A proper Italian coffee, served the way it's always been — since 1949.
Open Daily7am – 4am
22 Frith StreetSoho, London W1D 4RF
Since 1949The Polledri Family
The Bar
A piece of Soho that never quite closes.
Bar Italia has stood on Frith Street since 1949, when Lou and Caterina Polledri opened its doors. Red-and-white Formica, terrazzo tiles, and a neon sign that's watched over the street for generations — it hasn't needed to change.
The building has its own footnote in history too: it's where John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of television in 1926, marked by a commemorative plaque on the building. These days it's coffee, not television, that draws the crowd — early risers, late-night regulars, and everyone in between.
Bar Italia has stood at 22 Frith Street since 1949. In the decades since, it has become a Soho landmark and a home from home for London's Italian community, as well as a regular stop for Londoners, musicians, artists and visitors from all over the world.
Plenty of cafés have been refitted beyond recognition. This one hasn't. The busy counter, the coffee-bar buzz, the neon sign and the late nights are all still very much as they were.
1920s – 1940s
The family's beginnings
Lou and Caterina Polledri came to England from northern Italy and ran an espresso business in Long Acre, Covent Garden. After the war, they set their sights on Soho.
1949
Bar Italia opens
With a £50 loan from a close friend who worked as an ice man, Lou and Caterina took on the premises at 22 Frith Street. It soon became a meeting point for Italians building new lives in post-war London.
1950s – 1970s
Soho in full swing
As jazz clubs, rock bands and the mod crowd filled Soho, Bar Italia became the place to end up afterwards. With Ronnie Scott's and other music venues close by, performers and night owls kept the counter busy, and names like the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix are part of the bar's lore.
1990s – 2000s
A London icon
By now Bar Italia was a fixture of the capital's café scene. It was named Best Coffee Shop in 2004 and 2005, and won the Love London Award for Best Neighbourhood Coffee Shop in 2009.
Today
Generations on
Today the bar is looked after by the Polledri family's third and fourth generations, keeping the original Frith Street café just as regulars know and love it.
The Building
Where television began.
26 January 1926
Before it was a café, 22 Frith Street had already made history. On 26 January 1926, the Scottish inventor John Logie Baird gave a public demonstration of television at the address.
A century later, in January 2026, a new plaque went up to mark the anniversary, and the Baird Room opened above the café.
Matchday
The home of Italian football in London.
For Italians in London, and for plenty of others, Bar Italia is where you come to watch the Azzurri. Whenever Italy play in a major tournament, the bar becomes the capital's meeting point for fans, and the crowd spills out of the door and across the pavement.
The routine is the same every time: espresso in hand, eyes on the screen, and a lot of singing. Even the early kick-offs at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea drew a full house.
9 July 2006
When Italy beat France on penalties to win a fourth World Cup, Frith Street erupted. Pasta rained down from the upstairs windows like confetti, prosecco was sprayed over the crowd, and the streets were packed with supporters all the way from Soho Square down to Shaftesbury Avenue. It remains one of the great nights in the bar's history.
Frith Street under the bunting, 9 July 2006Looking down from the upstairs windowsA sea of flags outside Bar Italia
July 2021
Italy's victory at the European Championship brought the same scenes back to Soho. Supporters poured onto Frith Street once more, and the bar was at the centre of the party all over again.
Frith Street in the rain after the final, July 2021"It's going to Rome!"
“The best cup of coffee, or damn close to it.”
Anthony Bourdain on Bar Italia
Recognition
Awards and accolades.
A few of the honours Bar Italia has picked up over the years, from five London Lifestyle Awards wins in a row to London's best negroni.
2026
London Lifestyle Awards
Nominated again this year for Best Coffee Shop in London.
2025
London Lifestyle Awards
Winner, Best Coffee Shop in London.
2025
Best Negroni in London
Chosen by Time Out, drawing on the picks of cocktail experts.
In the press
The Standard's Top 10 Negronis
Featured in The Standard's round-up of London's best negronis.
2024
London Lifestyle Awards
Winner, Best Coffee Shop in London.
2024
One of the world's most beautiful coffee shops
Named on a Time Out list of the most beautiful coffee shops on earth.
2023
London Lifestyle Awards
Winner, Best Coffee Shop in London.
2022
London Lifestyle Awards
Winner, Best Coffee Shop in London.
2022
Harden's Rated
Recommended in the Harden's London restaurant guide.
2021
London Lifestyle Awards
Winner, Best Coffee Shop in London.
2014
Café Life Awards
Winner.
2011
London Lifestyle Awards
Runner-up, Coffee Shop of the Year.
2010
London Lifestyle Awards
Winner, Coffee Shop of the Year.
2009
Love London Awards
Best Neighbourhood Coffee Shop.
2004 & 2005
Best Coffee Shop
Voted the best coffee shop two years running.
And in song: Pulp's "Bar Italia" appears on their 1995 album Different Class, and Ray Gelato wrote a song of his own called "Bar Italia" too.
Why it matters
More than just an old café.
What sets Bar Italia apart isn't only its age. It's the mix of an Italian immigrant story, a family that has run it from the start, an interior that has barely changed and a place in Soho's cultural life. Even the terrazzo floor is a family affair: it was laid by Torino Polledri, a relative who specialised in terrazzo mosaic.
Few London businesses have held on to their identity so well while everything around them has changed.
2026 marks 77 years of Bar Italia.
Gallery
Life at Bar Italia
The counter, the street and the late nights. Follow us on Instagram for the latest from Frith Street.
Match nights, special evenings and everything coming up on Frith Street.
Kick-off times are UK time and can change, so check @baritaliasoho before you come. We do not take bookings for match nights: it is first come, first served.
Nothing on the calendar right now.
Follow us on Instagram to be the first to hear about match nights and special events.
Whenever Italy play in a major tournament, Bar Italia is where London's Italian fans gather, and the whole of Frith Street joins in. Follow @baritaliasoho to see what we have planned. There are no bookings, so get here early: it is first come, first served.
The nearest Tube stations are Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road, both about a five minute walk. Frith Street runs between Soho Square and Shaftesbury Avenue.
Match nights, events and news from Frith Street. No spam.
Private Hire
Private hire and enquiries
Planning a celebration or a private event? Tell us about it and we will get back to you. (We do not take table bookings. Day to day, it is first come, first served.)
Thank you. We have your message and will be in touch soon.
Menu
Allergens and dietary information
We want everyone to enjoy their visit.
Please tell us about any allergy or intolerance when you order. Our food is prepared in a kitchen that handles gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, soya, fish and other allergens, so we cannot guarantee any item is completely free of them.
Vegetarian and vegan
Vegetarian dishes are marked (V) on our menu. Ask our team about vegan options.
Full allergen details
For the full allergen information for any dish or drink, please ask a member of the team.
