Behind, or rather below, the facade of an Italian takeaway coffee shop place is this gem of a restaurant. Reminiscent of a classic Soho-style bistro we met with old friends for lunch on Saturday afternoon. Shabby, but comfy, decor and the joint was leppin' too. Service was brisk, friendly and helpful. I had the special roasted sea bass which was pretty good, large portion, well presented with a large side of boiled new potatoes. While most of my companions opted for dessert I ordered the small (haha!) cheese board. Three cheeses, huge portion, loads of crackers etc I simply had to share it with my fellow diners. Epic! Excellent lunch rounded off with a nice cappuccino (as you do). I'll be back. Highly recommended. read more

Il Caffè di Napoli - Roasted Sea Bass - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

See all

The best hidden gem in all of Dublin. After tens days of pub food which included seafood chowder and fish n' chips we wanted a change. We stumbled on this darling Italian restaurant just walking distance from our hotel. We came here two different evenings that's how much we loved this restaurant. We started off with Veneto Sauvignon Blanc. It was a nice Italian wine. We ordered the marinated olives and focaccia. It was perfectly seasoned and the bread had the right amount of garlic and olive oil. Simply delicious. I had the ravioli which had just the right amount of cheese and incredible homemade red Italian sauce. So Devine...picture to follow. The icing on the cake included the best service from Lauro. He was such an attentive server, personable, thoughtful and gave us the best customer experience. He had a lovely Italian accent which helped with the full experience. On night two we had the Pappardelle. Another authentic Italian dinner with fish. Very tasty. We recommend this restaurant and ask for Lauro. read more

Il Caffè di Napoli - Ravioli - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

I was really happy that this place had an open table after realizing that every restaurant in Dublin seems to expect advance reservations. The service is friendly but slow, and despite my American need to hurry, there is something nice about a meal you can't rush through. Okay, the food. It was SO GOOD. The sarancini di riso (rice balls) come in a set of two with some greens on the side. The funghi trifolati (mushrooms on a polenta cake) was delicious and I'd love to be able to recreate this at home, but don't think my kitchen skills are up to it. The gnocchi sorrentina was topped with high quality mozzarella and the perfect amount of sauce. Last but not least - the amaretto affogato was simple but tasty, made with quality vanilla ice cream and just enough alcohol. When I hear Italian spoken in an Italian restaurant, I know the food will be good. Il Caffe definitely delivered. Come here for a relaxed and authentic Italian dining experience. read more

Il Caffè di Napoli - Sarancini di riso - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

See all

Just enjoyed a great dinner... Sea Bass on seafood risotto was GREAT! My family also had chicken cacciatore and penne with eggplant- both very good. Dining room is downstairs but open skylight ceiling added to a nice ambiance... read more

My husband and I had dinner here once, after the Hotel Davenport recommended it as a nearby restaurant that served a good dinner. The ambiance is that of a polished Italian restaurant, rather than a simple pizza restaurant. We sat indoors, but outdoor seating is also available. We walked in without a reservation around 5:00. The restaurant did not look busy. The host gave us a disapproving look and asked us to wait for a minute to see if he could fit us in. He agreed to seat us. He told us we would have a time limit for dinner, something like 1.5-2:00 hours. We agreed. We have heard similar snobby speeches from other restaurants elsewhere in Europe. (We rarely make dinner reservations in Europe as we have difficulty using our American phones.) The table service was fine. My husband ordered a dish with clams, prawns, calamari, tomatoes, etc. He got some ravioli with it. I believe I ordered a meat dish with a mushroom sauce. I thought my dinner was very good. My husband was not impressed with his dinner. We both liked our salads a lot. The cannoli dessert was excellent. The food was magnitudes better than at another Italian restaurant we visited in Dublin. read more

See all

Stumbled upon this nice little restaurant. It was busy and bustling; we did not have reservations, but hostess squeezed us in. Our recommendation would be to stick with basic Italian menu items and steer away from more adventurous specials. Service was excellent. Seemed to be a good place for families w/kids. read more

The food here was amazing! We had the ravioli, lasagna, and spaghetti with oil and parsley...everything was excellent. I would definitely recommend to anyone...locals and tourists. If you go, you won't be disappointed. read more

At last! At last I have found a place that does not make me break wind all day... Oh don't roll your eyes we all do it - bottom burps are all natural. All day is not natural. This only happens when I eat undercooked risotto. Today the manager insisted I try theirs, "I really don't want to fart all day." "Your choice." "OK." Lads the joy. At last a place in Dublin that I have found that cooks risotto right! I had the sea bream which was beautiful, complimented perfectly with a subtle glass of white - I wish I could remember the name. We also got to share their own homemade vanilla ice-cream whilst we sipped our espressos, delicious. Upstairs looks like an unassuming café, downstairs it opens up to dining area. The natural light from the skylights above give a warmth to the space. I am always a fan of open kitchens which they have. Also there is a coffee bar. Toilets were spotless and the service was great. read more

Il Caffè di Napoli - Sea bream & risotto - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

See all

For a slice of Italy in the middle of Dublin make your way to Il Caffe' di Napoli. This authentically Italian cafe/restaurant serves up some quality coffee and Italian fare in the lush surrounds of this cute little cafe. Most of the staff are Italian and actually SPEAK Italian to one another (not to the customers, thankfully!) This makes for a really cool vibe and adds to the authenticity no end. The coffee here is seriously good, and is definitely worth a trip! Il Caffe' di Napoli is a little off the beaten track but I'll most certainly be heading back there for a coffee very soon. It's right near Pearse St Station so is a good place to stop off if you're waiting on the Dart. Downstairs there is an Italian restaurant, which I've not yet experienced, but it looks like a great place for a sit down lunch with friends or work colleagues. read more

Il Caffè di Napoli - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

I actually didn't realise it is not just a cafe but that they have a downstairs restaurant as well. I usually just walk past on my way to somewhere. But this time I was looking for something to eat and had a look at their menu. So I still don't know how the Cafe part is but I surely enjoyed my visit to the restaurant. The decor is warm and relaxing and despite being downstairs bright due to it being rather like a conservatory. I went for one of their specials of the day: Linguine scalops and had a glass of their Verdicchio (white vine). Together with an Espresso the bill came to around €25 which is for Dinner in Dublin with vine quite good. I actually was lucky too. Turned out they had the price for the Linguine €2 too low at the time when I ordered. They changed it while I was there but still gave me the price I ordered for. Pretty sure I'll go back for another treat there. read more

Il Caffè di Napoli - The restaurant downstairs - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

Noc see little cafe.  The capacitor I had was great.  Small neighborhood feel.  Not rushed, and the staff are friendly.  Light toasted sandwiches, coffee, wine, and other light fare.  A great place to enjoy Dublin. read more

Il Caffè di Napoli - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

I've been to this place twice which is strange considering that I work practically next door! In any case, there are some things you must know: About Me: -I don't drink coffee -I'm super fussy about my food, but love it dearly -While I'm price conscious, I will happily fork out for good food -I still haven't worked out how to upload images, but once I do, I'll get them uploaded. About this place: -The staff need you to woo them. They were friendlier the second time I was there. -Think it's a fall out from the boom time, but Irish Waiting staff need to think happier thoughts while in work! - If you see a group of Italian adults eating and drinking in the place, you know you are onto a winner! (Big group of cackling, giggling, mature Italian women - check). My Experience I picked out a pre-made salad. First off, the quality was superb, but a little lacking for €5.20 (take away). It didn't have any meat (which might justify the cost). If they could add a little more to the salad, I'd be happy to pay the money, but decided to go with a more affordable option instead (Honest to Goodness, for those interested). read more

See all

Restaurant downstairs, sandwiches/cakes/coffee cafe upstairs. There's lots of yummy things to choose from and the salami panini was one of the best I've had in Dublin. For the restaurant downstairs, I love that they allow you to order small portions of the pasta dishes (which is perfect for me). There's outdoor seating as well! read more

See all

Quality food in here. Your standard Italian dishes but so authentic. Really lovely beef carpaccio and gorgeous pasta dishes. I love the decor. It's so cosy. Hard to catch the waitress sometimes as its always busy. Looks like a little cafe upstairs only so it was a new discovery for me. And a great one at that. Coffee and cake are good in the cafe too so will come again. read more

If you like good expresso, il cafe di napoli is the place where you have to go. In a city where the expresso vary between mad to undrinkable, il cafe de napoli seemed like an oasis. Addionaly they have good and fresh food and the pizzas are amazing: the dough is crispy and really in the really Napolitano style. Thank you Fabio for the recomendation:) read more

Il Caffè di Napoli - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

The atmosphere is this place's main asset, and it's hard to suppress the thought that the moody lighting and general faff may have gotten in the way a bit. The coffee's very good. True caff-o-philes may find it a bit weak, but I very much enjoyed my cappuccino as did my accomplice indulge in her latté. A lack of seating might be an issue but it's a small place what can you do? (get there at a non-lunchtime sort of hour) The staff could have been friendlier but they were in no way rude. The price was average to a bit pricey at 5.70 for one cappuccino and one latté (presumably 3.00 and 2.70 respectively) Overall this is a lovely spot for a date or a sit down with a bit more faff, but will I pop in for a coffee on my way to the DART? Possibly, not in a rush read more

Il Caffè di Napoli - Half finished Cappuccino and the view from the front bench - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

See all

OMG, what a fabulous find Il Caffe di Napoli is. I have walked past this place plenty of times and thought "I must take a gander in there some time". So thank you to Anne L and Lee L for organising the latest foodie club event here. And as usual, I rolled home full. On this occasion it was the delicious southern Italian fare of Il Caffe di Napoli that had me close to being in a food coma. We were served so many dishes, so forgive me if I go on a bit. I arrived in to what I thought was a regular Italian cafe-restaurant. But it's more than a regular Italian cafe-restaurant. The cafe is upstairs and you go downstairs to this bright dining room, with an open kitchen at the back. The ceiling is high and full of glass, not what I was expecting as I entered the building. At the bar I was immediately handed a prosecco with strawberries accompanied by sun dried tomatoes and olives. Next thing some platters appeared out of nowhere of a mix of mini pizzas, pate toast, garlic bread and bruschetta. Nice little introductions to stop the belly rumblings. The pizzas stood out here. For the starters of our tasting night we moved to the table. We were first were presented with two platters, Antipasto Vegetariano and Antipasto Misto. Both had a mix of Mediterranean roasted vegetables and marinated olives. The second platter included a selection of the Italian cured meats and cheeses, as well as roasted veg. Both full of flavour. We then were offered two more starters. The first was prawns in a Brandy sauce. I can't see it on their online menu, so I don't know what it was called. But I can tell you it was delicious and was the first thing that really caught my attention. Then second was Arancini di Riso, which was Arborio rice, tomato, basil and mozzarella balls (for want of a better word) served with a tomato sauce. This was also very delicious and attention grabbing. Moving quickly along, we were served the first three main course dishes. On the menu it's called Filetto di Spigola, which was pan fried sea bass in a lemon, white wine sauce, served over seafood risotto. I am not a big fish fan, but this blew me away. It was divine. The next two dishes were roast duck, which was cooked perfectly medium, and a beef dish. Both were grand. But I think I was still getting over the sea bass dish. Everyone at the table raved about the beef dish. I can't identify it on their online menu, so perhaps the other peeps can help me out there. Finally we were so full we did not eat dessert and went straight for coffee. I had a very smooth and enjoyable espresso that wasn't bitter. The staff were attentive and charmingly entertaining, as most Italians are. I am looking forward to my next meal at Il Caffe di Napoli. That is all. read more

Ah damm...I should have read a bit closer the reviews as I chose to go downstairs to the restaurant part and yeap, it's not their strongest point AT ALL. The caffe itself is small enough, I wouldn't venture on having a coffee outside on this brutally noisy street with non stop traffic so the space is limited. Anyway, I went for the restaurant because there isn't that many food options around that area...and it was pricey, tho with plenty of choice. The food was very disappointing, not really fresh. The tomatoe juice was bitter and it felt like coming from a can. The rest of the food was just blah and when we managed to get the waiters' attention, they were friendly. Overall, a waste of time and money I'm afraid... read more

So. Much. Food. I'm still not sure how I managed it all. Walking past Il Caffe di Napoli, you'd easily mistake it for a just a café. There's an entire restaurant hidden away downstairs. Not that there's any reason for them to keep it a secret. Apparently the staff thought they were feeding an army rather than a handful of Yelpers on a UYE. So plate after plate was rolled out, each one piled with food. Cristin L's review has a better break-down of the menu than I could hope to write, but I have to agree with her that the fish dishes were definitely the highlights. The sea bass was the winner for me. Oh, and a big thank you to the staff as well. Friendly, helpful and slightly manic! read more

Situated right beside my usual DART station on Pearse street, this is probably my favorite coffee shop in Dublin (though Cafe Parigi is now a strong contender) - I generally go for an extra shot, but I like my coffee strong. The coffee is consistently good and the prices are reasonable. The interior is nicely decorated, evoking memories of similar cafes in Italy. The outdoor seating is small and faces onto the very busy Westland Row - it's the only downside to an otherwise great cafe and not something they can help. Update on the coffee: as with a lot of coffee houses in Ireland I find the cappuccino a little too milky, though the extra shot helps in most cases. Eventually I gave the Americano a shot instead and I am glad I did - the quality of the coffee stands up and all that milk is not necessary. At a little over 2 euro for a take away it's pretty reasonably priced too read more

Great place that I have walked passed so many times over the years Im surprised and slightly annoyed at myself that I didnt venture in for the food before now. Yes it used to be on my coffee run before work, but I always dashed by it never realising what a little gem was underneath! Very versatile place, you can sit and enjoy the walkers by while sipping on your authentic coffee with a slice of naughtiness because you know you deserve it or you if you are feeling a little peckish head downstairs to a wonderful relaxing area. The Maître d is so lovely he even made jokes to my friend who was the only man at an all girl table! "we men need to stick together". As for the food.. wow no matter how I much I blurb on about it, it will not justify the taste. My advice? GO AND VISIT AND EXPLORE THE WONDERS YOURSELF :) read more

Nice cafe for a coffee outside but avoid the restaurant at all costs. I am a regular coffee drinking customer there, however, both 2 times I tried the restaurant, it ended in big disappointment. The problem is not only the food but their attitude to it. "Authentic Italian Experience" says their main page http://www.napoli.ie Sadly the food is anything but "Authentic Italian". It is what happens to Italian food, when it is "custom made" to what the management considers as to be in "demand in Ireland". Even the menu does not show any authentic pizza like Margherita, Napolitana, Capricciosa, 4 Stagioni etc (and is not even properly formatted as PDF file). Instead it lists the ingredients in English, and then translates them into Italian. But at the end, what matters is the taste, and that is sadly very far from Italian. And not in a good way. It comes at no surprise that Italians working there are saying it themselves, they would not eat there. Also no review by anyone from Italy? The second time I went there more recently with a colleague, ordered pasta and asked specifically for "aldente" (not overcooked). Sadly not only was it overcooked but also tasteless. I had just returned from my trip to Italy and the difference was stunning. Their reaction: "Sorry about it, we indeed don't do it Italian way but rather the way Dublin's locals prefer". In conclusion, I have to say, it is not my pleasure to write a negative review, I would much prefer to write something good. Nothing would be more desirable for me than to go there to eat great Italian food matching my experience in Italy. read more

The pizza was reasonably good, as a pizza fan I would have to say I have had better. The staff were fairly pleasant, if not a little put out by us coming in at 8:30 on a slow night when they only had one other table, in the end we still left before the other table ... but still there was that feeling ... hard to describe ... but made me kind of uncomfortable ... :( The redeeming feature of the night though had to be the olive oil that was on the table, it had lovely flavour and a gorgeous golden colour ... if you are one of those pizza eaters that saves the crusts for dipping in oil, then this is some of the best quality dipping oil around read more

Myself and himself wandered in here last Sat,too lazy to walk very far(not even to the much closer supermarket it seems, so just plain lazy I think!) and decided on coffee here, but having noticed the number of people goin in,we ventured downstairs-little hidden gem!love the feel that you've walked into a country(albeit contemporary) kitchen. Our waitress was lovely,really friendly, very willing to put up with our giddy silliness..the carbonara wasn't the most amazing we've ever heard but the prettiest cappucino i've had in a while won me over for now! read more

Il Caffè di Napoli - Downstairs-main area - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

See all

This place is really cozy and really feels like an Italian cafeteria. The service was a bit slow, but if you are not in a rush you will be fine. It is very small on the inside. You will feel out the place with Italian products (pasta, sauce, cakes). Prices are ok and I'd definitely come back. read more

Il Caffè di Napoli - Latte & Brownie - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

See all

This review is for take away pizza only. I will return for a dine in meal and update the review. The pizza is really really really good! Crust that's crunch where it needs to be, chewy where it needs to be, and perfect flavour of dough baked in a stone pizza oven. I ordered the four cheese to take home. I walk by this place every day on the way to and from work and thought I would give it a try. The cheese flavours were amazing. Rich parm. Sharp Gorgonzola. Toothy moz. I look forward to trying other menu items. I've also heard their coffee is pretty good. read more

Close to work so it's a regular haunt. Great for lunch: panini's pizza slices, pastries and takeaway salads. Truly Italian - good coffee. Also - have eaten downstairs in the new restaurant area - which does "bigger' fare for lunch or dinner: antipasti, pasta, pizzas and Italians specials. All cooked in the open kitchen and brought straight to table. Have been impressed with the food. Staff helpful, Medium priced. Well worth a look whether you're looking for decent coffee, or light lunch or dinner. read more

Our first meal in Dublin was last meal quality. We came in per the recommendation of a friend who had known the owner, Paul, well. Paul was so welcoming and sat with us for a while give tips for our trip. We started off w calamari that looked like onion rings - super tender, and their version of tarter sauce was great to dip in. Paul sent over some just baked focaccia and olives - light and delicious. For dinner we had creamy tagliatelle w sausage (so amazing) and seafood skewers, also fantastic. Tiramisu for dessert. I didn't expect to be so blown away by Italian food in Dublin, but they've got a good thing going here. Be sure to stop by, you don't want to miss this. read more

Il Caffè di Napoli - Paul gave us prosecco w Campari, sweet and delicious - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

Went here to grab a quick meal before work with the bf. Staff were very talkative amongst them selves but not to customers. A lot of them came across as rude, unenthusiastic and disinterested. We both knew what we wanted straight away and it took a while for them to take our order. We got a male waiter that wears glasses, and he wasn't the friendliest or most mannerly. We asked for water and he sloppily poured it half in the glass half on the table, while rudely leaning across us with his arm in my face. He took our ordered, didn't seem interested in the slightest. A lot of the staff talked amongst themselves in Italian which can be unsettling for none native speakers. And plane rude. Our food arrived pretty quickly, which explains the lacklustre quality. The restaurant was overpriced and underwhelming, which is a real shame for a beautiful location and nicely decorating restaurant. As we were leaving he blocked the route out, turning around to ask another waitress what she had just said. Then expected us to move as if we were the problem. We then had almost every member of staff say "bye" to us on our way out, which I find odd since we received no welcome from any of them. Management really needs to review their attitude towards customers, the manners of their staff and their cleanliness. read more

One of my favourite Italian spots in Dublin, though primarily because of the downstairs restaurant rather than the upstairs café! I've been downstairs twice for their lovely lunches; traditional Italian fare with some wonderful specials. The other day, I ordered the Fusilli Siciliana, with roasted aubergines, zucchini in a lovely tomato sauce and covered in buffala mozzarella. Absolutely delicious. And I scooped up all the remaining sauce with delicious garlic bread. We split a dessert; the chocolate fondant, which comes with ice cream and whipped cream on the side. Very tasty, but I'm glad I shared. Otherwise it would have been too much. It was a very satisfying meal. Great service. Not terribly expensive for what we got. And I loved the complimentary olives and pesto flat bread that came after we put in our order! Nice touch... read more

This place is absolutely authentic, from coffee to food! They are all about the enjoyment. I love love sitting there while the sun comes through the clouds and have a macchiato (nice price for 1.85!!!!!), just like that with nothing... Couldn't ask for more! Besides the biscotti which they have sometimes - omg! There are delicious and taste beautiful with any coffee!! Hungry? Cafe di Napoli can't be wrong, try the tortilla and sandwiches for lunch or go downstairs in the evenings and enjoy the full restaurant - they can cook and have amazing wines. read more

Popped in to the café for a quick lunch. Got a huge slice of pizza, I definitely tasted real ingredients! Not processed! Also got green tea, but got about 3 cups out of the teapot they gave me, sweet!:) Came to €6.20 for sit-in, not bad at all! Will come back on an evening to try the restaurant, looks good. read more

Il Caffè di Napoli - Ground floor café - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

See all

Ok newsflash, downstairs is 5 stars and run by a separate company. They do fantastic lunches and take reservations with great table service. Slightly upmarket but worth it. This review is for Westland Row btw, they have another café on Fenian Street. Read below for the upstairs café I have only gotten take away a couple of times here but I've not been impressed. On the surface you're thinking authentic Italian and it looks great from the outside but the food is poor and even my coffee this week had a burnt taste, plus over cooked dried out home made cookies and greasy pizza with unfriendly service. It's a good location and nice premises but that's about it... Caffe Parigi it is not! read more

Had take away and it was good. Had penne with salmon and the salmon was a little salty. Had the tag pasta with cream sauce and the mushroom starter. All good portions (no leftovers) for a great price. I did have to go downstairs to the restaurant which was kind of confusing. read more

See all

Visiting Dublin on holiday over from the US and was looking for something satisfying after a long stretch of horrible airline snacks and mediocre airport food. Was very happy to find this little place. 7PM on Saturday, so it wasn't very crowded but began filling quickly once we arrived. The olives and focaccia bread were tasty and we combined them with a split of Prosecco and a Buffalo Mozzarella Caprese salad that we shared as an appetizer. Main courses were the Gnocchi and the Rigatoni with meatballs. Both were very good, though if you're not a garlic fan, the gnocchi probably isn't for you. Both were cooked perfectly "al dente" and the sauce was just the right quantity to not overpower the plates. Our main meals were shared with glasses of house red and white Italian wines. Though we should have stopped there, the homemade Tiramisu looked too good not to share -- it was worth it. The final touch of offering some house Limoncello was very nice -- this drink is usually hit & miss for me because I don't like the very sweet varieties, but their's was more tart and potent than it was sweet -- made a great ending to the meal. There were only two servers covering the whole restaurant, but the owner would come downstairs from the cafe topside to help periodically. Service was good - attentive but not overbearing. Though the place kept getting busier, there was no feeling of being rushed to make room for waiting diners. We'll be back to try some of the fabulous pizzas we saw going by us during our meal! read more

This place is way nicer and much bigger than I expected. I thought it was just the ground floor but was told that's just the cafe and the actual restaurant is downstairs. It really is an authentic Italian restaurant. Everyone working there is Italian (or at least speaks Italian). I was just popping in for a quick bite so had the soup which came with white toasted bread. There was also freshly baked focaccia and olives brought out to me which were a welcome surprise. Everything was lovely and the restaurant itself is really cosy. It's quite a hidden gem. read more

I have eaten in many Italian restaurants in Dublin and on many of my trips to Italy and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they do in fact serve fantastic authentic Italian cuisine. I got the seabass which was served on a delicious bed of seafood risotto cooked to perfection and was also a generous portion. I then tried a dessert wine which came with some tasty biscotti. There is a great selection of wines to choose from. The staff are very friendly, warm and welcoming and I would recommend anyone who likes to eat authentic Italian food to eat here as they will certainly not be disappointed. read more

Awesome little spot right near Trinity College. Came here daily while staying in Ireland for a week. Cappuccinos were on point and their breakfast sandwiches were delicious. read more

Restaurant downstairs is so good. The food is spectacular and authentic. Real Italian waiters and chefs. Very aggressively priced as well. Check them out! read more

I really wanted to give Il Caffé di Napoli a good review but after today's experience I have to sadly give them 1 star. The bf + I popped in to grab coffees and a ciabatta for himself. It took the staff member (a blonde) over 10 minutes to even take his order of a speck ciabatta (+ two coffees) as she was too busy talking to another staff member and (very) slowly making coffee for other customers, occasionally popping over to an overspilling bin + filthy table where they were dropping off the dirty dishes,. I took a table for us in the corner, facing the side of the deli + the staircase while he order as the ground floor tables as gold dust + you can't sit downstairs if only grabbing a sambo. I half wish I hadn't. While the female staff member popped back + forth from the bin I noticed something unpleasant; she never once stopped to wash her hands. This included between changing the bin, including touching things IN the bin, to touching the outside of the bin before shimmying back to put ordered sandwiches onto the grill press. She never washed her hands between her bin duties + preparing both my bf's + someone else's sandwiches. She returned to the bin to replace the old bin bag with a new bag before coming back to our sandwich and splicing it in half. When she delivered it to us I whispered -almost conspiratorially- to her that I had seen that she hadn't washed her hands between the bin changes. At first she pretended to play dumb but I (+ I stress, POLITELY) informed her that I could see from my angle of the deli that she hadn't. To this she said she had only touched the outside of the bin + the new bin bag, looking at me with a kind of "it's not that big a deal, right?" attitude. I didn't want to taste the sandwich. (But he ripped a corner off for me. It was nice but not worth the €5.70 charge, even including the free added bacteria...) She had been polite(ish) about the whole issue but it was fairly surreal that she didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with her blatant disregard of health + safety food prep. She then returned to tell us that she had forgotten the rest of our order (an americano + an espresso) but this was fine as it was getting quite busy + her colleague (a brunette) was basically standing around doing nothing + getting the blonde to do everything. We asked if she could make the americano to go as he'd neck his espresso. This was all fine. We wait. We wait some more. I glance once or twice as the brunette who is supposed to be making our americano + espresso. She returns the glance + just stands there. I glance at the coffee machine, she follows my gaze. I smile. She looks confused. We wait. Again. Rollies made, I get up to ask about our coffees (as at this point we've been waiting over 5 or so minutes since the silent coffee glance exchange). It transpires she made them already + they've been waiting for us as the til. The only question in my mind is why didn't she let us know? We pop over to the til, somewhat confused by this entire experience + following her sending another customer downstairs to pay for his meal (quite dismissively I might add. The customer was not impressed either), I ask her why she didn't tell us our coffees were ready. She looks me up + down, utterly unimpressed with my query, + attempts to pin her lack of customer service on the blonde, stating "she took your order, was supposed to make them but she got busy." I understand but repeat, nicely, why didn't she, the brunette, let us know our coffees were ready as she had made them? She half shrugs disinterestedly but then seems to realise this isn't terribly good service so instead she opts to lie to us + say she "JUST made the coffees that second." No she didn't, we had both been glancing at her for the last 8 minutes or so and she had been standing there doing sod all (obviously this is not said to her). She emits a strangled reluctant "sorry" whilst not even looking at us, yawns, + repeats, unprompted, she "literally just made them." I decide an "okay" suffices as I don't really want to be calling her out on this + am still dazed by this whole bizarre interaction + blatant lying. The bf drinks his espresso in one go, I put a tiny (miniscule) dash of milk in my coffee. Leaving, lo + behold, the americano is tepid + it turns out his espresso was indeed cold. She had made them over 8 minutes before. And never bothered to call us. I am terribly disappointed with il Caffé di Napoli. Both for the quality + the service we received today. Carluccio's staff at least follow basic health + safety protocol + have better attitudes than the 2 staff we encountered in Caffé. The staff in ANY other place we have ever ordered coffees to go from have always informed us of when our coffees were ready. Terribly disappointing experience with very poor staff and attitudes. It will be a while before I contemplate returning, especially considering they don't even wash their hands after touching the bins! read more