Insider Tips on How to Order Coffee in Italy

There isn’t anything more Italian than ordering an espresso at a bar.

But if you want a latte, will you end up with warm milk and no caffeine?

Or perhaps you just aren’t sure what coffee options there are available. Bars rarely have a menu.

And can you sit down once they hand you your cappuccino? Does that cost more?

So what is an iced latte in Italian?

Do you need to learn how to order a coffee for Italy?

Italian coffee culture isn’t the same as American coffee culture. Or English. So here’s a cheat sheet on how to order the coffee you want in Italy.

And what to expect from any Italian bar.

And if you don’t get the caffe you expected? Try again! The good news is ordering coffee in Italy is cheap, around a euro. Unless you’re in a famous piazza in central Rome, Florence or Venice.

First Things First, What Is An Italian Bar?

A bar in Italy refers to a place where you can enjoy your cappuccino and cornetto (an Italian croissant) first thing in the morning.

A place to buy gum or throat lozenges.

Or a quick sandwich for lunch when you’re running late.

And a bar is the place for an aperitivo before dinner with friends or an after dinner drink.

Most important: a bar is somewhere that has a restroom/toilet.

Owning a bar in Italy means long hours and hard work.

How to Order a Coffee in Italy

So how are you going to order that iced latte?

Getting a caffe, an espresso for us English speakers, at an Italian bar is not like at a coffee shop.

A traditional bar experience begins with going straight to the cash register and paying for what you’ll be having.

Include any pastry, sandwich, juice, etc to your order.

Yes, you pay for first.

If it’s slow and a family-run place, they don’t hold to this rule. But technically, this is how you order anything at an Italian bar.

Pay first, then head to where the coffees are made.

Having a croissant and cappuccino standing at the bar should cost less than 3 euros. If you sit down expect to pay double. This is one reasons you don’t need to tip, it is almost always included when dining out.   

Then take the receipt to where the espressos are being made and tell them your order: ‘Un caffe per favore’ or ‘an espresso please’. Or for an iced latte try ‘un shakerato con latte per favore‘.

The person behind the bar will check your receipt and will mark the receipt as being fulfilled by ripping it or marking a line through it.

Traditionally they will serve you a glass of water right away for you to drink before your cafe.

But if they don’t, you can always ask-they include it in the price of any coffee order.

The key is to have the water before your coffee. If you drink it after it implies that the cafe wasn’t great and you’re trying to get rid of the flavour.

*This is also true for ordering a gelato in a gelateria. Begin with paying- you don’t need to know the flavours just the size and whether you want whip cream on top (panna).  Then proceed to the display case to decide on what flavours you would like. Normally it is two flavours for a small, 3 for a medium and maybe 4 for a large.*

Your Basic Coffee Options at an Italian Bar

Caffe

Known to us as an espresso. It’s quick and neat. Acceptable any time of the day. Want more? Ask for a doppio. ‘un doppio caffe per favore’

Add sugar if you’d like.

Caffe macchiato

If you want a splash of milk with your caffe then ask for a ‘caffe macchiato’ Macchiato means stained; so the caffe is stained with milk. Served in a normal espresso cup.

Cappuccino

⅓ caffe, ⅓ milk, and ⅓ foam this is your classic breakfast drink. You won’t see many Italians having one in the afternoon.

Latte macchiato

The opposite of a caffe macchiato, this is milk stained with a cafe, or what Starbucks calls a Latte. Latte in Italian means milk so if you order a ‘Latte’ then you recieve warm milk.

Seasonal or Specialty coffees in Italy:

Iced coffee

Try a shakerato. The name is an Italianized english word. It’s 2 shots of espresso, sweetened, and shaken in ice, like a martini, so it becomes frothy. Served in a martini glass it’s a fancy looking drink for a bid morning or afternoon pick me up. If you want to add milk for an iced latte, add ‘con latte‘

Caffe al ginseng

A sort of ‘stronger’ cafe. It is a cafe that has ginseng added to it. The idea is it wakes you up even more.

Caffe al orzo

Looking for a decaffeinated option or something with a nuttier flavour?

Orzo in Italian is barley and it looks just like an espresso and comes in the same cup; a great choice after dinner.

I do recommend adding some sugar and/or milk. It’s what they drank in WWII when there wasn’t any coffee, that and chicory.

Dec or decafenato

This means a decaffeinated caffe/cappuccino, etc.

A caffe corretto

This is a caffe that has a shot of grappa or sambuca (in Umbria/Le Marche they’ll use Varnelli by default) in it.

If you haven’t tried Varnelli and you like anise, then you’ll love it. Made in Le Marche near the national park of Sibillini it’s the amaro of choice for Umbria and Le Marche. I find a whole shot to be way too strong but I do enjoy a splash occasionally.

How to Order coffee in Italy: Just give it a try!

With practice I now have no issue stopping at a bar by myself and ordering a coffee. Infact going to an Italian bar for a caffe is a treat. So give ordering coffee in Italy a try, if you don’t get it right the first time there is always a second.

And if you need a coffee but have a long train/bus/car journey? Buy the chocolates called ‘pocket coffees’…just make to eat the whole thing at once!

Visiting Perugia? Make sure to enjoy a caffe at the historic Sandri pasticcieria on the main street, Corso Vannucci.