Patrick Pistolesi's Drink Kong in Rome's Monti district is the Tokyo-style cocktail bar with signature highballs, the city's strongest cocktail list since 2018 and a late-night ramen kitchen.
Food program: Asian small plates, ramen late
Tip: Open daily 19:00 to 04:00. Book the cocktail bar four days ahead; ramen kitchen runs from 22:00.
Address: Piazza di San Martino ai Monti 8, 00184 Roma, Rome
Stravinskij Bar in Rome's Hotel de Russie is the courtyard cocktail bar with the city's most pleasing summer garden, the classic-cocktail carte and a signature Stravinskij Negroni.
Signature drink: Stravinskij Negroni, Hugo Spritz
Food: Aperitivo plates, full carte
Tip: Open daily 11:00 to 02:00. Book the garden seats two weeks ahead from May to September.
Court at Palazzo Manfredi in Rome is the rooftop cocktail bar with a direct view of the Colosseum from every seat, the signature classic-cocktail carte and full Aroma kitchen.
Signature drink: Negroni, signature cocktails
Food: Aperitivo plates, full dinner carte
Tip: Open daily 18:00 to 24:00. Book the rooftop terrace four weeks ahead; sunset slots sell out first.
Salotto 42 in Rome's Centro Storico is the long-running cocktail bar opposite the Temple of Hadrian, with a vintage book-and-design library wall and a Roman aperitivo crowd at 19:00.
Signature drink: Negroni, classic cocktails
Food: Aperitivo plates, brunch on Saturday
Tip: Open daily 10:00 to 02:00. The piazza-facing terrace fills first at sunset; book at the front bar.
Freni e Frizioni in Rome's Trastevere is the converted-garage cocktail bar with the city's most generous aperitivo buffet from 19:00, plus a long classic-cocktail and amaro list.
Signature drink: Aperitivo buffet, classic cocktails
Food: Aperitivo buffet, light dinner
Tip: Open daily 18:00 to 02:00. The aperitivo buffet at 10 euros with a cocktail is the value entry; arrive 19:00.
The Hassler Bar in Rome at the Hassler Hotel is the historic cocktail bar opposite the Trinita dei Monti, with classic cocktails, the marble counter and the Roma social-set crowd.
Signature drink: Hassler Spritz, Negroni
Food: Aperitivo plates, light carte
Tip: Open daily 11:00 to 02:00. The piazza-facing window seats are the request for sunset.
Club Derriere in Rome's Centro Storico is the speakeasy behind Etabli, with a 1920s-era cocktail carte and the city's quietest dark-corner bar by the Pantheon.
Signature drink: Signature cocktails, prohibition classics
Food: Small snacks, late-night plates
Tip: Entry via the Etabli restaurant; ask for the back room. Open 22:00 to 03:00; closed Sunday.
