Editorial
Rome's bar scene is often overshadowed by its restaurants and ruins, yet the city hosts some of Europe's most technically accomplished cocktail bars. The best are tucked into side streets in Centro Storico, Prati, and Trastevere — places where bartenders pour with serious intent and regulars have occupied the same stools for decades. We recommend approaching Rome's bars like you approach its art: with patience and willingness to look past the obvious.
Rome's cocktail bar culture runs deep, anchored by a few legendary spots that have maintained their standards through decades of tourism and trend cycles. The serious bars tend toward classical preparations and careful sourcing, with bartenders who can tell you exactly where their spirits come from.
Away from the famous cocktail bars, Rome's best drinking happens in small rooms where serious bartenders serve natural wines, cold beers, and simple classics to a mix of locals and informed visitors. These bars reward exploration and patience.
Rome's rooftop bars vary in quality and authenticity, but a few deliver serious cocktails with views that justify the premium pricing. Book ahead and arrive early enough to enjoy the view before darkness falls.
Rome's best bars live in the neighbourhoods rather than on main tourist routes. We recommend starting with Jerry Thomas Project for cocktails that define what serious bartending means, then moving into Prati and Trastevere where the bars serve their regulars before they serve tourists.
The city rewards patience and exploration. Skip the rooftops unless you're celebrating something specific — instead spend your evenings in smaller rooms drinking natural wines, eating at aperitivo bars, and letting the evening unfold. Rome's bar scene reflects the city itself: it reveals itself slowly to those who look beyond the surface.
Priya covers European and global city bar scenes for barsforKings. She visits Rome twice a year and considers Jerry Thomas Project one of the most important speakeasies operating in Europe.
Five editor-curated guides, each ten bars, each tuned to a specific moment. The Rome bars our editors send first dates to, and the ones we send proposals to, and everything between.
Six annual Rome guides, each ten editor-vetted bars. Christmas Day to New Year's Eve to Halloween, with the cover charges, midnight pours and door policies confirmed.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 by the barsforKings editorial team