Two bars near (but not in) Campo Dei Fiori
Open Baladin
Address- Via degli Specchi 6
Phone- +39 06 683 8989
Website- https://www.baladin.it/en/open-baladin-roma
Hours- Monday through Sunday, 12 PM- 2 AM
Happy times with a wall of beer as a backdrop
Open Baladin opened in Rome in 2009. Thus, this craft beer bar project has already celebrated a 10th birthday, wow. The first time I stepped in they were playing my favorite band (The National) and I was struck by the grandiose wall of beer, made up of hundreds of bottles. The craft beer scene has remained relevant and Open Baladin has remained popular. If you want to try some Italian microbrews in a rather spacious bar near Campo Dei Fiori, stop here. I recommend stopping by in between mealtimes, as tables are often reserved, especially for dinner. Every time I go between 3-5 o’clock in the afternoon, however, the place is quiet. Baladin is an excellent place to recharge after a full day of walking through the center of Rome. It is located on Via degli Specchi, quite near Largo Argentina (the site of Julius Caesar’s true assassination), you can stop here before heading across Ponte Garabaldi in order to explore the neighborhood of Trastevere. You could also head across the tram tracks and enter the Jewish quarter. Two restaurants to try here are Sora Margherita and Nonna Betta. Many bloggers profess the same sentiment, but the burgers and real substantial food choices at Baladin can be skipped. Do go for the ‘fatate’ as described on the official Baladin website “freshly made potato chips flavored with unique aromas, from licorice to garlic, pecorino cheese or sweet paprika.”
The pecorino variety are decisively the best and the perfect snack pairing with, dare I say, any beer on the menu.
Caffe Peru
Address- Via di Monserrato 46
Phone- +39 06 687 9548
Website- https://www.facebook.com/CaffePeru/
The exterior of Caffe Peru
Hours- Monday through Saturday, 7.30 AM- 2 AM, Sunday 8.30 AM- 5 PM
This bar is such a tease! It has opened and closed and opened again over the last decade. My friends, Giorgio and Stefano, super Romans in every sense, took me here for the first time in 2011. It has evolved over the years, hence the periodic closings for redesign. Still, the location is ideal, tucked away behind the much busier Campo Dei Fiori, just down the street from the Piazza Farnese which is worth a stroll through on the way. The evolution has left the bar more polished. I remember that the toilets were originally ‘Turkish’ (also known as ‘squat’ ‘Asian’ or ‘Indian’ style toilets). It was honestly the only establishment in Rome that I remember encountering this type of latrine. Don’t mistake my tone; I am not mourning the loss of the squat toilet, but this example does serve as a metaphor for the transition of the bar at large. It still feels authentic and I vouch for Caffe Peru as an aperitivo stop in the center of Rome, however. One thing I have always loved about this bar is that they will showcase work by local artists on the walls. They will also host live events such as poetry readings. I believe the bar gained a bit more notoriety after the paparazzi snapped a picture of Jude Law outside of the bar while filming The Young Pope in 2015.