Aperitivo in Rome and How to Do It Like a Local

Around half past six, our guests start coming back from the Vatican with sore feet and the same question: dinner in Rome does not really start until eight, so what do people do in between? The answer is aperitivo in Rome, the early evening drink that comes with something to eat, and it is one of the best value hours you will spend in the city if you know how it works.

It is also easy to get wrong. Order at the wrong time, sit in the wrong place or treat the snacks as dinner and you end up paying tourist prices for crisps. Here is how aperitivo actually works around Prati and the rest of the city, what it should cost, and how to make it the bridge between a long day and a good meal.

What Aperitivo in Rome Actually Is

Aperitivo is a pre dinner drink meant to open the appetite, and in Italy it almost always arrives with food. In Rome that usually means a small plate or two brought to your table: crisps, olives, a few cubes of pizza bianca, perhaps some taralli or little sandwiches. You pay for the drink, and the food is included.

The custom is stronger in Milan and Turin, where it began, but Rome has taken to it properly over the last twenty years. You will see office workers in Prati standing outside bars on Via Cola di Rienzo with a glass in hand from about six onwards, and students crowding the steps around Trastevere later in the evening.

What to Order and What It Should Cost

The classic order is a spritz, but you have plenty of choice. These are typical prices at a normal neighbourhood bar in central Rome, sitting down, with snacks included.

If you see a spritz listed at 15 euro or more, you are paying for the view, usually a piazza table near a major monument. That can be worth it once. It should not be your nightly habit.

Timing It Like a Roman

Most bars run aperitivo from around 18:00 to 21:00. The sweet spot is 18:30 to 19:30. Before that, the snacks may not be out yet. After about 20:30, the plates get thinner and the bar starts turning into a late drinks crowd.

This timing fits neatly with Roman dinner. Restaurants in our neighbourhood fill from about 20:00, and many do not take serious bookings before 19:30. Aperitivo at seven, a short walk, then dinner at half past eight is a very normal evening here. My colleague Marco covers the walk itself in walking the Prati and Ottaviano neighbourhood, which makes a good route between the two.

Why You Should Not Chase the Big Buffet

Many guides will tell you to look for an apericena, the larger buffet version where one drink at 12 to 18 euro gets you access to a spread of pasta salads, rice, focaccia and fried things. The pitch is that you can skip dinner altogether.

I would push back on that, at least for most visitors. The buffet food at these places is usually prepared hours ahead, sits out under lights, and is designed to fill people up cheaply. It is fine for students on a budget. But Rome is a city where a simple dinner of cacio e pepe and a carafe of house wine might cost 20 to 25 euro, and that meal will be one of the best things you eat all week. Trading it for lukewarm pasta salad saves very little money and costs you a lot of the trip.

Keep aperitivo small. One drink, the plate that comes with it, then a real dinner. If you are unsure what to order once you get there, our guide on what to order at a Roman trattoria will help.

Table, Counter or Standing Outside

Where you stand changes what you pay. At a traditional Roman bar, drinking at the counter is cheaper than sitting down, sometimes by two or three euro. With aperitivo the rule is softer, because the snacks are usually served to tables. Here is how it typically plays out:

• Sitting at a table: full price, full service, snacks brought to you. Best for groups and tired legs.
• At the counter: slightly cheaper, snacks may be set out on the bar to share. Good for a quick one.
• Standing outside with a glass: common in busy areas, often counter price. Do not wander off down the street with the glass.

You pay at the end when seated, and a coperto or cover charge is not normally added for aperitivo. If it is, it should be on the menu.

Spotting a Good Aperitivo Bar

You do not need a famous name. Good signs are easy to read from the pavement:

• Locals of working age, still in office clothes, rather than only tourists.
• Snacks arriving on small plates that look freshly cut, not giant bowls of identical crisps.
• A printed price list at the door or on the table, not prices given verbally.
• A short wine list with something from Lazio or nearby regions.

Be wary of bars with staff out front calling people in, or menus in six languages with photographs of every drink. Neither is a disaster, but it usually means you are paying more for less.

Aperitivo When You Do Not Drink

Nobody in Rome will find it odd if you skip alcohol. Ask for a Crodino, a bright orange bitter soda that tastes very much like the real thing, or a Sanbitter. Many bars will also mix a non alcoholic spritz with soda and a bitter syrup. A fresh orange juice, spremuta, is another common order. The snacks come either way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is aperitivo free food?

The food is included in the price of the drink rather than charged separately. Do not expect a full meal unless the bar advertises an apericena buffet, and do not order a second plate without asking whether it is extra.

Do I need to tip for aperitivo?

Tipping is not expected in Rome. Rounding up to the nearest euro or leaving one or two euro for good table service is a kind gesture, but nobody will chase you for it.

Can children come to aperitivo?

Yes. Families with children are common at early aperitivo, especially at outdoor tables around 18:30. Kids usually get a juice and happily take over the crisps.

A Simple Evening Plan

Head back to your room after sightseeing, rest for half an hour, then walk out at around seven. Order one spritz or a Crodino at a neighbourhood bar with a posted price list, enjoy the plate it comes with and leave by eight for dinner. That is aperitivo done properly, for around 8 euro a person. For more ideas on eating well near us, browse our dining guides.