A charming place for a no-frills caffeine fix that seems to be a hit with locals and tourists alike. Really good coffee with a great bakery next doors, they share a common door. The place has no indoor seating, just a few high tables to place your coffee and baked goodies on, as you stand, burn a few calories, and enjoy the goodness of fresh coffee with chocolate croissants or spinach frittatas. They do have a few chairs outside lined on the street, but they tend to get filled up soon, especially on weekends. The place does get really loud and choc-a-bloc with caffeine-craving locals and tourists, but the line moves pretty fast thankfully. It was nice to watch groups of elderly Italian gentlemen catching up here over authentic delicious espresso and cappucinos.
Katherine Z.
Tu valoración: 4 Durham, NC
I’m not normally an espresso drinker, but the one I had here was lovely(and ridiculously strong). The smokiness and smoothness of the drink was great. The ambience of this place wasn’t fancy by any means — it’s one of those authentic Italian espresso places where a lot of older folk come to chat and catch up. It had this«diner» vibe, but of course, without the diner food.
Heather A.
Tu valoración: 5 Pittsburgh, PA
Delicious, authentic espresso, lattes and cappucinos. The only drawback is sometimes the line is a little long in the morning but it’s definitely worth the wait.
Seyran C.
Tu valoración: 4 Miami, FL
This place is a classic, so if you know how, do everyone(and yourself) a favour, and try ordering in Italian. I particularly enjoy watching the grandpas walking in out of the rain and yelling DUECAFFEDOPPIO(sp?) at the register before they even get to the front. There is no seating inside(only outside) but it only adds to the authenticity of the establishment. Feel free to grab some nibbles next door to bring over and eat with your coffee. I tend to favour the caffe mocha over everything else on the menu. They also sell coffee beans to buy and brew at your own place. I was particularly tempted by an organic Ethiopian on my last visit but restrained myself for the moment.
Jonathan D.
Tu valoración: 4 Pittsburgh, PA
If you’re in or around The Strip District, head over to La Prima Espresso to satisfy your caffeine fix. A note to the wise, this place gets super busy on the weekends, but the line moves fairly quickly. My favorite time of the week to stop in is early on a weekday morning, when there’s no wait and a small handful of customers chatting and enjoying their coffee beverage. The setup isn’t exactly warm and inviting — you go here to get your coffee and perhaps a pastry from neighboring Colangelo’s Bakery(next door), then either stand at one of the few high-top tables, sit outside at one of their tables, or just leave and continue walking around the strip. A large coffee will set you back $ 2 while a delicious cappuccino is a bit more(but worth every penny). If you’ve only ever had a cappuccino from Starbucks, you’ll quickly realize what you’ve been missing out on. Value — 5 Stars Ambiance /Interior — 3.5 Stars Customer Service — 4 Stars Location — 4.5 Stars
Jennifer A.
Tu valoración: 5 Hyattsville, MD
Awesome coffee! Italian style. My fav is the moka doppio cappuccino — which is like a chocolate cappuccino with high quality semisweet chocolate. They have the best almond pastries as well. It gets busy but is worth the crowd!
James D.
Tu valoración: 4 Washington, PA
This is the best Italian style espresso in Pittsburgh. It’s not third wave, but it’s not trying to be. Great atmosphere, wonderful pastries next door, and fantastic coffee.
Michael L.
Tu valoración: 5 North Side, Pittsburgh, PA
This is the best Italian– style café/“bar” in Pittsburgh. And I know because I used to live in Italy. The espresso & cappuccino is perfect
Šeila Š.
Tu valoración: 5 Pittsburgh, PA
I got to La Prima every weekend !! I work right by them, and I love their coffee and things they have to offer; they recently started with iced coffee, which is a plus for many but I love my hot Vanilla Latte; the only thing i will add is, that if you get served by the older lady(idk if she is the owner or not) she will not give you your change back, if your coffee cost 1.80., she will keep the change, not that I would not have tipped i always do for a latte, but at least give me the option of my change. I always leave a 1 $ bill for the other employees. But she wont give me my change if she did she would get a 1 $ bill from me… lol
Stephanie K.
Tu valoración: 4 Pittsburgh, PA
The iced coffee here is delicious! With just a drop of cream I’ll gladly choose this over any Starbucks drink any day. I bought some Sumatra coffee here to take home. They gladly grind the beans for you in store. The ground coffee was EXPENSIVE, but holy DELICIOUS! I am in heaven. The best coffee to come out of my auto-drip!
Kent K.
Tu valoración: 3 Canton, OH
Styled like a McDonald’s. That’s a sad first line. Let me try again. Authentic Italian espresso joint. There, that’s a little better. Italy is known for coffee. And I’m a huge fan of most things Italian. But here’s the real story: Italians helped to pioneer coffee(especially espresso); but Americans perfected it. Well not Americans in general. But a few people in America. It’s called the third wave of coffee. La Prima seems ok but mostly kind of a wilted style and under par coffee. If you’re from Italy or simply like coffee, you will probably find some enjoyment here. But don’t come here for truly artisan coffee. The macchiato I had here once had a not very good flavor(burnt?) and way to much coarse foam on top. Exceptional third wave-quality coffee can be obtained at places like 21St. a couple blocks away, or 4121 Main in Bloomfield. Sadly not at La Prima. A few points for authenticity, minus a few for not actually being that great.
Brianna W.
Tu valoración: 4 Canonsburg, PA
It’s definitely where the people of the strip flock to. It was standing room only when I went to grab my cup of joe. Unfortunately the coffee selection is in Italian, so it’s not a cake walk ordering a drink. I ordered the one thing I could make out in Italian, Elixir D’amore and unfortunately it wasn’t even a coffee drink. I’m pretty sure I got a San Pellegrino with milk. I’d still give it a four because the drinks that passed by me were ornately decorated and delicious looking. I’ll know better for next time.
M. L.
Tu valoración: 5 Fairfax, VA
This place is a must for all you coffee lovers out there! I wish they would open up a store in northern Virginia because we need less Starbucks’ and more coffee places like this. I ordered the mocha cappucino and it was fantastic! Not too sweet. I will definitely be stopping by again whenever I am in Pittsburgh. There are tall tables inside but no chairs. There are chairs and tables outside on the sidewalk. This place really is as good as it gets!
Nicole T.
Tu valoración: 4 Pittsburgh, PA
Such a cute little coffee shop in the Strip District. Stopped here for a quick coffee prior to a meeting in the area. Not a huge selection but you can tell that everything is very meticulously crafted. My latte was delicious, and fairly priced. There were a few standing tables on the inside, but a couple of tables with chairs outside. Beware of the birds coming to hang out if you had food! While not pigeons, more on the Snow White side of birds, just friendly and curious.
Michaela R.
Tu valoración: 5 Pittsburgh, PA
My favorite place to go for coffee in the strip! I love the atmosphere of this place I feel like I’m in Italy! A lot of Italian locals hang out here, they make all kinds of different coffees! There especially busy on weekends but its worth the wait. They make there orders pretty quick so line moves fast!
Nisarga M.
Tu valoración: 5 Pittsburgh, PA
Walking around Strip district on a beautiful spring afternoon we came across La Prima. Delicious aroma of coffee welcomed us inside. It was quite crowded and lots of people were in line. We ordered cappuccinos and it was one of the best cappuccino I have had in Pittsburgh ! They had lot of good looking pastries too, which I want to try when I go there again. The menu written in Italian was really neat too!
Amanda J.
Tu valoración: 4 Pittsburgh, PA
I had no idea this store existed until my boss showed up one day with lattes from here. This is impressive considering how often I walk through the Strip District. But the coffee here is delicious, and there is a walk-through to Colangelo’s for pastries. The employees are friendly, and there are definitely some clear regulars that come here every day.
Maria S.
Tu valoración: 5 Baltimore, MD
My favorite place to hit for coffee in Pittsburgh. Authentic without being too expensive. I’m almost positive this is the best cappucino I can find outside of Italy. The atmosphere makes this place almost magical. The fact there there’s always a congregation of old Italian men is just too awesome. Definitely go here.
Madeline V.
Tu valoración: 5 Bloomfield, Pittsburgh, PA
La Prima offers simple, delicious espresso drinks made in a space shared with a delightful bakery. It doesn’t get much better than that. They also sell really epic mugs. Get your coffee to-go and browse the surrounding shops and vendors with a pastry in hand. I can’t think of a nicer way to spend Saturday morning.
Hayley H.
Tu valoración: 4 Oswego, IL
Coffee! I love Pittsburgh and with a lazy saunter through the strip, the tourist in me needs a coffee in hand. This is the place. Standing room only, some tables to lean on, but get in get out. You’d better know what you want though, or you do get some sass.