Bar Pompi

According to legend, this was Marcello Mastroianni’s (“La Dolce Vita”) secret place for buying tiramisù for his girlfriends because it was so exquisite. I had heard this from various sources, along with other rave reviews from a wide range of people and decided, finally, to make way to the other side of town and give it a try, adding to the list of places in my grandfather's quest for the best tiramisù. I was certainly not disappointed.

The bar itself is rather large as bars in Rome go and has an impressive selection of pastries in the displays at the front of the bar. However, the best are kept in the wall of refrigerators to the right side. Trays are stacked ten high and twenty across, all containing the same thing, deliciousness. The sign next to the cashier's desk says that the tiramisù are only for take away, but the waitress didn't seem to have a problem bringing one to the table. Apparently at night the bar is a bit of a mad house with people searching for a late night sugar fix, maybe the no table service only applies then.

As for the tiramisù itself, I would rank it very near the top of my list. They have two kinds, traditional and strawberry. The traditional comes smothered in crumbled bits of chocolate, the lady fingers are delicate and the cream is fantastic. Tastewise it is tops, but I preferred the slightly firmer texture of the cream at La Fraschetta a little, if we're getting really picky. The strawberry is also amazing, like a very thick creamy strawberry short cake.




On a side note, tiramisù or, tira mi su literally means 'pick me up'.

Via Albalonga, 7-11; www.barpompi.it. Open 6:30am-1:30am, closed Mondays. Re di Roma metro stop, easy walk from San Giovanni in Laterano.