Folks call Bar Italia, at 22 Frith Street in Soho, a Soho institution.
I think there's a couple of reasons this is true:
The grandchildren of the original owners are still in charge. Nono and Nona Luigi & Caterina Polledri opened the place in 1949 and it's still going strong.
You'll still find waistcoated waiters here serving tables, and they're all Italian.
Their regular hours of operation are 7:00am to 5:00am; and let's face it, being open those hours makes the place a magnet for all kinds of interesting.
It has a classic Italian Cafe look complete with it's original floor that was installed by an uncle before the establishment opened. Sheesh, if it could talk, right?
They tell me the coffee is really good. Can't help you as I don't drink the stuff but I can attest to indulging in my fair share of Aperol Spritz' here and they're really good!
But I think it's those hours of operation mentioned above that play the biggest role as to why Bar Italia made my Rock Tour London blog. Because there's a large number of recording studios in Soho and musicians are said to consider Bar Italia the West End's most celebrated cafe.
"There's only one place we can go, it's round the corner in Soho, where other broken people go - let's go" sings Jarvis Cocker of Pulp.
It is also rumored that Dave Stewart - the former Eurythmics front man - is apparently planning to write an entire musical about the place.
Fancy a tasty adult beverage or a cup of Joe? How about at Bar Italia? You never know who you'll meet there. It being an institution and all (wink).
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