Where to find good Italian coffee in Great Britain

In my opinion, those who love coffee are divided into two large groups: fans ofItalian espresso, a cup consumed at the counter and off, and whoever prefers take it easy. What does it mean to sit at a table, open a book or the PC and sip some hot liquid that has some relation to coffee but which is usually mixed with something else (milk, cream, chocolate, syrups, marshmallows, ...) and that is at least 10 times as long (a cup is about 25 ml, la regular size of a coffee abroad is very variable, but does not drop below 250 ml). But where to find good Italian coffee in Great Britain?

I admit to being opportunist. When I'm in Italy hardly a day goes by without having had a strictly macchiato coffee at the bar, with any excuse: I met a friend, it's cold outside, I need a break. When I am in Great Britain almost every day I go to one of the big coffee chains (Costa and Caffè Nero have an Italian name but no real link with our country, Starbucks after years in which it absolutely did not want to enter the Italian market has decided to open his first store in Milan at the beginning of 2017).

Here I take a cappuccino (the milk masks the taste of the coffee which is not exceptional), I sit down and enjoy a break to read / relax / work on the pc or whatever. In England there are so many to do like me. Many people who work from home or as freelancers, students, those who have just arrived in the country and are looking for information to orient themselves, those who have nothing to do: they all find themselves in one of these cafés. After all, you can use the Wi-Fi which is free, stable and does not require any form of registration, listen to the background music and with £ 3-4-5 you can spend the day there. I mean you can just stay all day, no one asks you for anything, no one chases you or looks at you badly. L'atmosphere is always relaxed.

Good Italian coffee in Great Britain: the chains of the Bel Paese

Is everything perfect then? No. The coffee is the sore point. It is usually not good. At least by Italian standards. This is why some of our coffee producers have opened their shops here. Obviously the most interesting square is London. To find good Italian coffee in Great Britain you can choose between:

• 5 branded bars Caffè Vergnano, including one at Charing Cross and one at Southbank, my favorite spot in town with its long promenade along the Thames;
• 3 bar Expressly Illy (and a dozen other places serving Illy coffee) plus one in Liverpool and one in Dover;
• at the end of 2017 it should also arrive Eataly in London, which will certainly also bring coffee with it;
• Lavazza then it launched a major campaign to conquer the English market and it can be found in cafes, pubs and restaurants all over the country: it is a pity that not everyone is able to prepare it in the best possible way.

  

Good Italian coffee in Great Britain: my tips

In addition to those just described, among those I liked in London I mention:

• Concerto coffee: elegant bars that remind me so much of the cafes where the whole town gathers on Sunday afternoons. There are several in central London. Good desserts and cakes. A little expensive;
• Bar termini: in Old Compton Street, the menu is very limited and they only serve a few variations on the traditional espresso. You can also find burrata and pane carasau, which for many are just a nice memory once they have been transferred;
• Prince: a delight for the eyes and the palate. If you enter you will not be able to resist its counter full of stuffed focaccia, parmigiana, lasagna and many other Italian dishes. Of course you end up with coffee. The only drawback: always crowded and you can't book;
• rice ball: famous, indeed famous, since there are two in London (including Notting Hill) and one in Croydon, just outside the city, for pizza alla pala and arancini. Also serves some hot drinks. If you go at aperitif time you will even find the spritz.

Good Italian coffee in Great Britain: independent coffees

Outside the capital, where it is not interesting to open a shop for a large Italian company, there are several independent cafes. They are obviously managed by Italian immigrants. Impossible to give a complete list as there are so many and they update often. Some idea:

• a Liverpool there is P&D Deli, which is famous for its ice cream and pizza, but which also serves many desserts that you don't usually find abroad, such as rum baba, and of course coffee;
• a Manchester there is Wolf, which also makes bicerin, a Piedmontese specialty with coffee, chocolate and cream;
• a Edinburgh, in the center, there is Lucano coffee. It had to adapt to the British style and offers two sizes for its coffees, regular o medium.