A coffee and cake crawl through Rome

This is a coffee and cake crawl through Rome, beginning in the Sallustiano district east of the Villa Borghese and working west through the historic centre to Prati across the Tiber. Six independent stops, each open about the roaster and the machine behind the bar.

1. FARO - Luminari del Caffe

Start at Via Piave 55 in Sallustiano, where Dario Fociani opened FARO as the centrepiece of his coffee project. The bar is the public face of Aliena Coffee Roasters, Fociani's roasting arm, which means the espresso and filter here is roasted in-house from seasonal single-origin lots. The room is calm and focused, the kind of place that earns its reputation through the cup rather than its surroundings.

2. Sant'Eustachio il Caffe

Walk west through the centro storico for around 30 minutes, or take any westbound bus from Via Veneto, to reach Piazza Sant'Eustachio 82, tucked in a narrow square just south of the Pantheon. The Ricci family has run this bar since 1938 and roasts over wood fire, which is almost certainly unique among commercial city-centre coffee bars anywhere in the world. The granita di caffe, a sweetened frozen espresso shot, is the signature summer drink and worth ordering regardless of the weather.

3. Tazza d'Oro

Two minutes on foot from Sant'Eustachio, at Via degli Orfani 84, Tazza d'Oro has been an artisan roastery since 1944. The house blend is roasted in-house and served standing at the bar in the traditional Roman manner. The granita di caffe con panna, topped with a cloud of unsweetened whipped cream, is the thing to order here, and a bag of the house ground coffee to take home is one of the better Rome souvenirs.

4. Barnum Cafe

Walk ten minutes south towards Campo de' Fiori to Via del Pellegrino 87 in Parione, where Barnum rotates its roasters, regularly featuring Le Piantagioni del Caffe from Livorno. The bar runs a La Marzocco and opens onto the street through wide glass doors, with tables outside on the cobbles. It is a good mid-crawl rest, and the filter programme changes with the season.

5. Roscioli Caffe Pasticceria

Three minutes from Barnum, at Piazza Benedetto Cairoli 16 in the Portico d'Ottavia quarter, Roscioli uses beans from Torrefazione Giamaica Caffe, an artisan Piedmontese roaster with a long history of supplying the late Vittorio Arduino. The bar pulls espresso on a custom doppiometodo machine designed to deliver a split extraction through two channels at different temperatures simultaneously, a setup you will not find at many other addresses in the city. The maritozzo, a soft Lazio brioche bun split and filled with whipped cream, is the pastry to order here.

6. Sciascia Caffe 1919

Take bus 40 or 64 from Largo di Torre Argentina west across the Tiber to Prati, alighting near Piazza Risorgimento, then walk a few minutes to Via Fabio Massimo 80a. Sciascia has roasted its own blend since 1919, which makes it one of the oldest family roasteries in Rome. The house espresso arrives in a cup lined with a thin layer of melted chocolate, a quiet signature that has remained unchanged for decades. An unhurried end to the crawl.

All six are independent. The route runs west from Sallustiano through the historic centre to Prati, with the gap between FARO and the Pantheon pair covered by bus or a 30-minute walk. Sant'Eustachio and Tazza d'Oro sit three minutes from each other, which makes them a natural pair on any morning near the Pantheon.

Common questions

Which Rome cafe has been roasting coffee the longest?

Sciascia Caffe at Via Fabio Massimo 80a in Prati has roasted its own blend since 1919, making it one of the oldest family coffee roasteries in Rome. Sant'Eustachio il Caffe near the Pantheon has roasted over wood fire since 1938.

Which Rome cafe uses a wood-fired roaster?

Sant'Eustachio il Caffe at Piazza Sant'Eustachio 82 has roasted over wood fire since 1938, which is rare even by historical Italian standards and almost certainly unique among commercial city-centre bars still operating today.

What is a maritozzo and where should I try one in Rome?

A maritozzo is a soft brioche bun from Lazio, split and filled generously with whipped cream. Roscioli Caffe Pasticceria at Piazza Benedetto Cairoli 16 is a strong stop for one alongside its specialty espresso.

Is the Rome coffee crawl walkable?

Partially. FARO in Sallustiano to the Pantheon is a 30-minute walk or a short bus ride. Sant'Eustachio and Tazza d'Oro are three minutes apart on foot, and Barnum and Roscioli are another ten minutes south. Sciascia in Prati is easiest on bus 40 or 64 from Largo di Torre Argentina, or a 25-minute walk northwest across the river.