Bar Italia
Coffee shop · Soho ·
Open late serving coffee, cannoli, and watching football
Open late serving coffee, cannoli, and watching football
"Until 3am daily (dependent on busyness) From 7am all the way until around 3am, Bar Italia caters to Soho’s every need. If those needs are football, strong coffee, and Kisstory classics. You can get hot dishes at this memorabilia-covered, old-school Italian cafe—like the superb yet simple spaghetti aglio—until 11pm, and saucy chicken milanese paninis and creamy tiramisus are served all the way until closing. So do like the other night owls and seek refuge and a cannoli on these faded terrazzo tiles." - jake missing, sinead cranna
"Bar Italia remains one of London’s most precious institutions, a relic of the mid-20th century sitting indomitably on Soho’s Frith Street. More than almost anywhere else in the capital, Soho is a victim of change, fads, and nonsensical restaurants. (True story: A half decade ago this same street played host to a venue called Flavour Bastard.) But Bar Italia never changes. And for that, we must be grateful. Its consistency and sense of self is what makes it so steadying and reassuring in a world of flux and uncertainty. At Bar Italia you always know your espresso will be bitter, your Peroni will be cold, and your bacon ciabatta will be better than almost anything else you can get in this storied but spoiled patch of the city. Best for: An iconic, reliable breakfast and espresso." - Adam Coghlan
"You don’t come to Bar Italia because it’s the best place for an espresso or a cannoli, or because it’s cheap. You come for the atmosphere and camaraderie, the late-night (or early-morning) buzz, the people-watching, and to aimlessly yell at Italian football on the TV. It takes all the intangibles of Soho and puts them all in one place. Like The French House a couple of streets away, everyone passes through here at one point or another. It’s an institution—treat it like one." - jake missing, heidi lauth beasley, rianne shlebak
"If you have lofty aspirations of being this generation’s Soho George, then sitting out on Bar Italia’s pavement in an outfit that looks like the lovechild of Keith Richards and Madame Medusa’s wardrobes is an excellent way to go about it. During the day, this la dolce vita den on Frith Street is all light jazz, strong coffees, and saucy chicken milanese, but come nightfall the flickering neon sign draws in passing Vogue-toking drinkers and old-school eccentrics. Props to this Italian cafe’s circadian rhythm—it’s open from 7am until around 3am every night." - heidi lauth beasley
"You won’t find a life-changing coffee at this legendary Soho cafe. But you will find one of London’s best late-night institutions. Brews are extra hot (without you asking), strong, and cheap. Come for the crowd of regulars smoking on stools outside, staring down passers-by; to shout at the TV and munch on a cannoli when Italy is playing; or to get a decent coffee at 2am when everywhere else is closed." - sinead cranna, rianne shlebak