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Number 18 of 20 in Rome

Babington's

In 1893 tea in Rome was sold in pharmacies. Two young women, one from England and one from New Zealand, decided the city's foreign colony deserved better, and opened a tea room on Piazza di Spagna.

The marble sign of Babington's Tea Rooms beside its window on Piazza di Spagna.
Slayer, CC BY 2.0
What it is
Tea room
Opened
1893
Area
Spanish Steps
Nearest museum
Trevi Fountain, 600 m

Rome this week

    What Babington's is known for

    1. The foot of the steps

      The tea room is in the eighteenth-century house on the left of the Spanish Steps, facing the house across the stair where Keats died.

    2. Tea, properly

      Loose-leaf tea in silver pots, scones, muffins and toast, in rooms with dark wood and low tables that have changed very little.

    3. The cat

      The house's emblem is a cat, on the sign, the cups and the tins of tea sold at the counter.

    What to know

    • Founded in 1893 by Isabel Cargill and Anna Maria Babington
    • Still run by the descendants of one of the founders
    • A place to sit down after the steps, at a price that reflects the address

    Where Babington's is

    Address

    Piazza di Spagna 23
    00187 Rome, Italy

    Nearest station

    Spagna, on line A

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.

    An English idea that stayed

    Isabel Cargill and Anna Maria Babington came to Rome in 1893 and opened a tea room for the English-speaking visitors of the Grand Tour. It moved to Piazza di Spagna soon after and has been there ever since, through two wars.

    Babington's: common questions

    Where is Babington's?
    At Piazza di Spagna 23, in the Campo Marzio district of Rome. The nearest station is Spagna, on line A.
    Which museums and sights are near Babington's?
    Trevi Fountain is 600 m away, Pantheon is 950 m away, Galleria Borghese is 1.2 km away. Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.
    What is Babington's known for?
    The foot of the steps, Tea, properly, The cat. An English tea room at the foot of the Spanish Steps, opened by two women in 1893 and still serving tea and scones.
    When did Babington's open?
    In 1893. Founded in 1893 by Isabel Cargill and Anna Maria Babington.

    What visitors say about Babington's

    Rating from Google

    4.1

    1,416 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 6 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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