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The Cicalino, meaning “little grasshopper” is a well- known in North Rome, during the afternoons in fact it is often a place for high-school students to meet and chat while eating a pizza al taglio before deciding where to go.

In the evenings it can be a quiet place to sit out on their red tables and enjoy the pizza or arancini. If you are a sports fan, usually you can watch the games inside on their TV, with a beer to accompany your pizza.

These kind of pizza’s are not as thin as the ones that you will find in the restaurants. They serve square pizzas, with a variety of different toppings. One of my personal favorites is their potato topping pizza that I learned to love when I was one of those high-schoolers chatting away with friends.

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Il Cicalino | Bars, Restaurants (Pizza al taglio) | Piece of pizza € 3.50
Via Cassia 917/A | Cassia & Montemario | +390630362549
Tue – Sat 11:00 – 21:00

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Image by Sabrina Favoriti

Right next to my house there is a cute little restaurant where I go on my lazy days since it is so close! And it is definitely a fusion of Bavarian and Italian culture.

If you happen to stroll by on a Monday you will see it’s a pizzeria/pub. On other days you can try authentic Bavarian foods such as the Knoedel or pork cooked in Bavarian beer but do not shy away from their pizzas such as the Diavola or Margherita…they are delicious and summer nights are perfect to sit outside.

I like the atmosphere inside the place and the decoration with its wooden chairs with a hole carved in it and the tablecloths that give you a sense of being at home. It is also a good cozy place to watch sporting events while drinking one of their many choices of beer…Bavarian of course.

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Hofbrau Munchen Bermand | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants | Diavola Pizza € 7.00
Via di Grottarossa 123 | Cassia & Montemario | +390633253802
Mon – Sat 18:00 – 23:00

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Image by Sabrina Favoriti

Coyote, this is a club located in the Testaccio area, the ambiance is very detailed and informal at the same time and the atmosphere gives an idea of being on an eternal vacation, as the enormous balcony faces the Monte dei Cocci and you can enjoy the view of Rome by night. You will find a wide range of people from their 20′s to their 40′s.

The club has an open space during the summer months and it is closed during the winter months but you can still go in the area as it has something to cover the roof. It has two internal rooms and a patio that goes all around the club. Once you go in, you can enjoy a drink or two in their patio. They have a vast menu of drinks, and during summer your drinks will be served with a bowl of fresh fruit such as pieces of melon, watermelon and chunks of pineapple. Yummy!

I like to go a little early and sit on the patio and sip a Bellini, before they move all the tables to create a dance floor, as this is one of favorite drinks but sometimes especially during those warmer months I switch to a refreshing mojito. Then I like to hit the dance floor inside, and dance till dawn. Coyote plays a mix of music mainly pop, hip-hop and disco music and on Sundays they play only house music.

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Coyote | Bars, Music | Bellini € 8.00
Via di Monte Testaccio 48B | Testaccio & Ostiense | +393394639667
23:00 – 05:00 daily

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Image by Sabrina Favoriti

Cesaretto wine bar is one of my favorite places in Rome and I am there so much that they know my name, and in fact a lot of the people that frequent the wine bar are regulars and it is in a side street off Via Del Corso. The environment is friendly and laid back but the food is upscale deliciousness.

I like going there year round, it is small but during the warmer months you can sit outside and watch people. Sometimes celebrities (national or international) pass by, and during the cooler months they have an area inside that is very cozy and warm.

My favorites to get there are the Carbonara pasta or the ravioli with a Fragolino wine to go with it, but most days they have a special that is not on the menu and go ahead and ask for it and most likely you will eat something delicious.

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Il Cesaretto | Bars, Restaurants (Carbonara) | Main meal € 12.00
Via Bocca di Leone 44a | City center | +390669380557
12:00 – 23:00 daily

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Image by Sabrina Favoriti

When I arrived at Pe.pa.to for the first “aperitivo” with a group of friends, I immediately liked the atmosphere; the tables and small white and black sofas outside gave it a sophisticated look. Inside it looked more like an old wine cellar, but it gave the place character.

The aperitivo was during the week and it made a nice break. It was a good deal too: 7 Euros for a drink plus buffet. They have two different bars. In one of them you can order the wines and in the other end of the “cellar” looking place, you can order the mixed drinks.

The good thing about Rome is its weather, in November it can be still nice to sit outside and mingle with people as you are eating and drinking.

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Pe.pa.to wine bar | Bars, Snacks | Buffet & drink € 9.50
Via del politeama 8 | City center | +390658335254
19:00 – 02:00 daily

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Image by Sabrina Favoriti

Bar Ambassador when looked at from the outside is just another corner bar. But it is always packed because of the office building next to it. One of the baristas is very creative with what he whips up.

And since I work in the office building next to it, I also take advantage of the fact that they deliver. My favorite breakfast item is the decadent NutellCoffee, which is Nutella at the bottom, coffee, and whipped cream on top sprinkled with powdered cocoa, and even though I am not a fan of whipped cream, once all is stirred I can barely taste the whipped cream and I just enjoy the drink, and with a plain croissant next to it, it makes the work day so much more bearable!

The NutellCoffee is a drink to start the work week or to end it in the sweetest way.

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Bar Ambassador | Bars, Snacks | Nutellcoffee € 2.75
Via Fabbroni 1 | Cassia & Montemario | +39063295884
06:00 – 22:00 daily

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Image by Sabrina Favoriti

This little bar is located in the city center, close to the Pantheon area. If you go early enough before midnight, you can enjoy live music while drinking either a beer, a martini special (my absolute favorite drink, it is a chocolaty sweet martini but the recipe seems to be a secret!) or any other tropical drinks from martinis, tequila sunrises or pina coladas.

Their drink menu is pretty extensive and their average drink goes for 5.00 Euro and they come with some food such as chips, saltines or popcorn.

After midnight be ready to start burning those calories with the 90′s disco style music, modern pop and rock and oldies!

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Habana Cafe | Bars, Music | Chocolate martini € 8.00
Via dei Pastini 120 | City center | +39066781983
Tue – Sun 21:30 – 03:00

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Image by Lidia Tagnesi

This is a great big place if you like the underground scene; it has 2 rooms for live music or concerts, a disco room and a pub.

The music is varies from electronic, hip-hop, and rock and house, and often they also have performances based on contemporary art.

Inside there is also a corner shop to buy CD’s, t-shirts and magazine and they also offer dinner. The corner shop is situated near the stage and it is a place to listen, buy and discuss music, but you can also buy tickets for future shows, such as concerts, theater or sporting events.

This is also a good venue if you like live music, and hang-out with your friends for an alternative evening to the usual bars and clubs.

A good spot if you are in a group that have all different tastes, it will be a good compromise for everyone.

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l circolo degli artisti | Bars, Music | Entrance € 6.00
Via Casilina Vecchia 42 | S.Lorenzo & Pigneto | +390697250663
19:30 – 04:00 daily

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Image by Annalaura D'Errico

Tucked away below street level, hidden by the flashy light of a kebab store on via Massaia, Il Melograno is Garbatella’s only “enoteca”. ‘Enoteca’ is an odd term in Italian because it means both a wine retail shop and a place where you can sit down and drink some quality wine rightly combined with the appropriate foods. Il Melograno is mainly this second type of enoteca.

It is run by two brothers whose kind manners, together with the excellent wine they serve, will gently ease you into a relaxed mood for the evening. Both brothers have a degree from AIS (Italian Association of Sommelier) which would normally means that you are a stuck-up ?$%&$ who looks down on people who don’t know anything about wine. This is absolutely not the case with them. They will gladly suggest the best wines and explain subtle differences while never being condescending and while communicating their love for the subject matter.

You can opt to have dinner there or simply go after hours for a drink. Every day, there is a €20 special dinner menu. Otherwise, you can choose your dishes à la carte. Last time I went, I had bruschettine with mozzarella and bottarga, crostini ai pesti vegetali, and beef tartare. All this while enjoying an excellent glass of Vieris Sauvignon Vie de Romans. To close off, I had cantuccini with a Muffato Castello della Sala Antinori.

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Il Melograno | Bars, Restaurants (Italian) | Main Meal € 30.00
Via Guglielmo Massaia 9 | Testaccio & Ostiense | +39065115609
Mon – Fri 10:30 – 15:30 & 19:00 – 00:00, Sat 19:00 – 00:00

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Image by Eleonora Baldwin

This place never fails.

Even if I’m not taking a walk in Monti, or sightseeing in and around the Forum with relatives or friends visiting from out of town, I always find an excuse to walk into this welcoming enoteca.

Behind the glass door entrance is the sales counter, where I can either purchase two bottles to go, or ask for a table. The back is in three levels, the ground floor seats patrons on benches and long tables and in booths, the suspended overhead loft holds shelves upon shelves of bottles; and underground, beneath a hidden trapdoor, lies the actual wine cellar.

Needless to say, the selection of vino here is boundless, with over 1000 labels. But the accompanying fares are just as inviting. I always have the juniper berry-smoked herring on granny smith apple slices and Tropea onion chutney; or splurge on the salumi and cheese samplers, and I always have a warm soup during winter. The specials change daily, according to fresh seasonal ingredient availability.

This is one of the few places I feel comfortable dining in alone. It’s usually not easy for me to sit at a restaurant table by myself, yet – be it the audacious Barolo in my bloodstream, the charming waiting staff, or the homey aromas wafting from the kitchen – here I feel perfectly welcome and safe at a table for one.

Next time you’re swinging by the Colosseum, or as part of your aperitivo crawl, be sure to stop in this trustworthy neighborhood institution.

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Cavour 313 | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Local) | Daily Special € 10.00
Via Cavour 313 | City center | +39066785496
Store from 10:00 | Restaurant 12:30 – 15:00 & 19:30 – 00:30 daily

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