The 12 Best Bars in Rome

Drink Kong

Patrick Pistolesi's debut solo project is Rome's retro-futurist landmark: four Blade Runner-tinged rooms of neon and dark surfaces, 'a futuristic arcade from a bygone era', pouring neoclassic cocktails from the current Flux menu. No.40 on the World's 50 Best Bars 2025, No.32 in Europe 2026, and the 2019 Campari One To Watch. Reservations top out at six, nothing after midnight; smart casual.

Order this: Canova — gimlet with a sea-evoking cordial

Freni e Frizioni

A former car mechanic's shop on the edge of Trastevere, the name means 'brakes and clutches', Freni e Frizioni keeps its industrial bones: high ceilings, rugged walls, vintage automotive scraps. Under Riccardo Rossi it has grown from casual aperitivo spot (the generous vegetarian buffet remains a draw) into a technical powerhouse, and the current Travel With Us menu drinks through world neighborhoods from the French Quarter to Shoreditch. No.31 on Europe's 50 Best Bars 2026. It sits at No. 58 on the World's 50 Best Bars 2025.

Order this: The Regular — Dorito-infused tequila, Cointreau, pico de gallo, grapefruit soda

Jerry Thomas Project

Italy's first secret bar, opened in 2010 by a group of bartenders on a mission to revive forgotten cocktail traditions, entry is by password, distributed through the newsletter. The project has entered the World's 50 Best Bars six times, created Vermouth del Professore with Distillerie Quaglia in 2013, and runs its own bartending school in collaboration with Campari Academy. It sits at No. 98 on the World's 50 Best Bars 2025.

Drink Art Gallery

On Piazza del Fico, Drink Art Gallery recreates the 1930s atmosphere of American bars, cocktails and fine spirits alongside German and Belgian beers and wine, poured among artworks and vintage objects.

Hey Baby

The bar of boutique hotel Chapter Roma runs from daytime coffee and juices to evening mixology among velvet sofas and a communal table. The 2025 list is cinema-themed, 'where taste becomes a story and the bar an auteur's set', with serves like the popcorn-bourbon Hollywood Babylon (€15). The hotel's seasonal Hey Güey rooftop is the summer sibling.

Order this: Mr. Pink — Patrón Silver tequila, vin brûlé syrup, lime

La Ménagère

The Roman outpost of Florence's La Ménagère concept space sits in the Colonna district, in a Baroque building that was home to the sculptor Bernini in the 17th century.

La Punta Expendio de Agave

From the team behind Jerry Thomas Speakeasy and Freni e Frizioni, La Punta is one of Italy's best-stocked tequila and mezcal bars, a Trastevere den of dim light, Mexican tiles and embroidered stools, its agave list built after research trips to Oaxaca, right down to the basement drinking room.

Lonely Avenue

A premium-spirits bar in Testaccio where the menu reads like a history book: recipes credited to their original bartenders and venues, with creation dates running from 1740 to 2022, organized by spirit and priced from €18. 'Drinks are not just a simple mix of spirits, but a blend of history and creativity,' as the house line has it.

Mùn Rooftop Cocktail Bar

Atop the DoubleTree by Hilton Rome Monti on Piazza dell'Esquilino, Mùn pours head bartender Marco Favorito's 'Spirits of Rome', ten cocktails, one for each historic rione, each with its own food pairing, to a panoramic terrace crowd, alongside wines from Franciacorta to Champagne and Oxiana craft beers. Open to hotel guests and everyone else alike.

Order this: Rione Monti — basil-infused bourbon, passion fruit green tea kombucha, agave, lime

Nite Kong

From the team behind Drink Kong, and sharing its Monti address, Nite Kong is 'an homage to the night': an eclipse-themed list where every classic comes in traditional and NITE-twist versions, all €18, with champagne by the glass up to Dom Pérignon. The darker, later sibling of Rome's 50 Best mainstay.

Order this: Nite Negroni — redistilled Bulldog gin, Vermouth del Professore Rosso, Campari, special bitter

Punch Room

The Rome EDITION's take on the brand's signature Punch Room concept: a speakeasy-inspired room of amaranth velvet where punch, the 17th-century trade-ship precursor to the cocktail, is rebuilt from its five traditional pillars: spirits, spice, citrus, tea and sugar. Serves like Panta Rei run fenugreek vodka into carob, black tea and mastiha.

Order this: Panta Rei — fenugreek-infused vodka, carob cordial, black tea, mastiha, Yellow Chartreuse

Sapphire Bar Roma