The wooden bar counter of Caffetteria Villa Bousquet under the exposed brick vault

Trieste · San Giacomo

Café and wine bar in Trieste

Caffetteria Villa Bousquet is a neighbourhood café at Via dell'Istria 31/A, in the San Giacomo district of Trieste: coffee at the counter from 7am, hot pasta at lunch, cicchetti and Friulian wine by the glass until 9pm.

Food

Coffee, lunch and cicchetti

The coffee is Julius Meinl. In Trieste an espresso is a nero, a macchiato is a capo, and a capo in b is served in a small glass.

At lunch there is hot pasta of the day, served at the tables: rigatoni with meatballs, bucatini all'amatriciana, spaghetti with prawns and asparagus. The counter has sandwiches, cold cuts, cheese, breaded cutlets and fried bites.

The house speciality is porchetta, a whole roast pork carved to order, in a sandwich or on a plate. There is no fixed day: call to check.

Whole golden porchetta on a wooden board, in front of the wine rack
Glasses of white, amber and rosé wine lined up on the marble counter

Wine

Friulian wine by the glass

The wine list is mostly from Friuli: Collio, Colli Orientali and Carso. Open bottles sit on the marble counter and are poured by the glass, changing every day, including skin-contact (orange) wines. For celebrations there is Franciacorta and Champagne.

In the evening, cicchetti come on a round wooden board: mortadella crostini, prawn crostini with rocket, meatballs and fried vegetables.

Visit

Opening hours and location

  • Monday–Friday7:00am – 9:00pm
  • Saturday7:00am – 1:00pm
  • SundayClosed
  • AddressVia dell'Istria 31/A, 34137 Trieste

The café is on the same street as the Burlo Garofolo children's hospital (Via dell'Istria 65/1), just before the Montebello racecourse. Staff speak Italian; the phone number is +39 338 536 6885.

FAQ

Good to know

For anything else, call the bar.

Is there a café near the Burlo Garofolo hospital?

Yes: Villa Bousquet is on the same street, at Via dell'Istria 31/A. It opens at 7am, Monday to Saturday.

Can I have lunch there?

Yes, Monday to Friday: hot pasta of the day at the tables, or sandwiches at the counter.

Do they serve wine by the glass?

Yes, mostly Friulian whites from Collio and Colli Orientali, plus rosé, reds and orange wine.

How do I order coffee in Trieste?

Ask for a «nero» (espresso), a «capo» (macchiato) or a «capo in b» (macchiato in a glass). A cappuccino is a «caffelatte».

See you at the counter

Via dell'Istria 31/A, Trieste.