Nicole in Rome

Occasion: After class aperitif/snacks

Initial Impressions: Paolo had been to Caffe Doria previously with his friend. He said it was really beautiful inside and always wanted to take me there to try. So today after class, we were trying to decide what we wanted to do since it was Friday and perfect time for Afternoon Tea. Caffe Doria was near his school so we decided to go! The entrance is actually situated behind the Main Street, which I wasn’t expecting. Once inside there was a well lit room with a bar to the left and pastry case straight ahead. We were seated immediately. I think the door is a bit too small to make this comfortably handicap wheelchair accessible, but I think there may be another entrance on the main street (via del corso) since there is inside and outside seating. The menu was given to us in Italian with no English menu offered to me or translations on the menu. I also didn’t really like how difficult the menu was to flip through.

Once Seated: Seats were comfortable and music was the correct genre and at the correct volume. The art was also very beautiful! They seem like replicas but still very nice. The ambiance was not too loud which I really enjoyed. The fountain (yes they have an indoor fountain!) was nice to hear faintly in the background. I did use the bathroom to wash my hands, but I did not like the fact that there was a code you had to press to get in like this was some McDonalds. I also did not like how cramped and small the space was (not handicap accessible from inside seating). Also there were no paper towels to dry my hands and the soap dispenser was a bit complicated and outdated looking.

The Food: I ordered a Bellini and Paolo ordered a tea. For food, we wanted to have an aperitif but were told (in Italian I didn’t catch all of it something like it starts at 5/5:30pm…the awkward part is that it was 4:52pm so it was a bit annoying and later I checked the website and it actually starts at 6pm lol.) Instead we had half of each other’s sanwiches: the Club Sandwich with turkey ham, fresh tomato, lettuce and crispy bacon and the Cruffin with salmon, avocado, creme franche, fresh tomato, lettuce. For dessert we shared a chocolate dessert…I forgot what it was called but it was rectangular.

3/5 Bellini and Tea: To be honest the Bellini was a Bellini. The price point was expensive (15 euros I think). The tea was also whatever for its price point. I would recommend asking if they make affogatos here or ordering the hot chocolate since it is winter. Perhaps even a juice of cafe with water would be a better bet.

5/5 Club Sandwich: (On the bottom left) Amazing. I was very pleasantly surprised to have a really good American style club sandwich. It was actually three tiers and the bread was toasted nicely and the food was still warm and served at a good temperature. I thought that the portion was a euro or two expensive but it was worth the cost for how well executed. This sandwich was something I imagine my little sister would like after walking around rome all day and needing something between lunch and dinner.

5/5 Cruffin: I liked this sandwich. The smoked salmon was not too fishy and the creme fresh was a good balance. The avacado reminded me of guac and was a little weird, but it was fine because I didnt taste too much of it. I think that if any edits were made they would be better off giving me a slice or two of avocado. The breading was really buttery and rich and I enjoyed it very much. Normally when I tell my friends I want a croissant there is kind of an air of “what’s the difference between croissant and cornetto” hahahaha. The difference is, one is buttery and soft and flakey and the other one is flakey.

4/5 Chocolate Dessert: This was glorious hahahaha. The presentation was meh. I would say that the raspberries compote or reduction (whatever it was) was slightly too sour but the chocolate was just sweet enough to balance that out. I also really liked the texture overall of the dessert because it was crunchy, creamy, but also refreshing. I recommend this dessert!

Service: The first server we had was very lively and patient. She knew the menu and answered our questions about what was inside each drink and also gave good recommendations when they didn’t have something we liked on the menu! For example I saw they didn’t have a cosmopolitan and she recommended some type of Margherita. I asked her what was in the Bellini and she answered and I went with that, which she was very kind about and confirmed yes it is more light and delicate and fruity. Paolo on the other hand wanted a Sacher for dessert, and she instead recommended that chocolate dessert. However, she left and it seems that they don’t have a very good system in place for what happens when a server leaves because a new one that would took her place was not introduced and less skilled. So our order for the dessert didn’t come through and we had to flag down another waiter to order it and also ask/remind him about the aperitifs that came with my Bellini. Also he did not answer how long the tea should be seeping at first until Paolo asked him in the beginning and he only gave us one fork for the dessert while our original server didn’t even ask and had the sandwiches we ordered split into two. I docked a star for those fine minute details because the price was also slightly high and if you are charging that much, I will be more nitpick-ey with service.

Payment: The total cost was 66 euros. They accept American Express (and I used my amex via Samsung pay). This was cheaper than I thought so I did feel better, but I think that service here needs to be fine tuned. Overall, I will likely return for the dessert, those sandwiches, and just overall a clean well lighted place!