Brighton and Hove are blessed to be inundated with coffee shops, the selection and variety is vast, with each shop offering a unique experience. How can you be expected to gauge which are worth the time, money, and visit? There is one in particular that deserves more love and attention than it currently receives.

Caffe Bar Italia, located at 24 George St, Brighton and Hove, Hove, BN3 3YA is a family-run business that truly values the food and beverages they serve, and the quality of every customer experience. The cafe has many desirable qualities which ensure the customers have a pleasant experience- as highlighted in their Google reviews, with one commenter claiming that the cafe has a “Beautifully served menu, family style treatment and ambience.” To expand on the commenters' comment on the ambience, walking into Caffe Bar Italia, you are greeted with a friendly hello by the staff, relaxed music, and the sounds of the customers laughing and talking to one another. 

Why should you try their coffee? 
Caffe Bar Italia’s coffee has been a labour of love, the beans are fair trade, sourced from Latin America and Asia, homed blended and roasted on site (using a micro-roasting process). They have been roasting for two years now and were recently awarded the Great Taste award for their house blend, with the judge commenting that the ‘Dark roasted coffee has a fairly smooth palate. It has a high roast character without tasting burnt and this brings out the dark chocolate notes, which are accentuated once milk is added.’ The owners of the cafe pride themselves on the quality of their coffee reaching the table-latte art or not- and how they take care of the process from the beans to the coffee extraction. In addition to this, they take the cleanliness of their machine incredibly seriously, as well as the entity of the premises- their current hygiene rating is four. Although, if coffee isn’t for you they also have a decaf blend, a selection of teas, soft drinks, and iced drinks for you to try.

What about the food on offer?
Similarly to their coffee, the food is homemade, cooked on the premises in a small, busy kitchen. The menu is fast, catering to dietary requirements, although traces of ingredients may be present due to the limited space, which is important to note. Fortunately for customers in a rush, there is a large variety of display food which is quick and easy to purchase, as well as the more substantial meals from the kitchen. Display food consists of pastries, cakes, paninis and far more, there is something for everyone, including a children’s menu. The cafe also loves to create a festive atmosphere at this time of the year, their seasonal specials include panettone and further along in the season mulled wine. Decorations are also put up!

Children’s play area: 
Upstairs you find a space dedicated to families and their children, including a small soft play area, toys, and pretty fairy lights. The play area is available to customers from the establishments opening until four in the afternoon Monday-Saturday. The owners ask in return that you respect their minimum spend fee to spend your time upstairs and to keep an eye on your children as they play. The space is largely popular so getting a table cannot be guaranteed, but the staff are always happy to help give you an estimate of when there will be.

Overall, this hidden gem in Hove does appear to have something for everyone, which keeps loyal regulars coming back day after day, year after year. As well as the friendly staff who love to create a safe, welcoming environment for everyone. All customers are valued and treated equally and they try to make ordering accessible for everyone, however, their toilet is located upstairs. If you take away one piece of information from the article, the owners Miguel and Yasmina would like it to be that their coffee is ‘roasted in Hove, served with love.’