Home » Travel & Places » Western Europe » Italy

Best Places to Have Coffee in Florence, Italy

32 Comments

64 Like

Like 64

Pin It

Ranked #551 in Travel & Places, #24,251 overall

My favourite cafes in Florence, Italy

Italy is known for its coffee, so it's not hard to find somewhere to go when you're in need of an espresso. But what's harder to find are coffee houses that are not in your typical guidebooks -(yet!)- the ones that the locals go to that are off the beaten path.

Here's where to have the best coffee in Florence, Italy. The cafes I recommend are La Cite, Sandy Bar, Oblate, Caffe degli Artigiani, Chiaroscuro, Edison and Rinascente.

They are in no specific order, but each offer something unique to the visitor. Sometimes it's not just about the coffee. It could be the barista with the fantastic mustache, the cozy, used chairs or the cakes to die for.

Contents at a Glance

Sandy Bar
La Cite
Italian sweets
Places to buy goodies to go with your co...
Chiaroscuro

coffee bar on Via Dell' Orto, Florence, Italy

Sandy bar is not fancy and they don't charge to sit at the tables like many places do. The coffee here is as good as any other place, but the best part about Sandy Bar is getting a cappuccino or caffe latte made by Alfiero, the owner/barista. He made the caffe macchiato in my profile picture. Perfect.

It's a family-run tabacchi/bar, with his wife taking your money and his son standing behind the counter but Alfiero is the sole reason I go - he cracks jokes in his Florentine Italian, and assumes you get it. If he's not there and his son is making the coffee, don't bother - the caffe, the whole experience is just not the same.

At the corner of Via di Camaldoli and Via Dell' Orto

Sandy Bar

La Cite

the only coffee shop worth going to on Borgo San Frediano

La Cite is a funky neighbourhood coffee place that has lots of books, comfy couches, changing art exhibitions and live music. Take your laptop along - they've got wi-fi.

Borgo San Frediano 20/r

Italian sweets

to dunk in your coffee!

Places to buy goodies to go with your coffee

There are a couple of places on this lens that sell Italian confections. They are worth checking out, even just to soak up the atmosphere.
Best Specialty Shops in Florence, Italy

Chiaroscuro

cafe that serves great cakes, too

The croissants are what you get elsewhere, but they have a large selection of coffees and teas and great cakes. Try the carrot or chocolate or both.

At lunchtime, go up to the counter and choose from various pasta, vegetable and meat dishes and they charge per plate. Chiaroscuro is right in the center of Florence, but their prices are reasonable.

They also have an Espresso Academy, reviews of it listed below. An actual school for coffee in Florence, it's dedicated to the fine art of espresso and cappuccino making. They offer courses in tasting, milk art - where you can learn to make hearts and leaves, and advanced courses for baristas.

Via del Corso 36/r

the carrot cake

bestplacestohavecoffeeinflorenceitalychiaroscuro

The coffee bar inside chiaroscuro.

Italian vintage posters

Best coffee place in Florence

Caffe degli Artigiani

Lovely cafe close to Palazzo Pitti, but away from the crowds. At Caffe degli Artigiani, there are tables outside as well as upstairs, and there are special musical events happening in summer in the small piazza close by.

Via dello Sprone 16/r
open: Monday - Saturday 9:00 am to 11:00 pm
Closed Sunday

Rinascente

one of the best views while having coffee in Florence

best places to have coffee in florence, italy, rinescente

The coffee here is a little more expensive, but the view is worth it. On one side you've got Piazza Repubblica, on the other the Duomo and Campanile (shown in the photo). Tables are full on sunny days, but if you are lucky enough to get one, take the opportunity to indulge and take in the sights of the city center from above.

Piazza della Repubblica
open: Monday - Saturday 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Sunday 10:30 am - 8:00 pm

Guides to help you find your way around Florence.

Oblate

lovely old library with a cafe

Both university students and kindergarten classes go to Oblate, so there's not the usual dead silence of typical libraries but it's a wonderful hidden treasure. You can get a cappuccino, grab a chair in the sun on the terrace and just relax.

Biblioteca delle Oblate
Via dell' Oriuolo 26
The cafe is open the same hours as the library.

Photo used under Creative Commons from oblate_study

coffee tunes

Track	Artist	Album
The Coffee Song (The Frank Sinatra Collection)	Frank Sinatra	Ring-A-Ding Ding!	$ 0.99 Preview
Mon café / The Coffee Song	Axelle Red	A tâtons	$ 0.99 Preview
One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)	The White Stripes	The White Stripes	$ 0.99 Preview
One More Cup of Coffee	Bob Dylan	Desire	$ 0.99 Preview
One Cup of Coffee / Judge Not (Rarities Version)	Sublime	Everything Under the Sun (Box Set) [Audio Version]	$ 0.99 Preview
Cigarettes and Coffee	Otis Redding	Pure Southern Soul	$ 0.99 Preview
No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature	The Guess Who	The Guess Who: Greatest Hits	$ 1.29 Preview
Coffee Shop	Red Hot Chili Peppers	One Hot Minute	$ 1.29 Preview
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee	The Cranberries	Wake Up and Smell the Coffee	$ 0.99 Preview

Edison

Located right in Piazza Repubblica, Edison is a bookstore with a coffee shop on the upper level. Serves pastries, salads and paninis and you can browse their selection of art and music books both in English and Italian. They shoo you away from the tables around lunch and dinner if you're not eating a meal (fair enough), but otherwise you can stay as long as you like.

Piazza della Repubblica 27/r
open: Monday - Saturday: 9:00 am - 12:00 midnight
Sunday: 10:00 am - 12 midnight

photo source: hessa johnson except oblate

coffee links for coffee lovers

Espresso Academy reviews: Learn to become a barista at the Espresso Academy - reviews here.
Best Coffee in Florence: Blogger offers his best places to have coffee in Florence. None of them are on my list, so I'll have to try them out.
Best Cafes for Experiencing Italy: A list of 10 cafes found throughout Italy.
The World of Italian Coffee: Great overview of coffee, beans, and the different variations on the espresso and cappuccino.
Best Bars/Cafes in Florence for Coffee and a Sweet: Reviews a few cafes in Florence as well as outside the center.
Best Coffee Shops in Florence, Italy: Five shops are listed, one of them is on my list.

Bialetti Espresso Maker

Bialetti 6800 Moka Express 6-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker

Amazon Price: $20.00 (as of 05/31/2012)

I like to use the Bialetti to make my coffee - I know others will disagree, but I like the process of making coffee this way.

illy coffee

Where is the best place to have an espresso in Florence?

Feel free to leave a link to your best place to have coffee in Florence, Italy.

Reply

Miska29 May 29, 2012 @ 7:26 am | delete

My favorite coffee mark is Barcaffe (Slovenia)... :)

Reply

Brandon John Apr 19, 2012 @ 11:57 am | delete

Drinking a Italian Coffee is the best way to feel comfortable just in few minutes.

Reply

PBJasen Feb 22, 2012 @ 6:01 am | delete

I adore Firenze. Been there a lot. Next time I'll visit some of the bars you mentioned on your lens :)

Reply

EditionH Feb 19, 2012 @ 11:48 am | delete

This is cool. Our visit to Florence is many years back,but we still remember that place very well.
Florence is one of our favorite places in Europe. We never have seen so many people with their mobile phones at the ears as on the Piazza della Signoria :).

Reply

TravelDiaries Feb 14, 2012 @ 9:38 pm | delete

Yum...need to stop squidooing to have a coffee now. :)

Reply

Squidoo_Chick Dec 27, 2011 @ 9:23 pm | delete

I loved in Florence for a while (please checi out my lens on Exploring Florence) but I have still never had a cup of coffee...

Reply

Mujjen Nov 13, 2011 @ 9:51 am | delete

I haven't been to Florence for a few years, must go back and have a cup of coffee!

Reply

freepsptheme Nov 7, 2011 @ 2:05 am | delete

I can't live a day without coffee! Great lens.

Reply

KingLobster Nov 3, 2011 @ 6:19 pm | delete

What beautiful pictures and information. I cannot believe how good this lens is. Coffee and Europe are two things that I love, and you have combined them all into one. Great work.

Reply

KimGiancaterino Oct 10, 2011 @ 2:24 pm | delete

What I love is that even when you're ordering coffee "on the run" it comes in a small ceramic mug. So you have to slow down for a few minutes and enjoy it. We visited a few coffee bars in Florence while filing paperwork for our wedding in Siena. Your beautiful photos bring back many happy memories.
Load More