Rome. The eternal city. What do you picture when you think of Rome? Ancient ruins, the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Vatican city, the Pantheon…the list goes on and on. Well, how about some wonderful Italian craft beer bars too!
Open Baladin Rome
After you’ve braved the chaotic Roman traffic, and elbowed through tourists all day to get a glimpse of the Sistine Chapel and the perfect photo from your open-top bus, don’t just settle for a cold Birra Moretti! There are other great choices all within walking distance of the central plazas. Open Baladin was our first welcome respite from the tourist bizarre!
We first heard about the Baladin brewery in June 2011 while still living in New York City. Jim and I are very fond of Dogfish Head beer, and when we heard that the owner Sam Calagione partnered with two Italian brewers to open a craft beer bar and restaurant, Birreria, on the rooftop of Eataly in New York, we were two of the crazy people who waited in line four hours to catch a glimpse at the bar on opening night.
Jim and I visited Open Baladin twice during our 3-day visit to Rome, and both times were during the middle of the afternoon where we could relax at a table while admiring the enchanting display of beers from around the world. Choosing among 40 Italian draft beers and a list of over 100 bottles was a bit daunting. It couldn’t have been a better spot to break up the day of tourist sites!
NO.AU
How about a Parisian-like bistro specializing in craft beers in the heart of Rome? No.Au you say!
No.au is part of the Baladin family of restaurants and bars, with a great neighborhood vibe. On a perfectly mild Sunday evening in Rome, Jim and I sat at the bar and ordered one of the Baladin 2008 Reserve bottles. It’s always nice to see places that take as much care with their beer as they do with an expensive bottle of wine. We were mesmerized by the presentation of two goblets (something of a cross between a Riedel-O and Leffe/Kwak glass) with champagne bottle chiller to keep our Reserve cold.
We relaxed and enjoyed the echoes from the outside Roman alleys as family’s strolled around for an evening walk – a surprisingly romantic night at a beer bar! Romance doesn’t have to involve just wine anymore 🙂
Ma Cha Siete Venuti a Fà
Alternatively, a beer bar can also come in the form of a cozy, crowded dive, which is how we discovered Ma Cha Siete Venuti a Fà in the Trastavere neighborhood of Rome. I fell in love with this neighborhood and the bar offered a great selection of Italian craft beer.
Framed and in a glass case next to the seating area in back was an award that Ma Cha Siete Venuti a Fà received from RateBeer for “Best Beer Bars in the World” (in 2010).
Brasserie 4:20
You know you’re in for a fun beer evening when you enter a new beer bar to the sight (and smell) of real hops plants everywhere! Immediately drawn in by the bar’s interior, then even more excited when I tasted my first sip of the Bombay Cat beer, a Black Double IPA at 9% ABV, I knew our plan for Italian pizza and a wine dinner would be replaced by a burger and beer that night (with no regrets!)
The brewery is Revelation Cat Brewing, started by an Anglo-Italian guy who has spent years traveliong throughout Europe and the USA to learn the craft of brewing. He’s now set up a brewery in Kent, England (a major UK hop region) under the banner – “International beers with a cuore italiano”!
Check out the map below if you want to set up your own bar crawl while in Rome. There are many more craft beer spots that I’m determined to visit on my next trip to Rome, but I can personally recommend the above four places for any craft beer fan!
November 2, 2013 at 3:17 am
Lovely list, Tanya! Thanks for the tip!
October 21, 2015 at 5:49 am
Thanks for the helpful article and great descriptions. Hoping we can buy some Italian beer glasses at these bars for gifts.