CAFFETTERIA SICILIANA, VIA BRAVETTA 266, 00164 ROMA

Rating: Standard, decent Illy being brewed

The Caffetteria Siciliana is a very nice place. Its on the northern-end of Monteverde, towards the left of the Pamphilj park. It’s very clean inside, fairly new, still crisp at the edges and very welcoming. They’re not brewing Sicilian coffee, but it’s OK, we’re here to discover what each coffee house in Rome is doing. So without further ado…

Asking for a cup of coffee gets you the following reaction:​

​Presentation: Super calm barista, smooth, serves water immediately. The cup is clean, and shows already what’s the scoop here.

Temperature of Cup: Well, it was extremely hot, maybe that’s why the water came with the cup so quickly?

Quantity: Actually on the short end, given that the cup was very round and ample.

Temperature: The coffee was indeed warm, but by the time I went to have it, it was drinkable.

Volume/Consistency: I was expecting worse, but the positive thing is that there was quite a thickness to this espresso. It had good body.

Crema: Super thin, not persistent, and reflective of a too hot, too long extraction.​

Odor: Some odor, very dark coffee, not fruity at all, but robust.

Taste: Ultra bitter, strong, but good. Not rancid- this would be what any barista here in Rome would explain a ‘Roman’ coffee is. So robust that it’ll kickstart whatever the hell you’re going to do for the rest of the day.​

​Overall: I say this is standard because I’ve had better Illy coffee experiences, and other coffee in the vicinity is very decent. So it’s not bad, nor out of the ordinary, but solid good.

The setup: This was a decent Faema E92 espresso machine with a like-brand grinder.The coffee was Illy, so nothing much to add here. The setup was clean, meticulous, and shows some care for what they’re brewing. As you walk into the bar, it’s the centerpiece of the establishment.​

Caffetteria Siciliana,

Giannetta Giovanna

Via Bravetta, 266

00164 Roma