My perfect Espresso Machiatto with views outside Cafe Latte towards the Hudson River

For over 20 years, Caffé Latte, a small coffee shop in Dobbs Ferry NY, has been a local institution. Its owner, former Italian accountant Basilio Collaizi, emigrated to this part of the world from Villa Santa Maria, near Rome in 1989 in search of his American dream.

Basilio making coffee and scenes from his cafe

Basilio says he wanted to bring the culture, taste and feel of the Italian cafés he loved in his native country to this corner of NY.  At Caffé Latte, come rain, shine or even several feet of snow (weather popular in this North East corner of the US), one can saunter in, grab a perfectly executed caffé macchiato a flaky, sweet sugar crystal dusted cornetto alla crema and one is miraculously transported back to an Italian vacation, sipping coffee at a café on the street in Rome.

Cornettos & Italian juices

How does he achieve it? The coffee (served in china, as it tastes better that way he says), the delicate cornetto, crunchy cantucci and melt in your mouth gelato served are all the genuine item that Basilio imports direct from bakeries in Italy. Added to this, he remains as Italian as the Puccini opera to which he often sings, as he makes espresso imbuing Caffé Latte with a perfect Roman ambiance.

Maybe it’s quirky to insist on serving the real McCoy so many 1000s of miles from Rome but it works. For that, as an ex-pat Londoner who misses his weekend breaks in Italy, this café is a local treat!