The next day after having a couple of beers at Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fà we made our way back down on the number 8 tram line. I'd read some reviews online that made it sound like Brasserie 4:20 was located in a dodgy neighborhood and in some ways I could see why people would think this. It was on a dark street with no sidewalk, around former industrial buildings, and near a river. In the U.S. this would definitely qualify as an area to be careful in, but considering that a tram line was right around the corner and a four star hotel and sushi place were visible from the stop, it made me have my doubts.
When we arrived a bit before 8 there were only a couple of tables occupied in the large room. There were directions in Italian and English to seat yourself and order at the bar. I looked over the menu which featured a build your own burger option. It was straight forward, and I decided to have a triple with bacon and blue cheese. We filled out the small slip of paper provided for our order. My lady decided to get some fries smothered in some sauce and onions. I looked over the beer board which was focused on Revelation Cat brews and decided to go with Bombay Cat Black Double IPA. We went over to the open space with our order and were quickly met by a friendly bartender. He put our order in the computer and then poured our beers.
We went back to our table with our beers and just a few moments later our hot food came out. My burger was pretty good. If I had to do it over again I would have went with a double or a signature burger, as the extra patty mellowed out the blue cheese flavor. The patties themselves were small and fast foodish, but the rest of the burger and toppings were definitely good. I munched and sipped away. The Bombay Cat Black Double IPA went pretty well with the burger, although I think if the blue cheese was more plentiful they would have paired better. I found the fries to be pretty tasty, but they did get slightly soggy. The food was reasonably priced, and if I lived in Rome I would eat here occasionally.
Rockabilly was playing over the speakers as we made our way through the evening. The atmosphere was relaxed in the large modern post industrial room. Eventually a few other people came in, but while we were there it remained fairly empty. As I finished my burger and beer, I decided to have another drink. I looked over the €5 to €7 beers trying to find my last libation for the night. I narrowed it down to two options from Revelation Cat which were Double Dealer, a DIPA, and California Moonset, an IPA.
I was feeling friendly and indecisive, so I wandered over to the bar to ask for an opinion. The bartender recommended the California Moonset, because it is brewed with all hops from my homeland, the USA. It seemed like a great idea so I accepted. I asked the bartender about the neighborhood, as I had read a few people saying the area looked sketchy. He told me it was a former industrial area which has been revitalized. He also said that on Sundays there is a flea market in the area and some people sell stolen goods there, but beyond that it was perfectly safe as long as a person practices basic common sense in a city. I told him that is what I had figured, as it didn't seem to have the same possibility for violent crime such as other cities like Baltimore and Philadelphia I've spent time in. He laughed and reassured me I wouldn't get shot. I went back to my table and enjoyed my beer and the rest of my evening.
Brasserie 4:20 was my favorite beer stop of the vacation. Despite being slightly out of the way it is still fairly easy to reach on the number 8 tram line. While not cheap the prices were inline with everywhere else I stopped by for beer while in Rome. The restaurant is essentially a brewpub for Revelation Cat but also had beers available from other brewers. Their facebook boasts of 66 taps (13 of which are cask), but only a handful were working while we were there. The service was quick and really friendly, and I by far had my best interactions with staff there compared to other places in Rome. Due to the location I could understand not making it out there on a trip to Rome, but if you can find the time I totally recommend stopping by.
Overall: 9/10
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