Soprattutto Café

Soprattutto Café is a little piece of Italy folded into Victoria Road, a few minutes’ walk from Surbiton station. It’s small, family-owned, and the kind of place that wears its heart on its walls — literally, with Italian décor and framed photos dotted around a narrow, cosy room. The coffee is Moretto 100% Arabica, pulled properly, and the menu does the things you’d hope a genuine Italian café would do rather than chasing trends.

Order the Cappuccione if you want your coffee with a bit of ceremony, or an affogato if you’d rather have your espresso poured over gelato and call it pudding. Beyond the cup, there’s traditional Italian lasagna (which arrives with salad and Italian bread), aubergine parmigiana, panini, and a counter of Italian pastries and cakes — cannoli, muffins, and house gelato among them. There are vegetarian and gluten-free options too, so it’s an easy spot to suggest when not everyone eats the same way.

A word on the size: this is a genuinely tiny, narrow space, with limited seating inside and a couple of tables out front. That’s part of its charm, but it does mean the access can be tight for wheelchairs and prams, so it’s worth knowing before you arrive. The locals don’t seem to mind — it sits at #2 of Surbiton’s coffee and tea spots on TripAdvisor with a 4.5 rating, which for a room this small tells you plenty.

Local’s Tip: It’s small and narrow, so don’t roll up expecting to spread out with a laptop for the afternoon. Come for a proper coffee and a cannolo, grab one of the outside tables if the weather’s behaving, and treat it as a quick, genuine Italian pit stop near the station rather than a sit-and-stay café.