Rome: The Best Coffee in Rome

I admit that I didn’t love the food I ate in Italy but I loved the coffee. When I searched for the best coffee in Rome two coffee shops were in the top of the lists. We went to both to try them out for ourselves.

Both coffee shops were near the Pantheon. Our first stop was Sant’Eustachio Il Caffé, located in the Piazza Sant’Eustachio, a few hundred meters from the Pantheon. This coffee shop was founded in 1938 and has been taken over by the Ricci brothers in 1999.

They sold their own coffee as well as other sweets.

Those yellow moka pots were cute.

I bought a bag of coffee beans which I loved. Everyday I would drink the coffee and it reminded me of Rome. I just wish I bought a 1 kilo bag instead of 500g.

The menu on the left lists the price of the coffee based on where you will take it. For example the Grancaffé costs €2.40 at the bar and €4.90 at the table. You can guess where we had our coffee.

Sant’Eustachio Il Caffé menu (click to enlarge)

Pay for your coffee at the cashier and bring the receipt to the bar where they will promptly make your drink.

I didn’t know that they automatically put sugar in the coffee and I added my sweetener without trying it first. Don’t forget to tell them beforehand if you want sugar or not. Anyway I still enjoyed my super sweet super creamy espresso. Just take a look at how thick the crema was. It’s without doubt one of the best coffees I’ve ever had. It was so fragrant and aromatic.

Grancaffé €2.40
Sant’Eustachio Coffee, larger and creamier

Rochelle had the whipped cream with a touch of espresso. You should have seen her lick the cream and the huge smile on her face.

cafe con panna €2.10
sin of gluttony with cream

Another day we went back for another round of Grandcaffé this time with sfogliatelle. I remembered to order without sugar. I also asked for some hot milk which they gave me.

We walked around the area and saw an umbrella store manned by a Pinay. Isn’t the dog umbrella a cutie?

dog umbrella

The Pantheon

Tazza D’Oro, founded in 1946, was nearer to the Pantheon. Their website said they opened at 7:00 am but when we went on a Sunday morning they were still closed at 10:00 am. They finally opened at 10:30 am.

The display of Tazza D’Oro was more organized.

I bought a bag of Deseo orange peel and chocolate biscotti and they were delicious!!!

It’s the same system here. Pay for your drink and bring it to the bar. The cashier who spoke English fluently told me that Sant’Eustachio wasn’t their competitor since they roasted their own blend of special coffee unlike the former who merely bought their coffee from a source. I was doubly intrigued after his impassioned declaration.

Tazza D’Oro menu

Their menu only had a single price. There were some benches in the store where you can sit and have coffee without any additional charge.

The cashier also told me that their granita di caffe was very popular.

I chose marocchino which was a shot of espresso, milk froth and cocoa powder. It was good too but not as heavenly as Sant’Eustachio’s Grancaffé. To be fair I ordered a second regular espresso to have a fairer comparison and I was right. It didn’t taste as bold and as rich.

marocchino €1.20

I did buy a small bag of their house blend, Regina dei Caffé, which I will be opening tomorrow.

Even though the price of coffee at Sant’Eustachio Il Caffé was double that of Tazza D’ Oro’s I still prefer it. I only wish I knew somebody who was going to Rome and willing to buy me a bag of their coffee.  If you love coffee then be sure to visit these two coffee shops and judge for yourself which is better.

Sant’Eustachio Il Caffé
Piazza Sant’Eustachio 82 00186, Rome, Italy
telephone: 00 39 06 68802048
website

Opening hours
Sunday to Thursday 8.30 – 01.00
Friday 8.30 – 01.30
Saturday 8.30 – 02.00

Tazza D’ Oro
Via degli Orfani, 84 (Pantheon) – 00186 Roma
telephone: +39.06.67.89.792
website

Opening hours
non-stop from 07:00 to 20:00