A shocker and a delight in Rome

[cleverdic]

Just returned from a weekend break to Rome (thanks Ryanair for the cheap flights). This was our first trip to this city and I was looking forward to lots of sightseeing and also coffee drinking. The 2 caffes on my todo list were both located close to the Pantheon;
Caffe Tazza D'Oro and Sant Eustachio il caffe

First visit was to Tazza D'Oro where espressos were priced at 0.65 euros, very reasonable. I should point out that my wife only drinks black coffee with no sugar and asks for Americano's when we visit places like these. Busy caffe and the drinks were served with the usual Italian flourish. They were delightful with a smoothness that I can only dream about when trying my own roasts. This place set a standard in Rome which in fact we found was unbeatable.

The next visit was Sant Eustachio il caffe round the corner. This place appears to have an international standing. Certainly the prices were significantly more expensive 2.10 euros for their Gran Caffee espresso; over 3 times the cost compared with Tazza D'Oro but was it 3 times better? First shock was to discover that the coffee was served with sugar without asking.
We never experienced this elsewhere in this trip or indeed to other places on Italy. Neither my wife nor me take sugar in our coffee. I drunk my espresso. It had an enormous crema you could hold a teaspoon up in but my wife could not touch hers so we asked for it to be changed for one without sugar. About 10 seconds later, out from the well hidden espresso machines where secret techniques are practised came this disgusting concoction of black weak watery substance. We were surprised. Unfortunately, out Italian is very poor so we could only say to the barista in a loud voice "no bueno, no bueno".
He took the cup away and a new Americano duly appeared with the famous Eustachio crema on top. This was good but we were not in the mood to enjoy it after being surprised at being served rubbish in the first place.

During our trip, we continued to drop in to Tazza D'Oro and were never disappointed. It is a fabulous place even in early evening when you sense that the baristas were starting to get tired and cups and saucers were making more noise than usual. However, on Sunday, as we were anticipating another espresso kick start in the morning, we were very disappointed to find Tazza D'oro closed. What to do?
Surely Sant Eustachio il caffe would be ok? So we went round and made very sure that we said "no zuccherro"
in our espresso and Americano.
Well this is where the surprising turned into the shocking. My wife got exactly the same weak excuse of a drink this time without the sugar. We could not believe it. I was getting angry now as it was clear they felt they could rip off tourists. Remember, this Americano is the same cost as a Gran Caffe at 2.10 euros and so you expect good quality at this price. Again we shouted "no bueno". It was the same barista as the previous occasion 2 days ago. Did he not remember us? We got a new drink served with the quality we expected but by this time, we were so annoyed at this blatant rip off that we drunk up and left. We will never go back again.
So in summary, visit Tazza D'Oro I'm sure you will not be disappointed but if you want to visit Sant Eustachio be very careful that you get what you ask (and pay) for.

By the way, we really enjoyed Rome and had a great time. We didn't cover the whole city in 3 days so we will be back and looking forward to it. The only other bad experience in the whole trip was disgusting ice cream bought close to the Trevi Fountain (amazing) but thats another story.....

[matts]

Hi Richard

Nice to hear from you - Can't find envy so Mr Green will have to do, sounds like a good trip.

Cheers
Matt

[NikosF]

Your experience mirrors mine exactly!

I go to Rome quite often (my wife is from Rome), and I had also heard that Tazza d'Oro and San Eustachio were the two coffee places "I had to go to"

I was very dissapointed by San Eustachio. (Their Gran coffee by the way includes sugar by definition - so they were in fact correct in pre-mixing the sugar). They apparantly use some additive or cheat technique to get their crema - which is the reason for the secret blinds.

I had a so-so espresso there, and bought some beans to take home - which were AWEFUL! I couldn't get anything other than a thin, weak pull from them.

I love Tazza d'Oro - as you say great value, and consistently good. I've taken home beans from there, and they have been excellent.

The beauty of Rome is that you can go into just about any bar - and get a pretty good espresso / capp - for a very reasonable price. It's no surprise Italians don't have machines at home - there is no need to - just pop downstairs to the local bar, and get one freshly made for next to nothing!

Like any big city - there are plenty of tourist traps - so not surprised about the bad gelato. I'll post some recommendations from my wife.