When in Rome, we stayed at a small hotel called Hotel Des Artistes. The hotel was nice, but there was a bar right across the street. We loved this little bar. We actually ended up going there several times during our stay. It was literally across the street, and was a great place to grab a bite to eat and a beer. At first, I thought the place was called Bar. It didn’t have a name, just a sign over the door that said Bar. Worked for us… cold beer and pizza was all we were looking for. The beers were too expensive to get drunk on, but if we needed to, we could stumble home! They did have a good deal, though. You could get a Peroni Nastro Azzurro and a pizza for €6. (The exchange rate wasn’t great, but that is roughly $7.50.)
The first night we got to Rome, we were a few hours late (long story) and wanted something for dinner. We checked in at the hotel, and cleaned up for dinner. We sat down, and were greeted by a very nice man who spoke several languages. He speaks English, French, Spanish, and a few other languages. He said he was thinking of moving to Russia, so I assume he speaks that, too. We became quick friends with him and realized that we only had €10. Very few places in Rome accepted a credit card, so we were stuck. I did go to the ATM, but it tried to eat my card. The server went and spoke with his boss, and came back with some good news. They were willing to extend us a line of credit. All we had to do was visit an ATM and pay them back the next day. We did, and spent three more nights there before our trip was over. When we went back to pay him the next day, we were greeted with free shots. He poured us a few shots, and didn’t charge us for them. No reason we kept going back!
The second night we were there, I wanted to try some of their draft beers. I first had a Peroni with my pizza. By the way, I had pizza like ten times on this trip. Hey… when in Rome! Then I ordered a Montenegro. It was a double malt beer that had an incredible aroma and a somewhat sour finish leading to an enjoyable malty aftertaste. Way better than the Peroni. I moved from there to a Le Birre di Policarpo, a light refreshing low ABV lager.
After I finished those, the server handed us some more shots. He didn’t tell us what those were, but they were smooth and delicious. I then finished my pizza and ordered a Strong IPA. It was 7% and a good beer to finish my evening. Before he served that, he brought us another round of shots that was supposed to help with digestion. It did… and was delicious. The IPA was pretty great, too. I am seeing a trend here… we drank a lot is what I am trying to say!
We had our first meal in Rome here, and our last meal in Rome here. It was a neat place, reminded me a lot of Poland, and was a fun place to people watch and engage with the locals. Like I said, our server wants to move to Russia, and wants to obtain an MBA. I wish him the best of luck. He seems like a hard worker, and I trust he will succeed.
Sure, we saw the Roman Forum, the Vatican, and the Colosseum, but places like this make our trips worth while. I just wish there were small locally owned and operated places likes that in Arizona. Every time I think of Rome I will think of this Bar.
Oh, and before I forget, they serve a beer called Tekkno Trance. It’s a coffee beer. They were out of it, but the advertisement for it was cool. Thinking about this trip, I will always remember this bar… when in Rome!
