The Italians know exactly what they’re doing when it comes to making things taste good. Pizza? Tick. Gelato? Tick. Coffee? Double tick.
Luckily, you don’t have to be traipsing the cobbled streets of Naples to find good Italian espresso. Us Brits are spoiled for choice when it comes to authentic caffè culture, and the best of the best Italian coffee spots in the UK have now been named for 2026.
The Italian Awards, run each year by Scottish events company Paramount Creative, names the UKs top Italian businesses, recognising the individual chefs, restaurants, cafes and dishes which best represent Europe’s glorious Boot. Awards span 24 categories, celebrating everything from best wholesale supplier and best wine list to up and coming chef and best tiramisu (hint: you’ll have to head to Lancashire to taste this year’s top sweet treat).
As for the country’s best caffe, that accolade went to London icon Bar Italia. If you’ve ever taken a stroll down Soho’s Frith Street on your way to a show in the West End or heading up to Oxford Circus, you’ll have noticed this old-school diner. Its red and white formica and Gaggia Espresso machine transport you straight back to 1949, the year the cafe was first established.
Caffe Latte isn’t the only thing on the menu at Bar Italia, either. Open from 7am to 4am everyday, it’s also one of the Big Smoke’s best places to grab a negroni, and offers sweet and salty snacks all day and night too.
A couple of other London spots made their way into the shortlist for the category this year. They were Baaria in Leicester Square and Mileto Caffè in Hampstead and Wembley.
As for the other categories, Stable Hearth Neapolitan Pizzeria & Enoteca in Darlington, County Durham was crowned Britain’s best pizza restaurant, taking home the prize for the sixth time in 2026. You can check out the full list of winners for 2026 on the Italian Awards' website here.
Did you see that Newcastle is getting a new neighbourhood dedicated to food and drink?
Plus: these are all the British restaurants that were added to the Michelin Guide in March 2026.
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