Caffè Hungaria, in Piazza Ungheria 7 for decades has been one of the most famous Roman cafes, frequented at all hours of the day.
Bar Hungaria was one of the first Roman bars that offered a very refined catering service.
He was known throughout Northern Rome for the hamburgers he began serving in 1945 when American soldiers were the most wealthy customers.
“On Sundays we all meet at the exit of the mass. After the due greetings, you buy the newspaper in the newsstand that is right there in the large sidewalk in front of the church, cross the street and enter the Hungaria Café to perform the Sunday rite of “pastarelle” and go out with a tray full of diplomats , cupcakes, but also with mont blanc, profiterolles, pies and cakes of various kinds.
Emulating the famous New York coffee in Budapest, the café in Piazza Hungary, in addition to becoming famous for its tasty arancini, is the first American bar in the Parioli, where you can taste cocktails of the same level as that of the bars in Via Veneto and taste the first hamburgers, a trend brought here by the American military in 1945.
After the war, its pastry and gastronomy offer quickly became known throughout the city and in the boom years Hungary became one of the myths of Pari and Roman life.
Today, after a profound renewal of the premises and management, it is about to win back the customers. “
Is it the Hungaria café that takes its name from the square or the square from the bar? The question is legitimate because the streets around have the name of the “Capitals” and not of the nations (via Lima, Santiago de Chile square, via Brussels, … ..) and then why is the square not called Budapest square? The answer, perhaps a bit mysterious, lies in the fact that at the beginning of the twentieth century in Budapest the Hungaria coffee was depopulated, and later all European capitals (and even New York) had a Hungaria coffee (not Hungary), where food it was excellent and the coffee superb. And then, between the two wars, Hungary was very “fashionable”, who does not remember “Write me mail” with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. The Caffè Hungaria in Piazza Hungary was no exception, in addition to the particularly good coffee, in the 1950s, people ate the first burgers, fried arancini and sandwiches that were not even found in Via Veneto. The barman made fabulous cocktails and the clientele was superb.
So much was the fame of the Hungaria snacks that in the shop next door, on viale Liegi, a rotisserie (now there is a restaurant) had opened, managed by the Faratelli Casella where, until the death of one of the two brothers, fabulous delicacies were found such as French cheeses and farm sausages.
