Aperitivos in Rome: What they are and where to eat them

In this blog I'm going to talk a little bit about the Italian aperitif culture (what it is, how it's made and when to eat it). I'll also give you some advice about where to go in Rome, and it's province... basically, the places that I consider to be the best, and the cheapest :)

What is the aperitif and when do you eat it?

The aperitif is the Italian custom of having an alcoholic, or non-alcoholic, drink accompanied by some food for nibbling (similar to the tapas tradition in Spain).

Food and drinks

The typical drinks are the Spritz, which is a cocktail that comes in a range of different varieties (for example: Aperol, white wine, soda and an orange slice), prosecco, wine, beer and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

The food is usually served on a wooden board that is called 'tagliere' (which comes from the verb 'tagliare': 'to cut', because it is used for cutting food). The most basic aperitifs are crisps, nuts and olives... but these aren't what I want to talk about. The best aperitif is one which is almost like a full dinner :D

Mainly, aperitifs come as small dishes of a selection of different foods. The most typical are:

Bruschetta (toasted bread topped with tomatoes, olive pate or other vegetables)

Potato Tortilla ('frittata' in Italian)

Cold meats and cheese

Fish

Sandwiches

Pasta Salad

Grilled vegetables

Rice salad

Pizza slices

But this all depends on where you go. Lately, there have been more and more vegan options, and this is what I always have (they're mainly vegetables, bruschetta, olives and polenta).

What time?

The aperitif is usually had sometime between 5pm and 8 pm. In some places, after 8pm, the aperitif turns into a kind of buffet with a set price. In some bars there will be happy hour where there are discounts o the drinks.

Where to eat aperitifs in Rome and its province

In the centre of Rome there aren't many places that I would advise you to go, because the majority are aimed at tourists and aren't of very good quality. The ones that I like the most are in little neighbourhoods and in province of Rome.

The most central place to have a good aperitif is the Momart Cafe, which is close to the Bologna metro stop and near the Mirafiori faculty of Sapienza.

Momart Cafe:

Here you can have a buffet style aperitif at a set price, which includes all the food and drink that you want. You can fill up your plate, eat it and keep going back again. Food is continuously brought out of the kitchen. The price is usually around 10euros which is not bad considering it's all you can eat. However, for a normal aperitif, where you don't want to eat a lot, I wouldn't advise paying that much.

Dal Veneziano - L'Ombralonga Viniera Cicchetteria

You can find this place in the Centocelle neighbourhood of Rome (by the Gardenia metro stop). It's a little bit out of the centre, but the aperitifs here are some of the best. They offer a wide range of Spritz's which are all very good and they come at an unbeatable price. The taglieri only costs 2. 50 and they come with a lot of food. There are three different 'taglieri': cold meats and cheese, vegetarian (cheese and vegetables) and vegan. They also sell various rolls and sandwiches separately.

Here I had a craft beer with the vegan 'taglieri', it was a salad with apple, nuts, soy seeds and it came with carrot and pickles on the side to dip in oil (which in Italian is called pinzimonio - oil mixed with salt and black pepper which you dip raw vegetables in). It costs 2. 50.

Two of my friends shared the meats and cheese 'tagliere' for 2. 50 and they couldn't finish it because it was too much food although, in the photo, it doesn't look like it. They had a Spritz (the orange one you can see on the left). With each 'tagliere' they also brought out bread to accompany it.

100% recommended!

Aperitifs in Monterotondo

Monterotondo is a town in the province of Rome, it's a little far from the centre (Rome is very big), but, they make really great aperitivos. I prefer to call it La Fraschetta Moderna. Here, the 'tagliere' includes the drink and it's delicious. Sometimes they do promotions on fish 'tagliere', for example, yesterday I was there with my friends and we had a fish aperitif for 5 euros. I, as always, had the vegan option.

The small one is mine and they brought it separately; it had olives, potatoes, bruschetta and polenta with vegetable sauce. My friends' 'taglieri' was enormous and, I can't even remember what was in it, but there was a lot. :D

In 'La Fraschetta moderna' they also have the "normal" taglieri, not only fish and vegan options; for example: meatballs, tortilla etc.

Having an aperitif here is great because the food and drinks are good and the 'tagliere' is included in the price of the drink. So, a glass of wine would cost 3euros but this would include the aperitif.

If I think of any more good aperitif suggestions, I will upload them to this blog :)

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