Rome's Most Anticipated Summer Opening: Cafè Conti Under a 2,000-Year-Old Roman Arch

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Hot on the heels of Forno Conti's phenomenal success, baker-entrepreneur Sergio Conti has done it again — opening Cafè Conti in Rome's Esquilino neighbourhood. After months of eager anticipation, the doors finally swung open in the height of summer 2026.

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Rome's beloved Forno Conti has expanded just steps away from its original location, with Cafè Conti officially welcoming guests from Thursday, 16 July 2026. Though Forno Conti only opened in late 2021, it has already cemented its place as an iconic fixture in Rome's culinary landscape. This contemporary bakery is deeply Roman at heart — founder Sergio Conti hails from a centuries-old lineage of the city's bakers — while simultaneously catering to international foodies and savvy travellers on the hunt for specialty coffee, avocado toast and impossibly photogenic croissants.

Since day one, the bakery has been turning out exceptional breads, cakes, puff pastries and laminated doughs. Over five years, these creations have won over everyone from the neighbourhood nonna to the most discerning YouTube food critics. The inevitable result: international buzz and long queues snaking out the door, especially on weekends.

Why Forno Conti Opened Cafè Conti

The expansion was born of necessity. Unable to grow within the original premises, Sergio Conti set his sights on an extraordinary space in the same district. The second outpost is called Cafè Conti — a decidedly international café rather than a traditional Italian bakery. Baking still plays a starring role, but the kitchen now turns out proper lunch dishes too. And the location? Utterly magical: tucked beside the tiny Church of San Vito, directly beneath the Arch of Gallienus — a travertine Roman monument that once served as a gate in the ancient city walls during the reign of Augustus.

This pocket of Rome, near the increasingly food-centric Piazza Vittorio and just a stone's throw from Termini Station, is also attracting new neighbours that bode well for a project like Cafè Conti. The Academy of Costume and Fashion recently moved into a 19th-century building right across the street, bringing a steady stream of students and professors. The new opening is also expected to help revitalise an area that has long struggled with urban decay.

What to Eat and What It Costs at Cafè Conti

Part of the offering mirrors what made Forno Conti famous: croissants, pain au chocolat, pain suisse — alongside elevated creations like coffee mascarpone and whipped cream brioche, or basil custard brioche with cocoa crumble and candied basil (€6-8) — plus an array of savoury pastries. The café opens at 9am, with coffee flowing from a gleaming white La Marzocco machine, covering everything from classic specialty espresso (€2) to milk-based drinks like Flat Whites and Iced Matcha Lattes.

The menu operates in two distinct acts: until noon, an extensive breakfast spread featuring house-made granola yogurt, omelettes and egg dishes, French toast, international viennoiserie, and sliced cakes (€3-14). From midday onward, a full lunch menu takes over with ambitious gastronomic offerings: salt cod brandade with pepper cream and pickled onions, lacquered octopus with raspberry BBQ sauce and octopus mayonnaise, ricotta ravioli with spring onion and candied lemon, or pork with crispy grass pea and carrot cream (€16-26).

Interior Design at Cafè Conti

And the atmosphere? For this project, Sergio Conti once again turned to Studio Dispensabile's Germana De Donno — the same designer behind the original Forno Conti on Via Giusti and, more recently, Barnum. She has delivered another iteration of her signature international bakery aesthetic, with Nordic touches that engage in a serene dialogue with the ancient surroundings enveloping the new venue. Before long, this space will undoubtedly be swarmed by patrons queuing for a coveted table…