Sciascia roasts their espresso on the original machinery from 1919. The single shot changes with the season — expect African light roasts in spring and autumn, South American medium roasts in winter. Regulars praise the body and clarity compared to commercial blends.
Tips from diners
Ask the barista what single-origin they have today. The sourcing rotates monthly and the difference between origins is noticeable.
Come before 9am. After 9, the counter gets crowded with the neighbourhood breakfast crowd.
Plain butter croissant, crispy shell with soft buttery interior.
Tips from diners
The cornetto is from a nearby bakery. Dunk it in your espresso the Roman way, or eat it with the cappuccino.
Cappuccino at Sciascia prioritizes the espresso over the milk — the milk is steamed without excessive foam, letting the coffee's seasonal character shine through. Many reviewers note this is how cappuccino tastes in Northern Italy, not the foam-heavy Roman style.
Tips from diners
The cappuccino hits differently here because the milk doesn't drown the espresso. It's lean, not creamy.
The doppio gives more volume to taste the complexity of the single-origin roast. Sciascia pulls shots to order, not pre-pulled, which means the crema is fresh and the extraction consistent.
Tips from diners
Order this if you want to really taste the roast. The doppio has more body than the single and shows off the seasonal origins.
Sciascia sells beans by the kilo. Regulars and traveling coffee enthusiasts buy 250g or 500g bags to take home. The house blend is consistent year-round, while single-origins rotate with the roast cycle. Prices are competitive for a legacy roaster.
Tips from diners
Buy a small bag of the house blend to take home. It's one of the few real coffee souvenirs from Rome, not a tourist trap.
Sciascia Caffè is a Roman institution that has been roasting coffee in Prati since 1919. The 105-year legacy shows in the vintage roasting machine still visible in the shop, and in the meticulous sourcing — blends are roasted in-house and change seasonally. Regulars come for the deeply technical espresso, while tourists discover a piece of Rome's coffee culture that predates the specialty coffee wave.
This place opens at 8am and closes by 2pm. It's a morning-only stop, not an all-day café.
The original roasting machine is visible through the glass wall in the back. It dates to 1919 and still works.
Located in Prati, a residential neighborhood north of the Tiber. Not touristy, very local, worth the trip if you're staying near Vatican.
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