Discovering Swiss coffee - Bern

I will not dwell on the very disappointing coffee we've had at the start of our Bern visit because we decided not to get disheartened and managed to find a place, a little out of the way, which delivered a great coffee experience.

Caffe Bar Sattler is located in the university area of Bern and is definitely one of the 'cool' places around. The place was jam-packed and, as it was a scorching summers day, we sat outside drinking our cappuccinos and (afterwards) sampling the local beer surrounded by a multilingual crowd and watching the lazy afternoon go by. The coffee was a Sattler's house blend: very nice with mild flavours, suitable as the cup size was much bigger than my regular milky coffee. The adjacent Gelateria di Berna provided us with a perfect refreshment in the form of lavender and pistachio ice cream. There were even more quirky flavours to choose from but somehow the idea of an English trifle or the World Cup 'Pele special' didn't tickle my fancy. The place is based in a lovely inviting space with big french windows and is a great venue for an afternoon beverage.

Another place worth mentioning and definitely worth a visit is Adrianos (@adrianosbern).  This veteran of Bern's coffee scene has been serving coffee since 1998. They roast their own coffee and seem insanely popular amongst the Swiss capital's coffee drinkers. My brew was served in a cup decorated with a smiley bean - Adrianos logo, poking out from the cup as it was getting empty. I can't say it was the best coffee I've ever had but it was a perfectly decent espresso.

All in all, Bern is probably not your centre of speciality coffee but if you do find yourself in the Swiss capital, make sure you don't miss out on the above.