Tazza d’Oro

La Casa del Caffè Tazza d'Oro began as a coffee roasting company in 1944, and its bar on Via degli Orfani, a few steps from Piazza della Rotonda, has been a favourite of Romans and visitors ever since. The company describes itself as the only historic artisan coffee roaster still operating in the heart of Rome's historic centre. The bar has a traditional feel, and the counter is usually lined with customers drinking a quick coffee standing up.

The counter fills quickly with people stopping for a quick espresso or cappuccino between sights. The house blend, La Regina dei Caffè, is the company's best-known coffee and the one used at the bar. In warm weather the speciality is granita di caffè, crushed iced coffee layered with whipped cream, a refreshing alternative to gelato on a hot afternoon. In the colder months, hot chocolate and other warming drinks are popular.

Tazza d'Oro is also a shop, and the shelves are stocked with products to take home: whole beans and ground coffee in several blends, organic coffee, single origins, capsules and pods, moka pots and accessories, teas and herbal infusions, chocolate-covered coffee beans, and a coffee liqueur called Aroma di Roma. Gift sets and cups make good souvenirs.

This is a stand-up bar rather than a place to linger. Pay at the till first, then hand your receipt to the barista along with your order, as is customary in Roman bars, and drink at the counter. Prices are reasonable for such a central location, especially compared with table service in the nearby piazza. It suits anyone wanting a quick, authentic coffee, and the granita is popular with older children. Mid-morning and early afternoon are busiest, but the queue moves quickly.

The bar is at Via degli Orfani 84, just off the north-eastern corner of Piazza della Rotonda, so the Pantheon is literally around the corner. Piazza di Pietra, with the columns of the Temple of Hadrian, is a two-minute walk away, and Via del Corso and the Trevi Fountain are within ten minutes on foot. For contact, the Rome bar can be reached on +39 06 678 9792.