I went to several awesome cafes in Italy.

We couldn’t leave Rome without a stop at the very famous Sant’Eustacchio cafe – very, very old and tiny and beloved. On our way from the Pantheon, we meandered towards this cafe, hoping for brunch, but no, Rome doesn’t do brunch, even on a Sunday.

Sant’Eustacchio cafe has the reputation for serving the best cup of coffee in town. Despite the many tourists and the touristy vibes, the coffee was truly divine, the cafe itself unpretentious. The charming waiter spoke impeccable English, so we couldn’t use our Italian. We ordered coffee, cold coffee and pastries- little rectangles of puff pastry filled with cream and custard.

We sat at a table on the street, in the middle of a little square. It was so typically Roman, with the tabacchi near by. There was a sculpture of stag horns atop the next building, from where the piazza and the cafe get their name. People walked around, an old little mini cooper was parked beside the tabacchi, pigeons flew around boldly.

My gorgeous affogato with cream looked too good to sip but I dived into real cream and delicious coffee. The pastries were simple and did not take away from the coffee. My daughter’s cold coffee was tasty, and she finished it in a gulp.

The cafe is touristy for sure, but we still enjoyed the experience. They have loads of coffee beans and coffee-related products to sell inside, so this is a great place to buy some presents for all the coffee lovers in your life. We spent a lovely Sunday morning meandering through old cobbled streets on our way to Piazza Navona via the Pantheon.

Sant’Eustacchio is a short walk away from the Pantheon, and the Piazza Novona.