Urban Caffè: a European-style coffee shop

We are at number... oh my God I lost count! Oh yes, ‘cause Urban Caffè is part of the 040 Group too, which you have already met in my tales here on the blog. In fact, the first restaurant to open its doors was 040 Social Food (here is my story from that time); then it was Draw's turn (here is the article) in 2016, Pier came along the following year (remember?) and then it was Loft's turn (check it out here) in 2021. Wait, I'm not done! We come to 2022 with the opening of Boa Beach (taaaac) and S1 Luxury Suite and Room (read here).

In short, all that was missing from this long list was a café in full European style! And there you have it. We are in Largo Barriera, a neighborhood off the usual tourist tracks, a stone's throw from the wonderful Mercato Coperto: this is where Urban Caffè was born. Don't be fooled by the name, however, because this is not a conventional bar at all, since here you won't find beers, wine, and soft drinks, but a rich selection of coffees, served in a thousand ways. From traditional espresso to filter coffee, and again with mocha, V60, Chemex, Cold Brew, and Aeropress: all different ways to enjoy a great cup of black gold.

The raw material they use here is excellent! The less experienced will be pleased to know that robusta coffees are not well liked here: the two blends created specifically for this venue are 100% Arabica, with beans roasted directly by a small roasting company in Trieste. Best of the best.

Here you can have a good breakfast, and you can also buy the two blends I mentioned, namely Eclettico and Neoclassico, as well as six specialty coffees selected to provide you with a sensory journey to the best plantations on the globe, from Kenya to Peru, Rwanda, Brazil, Bolivia, and Sumatra.

Two beautiful silos containing coffee beans will take you on a trip down memory lane to the local roasteries, when coffee was sold in bulk and freshly ground. Today at Urban Caffè we can relive those scents, but with cutting-edge technology.

I don't want to risk going into too much technical detail (you know my 15 years of working in the coffee industry have inevitably left their mark), but I doubt that all of you have such good knowledge to notice a few details... instead of slamming the portafilter into the drawers to drop the compacted post-espresso coffee powder, here they use an automatic and super quiet cleaning system!

But back to the things I imagine you might be most interested in, as for example the fact that I don't drink coffee because it agitates me! Well, here you will also find a blend decaffeinated BY WATER! It certainly is an added value, because it is not treated with chemical solvents to extract the caffeine and consequently contains no residues of any kind.

With decaffeinated coffee you can also make up unexpected cocktails, which here can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic. And you can also have juices and centrifuges to accompany your breakfasts (and soon to be brunches as well), to be enjoyed at the counter or under the foliage of the big tree in the outdoor patio.

You will also find sweet appetizers such as square brioches to be filled to your liking at the moment, homemade cakes, cookies, and some gluten free options. Also coming soon are milkshakes and savory goodness.

To conclude, I’ll say a big YES to this coffee shop that was born in an area off the tourist route. Which is the reason why from now on it will be my favorite stop when I want to have a quick coffee or having breakfast....

Who’s coming with me? 🙂

Ph. Luca De Angelini