Caffè San Marco
Restaurant · Trieste ·
Historic literary cafe with ornate decor, bookstore, and coffee
Historic literary cafe with ornate decor, bookstore, and coffee
"At the Antico Caffè San Marco, my first stop after getting off the slow train from Venice, the closest thing to a macchiato was a goccia, an espresso topped with a drop of milk foam. If you want a standard espresso, order a nero — which in other parts of Italy will get you a glass of red wine. Most people ask for a capo in b, which a server told me is like a cappuccino, but with less milk, and served in a bicchiere, or glass, rather than a cup. Mine arrived on a silver tray, along with a small glass of mineral water, the way it might at a Kaffeehaus in Austria. Indeed, with its intricate woodwork, Comedy and Tragedy masks, and patrons quietly examining the day’s broadsheets, the cafe felt more like one in Belle Époque Vienna than modern-day Italy." - Taras Grescoe
"My next stop is the historic Caffè San Marco, previously a haven to literary giants like James Joyce— who, disillusioned with Dublin, came here and wound up writing the first part of Ulysses—and, at least in my fantasy world, an array of spies. I can see them in their dour, colorless trench coats, taking off their hats at the door, scanning the rooms for hostiles, sitting down for a drink. It’s another grand, handsome place in the Viennese tradition, well preserved but not without its scars. This café has survived many wars but has managed, like Trieste, to reinvent itself while maintaining its identity. It houses an enormous bookstore, and the food—a modernish take on Italian cuisine with a few Austro-Hungarian touches—is much better than I expected."
Keng Cheong T.
Rory R.
Mel T
Lol M.
angie M.
Andreas W.
Raluca R.
abdelmouiz C.
Mike D.
Russell V.
Luther B.
Corinne L.
Amy L.
Mauro R.
Twitty O.
Miroslava H.
