Caffé Vittoria

Wonderful gelato, wonderful espresso, and even better ambiance in this little Italian café. I highly recommend the cannolis with the ricotta cream. They’re nut safe! This was a welcome respite (with restrooms) on our way to Old North Church.

Authentic Italian café. Excellent espresso and coffee. I saved Pastries appear to be from Modern Pastry.

Great place for locals to skip the line at Mike’s. Bring cash and enjoy some espresso with your cannoli

One of the best cappuccinos I’ve had the pleasure of trying. It gets busy on weekends, but getting a table and enjoying the classic ambiance is a must if you manage to find one free.

Located in Boston’s north side neighborhoods along Hanover St, Caffe Vittoria is the quintessential Italian café offering an assortment of desserts (tiramisu, cannoli, etc…) and espresso based drinks.
Try their cappuccino. Hot espresso, steamed milk and a dusting of cocoa powder make for a distinctly memorable drink. I ordered mine with soy milk and took a seat at one of their many tables.
The interior has a retro vibe to it with its diner style tables, chairs and napkins dispensers.
The cocoa powder gave my cappuccino a hint of sweetness on my first sip while the foamed soy milk and strong espresso rounded it out.

I’m a Modern Bakery lover but this place is really good for just coffee! The atmosphere is amazing and great for after dinner!

Great place to have a coffee. Not too loud, yet not too quiet. You can enjoy a good conversation while there. The crew is very friendly and always deliver orders in time. They also have tables outside which is good if you want to enjoy the sun in a good weather.

There’s something about a 40^th birthday party, something about starting off drinking at a sedate pace at 4, and having a respectable dinner, and everybody rescinding their earlier promises of hitting it hard by no later than 9:45, in time to get not-​the-​last the train back out of town. And those of us who are left could charge on still, but absent the critical mass, maybe we just want to get some boozy coffee and some ridiculous dessert and rag on our departed weenies, er, friends.
enter Caffé Vittoria, a quality old-​school North End café that has a long list of yummy desserts and an equally long list of aperitifs and boozy coffees and other, more genteel goodness that’s perfect for when you’ve lost the momentum needed to do jäger bombs ironically. Cannoli, cake, other good stuff. Friendly service, and cheerful regulars, It wasn’t where we planned to end up, but it made us happy anyway.
(but i’ll expect more from my friends, come my 40^th…)

Caffe Vittoria is a great spot for a good cup of cappuccino in the heart of little Italy. It had a unique taste and the foam itself had a texture that I’ve never experienced before. It was different from the usual thick and frothy foams that I am more accustomed to. I also enjoyed the dusting of powdered cocoa on top.
However, the servers weren’t the friendliest and they only accept cash here. They’ve been around for so long so I guess they have the mentality of being able to treat you however they want. While we were there, it kind of felt like they didn’t really appreciate or care for our patronage. We ended up quickly finishing our drinks and going on our merry way.

Their cappuccino and tiramisu are AMAZING. Also I really enjoy their «traditional coffee shop» vibes and that in the summer there will be ONE table outside the door sit on and people watch. Honestly… love it here.
P. S. The only thing I don’t recommend here is their cannolis; it’s very MEH!

Desserts/​drinks/​ambience: AMAZING. service: not so much. don’t get me wrong this place is so great. unforgettable north end experience without breaking the bank. the espresso drinks are to die for.
the only bummer was our waitress. we could loudly hear her trashing the table next to us as well as the servers behind the bar saying they didn’t want anyone else to come in that night. we were there two hours before closing.

One friend got a raspberry soda and éclair, two friends shared a coffee and tiramisu, and I got the chocolate ganache cake. Delicious desserts. Mediocre service. Noisy and hard to hold a conversation without raising your voice. (Disclaimer: it was a Friday night) I don’t like that it’s cash only, so I had to go to CVS to get cash back on a purchase. Decent place, but the staff is not very friendly, even almost grumpy.

A must try in the north end! By far the best cappuccino and cannoli (yes. I’ve had the place next door) I’ve ever had. We stop here every time we go into Boston.

Pros: decent coffee
Cons: cash only, very bad attitude of staff (demanded tip), possibly racist
I had a cappuccino and I found it decent. It wasn’t anything special, but it sure beat some coffee shops out there. I can’t comment about the food as I did not have any.
However, I can definitely comment about their staff.
First thing I see when I get in here are two Asian guys sitting in the back. When they get their drinks, the server slams it onto their table. The coffees are spilling and the server doesn’t seek to clean it. I’m not sure if its for «fanciness» or not, but the powder they sprinkle on top of the coffee is all over the place on the coffee cups. If it is for looks, they’re doing it wrong because it just comes off as sloppy the way they do it.
The server attends to my group (mixed group of races) with a «whachu want?» I’m used to bluntness so it doesn’t bother me. We order and we get the same treatment as the Asian guys. The coffee is slammed onto your table and the liquid is spilling over. I assume this is just how the service is here. A Caucasian couple sitting near us seemed to get better service, but I really can’t say if it’s due to race.
The thing that really bothered us was when we went to pay. As we asked what we owed, the server huffed at us and told us the amount in a very annoyed fashion. We apparently were bothering her. Here’s the best part: As I’m paying, I pull out a 20 to pay for the $ 19 bill. I haven’t even gotten to the tip yet. As I pull out the bill, the old hag roars at me «tip!» I have never ever been demanded for tip; I tip big for great service. I was considering a few dollars for this «bad» service, but she ended up with a dollar tip only as I told her to keep the change and left.
I’m never coming here ever again.

By far my favorite coffee shop in Boston! Apparently it’s the oldest coffee shop as well and serves the best cappuccinos in Boston. I ended up getting a café mocha with hazelnut & my sister got a cappuccino with vanilla syrup. The cappuccino was a little bit more bitter than the café mocha, but my sister really enjoyed it as well! The waitress told us that caramel would be too sweet to get as well. The ambience is wonderful! You’re surrounded with antique espresso machines and steamers all over the shop. Very Italian feel to it! Would definitely come back.

I have to admit, there is a strategy for drinking these famous cappuccinos. I was too eager and sipped off the foam and cocoa and left myself with a milky latte. Should’ve paced myself and drank proportionally. Strong coffee, sweet pastries, and a little taste of Italy — as good as it gets!

One word, AMAZING! Must stop in if you’re in the north end!
We always seem to find the last table when we come! It’s small but not too small, we’re able to bring the stroller in and park it at the table!
I love the Mocha but all of their coffee drinks are great! BEST TIRAMISU YOU WILL EVER HAVE IN YOUR LIFE! The chocolate cake is very good as well, just really big and I have no self control and will eat it all if no one will share it with me!
The gelato is awesome too! So yeah, pretty much everything is great!
They also gave a decent selection of ports and grappa if you want something a little stronger than coffee! ;)

Straight out of Europe — that’s all I need to say about this place. Everything from the people that work there, to the food and the look of the restaurant, is Italian. I honestly have not felt this close to Italy since I traveled there in 2009. My boyfriend and I ordered the Café Mocha, Cappuccino and the Chocolate Cannoli. Both drinks were absolutely fantastic, and the cannoli was hands down the best I’ve ever had. Forget waiting in line for 20 minutes at Mike’s — Caffe Vittoria will take excellent care of your dessert cravings. Although we didn’t have much time to linger, I wish we had taken some more time to try other desserts. After all, half of the counter-​top was a freezer of gelato that was just screaming to be eaten.

I’m so happy my fiancé and I finally tried Caffe Vittoria last night. Usually, we go to Modern, because Mike’s is a tourist trap; but we saw that Caffe Vittoria had good reviews and it didn’t disappoint.
The ambiance is perfect, just what anyone would wish for in an Italian café; it made me nostalgic for Europe. It’s seat yourself, and it was crowded, so thankfully one of the bussers snagged us a seat. Great service! A waitress came over shortly after, and I ordered a caffe mocha (I gave up sweets for Lent, so no cannolis for me) and my fiancé got a hot chocolate and a chocolate covered cannoli.
Everything was delicious! It was the perfect way to end our date night. I think we’ve found our new favorite café!

Bad service! Never coming back to this place again. The food was not that good too. Gelato was alright but I would go to other place instead.

Recommended us by some guys in a shop down the street, this café has great ambience (think old jazz and Harry Belafonte). A great place to sit and have some tea/​coffee and biscotti.

This area is actually yunmy. The night we went, Mike’s was shut, so we checked this area out, and were quite pleased by it. It was near close time, so they had a small collection, but the things we purchased were excellent! The seats were quite uncomforable, but it had a pleasant feeling. I agree with Matthew in regards to the staff… they were a bit short, but never vulgar. In addition they could have been tired since it absolutely was near the end of the night. This area is worth checking out as a more relaxing option to Mike’s.

Don’t read the bad reviews, they are a waste of your time! The cappuccinos are insanely delicious! One of the best in Boston! They are just perfect and topped with a healthy sifting of cocoa powder. Tiramisu was also delicious. I haven’t deviated from the usual cappuccino and I’m not sure if I ever will — there is no need to!

We just stop by and drink coffee in vittoria just want to say we got really really good service from server name Vanya shy is great i wish there is more server like her in Boston

What I like about this place, the cappuccino, the seating, the old style decoration. Perfect for a date! The quality of the customer service is however inconsistent, it depends.
Something else to know: Cash only

Oldest italian café in Boston. Tried the cappuccino and it was amazing! I love their signature of adding dark cocoa powder on top of the foam. The shop has vintage decore with «4 floors, 3 bars, and coffee». They are also known for amazing cannoli’s. The staff is super welcoming and nice, spanish speakers not italian, my people. Bring some dallah bills cause its cash only… Haymarket station

This Café redeemed itself. My experience was far more pleasant. The waitresses cordial, drinks were good.

Fantastic coffee and pastry shop! Some of the best tiramisu and the coffee drinks are great, including cappuccino and affogato, etc. Definitely don’t miss this one. There are lots of similar places on Hanover Street in the North End, and you often can’t tell until you get inside whether they are the more or less authentic ones, but this is one of the places to be!

Noone tells you about any other good desert places in the North End besides Mike’s. I will, although I probably shouldn’t. Caffe Vittoria has pastries, delicious chocolate chip cannolis just like Mike’s, gelato, tea, coffee, cappuccino AND you can sit and enjoy without being pushed out the door like cattle.

This is my favorite coffee shop. It’s located in the picturesque north end, and the authentically Italian ambience makes it the perfect place to enjoy a cappuccino while you’re out and about in Boston.
Their cappuccinos are perfect, made with just the right amount of foam and cocoa powder. They also have some fun cocktails, and fantastic tiramisu and gelato.

I won’t deny the coffee here is some of the best I’ve ever had… ever. Their cold brew is fantastic. The desserts are also pretty fantastic — the chocolate mousse cake is ridiculously rich and they make a wonderful tiramisu. I also like the vintage, busy vibe — it’s definitely fun looking over all the old espresso machines as you enjoy your dessert.
The only reason they don’t get five stars is that after three visits, the service has been consistently not friendly. I’ve never felt welcome there and they always make me feel like I’m inconveniencing them by being there. I’m guessing they think I’m a tourist they’ll never see again?
But damn, that coffee is just so good.

It’s really hard to rate this place. I think it’s fair to say that they have really nice decorations with many sculptures posters and stuff. The cheesecake and lime cake they have taste very good, definitely better than other cafeteria nearby. Waiters have really bad attitude, like they try to get you out of there café at any cost. I have been there twice once on the right-​hand side and once on the left-​hand side, waitress in either one treated me really badly. I do think they actually are racist in someway because the attitude was better when she was talking to an old white man, but it was hardly friendly. So I would say don’t come to this place. Maybe they will do some rumination after they go out of business

Came here for the gelato after dinner. Decent gelato (would recommend hazelnut and maple walnut) and very cozy, old-​fashioned décor — I could see this being a cute date place.
However, the service was terrible. The server didn’t know what some of the flavors behind the glass were when we pointed & asked. After we were done eating, we waited a long time for our waitress before going up to pay at the counter, where we were told that we had to wait for her and sat back down… Only to wait a long time again before we finally got noticed.

More like a 3.5. Check out my previous review for information on the food. I love the feel and the food, but I had to dock a point today for one of the lesser service experiences I had today. I usually prioritize food over service, but this appalling level of service should be made known.
Our waitress was weird from the beginning — when she missed an item from our order and we yelled out for her, the table she was at redirected her to us. We shouted our order across the table since she wouldn’t come over, but after making eye contact with us, she left to another table without actually taking our order or the orders of the table that helped us that she was originally at (we were all thoroughly confused).
After getting our cakes, my friend and I (both in our mid-​20s) started diagramming out something on a piece of paper, which ended up in random doodling and giggling. The waitress reappeared and suddenly told us she was going to speak to her boss, without us knowing what we had done wrong. She disappeared for a bit. Then when we closed out she suddenly accused us of trying to underpay by $ 10. We were very confused as we had overtipped her quite a bit in our calculations. After insisting, it turns out she had put our money in a different pocket and when she realized that she left without apologizing. It felt like she was either trying to scam us or assumed we were kids and didn’t treat us with respect.
I don’t see how they can allow such terrible service to work here. Don’t stand for it if you end up being treated like this!

I love this place and not only because they have Black Sambuca, but that doesn’t hurt… the staff is friendly and efficient… and the cappuccinos are tasty!!! Paired with a little black ‘buca and you are all set. That’s my preference anyway. They have a nice display of treats like gelato and cannoli’s…but they are next to Mike’s, so I usually save my dessert calories for another stop after I’m caffeinated. But they are cash only.

What a delicious little café! I loved it here. Stopped by this week looking for a local, Italian café and it’s exactly what we got.
It looks sparse, but their pastries are divine & the coffee was delicious. I got a huge lobster tail (so big that hubby & I have been eating it for 3 days haha) and a café mocha which is made in part with hot chocolate. Yummy!
My girlfriend Erin had a chocolate dipped cannoli (delicious!!) and the same coffee.
As I said, the décor was «interesting» — local Italian décor (the little chef holding a sign pointing to the bathroom, white marble looking floors & hard wire chairs) and it LOOKED sparse. But it wasn’t. It was delicious!

I had the tiramisu here recently and must report that it is not as good as the first time I tried it. My latest slice was a little too soggy and the rum was no distributed evenly in the slice. The slices have gotten smaller since my first one two years ago, but prices have not. Sadface.
Not docking stars though, because i discovered that they have boozy hot chocolate here, and it’s kind of awesome.
Please tell me if you know where to get good tiramisu in Boston!

So nice we came twice!
We had some time to kill before lunch so we stopped by for some coffee. We were excited to see alcoholic drinks on the menu.
We each tried the Caffe Vittoria drink with brandy, tiramisu liqueur, and kahlua. M tried the B-​52 and we agreed the Caffe Vittoria was better. I didn’t care for the grand marnier flavor in the B-​52.
We came back the day after and noticed the drink was not as strong as the day before. We were disappointed in the inconsistency of drinks from one day to the next.
Service was friendly first day, and not as friendly (but not bad!) the next.
The cappuccino is really as great as the reviews say! And it’s not the alcohol talking!