Where to have breakfast in Genova: the best coffee bars

Those in search of typical flavours cannot pass up a taste of one of the most unusual (and winning) pairings in Italian cuisine: fugassa dipped in cappuccino. But in Genova there are several establishments that offer signature brioche and espressos: here are a series of coffee bars and pastry shops where you can enjoy breakfast like a king.

Where to have breakfast in Genova

Cafhein

A good place for those with a sweet tooth, but especially for coffee lovers, who can rely on a good offer, with espressos and filter coffees, as well as more mouth-watering cold beverages, suitable for summer. To eat, flaky brioches filled in a variety of ways, homemade cakes and fluffy pancakes with whipped cream, but the melt-in-your-mouth brownies are also worth a taste.

Cafhein –via Balbi, 198 r – instagram.com/cafhein/

Copello

Present since the early nineteenth century and located in the very centre of Chiavari, in the main "caruggio" of the Tigullio town, this pastry shop is a true institution, a solid and reliable destination that offers a classic and quality offering. Well-executed pastries and breakfast brioches, with various fillings, alongside a pastry proposal that is always on a good level. There is a rich coffee section, for a signature breakfast that can also be enjoyed in the beautiful outdoor area.

Copello – Chiavari – via Martiri della Liberazione, 162 - facebook.com/Copello1826

Douce

In the heart of the city centre, one of the two branches (the other is on Via XX Settembre) linked to the successful Genovese venture called Douce, also present in Piazza Matteotti with Douce Labò, a workshop adjoining the historic establishment. Cookies and crostata tarts set the standard, and the delicious leavened pastries are rich in fine butter and fragrant, filled in a variety of ways and made with great technique and the best ingredients. Best enjoyed in the outdoor space when in season.

Douce – piazza Matteotti, 84 r – facebook.com/douce.it

La Konditorei

A solid fixture in the Albaro neighbourhood. In this minimalist and elegant store, you can find a varied selection of pastries, which devotes ample space to German specialties, a true passion of owner Jörg Schikore. The chocolate specialties deserve special mention, but the Linzer torte and shortbread are also excellent. Also good are the croissants, filled in different ways.

La Konditorei – via Piero Gobetti, 14 r – facebook.com/lakonditorei

Murena Suite

This beautiful design café along the city's main shopping street has earned over the years the esteem and affection of a large audience of Genovese people. Over time it has proved to be a landing place of excellence thanks to a versatile offer with attention to detail starting with the selection of ingredients and professional service. The café offers silky espressos and cappuccinos, to be sipped alongside fragrant and buttery leavened pastries (primarily brioches and pain au chocolat), but there is also the typical Genovese focaccia to go with cappuccino, as local tradition dictates.

Murena Suite – via XX Settembre, 157 r -  facebook.com/profile.php?id=100039949186887

Romanengo fu Stefano

It is the most renowned pastry shop in the city, a historic place of great elegance (there's another branch at 51 Via Roma), which between baked and fresh pastries, offers desserts of the highest standard. This bastion of " Genovese-ness" is above all a must-mark address for canestrelli lovers, but in the mornings you can also count on a slew of breakfast pastries.

Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano – via Soziglia, 74r – romanengo.com/

Romeo Viganotti

Historic Genovese shop dedicated since the nineteenth century to chocolate, which here is also declined in many products that are a direct and delicious offshoot of it. In addition to pralines and mousses, at Viganotti you can also find excellent brioches, the kind that make your day start off right: simple and filled with fine pastry cream, to be paired with a well-assembled cappuccino.

Romeo Viganotti – Vico dei Castagna, 14r - facebook.com/RomeoViganotti

Tagliafico

A good destination for diverse range of excellent bakery products, from breakfast pastries to birthday cakes. Cacao-filled croissants, parisiennes and chifferi - a regional specialty made with almond flour - are the stars in the morning, but those looking for a more intense flavour can also try a slice of strudel.

Tagliafico – via Galata, 31 r – facebook.com/PasticceriaTagliafico

Tazze Pazze

Confirmed as an address of excellence when it comes to coffee, thanks to the quality and variety of its offerings, which are the result of a careful and competent selection of specialty beans from around the globe, roasted by hand and extracted in various ways. Classic espressos are excellent, as are filter coffees for slower drinking, and in summer refreshing cold brews are not to be missed. Well thought out as well is the complementary offering, which includes a nice selection of artisanal pastries perfect to accompany the wonderful cappuccinos at breakfast: classic brioches, muffins, coconut brownies, vegan cookies, to the ever-present strips of Genovese focaccia.

Tazze Pazze Caffetteria Gourmet – Genova – Piazza Cinque Lampadi, 69 r – facebook.com/TAZZEPAZZE

Villa di Profumo

Historic city shop where you can find lots of traditional Genovese pastry and confectionery specialties, as well as several desserts with an international twist. For breakfast, don't miss the plum cakes, fragrant, fluffy and very well made, but the brioches are no less intriguing.

Villa di Profumo – via del Portello, 2r – facebook.com/profumogenova/