I have previously railed against Starbucks coming to Rome, specifically, the first one to open in the historic center, near the Parliament. Then things got even closer to home: a Starbucks opened on my street, down at Piazza San Silvestro. We went the day it opened. We needed breakfast, after all.

Having decided to keep an open mind, we visited on what was coincidentally this cafe bar’s grand opening. Also coincidental, this turned out to be Rome’s flagship store, as proudly proclaimed by one of the several on-site managers as we entered. It’s a very cool space: “industrial chic,” bright, with plenty of  comfortable seating. It is quite large, comprising two floors. It was very busy the morning we went — mostly Italians, but some tourists as well.

 

There are lots of sit & sip spots, all a bit different, with different kinds of seating for different group sizes. Most of the seats were cushioned — different from the typical U.S. Starbucks, which tend to have bare seating surfaces.

While the downstairs is bright thanks to its high ceilings and large bay windows facing the piazza and the side street, the upstairs has a more cozy feeling. There, you find lower (about 2 meters high) ceilings and smaller windows. There is no want for lighting here, but it is predominantly spot lighting that subliminally pushes customers out of the main thoroughfare.

 

 

 

 

The interior design of this Roman Starbucks attractively balances the rectilinear and the curvilinear. The curvy forms of the furniture coincide nicely and unobtrusively with other curvilinear touches, such as the lighting fixtures. I particularly liked the giant spiral light fixture that hangs over the stair well.

 

 

A DJ was playing music, set up in his own space next to the very sleek glass elevator. We don’t know if there will always be a DJ here, or if it was just for the grand opening.

Downstairs has the regular counter to order pastries and coffee. This is another thing that distinguishes this store from a typical U.S. one. There are Italian-style pastries, muffins, sweets, sandwiches on display. But you can still find the usual Starbucks fare too.

 

 

This Starbucks location operates like others. You place your order and pay. Then you slide down the line — around the counter’s corner, in this case — to wait for your name to be called to pick up your order.

We had two croissants (one with pistachio cream, the other with chocolate) and two cappuccinos. The pastries were 2 euros each and the drinks 2.50 euros. This being a Starbucks, you get a choice of drink size. Although we ordered the smallest size of the cappuccino, they were still very large — larger than either of us wanted or needed. They were served in very nice ceramic cups (not paper, yay!), and the pastries were served on a small wooden tray.

The pastries and coffees were both fine. Not my favorite, but not bad, either — pretty much average local stuff. Now, I have not tried the espresso, and I am always disappointed with the espresso in the U.S. Maybe that will be different here, catering to the Italian palate? I don’t feel compelled to return to this Starbucks, but I’ll do it to fill in my sampling of its offerings.

As I’ve alluded to already, this store neither felt nor looked like a Starbucks in the U.S., at least not ones I have been to (I have not been to many locations). There is a clear message that this flagship location appreciates art, culture, and Rome in particular.

Indeed, upstairs is a mural of a wolf (a tribute to La Lupa) amidst columns and foliage by the Roman artist Lucamaleonte, and there is other art throughout the space as well.

There is, to my surprise, a working(!) nasone inside on the lower floor.

The lower floor also includes a bar (“Bar Mixato”) which looks interesting. You can find it in the back. It was only 11 am, so we declined to have a cocktail. Perhaps another day.

 

 

 

A few things we did not like so much. The menu, which is on the wall where you place your order, keeps changing. It changes rapidly enough that it is a challenge to identify the prices for what you want.

I believe they have a QR code so you can see the menu on your phone, which personally drives me nuts. We tried using the Starbucks app, but were told it was not yet functional. Separately on the tech front, the wi-fi was clearly working, and there were already a lot of people working on laptops, particularly upstairs.

I have totaled up three reasons to return: to try their espresso; check out Bar Mixato; and see whether my U.S.-based app works there. Maybe I will also take my laptop to try out that experience.

But will I ever become a regular? No. Will I pop in for a quick coffee? Only if the little cafe bar a few doors down from me happens to be closed. Will I go there to get breakfast every now and then? Perhaps. So, while I may not be a fan of Starbucks in Rome, perhaps I am not so against it now. The San Silvestro location is a nice space, with its cool design and happy energy. Clearly a lot of people were happy to be there and were already working on laptops and playing on their phones and hanging out.