Routine is a very important thing. For me, like many, it revolves around a cup of coffee in the morning. Having spent my time at secondary school frequenting the same cafe for two years, I have become increasingly dependant on my morning coffee. Now as a student who spends all of her time in the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI), cafe choices are limited. Pearse St and the surrounding area isn’t well-known for its haute cuisine, and it’s pretty hard to find a decent cup of coffee. It takes a lot to make me jealous of an arts student, but the cafes around the Arts Block do just that.
After exhausting all the options around me, like the SU Cafe (which is always too busy) and the aptly named Coffee House by the DART station (which is overpriced), a friend ended my many months without a morning coffee haunt and told me about Il Caffe di Napoli on Westland Row, just a few doors down from Pearse station.
Walking into Il Caffe di Napoli is like walking into your hypothetical Italian grandmother’s kitchen. The place is full of little touches here and there – souvenir magnets from landmarks around the world on the back of their espresso machine, bottles upon bottles of Aperol on shelves and in cabinets – all things that make it feel like a real life, aesthetically overwhelming kitchen. Green velvet cloths cover their tables with dark wood panelling everywhere, giving it a cosy feel. Towards the back of the cafe is a restaurant with plenty of seating, which I’ve never seen full, so there’s little panic of having nowhere to sit.
Their coffee, without a doubt, is their biggest draw. There’s something about that Italian-tasting coffee that other cafes can’t really compare to. It’s that dark, somewhat smokey flavour that feels like you’re really drinking proper coffee. It’s not weak or watery, and their cappuccinos aren’t overwhelmingly milky. It’s the kind of cafe that obviously enjoys the taste of coffee instead of trying to mask it. It’s served in tall glasses or, my favourite, deep bowl-like mugs. If you’re getting it to go, their takeaway cups are a lovely shade of orange that subtly hints towards summer.
If you hang around the Goldsmith or TBSI area it’s a great place to stop in for lunch. They sell some of the biggest slices of pizza I’ve ever seen, as well as reasonably priced paninis and ciabattas. In their refrigerated section, you can pick up a sandwich and a can of San Pellegrino for a quick bite in the middle of the day. While it probably isn’t the most financially sustainable place to eat every day, it’s definitely good value for what you’re getting. The cafe switches over at night to a really vogue cocktail bar, truly filling out the entire gastronomic experience.
Half the allure of this place is that it’s overlooked by pedestrians zipping past from Pearse station. While you’ll see a fair few suits conducting impromptu meetings over a latte if you stop in at lunchtime, it’s mostly quiet in the mornings and late afternoons. It’s perfect for grabbing a quick coffee or for finding refuge from the usual student spaces in the east end. Don’t tell too many people about it though, because then I’ll have to find a new place.
