Eataly, Bologna… Reviewed.
See what they did with the name? Cheeky!
It’s been a while since I last reviewed a coffee shop, but today, amongst my Italian travels, I foundthe one! It’s a funny thing that whilst Italy is famous for her spectacular coffee, (and rightly so), it doesn’t have the same ‘coffee culture’ that I’ve come to love in the UK. Italian coffee is short, pungent, fast and not that hot. How I like men to be, naturally. It’s delicious but it’s not for lingering over… that’s why they serve it tiny tiny cups, that are so small that you can barely see them.
You don’t see so much of the lolling about or poncy deli-cum-coffee shop. But times are a changing. Apparently there’s even a Starbucks in Milan. The object of my scrutiny today is Eataly, a coffee shop under the same roof as Libreria Coop bookshop. Not the IBS bookshop across the street. HAHAHA IBS BOOKSHOP. It’s an actual thing.
It’s got a bit of a Bills of Brighton thing going on with shelves lined with deli produce, but maybe more of a posh understated atmosphere thatyou’d find in a Le Pain Quotidien chain. There are still the typical Italian tables that are standing height so you can knock back an espresso and run. I went for the long wooden table to experience a better sense of community among the other punters. Here Laura and I partook of the Monopoly Deal, a delightful experience for all bemused spectators at our shared table. (I won).
They’ve got it right, how can they get it wrong really when coffee and books were made together*? Furthermore we shared a cappuccino tart** which was nicely creamous***.
Oh and one more thing. YOU CAN DRINK BEER AND WINE IN ITALIAN COFFEE SHOPS. I may be spoilt for life.
*”And the Lord proclaimed that the coffee would leave the grinder and become united with a New York Times bestseller and the two would become one flesh”. See it’s Biblical.
**How utterly SJP.
***To use my host, Gabriele’s famous adjective.
