Mugs & Co.

A stone’s throw from the Giardino delle Culture, in the Piazza Cinque Giornate area, there’s a little place that is very reminiscent of the classic American cafes in the movies, even if the reality of it is all Italian. Mugs & Co. is in fact the typical place where you enter on grey, winter days to warm up with “an excellent cup of steaming black coffee,” as the agent Cooper from Twin Peaks would say.

The smell of freshly baked cake and coffee can be felt in the air, even before entering. The space is simply furnished: a counter, an open kitchen, chairs, tables, sofas and the outdoor area for the warm season. You can order before sitting down, the menu is available on the blackboard right in front of you. You will be seized by indecision, though: after a quick glance, you’ll want to try everything.

Here, in addition to having an Italian espresso worthy of note, or rather the Neapolitan one with the Kenon mixture and foam on top, you will find a rich variety of hot drinks, including tea and coffeehouse drinks, such as the American Pumpkin Spiced Latte or Vanilla Cinnamon Latte. You can drink these immediately, or take them to go if you have to run to work. The clientele you will find is varied, from students to workers, young and old. Mugs & Co. is well liked by everyone.

If you go for breakfast, you really will be spoiled with choices. You will find a lineup of sweets that stare at you from the counter, waiting to satisfy your every desire: cinnamon rolls or cookies, just to name a few, but also the combination of pancakes with American coffee or juice. This will give you a real dose of energy to start the day.

The real gem is to see through the windows of the kitchen that everything is prepared on the spot: what you get in your dish is exclusively handmade. To satisfy everyone’s tastes, there are also vegan options, with dedicated desserts that have nothing to envy of regular ones. Indeed, they are tasty and light. At lunchtime, you can choose between salads, soups and various types of sandwiches, while on Saturday, there’s a British-style brunch: bacon, eggs, beans, tomatoes, coffee and juice.

Mugs & Co., in short, is a place where you can spend hours relaxing alone, or in the company of a book or a person, at any free moment during the week, or when you have more free moments during the weekend.