Overview
The taste of tradition in the historic Rome-based coffee roasting plant
In the Italian capital, one of the best-known establishments and a go-to for anyone who likes to enjoy a good espresso is Sant’ Eustachio Il Caffè in Rome, an old wood-fire coffee roasting plant founded in 1938 in Piazza Sant’Eustachio, near Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. Opened in a single-window establishment built back in 1800 and known in the city as “Caffè e Latte”, it still has its unmistakable blue and yellow sign that serves to attract visitors, who arrive in their droves to try the house speciality: the “Gran Caffè”, made from a blend of different types of coffee, the quantities of which remain secret, and served in a slightly larger cup than usual, pre-sweetened with a slight creaminess.
The restaurant, set in the beautiful Palazzo Cenci Maccarani, still retains its original furnishings, as desired by the Ricci brothers, who took over management in 1999. The quality of its products also remains unchanged, ranging from hot drinks, served at the counter or at outside tables, to organic and fair-trade packaged products available for purchase, such as coffee beans, coffee pods and capsules, mugs and other gadgets. Brief introductions to the history of this ancient drink are also available.
