Cafeography
Italy

Cafés in Trieste un nero, a capo in b

A nero at the marble tables of Caffè San Marco on Via Cesare Battisti, engraved mirrors at Caffè degli Specchi on Piazza Unità, and Pirona pastries on Largo Barriera Vecchia.

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183Cafés listed
2Open by 6am
13Open past 10pm
2Specialty & roasters

Trieste handles coffee before it drinks it. About a fifth of the roughly 600,000 tonnes Italy imports each year comes through its port, and unlike Genoa, which imports more but only ships it on, Trieste sorts, grades and roasts the beans in the city, where ten roasters work.1 The Associazione Caffè Trieste, which has grouped the trade since 1891, puts its 2024 turnover at about €900 million, with just under 2,000 jobs.1

The trade took off after 1719, when Charles VI made Trieste a free port, and the city stayed under Habsburg rule until 1918.2 Its cafés kept a Viennese stamp: three historic houses still follow rules written in Vienna, with bow-tied waiters, paper newspapers at the tables and a small glass of water beside the cup.1 Caffè Tommaseo dates itself to 1830, Caffè degli Specchi opened on the main square in 1839, and Caffè San Marco on 3 January 1914.345

The newer side of the trade is here too. illy was founded in Trieste in 1933, and its Università del Caffè now sees cold brew growing among younger drinkers.61 The green-coffee importer Alberto Polojac runs the Bloom Coffee School and argues that a hot, fast espresso is no longer enough for some city customers, who want specialty coffee drunk slowly, for its flavor.1

Start with a rione

Trieste by area

Two of Trieste's rioni (quarters) frame Piazza Unità d'Italia: the medieval Città Vecchia below San Giusto and the straight grid of the Borgo Teresiano, laid out in the mid-18th century.211 Historic cafés gather around the square and the Canal Grande, morning pastry counters around Largo Barriera Vecchia, and evening tables along Viale XX Settembre and out toward Barcola and Roiano.

Piazza Unità & Città Vecchia

Caffè degli Specchi on Piazza Unità, the lanes of Cavana, Piazza Hortis and the slope up to San Giusto.

24 cafés

Borgo Teresiano

The Canal Grande and Ponte Rosso, the grid of Via Dante, Via San Nicolò and Via Carducci, and the station.

59 cafés

Piazza Goldoni & Barriera Vecchia

Largo Barriera Vecchia and Pirona, the 1936 covered market, Piazza Goldoni and the early bakeries of Via D'Azeglio.

27 cafés

Viale XX Settembre & San Giovanni

The pedestrian Viale XX Settembre, Caffè San Marco on Via Battisti, the synagogue and the university bars of Via Valerio.

34 cafés

Barcola & Roiano

Viale Miramare and the Topolini terraces of the Barcola shore, out toward Miramare, and Roiano's Piazza tra i Rivi.

13 cafés
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Tavolini all’aperto

Outdoor seating

Terraces on Piazza Unità and Piazza Hortis, canal-side tables on Via Rossini, Viale XX Settembre and the Barcola shore.

38 cafés
Pasticcerie

Pasticcerie

Pirona's 1900 counter, Viezzoli Pirona by the Borsa, Easter presnitz and putizza, and cafés that bake their own.

11 cafés
Aperto la sera

Open late

Specchi until midnight on Piazza Unità, San Marco's evenings, Viale XX Settembre and Kama Caffè in Roiano until 02:00.

13 cafés
Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi

Bookshop cafés such as San Marco and Knulp, Cavana and the Riva, campus bars on Via Alfonso Valerio and Bar F at night.

11 cafés

Piazza Unità & Città Vecchia 24 cafés

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Borgo Teresiano 59 cafés

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Caffè Primo Rovis

  • Piazza Carlo Goldoni, 10
  • Mon–Sat 06:30–21:00 · Sun Closed
  • +39 040 636555
  • Takeaway
  • Air-con
  • Indoor seating
  • Wheelchair access
  • Toilets
  • Smoke-free indoors
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Piazza Goldoni & Barriera Vecchia 27 cafés

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Panetteria Giugovaz

Giugovaz bakery

  • Via Antonio Canova, 30
  • Mon–Sat 06:30–20:00 · Sun 08:00–13:00
  • +39040 360678
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Viale XX Settembre & San Giovanni 34 cafés

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R&D Coffee

  • Viale Venti Settembre, 8
  • Mon–Thu 13:00–20:00 · Fri–Sat 10:30–20:00 · Sun 14:30–20:00
  • Air-con
  • Vegetarian options
  • Wheelchair access
  • Bubble tea
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San Vito & Campi Elisi 8 cafés

San Giacomo & Servola 15 cafés

Barcola & Roiano 13 cafés

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Opicina 3 cafés

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Coffee chains in Trieste

Branches by area

Before you sit down

How to order coffee in Trieste

Trieste has its own coffee vocabulary, and it stops at the city limits.7 Un nero is an espresso. A capo is an espresso with hot milk and foam in a small cup, and a capo in b is the same drink in a small glass, b for bicchiere (glass); it is the order locals give most.89 A gocciato, or goccia, is an espresso with a drop of milk foam on top.8 Ask for a nero in Monfalcone, up the coast, and you may get a glass of red wine.9

Two familiar words shift meaning. A caffelatte, served in a large cup, is what the rest of Italy calls a cappuccino, and a caffè macchiato comes with a small pot of cold milk on the side.87 Deca (decaf) attaches to anything, as in nero deca or capo deca, and a CBS is a capo in b senza schiuma, without foam.8 Most drinks can also be ordered ristretto, lungo, doppio or corretto (with a shot of spirits).7

Locals tend to drink a nero standing at the bar, before the foam on top disappears, and then leave.9 In the historic cafés the glass of water is drunk first, to clear the palate and judge the coffee.1 Caffè degli Specchi serves every coffee with a small glass of chocolate, hot in winter and chilled in summer, and Caffè Tommaseo pairs its nero with homemade chocolate.67

A nero at the counter averaged €1.44 in Trieste in June 2026, up from €1.14 in June 2021, in Altroconsumo's reading of the Ministry of Enterprises price observatory.10 Of the 19 cities compared, only Bolzano (€1.51) and Pescara (€1.49) charged more; most were at €1.20–1.40.10

What coffee costs in Trieste

DrinkTypical price
Nero
Espresso at the counter, Trieste average		€1.44
Trieste, June 2026
Nero
Espresso at the counter, five years earlier		€1.14
Trieste, June 2021
Caffè
Espresso at the counter, most large Italian cities		€1.20–1.40
19 Italian cities, June 2026
Caffè
A cup at the bar, national range		€1.20–1.50
Italy, May 2026

Counter prices. The averages are June figures from the price observatory of the Ministry of Enterprises, compared by the consumer group Altroconsumo and reported by Sky TG24 on 2 October 2026.10 The national range for a cup at the bar comes from Il Post's May 2026 report on the city's coffee trade.1

Sources

  1. A Trieste il caffè si fa sul serio (Francesco Gaeta), Il Post (May 1, 2026), accessed October 2026
  2. Trieste, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Antico Ristorante Tommaseo, Antico Ristorante Tommaseo (official site, formerly caffetommaseo.it), accessed October 2026
  4. Caffè degli Specchi (Locali storici 2025), Confcommercio Trieste (2025), accessed October 2026
  5. Caffè San Marco, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. An espresso-fueled tour of Trieste, Italy's longstanding coffee capital (Sarah Barrell), National Geographic Traveller (October 12, 2024), accessed October 2026
  7. The many ways to say "coffee". The Trieste variants and the 11 best coffee bars where to find them, Gambero Rosso International (October 27, 2023), accessed October 2026
  8. Coffee vocabulary, triestino-style, Good Morning Trieste (2013), accessed October 2026
  9. How to Order Coffee like a Local in Trieste, InTrieste (August 23, 2021), accessed October 2026
  10. Prezzo del caffè, espresso sempre più caro al bar e a casa: la mappa degli aumenti, Sky TG24 (October 2, 2026, citing Altroconsumo and Ministry of Enterprises price data), accessed October 2026
  11. Borgo Teresiano, Wikipedia (Italian), accessed October 2026
More to read

Guides

How to order

How to order coffee in Italy at the bar, standing up

Al banco or al tavolo, paying at the cassa, ristretto to marocchino, Trieste's capo in b, Naples' caffè sospeso and 2026 espresso prices by city.

FAQ

Cafés in Trieste: common questions

How do you order an espresso in Trieste?

Ask for un nero. In Trieste a capo is an espresso with hot milk and foam in a small cup, and a capo in b is the same drink in a small glass. A caffelatte is what other Italian cities call a cappuccino, and a caffè macchiato comes with a small pot of cold milk on the side.

How much does an espresso cost in Trieste in 2026?

An espresso at the counter in Trieste averaged €1.44 in June 2026, up from €1.14 in June 2021, according to Altroconsumo's comparison of Ministry of Enterprises data. Of 19 Italian cities compared, only Bolzano and Pescara were more expensive; most charged €1.20–1.40.

Which neighborhood of Trieste has the most cafés?

Borgo Teresiano and Viale XX Settembre & San Giovanni have the most cafés, followed by Piazza Goldoni & Barriera Vecchia. The Borgo Teresiano has the widest choice, from the canal-side bars of Via Genova and Via Rossini to Via San Nicolò and Via Carducci; Viale XX Settembre comes next, then the streets around Piazza Goldoni and Largo Barriera Vecchia.

What are the historic cafés of Trieste?

Caffè Tommaseo dates itself to 1830, Caffè degli Specchi opened on Piazza Unità d'Italia in 1839, and Caffè San Marco on Via Cesare Battisti on 3 January 1914. Three historic cafés still follow rules written in Vienna: bow-tied waiters, paper newspapers at the tables and a glass of water with the coffee.

Why is Trieste called the coffee capital of Italy?

About a fifth of the coffee Italy imports comes through the port of Trieste, where it is sorted, graded and roasted rather than just shipped on. The city has ten roasters, illy was founded there in 1933, and the local coffee association, active since 1891, puts the trade's 2024 turnover at about €900 million.

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