Buongiorno To an Authentic Italian Affogato in Gastown

I was walking around Vancouver running errands when I passed by Caffe Di Beppe. Although I was a mere days away from heading to Europe with my fiancé, I couldn’t resist getting my toes wet with some European charm. I stepped inside onto a beautiful tiled floor and asked for an affogato. Hey, a girl can indulge in the morning, right?

Caffe Di Beppe comes from the same Italian family that brought us Ask For Luigi. Ask For Luigi is known for their amazing pasta, so I wondered how Di Beppe would fare on their morning menu. While I waited, I took in the alluring cafe. With beautiful greens and whites and pictures of Italian (mostly soccer) stars, it felt completely different than the minimalist cafes frequenting the neighbourhood.

And the affogato? It came picture perfect. Affogato means “drowned,” and the simple swirl of vanilla ice cream was sure drinking up the espresso. Di Beppe gave this modest dessert a bit of oomph, with a sprinkle of cocoa dusted on the drink. The espresso was deep and dark roasted. In fact, the café prides itself on using Italian coffee – bitter, chocolatey, and nutty. With the vanilla ice cream, both textures blended until they become a harmonized, smooth concoction.

The sweetness of the ice cream added so much to the bitter espresso. I loved how it wasn’t overly sweet though. The first sip delivered the rich taste of dark coffee and transitioned well into a sugary dream.

Some chefs are known to sprinkle some crunch on top of their affogatos, but Cafe Di Beppe kept it classic with a smooth dessert. Having so many wild dessert options in Vancouver, it was rewarding to find a place like Caffe Di Beppe that kept to its roots. So simple and so easy, I scooped up my drink dreaming of Europe.