Open since 1916 in the Esquilino — a neighbourhood most visitors pass through on the way to Termini without stopping — Pasticceria Regoli has spent over a century perfecting the maritozzo con panna, Rome's definitive breakfast pastry. The bun is soft and faintly sweet, split open and filled with an almost absurd volume of fresh whipped cream, and eating one at the marble counter with an espresso is as close to a Roman morning sacrament as secular life permits. The shop is old-school pasticceria: glass cases of cakes and biscotti, a no-nonsense counter, and a clientele that skews heavily local. Esquilino is Rome's most multicultural quarter, meaning Regoli sits amid Indian spice shops and Chinese restaurants — a Roman institution thriving in a neighbourhood that keeps reinventing itself.
Location
Esquilino, Rome
Map
Insider Intel
Maritozzo con panna — the only correct first order. The cream is whipped fresh daily and the ratio of bun to cream is deliberately excessive. Follow it with an espresso al banco. The cornetti are excellent. For afternoon visits, the crostata di visciole (sour cherry tart) is a Roman classic done properly.
Early morning, ideally before 9am, when the maritozzi are freshest and the cream has just been piped. The shop has a steady local crowd throughout the morning. Weekend mornings bring families.
Via dello Statuto 60, Esquilino. Vittorio Emanuele metro (Line A) is a 3-minute walk. Maritozzo 2-2.50 EUR, espresso 1.10 EUR at the bar. Standing is the norm — there are a few tables but the counter is the authentic position. Cash preferred, cards accepted. The Esquilino neighbourhood rewards exploration: Piazza Vittorio's porticoed square, the underground basilica of Porta Maggiore.