Regular readers of this blog may remember that I’m a big fan of wine bars in Rome, so I thought it was about time for another review of one. This one was recommended to me by Agnes Crawford of Understanding Rome, and now that I know about it I will definitely be going back every time I’m in Rome!

The wine bar in question is called Cul de Sac, and you can find it in a small piazza called Piazza di Pasquino, just outside Piazza Navona.

Its website boasts that it has a collection of over 1,500 wines, sparkling wines and champagnes, making it the perfect place for me to stop after a tiring morning in the Palazzo Altemps and the Museo di Roma.

Cul de Sac - might not look much from the outside but I promise you it is! (Photo from the Cul de Sac website)

It looks rather small and cramped from the outside, and it’s quite narrow, but it goes back a long way and there’s actually quite a lot of seating inside. The walls are lined with innumerable bottles of wine, and I was surprised to observe one gentleman sitting across the room from me drinking Fanta! Fanta! In a wine bar! I ask you!

Having had an unfortunate solo dining experience the previous night (I don’t think the rude waiters appreciated me taking up a table when they could have made more money from two people taking it), I was relieved to find that Cul de Sac welcomed the solo diner, and I was not alone in enjoying a solitary lunch among the tempting array of bottles.

I ordered a glass of Puglian red wine and lasagne, both of which were very reasonably priced. There was plenty to choose from on the menu, including a great selection of cheeses and cured meats which would be ideal with wine tasting.

I had been told that Cul de Sac doesn’t have a kitchen, instead serving a variety of reheated dishes, but this didn’t detract from it at all – the lasagne was superb, and the wine was a perfect accompaniment and was poured for me at the table into an enormous wine glass, a sight which cheered me tremendously after my strenuous morning of museums.

Apparently it’s equally great for dinner, so perhaps next time I’m there I’ll give that a try… it gets 5 stars from me!