Have you ever attempted to order an iced coffee in Italy? If you’re not immediately met with a quizzical stare or firm refusal, a begrudged cup of ice cubes is all that will accompany your espresso shot. Italians, understandably, dig in their heels when it comes to their culinary culture, making even the most taken for granted trends slow to catch on here. But the arrival of Cafezal, billed as a Brazilian-Italian micro-roastery and coffee shop, is a sign that change is in the air. In the run-up to the much-debated opening of Starbucks this fall, the first on Italian soil, it seems that third wave coffee culture in Milan is finally waking up.
Cafezal is on Via Solferino in the heart of Milan’s buzzing Brera district. Featuring a rotating cast of speciality beans – sourced from small-scale plantations from Honduras to Ethiopia – toasted on site and transformed into typical Italian espresso-based drinks alongside more novel (for Italy) offerings of pourover drip coffees and cold brews.
Local design darlings Studiopepe dressed up the 50sq m space in a style they call ‘post-modern urban’, washing the walls in an inky blue shade that makes the custom dusty pink banquettes pop. Woodgrain-printed wallpaper, terrazzo tabletops, spindly soft-cornered stools, black Marquina marble counters and a wavy, corrugated bar with brushed copper trim make for a welcome addition to Milan’s slowly percolating coffee scene.
ADDRESS
Via Solferino, 27
-
Cocktail hour with Stanley TucciWallpaper* catches up with the consummate epicurean to discuss his culinary no-gos, Tucci-esque travel habits and how to make the perfect martini
-
28 Years Later, is Danny Boyle finding humanity in a dystopian world?Is that a touch of positivity we see in director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland's 28 Years Later?
-
Jenny Saville’s major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery is raw, powerful and sublimeFifty works, from the course of the artist’s career, are brought together for ‘Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting’ in London
-
Detour Discotheque is bringing ‘the world’s dreamiest party’ to PugliaThe pop-up event, La Dolce Vita Disco, promises dancing, good food and sunshine in a 16th-century Italian farmhouse
-
Five tranquil suites by Patricia Urquiola suspend visitors ‘between sea and sky’ in CapriPatricia Urquiola dreams up a study in contrast and tradition for the next chapter of Jumeirah Capri Palace
-
Sun-soaked European destinations to visit in springDreaming of Florentine palazzos and Greek islands now that the weather is starting to turn? Check into one of these beautiful European hotels and holiday homes
-
Everything you need to know about Italy's Lake Maggiore, according to FormafantasmaFrom baroque gardens to panoramic views, Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin show us around this Italian escape
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Romeo Roma: a new hotel that’s one of Zaha Hadid’s last projectsLocated within Rome’s Tridente, Romeo Roma is a palimpsest of periods in which the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid left her avant-garde mark
-
Five influential women hoteliers reflect on the changing face of hospitalityAs women continue to gain ground in the hotel sector, despite still being underrepresented in senior positions, five female moguls share their experiences of the past and projections for the future
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designThere’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
The best Milan bars for a fashionable aperitivoMilan’s after-dark renaissance is evident in a new wave of design-led cocktail bars, setting the right mood for enticing aperitivos and nightcaps; Milan editor Laura May Todd recommends the best
