Have aperitivo in Rome at a neighbourhood wine bar if you want a good glass, or at a crowded Trastevere bar if you want company. Our nine picks are Il Goccetto, Vino e vinili and Il Marchese in the historic centre, Ai Tre Scalini in Monti, Bar San Calisto and Freni e Frizioni in Trastevere, and three wine bars further out, in Prati, Della Vittoria and Pigneto.
The short list
9 places, in the order they appear below.
- 01Il GoccettoWines of the day by the glassHistoric centre
- 02Vino e vinili RomaNatural wine and recordsRegola
- 03Il MarcheseAmari and amaro cocktailsHistoric centre
- 04Ai Tre ScaliniWine or beer either side of dinnerMonti
- 05Bar San CalistoSimple drinks, big crowdTrastevere
- 06Freni e FrizioniMeeting point before and after dinnerTrastevere
- 07il Covino EnotecaLazio wines with a guided pairingPrati
- 08VetroWine sfuso with counter foodDella Vittoria
- 09tante care coseNatural wine on draft, fermented platesPigneto
Where should I have aperitivo in Rome’s historic centre?
At Il Goccetto for wine, Vino e vinili for natural wine and records, or Il Marchese for amari. Il Goccetto is a calm room in a 16th-century building, with more than 800 labels stacked to the ceiling. Vino e vinili is a small enoteca between Campo de’ Fiori and Piazza Navona where you pick records from crates of vinyl while you drink. Il Marchese keeps more than 500 amari behind the counter.
At Il Goccetto, ignore the menu and read the blackboard behind the counter, where the wines of the day by the glass change constantly.
Il Goccetto
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Sat 12:00–00:00 · Sun closed
Address: Via dei Banchi Vecchi, 14, 00186 Roma RM, Italia
Vino e vinili doubles as a bottle shop for organic and natural wines from small producers, so buy one to take away. Some nights the room fills for pop-up music and readings, so check their Instagram before you go.
Vino e vinili Roma
Hours: Mon–Thu 14:30–23:30 · Fri–Sat 14:30–01:00 · Sun 14:30–23:30
Address: Via del Pellegrino, 77, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Skip the standard spritz at Il Marchese and let the bar walk you through the amari, then come back after dinner for the amaro-based cocktails. The kitchen cooks Roman and contemporary dishes, so an aperitivo here can turn into a meal.
Where should I drink in Monti and Trastevere?
At Ai Tre Scalini in Monti, and at Bar San Calisto or Freni e Frizioni in Trastevere. Ai Tre Scalini is a classic wine bar with a wide choice of wines and beers. The two Trastevere bars are the opposite of a quiet glass: simple drinks, a big crowd, and evenings where the company matters more than what you order.
Order a glass of wine or a Menabrea at Ai Tre Scalini, on either side of dinner.
The drinks at San Calisto are simple on purpose. Squeeze in, order, and let the Trastevere crowd do the entertaining.
Bar San Calisto
Hours: Mon–Sun 06:30–01:30
Address: Piazza di S. Calisto, 3, 00153 Roma RM, Italia
Use Freni e Frizioni as a meeting point, aperitivo first and a drink after dinner, and don’t come looking for quiet.
Freni e Frizioni
Hours: Mon–Sun 18:30–02:00
Address: Via del Politeama, 4, 00153 Roma RM, Italia
Which neighbourhood wine bars are worth leaving the centre for?
Three, each in a different part of the city. Il Covino Enoteca in Prati keeps more than 600 Italian labels, leaning on native grapes and organic and natural producers. Vetro, in Della Vittoria, is a small bar built around wine sfuso, with a counter of simple food. In Pigneto, tante care cose pours natural wine on draft alongside small plates of homemade fermented preparations.
A brother and sister run il Covino and keep the food simple (cheese, cured meats, pizza, tartare) so it pairs with the wine instead of competing with it. The Lazio section of the list runs deep, so ask for a wine from there and let the staff steer the pairing.
il Covino Enoteca
Hours: Mon–Thu 18:00–00:00 · Fri–Sat 18:00–01:00 · Sun closed
Address: Via Ostia, 21, 00192 Roma RM, Italy
The old Panetteria sign from the grocery that used to be here is still bolted above Vetro’s door. Order the sfuso, which is what the regulars drink, with vitello tonnato or torta rustica from the counter, and expect the handful of seats to fill fast in the evening.
Vetro
Hours: Mon–Sat 18:00–23:00 · Sun closed
Address: Viale Carso, 17, 00195 Roma RM, Italy
A chef left years of fine-dining kitchens to do something simpler at tante care cose, and the plates sit closer to a Spanish tapas counter than to a typical Roman aperitivo. Ask what they fermented that week, because those dishes change most often.
tante care cose
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Sat 18:00–23:00 · Sun closed
Address: Via Carlo Errera, 46, 00176 Roma RM, Italy
Wine bar or Trastevere bar: which suits your evening?
Il Goccetto if you want a calm glass, il Covino if you want someone to steer the pairing, and Bar San Calisto or Freni e Frizioni if you want noise and company. To eat as well as drink, Il Marchese has a full kitchen and Vetro a food counter. Several of the wine bars close on Sundays, so check each card before you set out.
