London UK: ILLY CAFFÉ – REGENT STREET
Coffee just got better! Illy Caffé, an Italian coffee shop serving a unique blend of espresso coffee and fresh food (food so fresh they bake their own croissants) has opened its doors in London. Illy are internationally renowned with branches in over 140 countries, so it is only fitting they open a store in one of the UK’s most popular shopping and tourist destinations.
The most amazing thing about this “new generation boutique café bar” is the partnership Illy Caffé have with Samsung, the way Samsung have digitalised the shop is genius; they have merged technology with coffee in a cool and fun way, whilst bringing themselves great opportunity for brand awareness. The shop is split over two levels, with the top level displaying two banks of Samsung tablets. Customers can enjoy a cup of premium quality coffee or splendid tea whilst checking the daily news, emails or surfing at their pleasure. There is a massive screen to meet you on entry, showcasing cool Samsung clips, Illy history and footage of how the coffee is made. The menu’s can be viewed on digitised screens behind the till (conventional paper menus also available), with the upstairs boosting a cool display of Samsung TV’s showcasing both Samsung and Illy products.
In true Illy Caffé style, the shop looks amazing, adorned with cool art fixtures including artistic photographs and posters, you can tell a lot of thought and effort was put into the architecture and design. Their main focal point is a chandelier made of 216 cute little espresso cups, all designed by artists over a 20-year period. If you’re into art, this is a café you will love, with the opportunity to purchase and take home your very own pieces from their art collection, available in their on-site shopping corner!
This is a place for the fabulous and stylish, its classy, stunning, bright and relaxing; a must visit when you’re in town. The price is fair for its location and quality, it will be hard to find fault, the food tastes amazing and the coffee is mouth watering. A word of warning… you may become addicted!
You can shop Illy products around the world, including coffee machines, cups and saucers and great tasting coffee. Online ordering is only available in a few countries, however many of the café's carry products for sale.