Culture
Coffee in Naples: how to order it like a Neapolitan
Standing at the bar, paying first, drinking in three sips, leaving one paid forward.
The order
Walk in. Pay at the cassa first — €1.30 in most bars in the centre. Take the receipt to the barista at the bar. Tell them 'un caffè'. Anything else is foreign.
It arrives in a heated cup with the sugar packet on the saucer. Stir it in, drink in three quick sips, put the cup down. Total elapsed time: under two minutes.
Caffè sospeso
Ask the cashier for 'un caffè e uno sospeso' — you pay for two, drink one, and the next person who can't afford a coffee gets the second for free. It's an old Naples habit that survived the 20th century and is back in the centro storico.
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