AntiCafè Rome

Ever sat at a cafe where you feel can the beady eyes of the barristas burning into the back of your head as you struggle to make your espresso last long enough to finish typing up the latest chapter of your novel? Or needed a place to work or hang out without feeling like you’re in the same old generic coffee house? You need a dose of Anticafè, the concept cafe that is turning the tables on the way businesses net a profit and customers converge.

Started in Russia and having spread first to Paris and now to Rome, Anticafé is a brand new contender on Italy’s cafè scene, with one goal; to provide a shared space for students, workers and sofa-slouchers where they can feel completely at home. “It’s a perfect place for people who don’t have an office space, or students to need to write their term paper in a tranquil environment,” says the café’s owner, Daria.

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Here’s how it works. Instead of paying for coffee and grub, you pay for time. In other words, you can eat (sweet and savory snacks and seasonal fruit), drink (coffee and tea) and surf, print and scan as much as you like, within the amount of time you purchase. Four euros the first hour, then three for each successive hour. In addition you are also welcome to bring in your own food and soft drinks.

Free and fast wi-fi is one of the main features of Anticafé: an important, and often hard to find feature in Roman cafes. If you’re looking for offline fun, you can also take books from the café’s small library or play with their boardgames.

The combination of the quirky, informal interior and the sleek Scandinavian design makes it equally perfect place for business meetings or just chilling with friends. The café, located in San Giovanni, even holds workshops, expositions and networking events in order to support its young and creative community by sharing experiences and knowledge.

They even organize language courses (English, Portuguese and Spanish) and web programming and web tools courses.

As Daria, explains: “Anticafé is a community of young, talented, driven and creative people. We launch projects together, support each other and share our knowledge. It is a great place for networking and finding like-minded individuals for making the world a better place!”

Check out Rome’s Best Cafés To Work In