Caffè Terzi

Caffè Terzi at Via Guglielmo Oberdan 10 in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, is the city's most respected specialty coffee shop and occupies a position that is unusual in a country whose café culture is entirely dominated by the espresso bar format. The founders brought a specialty coffee philosophy to Bologna—sourcing single-origin beans from small farms in Ethiopia, Colombia, Brazil, and Rwanda, having them roasted to order, and extracting them on calibrated espresso machines with a precision more commonly associated with London or Melbourne than with Italy. The result is an espresso that tastes distinctly of its bean rather than of dark roast and crema—brighter, more fruited, and more revealing of origin than the conventional Italian bar espresso. Flat whites, filter coffee, and alternative extraction methods are available alongside the standard Italian preparations. The café also bakes its own cornetti in-house, producing a light, buttery version of the classic breakfast roll. The space is small and bright, with a standing bar and a handful of stools; service is fast, knowledgeable, and proud. Caffè Terzi does not try to be a Milanese aperitivo bar or a tourist café—it is a focused, serious coffee operation in a city that did not previously have one, and it has been rewarded with a clientele of local coffee enthusiasts, food journalists, and visitors who specifically seek it out.