, this cafe has retained its original 1960s decor, including murals – you'll feel like you're…
Centro Storico
Advance reservations are essential if you are keen to watch the sun setting over the fountains of Piazza Navona from the rooftop terrace bar-restaurant of…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Mixing lovely ceramic-topped bistro tables with bottle-lined walls and the odd contemporary painting, this rustic enoteca is an attractive spot in which…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Like books? Poetry? Blues, folk and jazz? Then you’ll love this place: a clutter of bar stools and books, where there are regular live gigs, poetry slams,…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
One for wine buffs, this smart enoteca (wine bar) is run by expert sommeliers and has an extensive list of Italian regional labels and European vintages,…
Vatican City, Borgo & Prati
A basement bar with tables in a cosy stone-clad interior and on a quiet side street, Passaguai feels pleasingly under the radar. It's a great spot for a…
Centro Storico
Students sitting solo with a book, lunching ladies, gossiping friends, tourists, priests, Romans: this bustling book cafe caters to a mixed crowd…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
This tiny bar inside the entrance to upmarket restaurant Enoteca Ferrara serves delectable aperitivo and has a wide range of wines by the glass – perfect…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
On warm evenings, with lively crowds on the street and the Colosseum as a backdrop, there are few finer places in which to sip a drink than this friendly…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
A good-looking cafe-pasticceria in the wealthy Aventine neighbourhood. Join its well-dressed habitués for a quick coffee in the gleaming glass-and…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Come and tickle Rome’s grungy underbelly. Descend through a door in a graffiti-covered wall into this cavernous basement dive, packed to the rafters with…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
Modern and busy, this wine bar and deli takes its wine seriously, and offers a quality list by both glass and bottle. Cram into the small space, claim a…
