Specialty Coffee in Rome at Faro – Luminari del Caffè

people sitting inside a Rome coffee bar

I’ve been waiting a long time for a coffee bar like Faro to finally make its way to Rome.

The bar declares itself to be the only independent speciality coffee bar in the city. Not beholden to any limiting agreements with certain roasters, Faro seeks out the best specialty coffee from all over the world.

The three cofounders Daphne, Dario and Arturo, decided that they were up to the challenge of bringing a new coffee culture to Rome in December 2016.

Dario told me that Faro (which means “lighthouse” in Italian), aims to combine quantity, quality and atmosphere.

It was the atmosphere that struck me first. When I say that I’ve been searching for something like Faro, I mean that I’ve been craving a coffee spot that brings together design, comfort and a seriously good caffeine fix.

Most coffees in Rome are quickly downed at the banco, and tend towards dark roast that are bitter and often burnt.

Faro has the space and the inviting touch that makes you want to stay awhile and browse their coffee menu.

While the bar has a house blend espresso that hits the typical Italian €1 mark, they also have a menu of regularly changing speciality coffees at varying price points.

Taking Daphne’s advice, I went straight for what Faro says is their best coffee. Nensebo is a single origin Ethiopian roast that is unbelievable floral. For me the flavor had lots of hits of lime, as well as some of the strawberry also described on the menu.

You can taste all these notes because all the baristas at Faro will encourage you to try whichever coffee you order without sugar. It’s such a core part of the philosophy that the WiFi password is even “senzazucchero.”

And you can feel free to use it. No one will shoo you out of the shop, but they might encourage you to try something else from the menu. Faro serves artisan cornetti that always sell out by mid morning, as well as quick lunch items such as soups, wraps and salads alongside daily specials.

And the desserts? The tiramisu is delicious, as is the yogurt topped with frutti di bosco.

So if you consider yourself a coffee lover and you haven’t tried Faro, you need to remedy that.

The gleaming La Marzocca and Makhong/Mazzer grinders will be your first hint that coffee is king here.

Faro also offers aeropress and filter coffee which I intend to head back to try soon.

Faro – Luminari del Caffè
Via Piave 55
Rome, Italy

Open Monday – Friday from 7 am to 5 pm. Opens Saturday at 8 am and Sunday at 9 am.

 

2 thoughts on “Specialty Coffee in Rome at Faro – Luminari del Caffè

  1. JC Galvez says:

    Hi Natalie. I moved to Rome from Miami in 2018 and I’m still discovering so many new things in Italy. I found your post helpful as I’ve become interested in the coffee culture and heard a content creator favorite of mines bring up the term third wave coffee. I hope Im not too late and this place is still available. Are there any other places like this or “third wave coffee” like that you’d recommend? thank you. it’s nice to write English once in a while 😀

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