Bar Italia

Walk into Bar Italia on Frith Street and you're stepping into proper old-school Soho—all marble counters, chrome fittings, and the kind of place where regulars have claimed the same spot for decades. You'll be wedged shoulder-to-shoulder with everyone from builders to artists, clutching a tiny cup of dark, proper espresso that costs less than you'd expect. The room hums with that particular energy of a place that's been doing the same thing brilliantly for seventy years without needing to overthink it. Grab a pastry or panettone, stand at the counter like everyone else, and you'll understand why this place hasn't needed to reinvent itself.