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Rating: Standard, mid-range Roman coffee
Along the via del Corso, or one of the main arteries of Rome, is Dante’s Bar Caffè. Its right there on the main, and probably sees hundreds if not thousands of people pass through its doors every day. I must admit that a long time ago, I remember having lunch here outside, and I won’t say much more. I normally don't review restaurants (hell I'll never get around to reviewing all of them!), but since this place is indeed emphasizing it's 'bar' aspect, I said, OK, let's give it a go. When I walked in, I was very kindly greeted by the cashier. Then, the baristas were very nice. They were both from the Calabria region and had a particular warmth to them. They were joking about I don’t remember what, but still, their particular southern hospitality was a welcome change in this city. And I think locals of a particular type appreciate this- it was packed with locals when I walked in. That is rare for a touristy area as this! The locale was very clean, with the traditional mix of vinyl, wood paneling, and ceramic/marble ceramic tile floor. I didn’t get the sensation of a ‘different’ place, but much more like all the other small bars here in Rome. Enough about that, let’s have a look at the coffee.
This is what I got served:
Presentation: Nice clean cup of java. No water, but I’m sure it would have been given. Spoon to size, nothing fancy, utilitarian. The cup is a fun one with the logos… makes me feel I’m drinking out of Grand Prix motorcycle helmet or something…
Temperature of Cup: Oh yeah, extremely hot! I had to wait, so much so that the baristas kept looking at my cup to see if I had finished my drink.
Quantity: It was solid one ounce. In this cup it looked like a bit more, but on drinking it, it was right there. Nothing added, nothing less.
Temperature: By the time I had a sip, the temperature of the espresso was acceptable and I could really taste it. I didn’t get burnt in any way.
Volume/Consistency: It was smooth, very smooth. It wasn’t coarse nor runny, and it had the consistency of a milk based drink without milk. It was very good. Wasn’t heavy either. I was very glad to have this in my mouth.
Crema: Even, persistent, yet I felt I couldn’t make it out in my mouth as I drank it. But surely it helped with the volume. It had a point of lighter crema showing slightly higher over extraction.
Odor: Nope, nothing. And I tried to smell it, but nothing there!
Taste: It was bitter up front, not a punch in the mouth as I’m used to from Palombini, but strong, stout. This opened up to a long flat nondescript plateau. Then towards the end of the drink and the finish was buttery, nutty. This was very good.
Overall: By far this has been a good experience of Palombini. It was very decent, and nothing to envy in comparison to other cafes out there. It wasn’t the best, but by far it was a good and solidly built espresso. No wonder it is full of locals here! And fortunately, a tourist will get a decent espresso and not crap as most places tend to serve with this volume of customers.
The setup: It was very professional, and up to date. A nice Faema Emblema with a not so high-tech Faema grinder that isn’t very pretty in my opinion. The coffee, Palombini Caffè. I usually have a very poor opinion of this local Roman-based roaster, but here, wow, it was nice!
Dante's Bar Caffè
Societa . Ram
Di Leo Antonio & C. SNC.
Via del Corso 259
00187 Roma
Tel. 06 6930 3922