Bar Italia

This place hasn’t changed since it first opened way back went. It is an amazing, traditional Italian coffee shop. All the staff are Italian and all the food they serve is traditional Italian. They do hot food as well as cakes and sweet treats. They make proper good Italian coffees, the espressos are so good. The cannoli are delicious, even the staff devour them! There are seats outside to watch the world go by but the best thing to do is grab a seat at the long espresso bar inside and watch the interactions of the staff and step back in time and imagine you are in Naples. The coffee and cakes are expensive but totally worth it.

The food looks delicious, but the waiters are the worst. The amount of sass that they convey is unacceptable and uncalled for.

Mala atención del mozo, aviso que no aceptaban tarjeta después de traer el pedido, pero muy rico el sándwich de tomate muzzarella y plata.

Perched near a corner of Frith St in Soho this is one of Anthony Bourdain’s favourite places to go sit with a coffee (outside ideally) and watch London life go by. Which is good enough for me. And it does a damn good coffee at that.

great for people watching over a nice coffee, love it at all times of the day, a good old Italian feeling restaurant…

By far, the best cappuccino of my life. I think because it was made with heavy cream or half&half. Not sure, but it was sweet, fragrant, and kept me awake for two days.

Small and delightful :)
Nestled in the buzzy neighbourhood of SoHo, it’s a charming little café that serves great coffee and sweet cakes.
I had my usual soya latte and red velvet cake, both were wonderful and to perfection.
My favourite time to come here is just after lunch, to miss the crowds, so I can sit back and watch the people wizz past.
I don’t think I’ve been here with anyone else before, which is a great summary of this place.
So, if you want a sweet afternoon snack to be washed down with a caffeine infused beverage while enjoying some human watching, this is your place :)

This is a pretty cosy place that opens up ’til late hours. I pass by every once in a while after dinner and they make the best cappuccino. We asked them for something that wasn’t on the menu and they were so kind to make it for us.

Mehr Kult gibt es einfach nicht! Wie kann man Bar Italia nicht mögen? Fast rund um die Uhr geöffnet. Richtig leckerer Kaffee und italienisches Feeling mitte in London. Man muss dorthin, um zu sagen, dass man dort war!

Love this place, the best coffee and the other stuff is awesome as well, very authentic.

I wanted to love this place. I love, love, love Italy’s bars, where you roll in, stand at the counter, order your espresso, pay your .80 Euro, brave minor burns on your hands from the ripping hot cup that has been sitting atop the espresso machine and minor burns in your throat from the boiling caffeinated bitterness that is legit Italian «caffe.» Perhaps you exchange pleasantries with the barista. The entire process takes five minutes max — ideally around two minutes and afterward, you feel alive again.
This occurs all day, every day from Alto Adige to Sicily — Italy may be a hot mess of regional political and cultural divisions, but damn it, the coffee ritual unites the place! But I digress.
We staggered in around 11:30 pm after way too much delicious Sichuan food at Barshu a few doors down. On the surface, this could be a bar in Italy — old-​man-​but-​now-​trendy tipples like Fernet Branca behind the counter, big espresso machine. But not really. We rolled up to the counter. A server intercepted us and made us look at a menu (why?). She promptly went away, even though we were set to order. When I asked for espresso, she gave me the «Really?» look, as though I should be ordering some mug full of milky BS like the other patrons. At 11:30 pm. Yes, I really wanted an espresso, and the message was eventually received. When the coffee finally came, after about five minutes, which is a reasonable wait time in a normal British café but would be considered an eternity at a bar in Italy — it tasted pretty good. Not de-​fanged and insufficiently bitter like espresso at chains like Costa or Caffe Nero. But the cup was cold and the entire experience left me feeling cold to Bar Italia, especially since a single espresso costs £2.60 and process took 15 minutes. That feels inherently un-​Italian to me.
Perhaps one needs to come here at 4 AM to understand the praises that Bar Italia’s acolytes sing so loudly. Maybe I’ll give it a try again sometime when out in Soho or in a fit insomnia/​strange desire for a night bus adventure — yes, £2.60 is un-​Italian for a coffee, but not the end of the world if it turns out to be a bad investment. Maybe the «element» in the wee hours does serve to justify this place’s cult following. But my first visit left a bad taste.

Arriving at London after a 3 italian city trip, we needed to find a place that served a proper italian cappucino.
After watching the layover with bourdain and saw that this place was Anthony Bourdain approved, decided to take a shot.
The cappucino at this place definitely comparable to what we had in Italy, even down to the grazie

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed Bar Italia before — I’ve been coming here late at night for years and it’s been consistently fantastic.
You know those nights when you know you’ve had your fill of alcohol, but you really don’t want the fun to end? Go to Bar Italia.
The nights after you’ve been to the Curzon and you don’t want booze, you just want good coffee? Go to Bar Italia.
Those times that you feel that the most effective use of your time would be to sit outside and people-​watch? Go to Bar Italia. (Seriously — Old Compton and the surrounding streets see their fair share of sights, and so should you).
I can’t vouch for what it’s like during the day, but I know that once you’ve spent an hour sitting outside here at 2am, you’ll never forget it.

Coffee is like any ‘spresso from any small café or (dare I say it) highway service centre in Italy. Difference is, you don’t have to stand and drink!
Fits perfectly into its Soho surroundings. Perfectly located for grabbing a pick me up while exploring.

I simply love Bar Italia. It’s one if these London institutions that one simply has to try out. In short: it’s an Italian coffee bar that’s open 24 hours.
It’s not necessarily cozy in there with plush sofas and plenty of seating à la Starbucks. No, there’s a counter with a giant espresso machine, a shelf displaying all kinds of snacks (think Portuguese custards, pannini sandwiches etc) and behind the counter there’s a small army of Italian baristas (the non-​hipster and genuine kind) who will serve you up your espresso drink in mere seconds. (This is also not a place where you should ask for complicated coffee concoctions à la Starbucks — keep it simple and real.)
Given that this is not a place to linger, I typically come here for a quick espresso before heading on to a next destination — whether it be the National Gallery, a musical or a bar nearby. In the summer though, you might be lucky and snatch one of the prime seats outside. That’s actually quite fun, as you can watch and comment on the diverse Soho crowd parading by…

I was told this place has some of the best coffee in London and that the breakfast is decent. I made my way, via the Tube, then bus, the a short walk; finding it buried among other coffee shops and homes (far away from tourist spots).
It was the only place with customers and I found myself a seat outside between a few locals reading the paper and sipping their espresso. I gave each of them a node and proceeded to find my way through the menu.
I landed on café latte (biggest one possible, I was TIRED) and the usual English breakfast (egg, sausage, ‘bacon’ and lots of toast).
I got my coffee in the largest clear tall glass; I wasn’t sure if this was a joke against the bloody American. It was strong and exactly what I needed! For whatever reason, things always seem better while on vacation and paying 3.20£ for coffee! Breakfast arrived shortly after (and after 10 minutes of second hand smoke). The bacon wasn’t as crispy as I like, but I think that might not be a British thing. Not a bad breakfast for 5.50£. You get to chat with the locals, watch people move their mattress through a second story window (ok…maybe not during your experience) and practice a little Italian.
You’ve got to stop here during your visit to London!!!

Mítico café del Soho londinense. Muy emblemático en la escena mod como punto de encuentro y también entre los fans de Pulp, por la canción que el grupo le dedicó en los 90.
Pero el Bar Italia no es solo un lugar donde peregrinar si eres fan de Pulp o te interesa el movimiento mod, es todo un garitazo. Su decoración auténtica de bar italiano de barrio o de pueblo ya lo hace un lugar especial. A partir de ahí es un sitio ideal para desayunar en el centro de Londres, sus cafés y sus dulces son deliciosos, recomiendo especialmente los canutillos de crema. Durante el resto del día puedes ir a tomar un bocata, o un aperitivo y a beber algo.
Además, está abierto toda la noche y aunque de madrugada no sirven alcohol, está lleno de gente tomando el «resopón» antes de volver a casa o tomando café para seguir la fiesta en alguna otra parte, con música animada y un ambiente muy distendido. «Where other broken people go…»

So yes, I was born in Italy and I am half Italian so maybe this review will be slightly affected by this fact lol
I like coffee, yes I do! Ever since I moved to London I have been searching for a good place to go with friends during our work-​breaks.
I like just to chill’ and enjoy a good company.
So I heard about this place from a friend of mine and decided to go and check it for myself.
AND I really enjoyed it! The taste was amazing, almost like in Italy: P I even bought a mug for home from their shop :)

«It’s around the corner in Soho where other broken people go. Let’s go.»
Pulp brought me here. along with the service, coffee and cannoli’s…
Growing up with true Italian neighbours, I know what cannoli’s and coffee should taste like. stop in any hour, any day and you won’t be disappointed.
And for history buff’s not familiar with the area. Logie Baird first demonstrated television in a laboratory above the Bar Italia café

Sit here on a sunny day. Drink one of the best coffees in soho. Enjoy just as good pastries and food. Engage in a long session of conversation about your love life (or lack thereof) and finally spend hours talking about strangers passing by.
Love it.

First cup I had there was in 1960… A shrine of Goodlyness !!!

This place has history, not super clean or new but they made a pretty good double espresso macchiato, they have some bar stools inside to encourage you to drink up your drink and move on with your day. They serve a variety of food as well, I didn’t get a chance to try it, but they open early and close late.

Everywhere I turned, I kept hearing that the best coffee in all of London was here.
Perhaps, and this can happen, there was just too much hype. To make matters worse, it was a very rainy moment in the day and I was fairly soaked, but I tried to keep my head and spirits held high (… I used to work at Disney World, what can I say?).
The charming gent over the counter was all smiles and attentive, and I instantly felt better, rain be damned.
I ordered an Americano and an espresso (for my bf). He loved his, so I let my cool a bit and took a sip. Weirdly, just then, the hair on chest stood on end … even in a downpour. It was strong, is my basic point here. Not bad, just reeeeeeeeeeeally effing strong, okay?
So, if you like strong coffee, you’re in luck. The place is also open 24 hours, so I’m all for that schedule.
We went back the next evening for a post-​pub piece of cake (chocolate), and it was great and filling — and again, with only mediocre service, which I can let slide as they must deal with a lot of slurring drunks at that hour.
Additionally, they seem to love Rocky Marciano here (my third cousin, no kidding), based on the decorations, so I can’t be that hard on them. Or can I?

Habe die Bar Italia nach einem Essen bei einem Italiener mit 5 Freunden besucht. Obwohl es zuerst schwer war, die 5 zu überzeugen für einen Café den Laden zu wechseln waren am Ende alle begeistert.
Bar Italia erfüllt den hier herrschenden Ruf vollkommen. Die Kaffeeprodukte sind sehr gut, aber auch wirklich teuer. Dafür erhält man aber auch ein sehr gutes Produkt. Die Atmosphäre ist auch nett, lädt zwar nicht unbedingt zum längeren Verweilen ein, aber für einen Absackerkaffee langt es.
Sehr zu empfehlen ist auch das reichhaltige Angebot an Nachspeisen. Wir waren alle der Meinung, dass das Tiramisu das beste war, welches wir bisher gegessen hatten.