I'm going to Rome in a few weeks and i've been doing my research. I have a list of a bunch of cafes - some more tourist-ish, some more traditional, some third wave. I think that I got the general idea that coffee is going to be mostly Lavazza, Kimbo and all that stale stuff that I can actually enjoy if it is properly pulled and not too stale.
I tried looking for shops where I can get traditional pporcelain espresso cups but couldn't. Tried to also look for some cool coffee related stuff but had a hard time doing it - not that many shops offering accessories there, other than bialetti. So what is some coffee stuff that you can recommend in Rome?

I think this was at mercato plebiscito (https://www.plebiscito.net/).

Thank you! First time hearing about that brand.
Anything coffee related in Rome worth checking in your experience?

It's probably already on your list but Gran Caffe la caffettiera is worth checking out for the atmosphere.
https://goo.gl/maps/JhDQ5U13i1GxFg8J8
If you like neapolitan style espresso, toraldo is very good. I got the black cups which I like very much.

I also saw this at La Rinascente (https://goo.gl/maps/PoqkGbhPQevrhUdJ9)

I think I meant Antico caffe greco
https://goo.gl/maps/4M4CaTnkS9rF9kw57

Thank you! I have some of these on my list. Someone recommended La Rinascente for porcelain espresso cups so i'm definitely checking it too.

There's a cafe about a block from the foot of the Spanish Steps. If you ask for an espresso there, they serve you what is no more than half a thimbleful. Literally one sip and it's gone. We complained when they served it, and the waiter called my wife a putana.

Don't go to that cafe - and if you do, don't order espresso.

I'd recommend posting the list you have so you don't get several suggestions you already have ready to try. I spent two weeks last summer in Rome about a block from the Spanish steps. I tried to take in as much coffee as time and caffine tolerances would allow. Most of the places serving Lavazza and Kimbo were cafes which are everywhere. Also don't sleep on any place serving Illy. I snubbed Illy based on my experiences in the states with old, stale, pre-ground coffee. I finally tried an Illy stand at the airport when leaving and had one of the best cappuccino's of the trip.

Here's are some recommendations from memory as I think I deleted the list I had.
Near the Pantheon there are a few coffee shops worth trying and close to each other.
La Casa del Caffe Tazza de Oro: Not to be confused with the other Tazza de Oro stands. The Tazza De Oro near the Spanish Steps is a small shop, and not very good. The one near the Pantheon is much better with far better offerings.
Sant' Eustachio: Small cafe with a roaster in the front window. The cappuccinos were great as were the straight shots. Also have lighter roast offerings that enjoyed. I made multiple trips here and Tazza de Oro during our stay.

Porta Pia City Gate:
Hands down Faro - Luminaries of Coffee. On maps it will come up as Faro Caff Specialty. Third wave coffee with a plethora of variety and roast levels.
Near Faro is a place called Caffe 33: Didn't go there but some people we met were going on about it.

Spanish Steps:
I spend a majority of my time here. Here are my thoughts
Antico Cafe Grecco: Beautiful place and fantastic ambiance. The dishes are fantastic. It's also expensive by comparison to many other places. The cappuccinos were mediocre at best and the espresso shots were a let down. It's one of the oldest cafes in Rome and worth going if your into the historical value. If I remember correctly most places a shot of espresso was €1.5. At Cafe Grecco it was €7. This is for a 7gram shot.
Edit: I found their menu online. https://anticocaffegreco.eu/wp-content/ ... NGLESE.pdf

Side note: if you find yourself close to the Spanish steps mid evening and want a nice meal, Antica Osteria Croce (Via della Croce, 38, 00187 Roma RM, Italy) had great good and a lady singing that was a dead ringer for Adele. As in we thought they were playing Adele over speakers until we got close enough to see it was a human singing. The other musical talents they had were fantastic as well.
There is a Bialetti shop close by that was hard not to spend money at.

Vatican:
Pergamino Caffe: I went based on a suggestion from someone else on HB. Was not disappointed. Legit third wave coffee selections and pastries that were delectable.The coffee was top notch. Someone in our party had a pourover and I have to say it was fantastic (yes, they shared)

We went someplace else near the Vatican that served Moka Sirs but damn if I can't remember it. It was good. It was what I would classify as a classic italian shot. Chocolate, bitter, thick and delicious. It made me search for a Moka Sirs distributor in the US until I came across Saka coffee. So much coffee, so little time.


Sadly the only lever I saw while in Italy was on the island of Capri. It made for one of the better shots I had during my trip.

Enjoy your trip. I'm pining to go back.

Another Edit: Off topic and I'm sure your familiar with this but watch for pick pockets. It's a constant issue. One of our party almost had a medical device taken from him. Unfortunate for the thief it was connected to him. Fortunately for my friend the thief gave it back without a fuss. Roma jail was not someplace I wanted to spend time.

coyote-1 wrote:There's a cafe about a block from the foot of the Spanish Steps. If you ask for an espresso there, they serve you what is no more than half a thimbleful. Literally one sip and it's gone. We complained when they served it, and the waiter called my wife a putana.

Don't go to that cafe - and if you do, don't order espresso.

There are an s-ton of cafes within a block of the spanish steps. I did find some locals were less than accommodating. Some were flat out rude. Granted the some tourists were deserving of scorn. It didn't help we were there in the middle of one of Europe's worst heat waves last summer. Everyone was a little on edge. Sorry to hear you had that experience.