Caffè Cognetti

Cognetti opened in 1997 as a standard Italian bar in the center of Bari before its owners moved it toward specialty coffee, installing Slayer espresso machines and building out a proper microroasting operation on site. The shop's own blend, called Hopera after the city's Petruzzelli theater, sits alongside a single origin filter coffee that changes weekly.

It functions as much as a bakery as a coffee bar, with a full breakfast case of pastries and a citywide reputation for its tiramisu. The coffee program stands out enough in a region where bars are usually judged on food and atmosphere rather than what's in the cup.