Finding the best tiramisu in Rome is a challenge I happily accepted.
Even though it was a challenge that I very much gave to myself.
You see, after exploring the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, my plantar fasciitis (killer pain on the underneath of my foot) flared up, which very much put walking out of the equation for a few hours. As a result, I took it upon myself to steer towards somewhere serving pizza so I could rest my feet for a bit.
I ended up in a modern diner of sorts. A place with crisp white subway tiles adorning the walls and the smell of tomato, basil and toasted cheese filling the room before spilling out onto the street through the large open doors. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name (I just tried to find it on Google Maps but after 100 clicks I think it’s fair to say I’ve lost it!) but it was light, it was airy and it didn’t feel particularly Italian.
I went for lasagne, and as I ate the last mouthful, I knew I wanted something more.
Not more pizza, but a specific hankering for tiramisu. But not just any tiramisu, the best tiramisu in Rome.
Or so I was told...
You see, I love asking social media for food recommendations prior to going on a trip and when it came to Rome, the recommendations came flooding in. Places to visit, things to eat, tours to try. And multiple recommendations for tiramisu.
I have to admit, my love for tiramisu is very much a new thing. For years I couldn’t stand the taste of coffee. But as I got older, my taste buds have changed. My journey began by accepting coffee cake, then tiramisu, then caramel lattes. But tiramisu is where the flavour shines.
My quest for finding the best tiramisu in Rome started with Bar Pompi Il Regno del tiramisù, otherwise known as the Kingdom of Tiramisu. Originally founded in 1960 with Guiliano (a master ice-cream maker), the brand has become an Italian treasure, and has since ventured outside of Rome, as I discovered last August when I stumbled across a Bar Pompi store in Soho, London. (Update: The London branch sadly closed during Covid).
As every guidebook will tell you, when it comes to food the best way to judge a place, is by the queue you find outside. And the queue for Bar Pompi was recognisable before I even saw the shopfront.
I visited Pompi Tiramisù (Via Della Croce, 82, 00187 Roma RM) whose location is just a 9-minute walk from The Spanish Steps, and as I made my way inside, I noticed that the room was filled with chillers jam-packed with little red boxes of tiramisu. You walk in, choose your box and pay, then out the door you go. It was a fine-tuned operation and it was clear that Bar Pompi not only meant business, but that they were used to this volume of people.
But they don’t just serve the classics, Bar Pompi has ventured further than the standard coffee flavour tiramisu and also offer strawberry, hazelnut, pistachio and banana and chocolate flavoured tiramisu in addition to an array of other puddings too.
After grabbing my boxes of coffee-flavoured goodness, I ventured around the corner to a small square where a tap-dancer was performing and perched myself on a ledge and enjoyed my tiramisu, watching as the world went by.
Made with strong sharp coffee and sweet mascarpone, Bar Pompi’s tiramisu is the perfect balance of flavour, with each ingredient used in balance so neither element is overpowering. I don’t like tiramisu which is 90% cream and the ratios of Bar Pompi easily made it the best tiramisu I’d had.
But was it the best tiramisu in Rome?
Well, I’m afraid I’ll never know. Because the problem with Bar Pompi was that eating there meant that I didn’t need to continue my quest for the best tiramisu in Rome, because my taste buds were so happy. But I can tell you this: it was tasty. So tasty that even though I was only in Rome for a few days, in between eating Rome’s best gelato, I managed to eat their classic tiramisu and their strawberry tiramisu in addition to purchasing an extra to take on the train with me when I left for Venice…
So, whilst I’ll never know if Bar Pompi is the best tiramisu in Rome, it was the best one I’ve tasted so far!
If you find yourself in Rome, on a self-imposed quest to find the best tiramisu and have more dedication to the cause than I did. Then the following places were suggested to me when I put out my call for good tiramisu on social media. I also received a few messages saying that nothing compares to their grandmother’s tiramisu. But unfortunately, we don’t all have access to an Italian nonna. So if you’re looking to get your tiramisu fix and want to try somewhere other than Bar Pompi, the following are the places that people suggested to me:
Barberini Caffetteria
Location: Via Marmorata, 41, 00153 Roma RM
Opening Hours: 6am–9pm
Phone Number: +39 06 5725 0431
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Location: Via di Monte Testaccio, 97, 00153 Roma RM
Opening Hours: 12:30-3pm and 7:45-11pm
Phone Number: +39 06 574 4194
Da Enzo
Location: Via dei Vascellari, 29, 00153 Roma RM
Opening Hours: 12:30-3pm and 7:30-11pm
Phone Number: +39 06 581 2260
Zum
Location: Piazza del Teatro di Pompeo, 20, 00186 Roma RM
Opening Hours: 11:30am-11:30pm
Phone Number: +39 06 6830 7836
Felice a Testaccio
Location: Via Mastro Giorgio, 29, 00153 Roma RM
Opening Hours: 12:30-3pm and 7-11pm
Phone Number: +39 06 574 6800
Antico Caffè Greco
Location: Via Dei Condotti, 86, 00187 Roma RM
Opening Hours: 9am-9pm
Phone Number: +39 06 679 1700
Two Sizes
Location: Via del Governo Vecchio, 88, 00186 Roma RM
Opening Hours: 11am-11pm
Phone Number: +39 06 6476 1191
Or you can even try your hand at making it yourself!
And a top tip when ordering tiramisu – if you’re not going to a place that’s known for their tiramisu, always ask if it’s made “fatto in casa” which means homemade.
And if it isn’t, give it a miss—life’s too short for mediocre food!
