Where To Stop For A Coffee In Cagliari

Are you looking for a place to have a delicious and invigorating coffee in Cagliari? You have come to the right place. I am a local, and I love coffee, so I roam the city sipping espresso and cappuccino on a regular basis. 

In this post, I will share the best, most authentic cafés in Sardinia’s capital, places owned by locals, frequented by locals, and by the occasional tourist, too.

You see, we Italians are coffee lovers and can’t start the day without coffee. We have it as a quick break at work, after meals, and we meet friends over coffee.

We love coffee from the moka (Italian coffee pot); we enjoy a milky cappuccino or caffellatte; we like “marocchino” (espresso+frothed milk+cocoa); we like iced coffee. But more than anything else, we love a good espresso!

I have written a post on How To Order Coffee In Italy that will shine a light on the various kinds of coffee you can have here.

In case you are wondering “what coffee do they drink in Sardinia?” let me tell you that most locals here drink espresso. If you are not used to Italian coffee, you may find it a little strong at the beginning, because it’s very concentrated, but I’m sure you’ll love it!

Cagliari is very much Italian in its coffee habits. If you are visiting and wish to have a break or a quick pick-me-up, you will have plenty of places to stop for a coffee in the Sardinian capital.

In this post, I will share my favorite places to enjoy a good coffee in town: each one is unique for a specific reason. All these cafés are local hangouts, so you can also get a sneak peak of local action while savoring the world’s most popular drink.

Are you spending time in Cagliari? My posts, Fun Things To Do In Cagliari and How To Plan A Weekend In Cagliari, will help you plan your visit.

Best Places To Have Coffee In Cagliari

Matrice

Located in the very central Piazza Yenne (one of the most charming squares in Cagliari and a place you won’t miss when exploring the city), Matrice is the newest addition to the coffee scene in Cagliari – they opened just a few months ago, and have been a success ever since.

Owner Gabriele Giambastiani creates delicious pastries, cakes and sweets using locally sourced ingredients. However, while he uses local ingredients such as Sardinian almonds and honey, at Matrice you won’t find traditional Sardinian sweets.

You will find staples of Italian and international bakery such as cornetti, croissants, cinnamon rolls, plain pralines, as well as lots of cookies that are the perfect pairing with your coffee.

Needless to say, this is a great place to stop for a quick mid-morning or afternoon break, but the selection of pastries is such that it makes it a fabulous breakfast spot too.

But since this post is about coffee, let me tell you a bit more about the coffee offer at Matrice. Of course, here you can have a good espresso. But if you are into coffee, you could try one of the various blends and roasts and opt for a freshly brewed filter coffee.

The beans Matrice uses lean toward specialty origins, including small-batch coffees from places like Colombia and Ethiopia. These beans are chosen for clarity and aroma rather than classic Italian bitterness – something that locals are finally starting to appreciate.

You can have various kinds of coffee here: classic espresso and milk drinks, filter coffee, the signature “Caffè Matrice”, an espresso served with a melting hazelnut-caramel rocher, and a selection of iced coffees perfect to cool down in the hot summer months.

Originis and Pasticceria Piemontese

These two are among the best cafés in Cagliari. I decided to mention them together because the pastry chef and maître chocolatier of these two incredible bakeries is the same: Gianluca Aresu. He is well known and deeply appreciated in Cagliari and surroundings.

His cakes, pastries and chocolates are a little slice of heaven. So come and enjoy an espresso with one of his creations.

Originis is in Largo Carlo Felice, one of the main streets in the historic center of Cagliari, in the Stampace district: close to the harbor and train station.

Pasticceria Piemontese is in Via Enrico Lai, close to the (currently close for renovations) San Benedetto Market in the very central and yet wholly local San Benedetto district.

If you are as much of a foodie as I am, you must try their typical coffee with the addition of a succulent ingredient: custard cream. Have it with a crispy cannoncino.

I will also add a little secret: I find the patisserie at Pasticceria Piemontese to be by far the best in Cagliari. Their mignon (mini-sweets) are mouthfuls of heaven.

Caffè Svizzero

This historical café – one of the best cafés in Cagliari – is located on the ground floor of Palazzo Accardo (built between 1899 and 1901), in one of the busiest streets of Cagliari, Largo Carlo Felice.

As soon as you get in, you are carried back to a different era. There are ancient family portraits on the walls; high vaulted ceilings, marble floors and wooden furniture.

It recently re-opened after it underwent some significant renovations that – rest assured – did not alter its antique charm.

Here you can taste different types of coffee, but I recommend to try their “Marocchino:” espresso coffee with cocoa and milk foam. You could also go there for happy hour and taste one of their lovely cocktails.

There are rumors that the building where Caffé Svizzero is located is haunted. Apparently a priest (under the building there’s a crypt), a barefoot child looking for his shoes, a well-dressed gentleman all live there. Don’t be scared and enjoy this mysterious atmosphere. It’s a place beloved by locals and tourists alike.

I Sarti del Gusto

I Sarti del Gusto is a lovely restaurant in Via Sulis, one of the nicest streets of the Villanova historical quarter, where there are beautiful boutiques (it’s one of the most upscale shopping streets in Cagliari) and a charming atmosphere.

This small restaurant has an indoor hall and an outdoor room, enclosed by plants to make it more private, on a narrow, historic street closed to car traffic. It doesn’t have many tables so service is always excellent.

You can enjoy different types of coffee: choose among espresso, filtered coffee, and a foamy cappuccino. Chef Riccardo Massaiu offers a delicious breakfast/brunch (scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, croissant, marmalade, and much more), a business lunch, a lunch box you can take with you to the beach, and of course a fabulous dinner experience.

This is not simply one of the best cafés in Cagliari: it’s much more than that. As you can surely imagine, I love this place and it really deserves a try if you are in town.

Antico Caffè

Antico Caffè is one of the most famous cafés in Cagliari. This is a historic café at the crossroads between the historic districts of Villanova, La Marina and Castello, just under the steps of the amazing Bastione St. Remy (one of the most famous landmarks in Cagliari), in Piazza Costituzione.

Since 1855 it has been the center of the Cagliari’s social life: Sardinian writer Grazia Deledda (who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1926) used to come here to enjoy a cup of coffee.

It’s beautifully decorated with a covered terrace overlooking the shopping streets. The staff is kind and efficient and the coffee is delicious. You can taste it while having the finest pastries or, as Italians do, at the end of a meal.

Antico Caffè is open from the early morning for breakfast, until well after dinner. It’s a good place to stop for a coffee, but also for a more relaxing afternoon drink, an aperitivo and a quick meal. What you will surely appreciate here is the sophisticated atmosphere.

My post 4 Beautiful Historic Cafés In Cagliari highlights other historic cafés in the city.

Caffè Tramer

Caffè Tramer is a tiny historical café in the center of Cagliari, with late 19th century furnishings and ancient charm.

It offers high quality coffees, cakes, delicious pastries and our beloved “pizzette sfoglie:” light, crispy and tasty pizza-like pastry made with phyllo pastry and that you can eat as a snack. I am not sure why we refer to it as “small pizza” since it doesn’t resemble pizza at all, but this snack is only found in Cagliari and you should try it when visiting.

Above all, Tramer is famous for its meringues, known as the best in town and prepared following an old and secret recipe.

Giovanni Olianas bought this café in 1991 from Vittorio Tramer, a Swiss immigrant, and inherited the secrets of this dessert that is freshly made every day. You can taste the classic meringue or, if you are a coffee lover, the coffee-flavored one!

Tramer is located in Piazza Martiri d’Italia, close to Bastione Saint Remy – it’s impossible to miss it if you are walking around the historic center.

L’Atypica

I got word months ago that a new micro-roastery had opened in Cagliari, but I was yet to visit until I literally bumped into it while I was on a walk around the historic center with a friend of mine. I immediately went in and bought one of their decaf coffee beans bags, and went back since (it’s very close to where I live).

L’Atypica is a specialty coffee micro-roastery and café in Via Garibaldi 65, in the historic center of Cagliari. It opened in 2025 and is run by two fun women (I am all for women-owned businesses), and it is focused on specialty coffee culture and small-batch roasting.

The space combines roastery and coffee bar – in other words, here you can buy coffee beans, but you can also sit down for a coffee or for breakfast. Alongside sourdough bread, cornetti and other pastries, vegan pastries are available, making it one of the few specialty coffee spots in Cagliari with plant-based options.

Beans are sourced directly from producers in countries like Brazil, Ethiopia, Kenya and Colombia, then roasted on site in small batches.

You can drink coffee at the counter or sit in one of the small tables. Drinks on the menu include espresso and decaf options, filter coffee and slower brewing methods, milk drinks such as cappuccino, including variations inspired by Brazilian recipes.

Dulcis

Dulcis is a small and cozy bakery in via Baylle, in one of Cagliari’s districts I love the most: La Marina. So, if you need a coffee break while exploring this district, make sure to pop in.

The bakery is run from a family from Desulo, a small village right in the center of Sardinia. The cafe has maintained the main features of the traditional shop of the small villages of Sardinia. The atmosphere is familiar and friendly.

Taste your coffee while eating one of the excellent traditional Sardinian sweets like “pardula” (made by a soft part of ricotta cheese, saffron, and notes of orange and a crunchy one of a thin wheat pastry) or the “amaretto” (a pure almond paste sweet with a crispy crust). There’s an excellent choice of more popular sweets too, such as cheesecake.

If you want to try something different, go for their “frappuccino” – something between a milkshake and a cappuccino.

I actually love going to Dulcis for afternoon tea, as, other than coffee, they have a great selection of infusions (including my favorite, Roibos, which I discovered in South Africa). It’s a sweet spot for a break.

Good to know: since first opening in La Marina District, Dulcis opened several spots in town, and you can now find it in Via Sonnino as well as at Su Siccu, one of Cagliari’s Marinas.

Libarium Nostrum

Libarium Nostrum doesn’t just offer one of the freshest coffee in Cagliari. It’s a place locals and tourists love as it has one of the best panoramic terraces in town, offering views that span to the harbor, the sea, Largo Carlo Felice, Sette Fratelli mountains, and the Stampace district.

I could spend hours there and – come to think of it – I do it quite regularly. It gets quite busy, especially at sunset when Cagliari turns red, pink and orange.

Libarium Nostrum is located in the Castello District, in Via Santa Croce. This is the oldest part of the city: here you can find the Cathedral (one of the prettiest churches in Cagliari), Torre dell’Elefante, Palazzo Regio, the Archaeology Museum, and much more. This is to say that at one point or another, as you explore the city, you will come across this place.

At Libarium, you can taste a good espresso for breakfast with a freshly baked cornetto. You can also go there for a break during the day, or, even better, after a meal. They don’t take drink reservations, so if you wish to go for sunset, make sure to go a bit early as it gets packed.

At nighttime, mostly during summer weekends, there’s live music or a deejay.

Good to know: Not far from Libarium Nostrum and also in Castello, in Piazza Carlo Alberto at a few steps from the Cathedral, you will find Café Plazuela. This is a truly local spot – another one I often enjoy.

Les Plus Bon

When I think about Les Plus Bon, I always start drooling because of their different kinds of bread and the huge variety of both savory and salted snacks.

The family has a long history of baking (since 1953), and now they have two restaurant-cafes and a bakery.

The café where I go the most is the one in Piazza De Gasperi, not far from where I live. If you come here, have a look at the beautiful Palazzo Doglio nearby and keep walking till the shopping area of Via Alghero and Via Garibaldi.

The café has a veranda and an indoor room with a large display of breads, cakes, sweets, and more. For a savory snack, try their pizzetta sfoglia while drinking their lovely coffee. It sounds like a weird combination, but we locals swear by it.

Caffetteria Piazzetta Mascia 99

Just outside the city center, in Via Pessina 99, not far from Piazza Repubblica (where the Palazzo di Giustizia – main courtroom in Cagliari – is located), you can find this lovely, very local café. Piazza Mascia, from which it takes its name, is tiny and completely off the tourist track.

Here, you can sit at one of the tables on the square and enjoy the greenery around you and the comings and goings of the city, or in the inside hall with its big windows.

I like stopping here for my beloved cappuccino (they offer it with different kinds of milk, such as lactose-free or soy milk), an espresso or marocchino, along with a slice of cake, some cookies or a pizzetta sfoglia.

The staff is young and kind, and will help you to satisfy your request.

Café Etnico

In Via Rockefeller 39, on the way from the city center to Poetto Beach and not far from Fiera di Cagliari, you can find this lovely café, one of the best cafés in Cagliari. It also works as a cocktail bar and more. Locals love it and it gets quite busy from early in the morning till late. Go there if you want to be sure of not having other tourists around.

You won’t find a place like this in all Cagliari: red walls, Buddha statues, bamboo furniture and, as its name will suggest, an extravagant, unique atmosphere.

Enjoy your coffee with the pastries made in one of the most famous pastry shop of the city, Mariuccia (that’s in Piazza Italia in Pirri, well outside the city center), after a salad for lunch or before one of their scrumptious cocktails made with the best liquor, fresh fruits or Italian spumante.

Because of its proximity to the football stadium and the sports arena, Caffé Etnico is a very popular spot during sport events. If you happen to go there on one of those occasions, you’ll get a lot of local action.

Cin Cin Blues Café

How could I not mention my father’s favorite café? Close to where he used to work (he retired a few years ago), he was used to go there every day and he’d swear they make the best coffee in Cagliari. Even now, every time he passes by he stops for a coffee. My sister and I do the same.

The café has been recently renovated and it looks like an old jazz club. It’s in Via Campania, a bit far from the city center but if you go for a walk at the lovely Parco di Monte Claro (one of the locals’ favorite parks in the city) it will be on your way.

Both coffee and cappuccino are delicious, you can drink them while eating some cookies or a cornetto or, if you go for lunch, after one their tasty focaccia sandwich.

Marie

On the same street as Cin Cin Blues Café, there’s one of my favorite breakfast spots in town: Marie.

This French-style (and French-owned) bakery opened in Cagliari a little over 3 years ago, though they do have another shop in the neighboring city, Quartu Sant’Elena. Since then, it’s quickly become a locals’ favorite, who enjoy going there for Sunday breakfast.

I used to live in the area, so I was quite a regular here. Now I go any time I am in the mood for a proper French croissant (or pain au chocolate).

The choice of baked goods is enormous, and the selection of cakes and desserts is fantastic too. And of course you will have an excellent choice of coffee drinks – cappuccino, espresso, ristretto, Americano, and more.

Le Palmette Lungomare Poetto

Do you like running? There’s no better place in Cagliari than Poetto Beach for running, particularly early in the morning. I run here at least twice a week and, during weekends, when I have more time, I stop in one of the many cafés along the beach to have breakfast with a view.

If you prefer walking or lying down and catching the sun, this is anyway the right place to do so in town. Regardless of the season, you will find it busy with locals (in fact, terribly crowded during the summer months).

My go-to place for a coffee whenever I am at Poetto Beach is Le Palmette, right after the beginning of the running trail. It’s open year round, but in the spring and summer months they also offer aperitifs and dinner.

Aside all sorts of coffees you will also find savory snacks and pastries, and comes lunch time, they have a fantastic business lunch menu.

Coffee Tasting Experiences In Cagliari

Cagliari isn’t exactly the place where you’d think about having a coffee tasting experience. Sure, this is not Costa Rica where a large part of the local economy is based on coffee, and where coffee tasting experiences are a popular thing to do.

However, as the coffee scene in Cagliari is changing and more and more focus is put on specialty coffee, and with an ever-growing appreciation for top-quality beans of different origins, and the various extraction methods, you may want to visit a local roaster where you can taste various coffees, extracted just as they should be.

The best place for that is Essentzia, which opened recently in a lesser-touristy area of Cagliari in Via Santa Gilla (don’t worry, it’s easy to reach by public transport from the center of Cagliari).

Essentzia isn’t your classic café (or bar, as we’d say here). It’s a proper roasting spot, where you can buy beans or ground coffee, and a few kinds of tea. You won’t find tables and breakfast pastries here. But recently, on a mission to educate locals and tourists alike about specialty coffee, they started offering tasting experiences.

You can book your coffee tasting at Essentzia online: tasting experiences are available in the afternoon, on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Final Considerations

You won’t have trouble finding good coffee in Cagliari – cafés are scattered throughout the city.

Coffee in Cagliari isn’t necessarily a quick, random stop wherever we are — it’s often a plan. We locals meet “for a coffee” in the morning or early afternoon, much the same way we meet for drinks in the evening.

Morning catch-ups, mid-day breaks, Sunday pastries with friends. Yes, we often grab a fast espresso at the bar, but plenty of coffee moments are social and intentional.

The cafés in this guide reflect that mix. Some are perfect for a quick shot before work. Others are places to linger, chat, and maybe order a second round. A few stand out for location, a few for beans, and many simply because they feel right at a certain time of day.

If you want to experience coffee like a local, do both. Stop spontaneously when exploring, but also pick a café and sit down to observe local life. Order slowly, stay longer than you planned, and let the conversation stretch.

Finally, if in your wanderings of Cagliari you come across a place that you feel should be included in this post, let us know in the comments below.