Rome

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Restaurants and bars

With their strong culinary traditions and almost religious dedication to the ritual of the morning coffee in the bar sotto casa (downstairs), Romans long resisted modernisation, for the simple reason that they didn‘t see how it could possibly improve their lot. When the extremes of trendiness arrived, they were a flash in the pan. What Rome now does best is good quality and warm surroundings… but at prices which, since the arrival of the euro, now outstrip many other European capitals.

 

Pasticcerie and gelaterie
Most of Rome’s pasticcerie (cake shops) are in fact bars (see below) where freshly baked goodies can be consumed in situ with a drink.

 

Many bars in Rome boast a well-stocked freezer cabinet with a sign promising produzione artigianale (home-made ice-cream). This is often a con, the goods having been produced on the premises but from milk and pre-prepared flavourings. It doesn’t necessarily mean the ice-cream will be bad though – indeed, in some cases it can be very good – but you’ll need to be selective. If the colours are too bright to be real, they probably aren’t.

When you’ve exhausted the gelato selection, you should sample a grattachecca. It’s the Roman version of water ice, and consists of grated ice with flavoured syrup poured over it. The city was once full of kiosks selling this treat, but now only a handful remains. They are almost always on street corners and open in summer only.

 

Drinking
Cafés and bars
So faint is the line between ‘bar’ and ‘café’ in Rome that the words are generally interchangeable. Bars tend to be places where you knock back your caffè at the counter; cafés have seating and may offer a more extensive menu.

 

Besides coffee, which comes in many different forms, most bars also sell cornetti (croissants), tramezzini (sandwiches) and pizza romana (pizza base brushed with olive oil, sliced through the middle and filled). Sandwiches and pizza can be toasted (ask, me lo può scaldare, per favore?).

 

To accompany your snack, bars generally offer spremute (freshly squeezed juice) and some have frullati (fruit shakes) and centrifughe (juiced fruit) too. All offer a range of sodas, juices and mineral waters. Tap water (acqua semplice, acqua dal rubinetto) is free; a glass of still or sparkling mineral water (acqua minerale naturale or gassata) costs around 30¢-50¢. Also served are wine, beer and some liqueurs, including post-prandial digestivi such as amaro (bitters, infused aromatic liqueurs) and limoncello (lemon liqueur).

 

Pubs and enoteche
Many of Rome’s traditional neighbourhood bottle shops have become, at the very least, charming places to grab a drink and a slice of the vita romana. At best, they are chic wine bars or bars with a dopo cena (after-dinner) scene, offering a wide variety of drinks and a beautiful crowd for people-watching. Rome’s pubs are divided between a handful of long-standing UK-style institutions and a host of newer casual joints.

 

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