Our native guide, Robert Spano, is a chef and foodie. I can only recommend that you see Rome with a foodie. He never steered us wrong.
He and his older brother have been having a debate for years about which coffee shop has the best coffee, and which gelatto shop has the best ice cream. We had to jump into the Taste Test.
For gelatto, the two contenders are Giolitti's and Fassi's. To be fair, I ordered the exact same thing at both places. I wanted the taste test to be fair and equal. Giolitti's is more conveniently located near the major tourist areas. Fassi's is in an older part of town and you have to go looking for it. Both have high quality, extremely generous portions and a clean, well lit environment.
Fassi's is twice the volume for half the price. I guess being away from the high rent district shows in the pricing structure. That said, I didn't pay the bills. So Giolitti's was my pick. Their gelatto had a smoother 'mouth feel' and stronger flavors that didn't get overridden by a second flavor in the same cone, or the generous dollop of fresh whipped cream on top. Both the Roberts picked Fassi's for size, volume and price. But of course, it was their Euros paying the bills!!
For coffee, the two contenders are Sant Eustachio Il Caffe and Tazza de Oro coffee shop. Both are close to the sites and relatively easy to find.
The first thing you have to know about having coffee in Rome is that if you sit down at a table, it's all twice as expensive. The Romans will go into a shop, order coffee and a croissant, nibble the pastry and sip the coffee and leave in five minutes. All while standing up at a bar with folks queuing up behind them.
The Roman experience is to drink coffee on your feet while leaning against their bar, and paying half the price of the seated diners.
We decided to be fair in the taste test and only allow the actual coffee drinkers to decide. The two Roberts were willing to take the challenge, I ordered hot tea.
We bellied up to the bar and ordered two cappuccinos, one hot tea and three croissants. The boys savored their coffees, discussed the merits of expresso, American coffee and cappuccino. Then we licked our lips and waited for the other entry in the taste test.
Denied. Every time we tried to get into Tazza de Oro, they were closed. We did hit the area early on Sunday morning, and maybe they are exceptionally religious. I don't know. But we never got to vote on the best cup of coffee in Rome.
I asked Spano about his straw poll and he said that Giolitti's was ahead about 60-40 with those who found Fassi's and gave both a shot.
I think Sant Eustachio was edging the winners for cup of coffee, but since it's the oldest coffee shop in Rome, it might just have the popular vote.
-- Sandee Wagner
He and his older brother have been having a debate for years about which coffee shop has the best coffee, and which gelatto shop has the best ice cream. We had to jump into the Taste Test.
For coffee, the two contenders are Sant Eustachio Il Caffe and Tazza de Oro coffee shop. Both are close to the sites and relatively easy to find.
The first thing you have to know about having coffee in Rome is that if you sit down at a table, it's all twice as expensive. The Romans will go into a shop, order coffee and a croissant, nibble the pastry and sip the coffee and leave in five minutes. All while standing up at a bar with folks queuing up behind them.
The Roman experience is to drink coffee on your feet while leaning against their bar, and paying half the price of the seated diners.
We decided to be fair in the taste test and only allow the actual coffee drinkers to decide. The two Roberts were willing to take the challenge, I ordered hot tea.
We bellied up to the bar and ordered two cappuccinos, one hot tea and three croissants. The boys savored their coffees, discussed the merits of expresso, American coffee and cappuccino. Then we licked our lips and waited for the other entry in the taste test.
I asked Spano about his straw poll and he said that Giolitti's was ahead about 60-40 with those who found Fassi's and gave both a shot.
I think Sant Eustachio was edging the winners for cup of coffee, but since it's the oldest coffee shop in Rome, it might just have the popular vote.
-- Sandee Wagner
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