Como Cafes: Coffee and Gelato in the City

First, the name. When you look for cafe in como italy on a map, the pins that appear say Bar, Pasticceria or Caffetteria. They all serve coffee.

A pasticceria adds cakes and pastries, a caffetteria may sit inside a shop or a museum. Locals say 'andiamo al bar', let's go to the bar, and they mean exactly the coffee stop you had in mind.

Second, prices must be displayed. Italian law, Article 180 of the TULPS (Royal Decree 635/1940), requires prices to be shown on a visible list. As Altroconsumo explains in its guidance on the coperto, this display rule is what makes extra charges contestable: if a charge is not clearly shown on the menu or price list, the customer can contest it.

The same display rule covers bar price lists, so if you cannot see a price list near the counter, ask before you order.

Third, the counter and the table are priced differently in many bars. This is common practice rather than a written rule, and no Como-wide figure covers it. Standing at the counter is what most locals do, especially for a quick morning espresso.

Sitting at a table on a square can cost more, and the difference varies from bar to bar. If the price list shows two columns, one al banco and one al tavolo, that is the split in writing.

Fourth, payment. How Italian bars commonly work is one of two patterns: you pay at the till (la cassa) first, take the receipt to the counter and give your order, or you order and pay at the counter directly in one step. Watch what the customers ahead of you do and copy them.

One practical point before the list. A cappuccino after about 11 in the morning marks you as a visitor, but no barista in Como will refuse one. A caffè is a small, strong espresso and the quickest order at any counter.

If the coffee is too strong for you, an americano or a macchiato softens it.

The table below compares the seven orders that cover the everyday counter in Como. The drink descriptions follow standard Italian bar practice and the timing column reflects common local custom.

The negative finding first. There is no binding legal definition of 'artigianale' for gelato in Italy. A shop can display the word without meeting any published standard for ingredients or production method.

It is a marketing label, not a certification, and no national register sits behind it.

So judge the product in the tray, not the word on the sign.

What to look for instead, as our own advice rather than any rule: colours close to the real fruit or nut, flavours that follow the season, and a queue of local customers. Covered steel tins (pozzetti) hide the gelato from view, so there you judge by taste, not by the display.

On awards, the picture from the guides table above holds. Gambero Rosso's Gelaterie d'Italia 2027, lists 583 gelaterie nationwide and gives its top Tre Coni rating to 77 of them, and no Como name appears in the published coverage of the Tre Coni. There is no crowned gelateria in the city to route you to, so the queue test and your own taste are the working method.

Piazza Cavour

Piazza Cavour is the heart of the city, pedestrian, with flowerbeds, trees and benches facing the lake, according to the Comune's own page. It also holds a small local institution, the green dragon drinking fountain (the 'fontanella del drago verde') with fresh water, so you can refill a bottle between coffees for free. The square sits directly on the waterfront, with the Navigazione piers and Como Lago station close by, which makes it the natural coffee stop before or after a boat trip.

Piazza Duomo and the Old Town

Piazza Duomo, in front of the cathedral, is the other central square, inside the walled old town that the ZTL closes to ordinary traffic. The lanes between the Duomo, Piazza San Fedele and the medieval walls are where you walk from one bar or pasticceria to the next, and the old town page maps the district. This is also where a morning cappuccino and a pastry before a visit to Como Cathedral fits naturally, since the tourist route through the cathedral starts a few steps from the square.

The Lakefront

The lakefront walk west of Piazza Cavour leads toward Villa Olmo, whose park is open and free even while the villa itself is closed for restoration, so a gelato in hand pairs well with a park walk. The lakefront promenade page covers the route.

Brunate Above the City

Brunate is the hilltop village reached by the funicular, and the reason to drink a coffee up there is the view over the lake. The ride takes 7 minutes, and the funicular runs daily from 06:00 to 24:00, with the last departure at midnight, so an evening coffee above the city lights is a real option rather than a daytime-only plan. See the section below for the fare.

Brunate by Funicular

The Como-Brunate funicular's current official fare sheet sets a one-way ticket at $4.27 (€3.70) and a return at $8.54 (€7.40). Trains leave every 15 minutes through most of the day, the journey takes 7 minutes, and the lower station is at Piazza Alcide De Gasperi 4, a short walk from the lakefront. The last departure is at midnight, so an evening coffee on the hill and a ride back down for dinner fits easily (our routing).

A Bench on Piazza Cavour

The cheapest view in the city is the one the Comune built in. Piazza Cavour's benches face the lake directly, so a takeaway espresso or a cone of gelato eaten on a bench costs only what the bar charged. The green dragon fountain on the square supplies fresh water to refill the bottle alongside it.

An Aperitivo Behind the Theatre

The Teatro Sociale runs a guided visit called 'Libiamo ne' lieti calici' in Italian and English, and it needs no booking: you turn up at the box office in Piazza Verdi 1 when it opens, until places run out. An optional aperitivo at the Ristorante In Teatro follows. The table sets out the prices printed on the theatre's page.

The rule: this guide prints the name of a food or drink venue only when an official source names it with a date. For Como city cafes and gelaterie, no such source exists. Gambero Rosso's Bar d'Italia 2026 gives the top Como-province award to Pasticceria Sartori, and Sartori is in Erba, a town outside Como, which is why it is printed here with its source and year and nothing closer to home is.

The Gelaterie d'Italia 2027 coverage names no Como gelateria at all among its Tre Coni. Locali Storici d'Italia's only Como-city member is the Ristorante Crotto del Sergente, active since 1880, and it is a restaurant, not a cafe.

What to do instead. Pick the square you are already near, look for the bar with the most Italians standing at the counter, and read the displayed price list before ordering. A list without a verifiable source would be worse than no list.