Our Take on Il Sorpasso

The Prati neighbourhood sits across the Tiber from the Centro Storico, in the shadow of the Vatican, and it is the Rome that most visitors never reach. Il Sorpasso has been its anchor wine bar since 2012, serving as canteen for the area's journalists, food professionals, and residents who have worked out that Prati is where the city eats and drinks without performing for anyone. The name translates loosely to "the overtaking" — a racing term used in Italian popular culture to describe the moment someone moves decisively ahead of the pack. The bar lives up to it.

The wine list skews natural, Italian, and curated with genuine personality. The team does not stock every fashionable producer — they stock what they consider worth drinking, and the selection rotates based on what arrives at the bar rather than what a distributor wants moved. Around 180 labels are available by the bottle and 30 to 40 by the glass at any given time. The aperitivo hour between 6pm and 9pm is built around these wines alongside plates of cured meats and cheeses sourced from small Italian producers. It is not a performance of aperitivo culture. It is aperitivo culture.

The food extends well beyond the aperitivo spread. The kitchen runs until late and produces some of the best tramezzini in Rome, alongside seasonal pasta dishes that rotate weekly. A late lunch at Il Sorpasso, starting with a glass of skin-contact Trebbiano and a plate of Norcia salami, represents Rome at its most honestly excellent. It takes no reservations and fills quickly on weekdays from 7pm — arriving before 6:30pm or after 9pm is the local strategy for securing a table without effort.

Il Sorpasso anchors any serious Rome wine itinerary and provides perfect contrast with the cocktail-focused Jerry Thomas Project nearby. For those researching the broader European natural wine bar scene, our articles on natural wine bars in Paris and natural wine bars in London place Il Sorpasso in its European context. For the full Rome picture, see our Rome hidden gems guide.

What to Order

Skin-Contact Trebbiano

The house recommendation for an introduction to the natural wine list. Amber in colour, saline on the finish, and a reliable entry point into what the team is excited about this month.

Aperitivo Plate

A rotating selection of 4 to 6 Italian cured meats and cheeses with seasonal accompaniments. Sized for two, priced fairly, and sourced from specific regions rather than generic suppliers.

Tramezzini al Tonno

The tuna tramezzino is a Rome institution, and Il Sorpasso's version uses good-quality canned tuna with capers and a light aioli. Best eaten at the bar with a glass of Vermentino.

Spritz Veneziano

Made with Aperol and Prosecco but elevated by the house's insistence on good ice and a fresh orange slice rather than the standard garnish. The best version of the most obvious order.

Best Time to Visit

Weekday lunches from 12:30pm to 2:30pm for the most relaxed experience and the full kitchen menu. Early aperitivo from 6pm to 7pm before the after-work crowd arrives. Weekend mornings from 10am the bar operates as a coffee and cornetto spot that is worth knowing about on a slow Saturday in Prati.

Who It Is For

Anyone who wants to drink in a room where the Romans around them are also drinking seriously. Wine professionals visiting Rome who need a reference point for the city's natural wine scene. Travellers staying near the Vatican who have correctly concluded that Prati has better bars than the tourist circuit around the Pantheon. Those who find genuine pleasure in an afternoon that extends well past its original endpoint.