The thread discussing the merits (or otherwise) of coffee chains made me think that a more interesting topic would be a discussion of the best independent coffee bars, where coffee is a labor of love and where the world's best espresso and cappuccino are served.

Here are a few to get started:

New York City (E. 73rd St): Via Quadronno. IMHO serves the best cappuccino outside Milan.

Boston: Caffe Vittoria (Hannover St). Great espresso.

London: Bar Italia (Frith St, Soho). The archetypal Italian coffee bar, serving the best cappuccino in London

London: Caffe Vergnano 1882 (Charing Cross Rd). the best espresso in London. The have have an incredible Elektra Bell Epoque Q1-C espresso machine, of which only a handful are made a year.

Boulder, CO: Joe's Espresso (30th St). Joe is one of those guys who lives and breathes coffee. Best latte (and latte art) in Colorado.

there are just so many that, unless we index them by city, the thread will be useless.

Any place other than Starbucks.

I agree that this one should be indexed by city - perhaps create a sticky for it?

My personal favorite is Stauff's in Columbus, OH.

Melbourne, Australia - Pellegrini's on Bourke St.

A great coffee place, with homestyle Italian cooking.

"A Melbourne institution, Pellegrini's has been serving its faithful customers great coffee and authentic Italian food for generations. Pellegrini's buzzes, especially when there's something on at the nearby theatres. Hearty is the key word to this place where there's no pretension - just honest Italian home cooking. Serving sizes are huge to say the least and not for Atkins dieters. Enjoy enormous bowls of spaghetti or a mountain of lasagna."

Lets not forget Monmouth Cafe on Monmouth street, Covent Garden, London beside the Kiehls store. Fantastic coffee - far better than Bar Italia. The only shortcomings being too few seats so you usually need to sit outside on the sevel dials 'roundabout', a massive queue and closed on Sundays.

Cambridge, MA - 1369 Coffee House

Really good espresso and cappuccino. They even do latte art.

Coffee and Things, Baywood Park, California.

Great coffee and related drinks and food, unbeliveablely beautiful views of the bay at Morro Bay in a peaceful setting.

Milkboy in Ardmore PA.

http://www.milkboycoffee.com/index.php