Sette Bello appears to be named after the luckiest card in a popular Italian card game. It is a great café in Hardware Lane with Italian café ambience, retro and modern décor and great food and coffee. The position is terrific on Hardware Lane just on the corner of Little Bourke.

The staff there are super friendly and engaging. This is a great place to chill and just relax from the pressures of the day. Of course this is a section of Hardware Lane where there’s no spruiking.

The ambience is enhanced by the distressed timber floor, big windows, funky lighting and large communal table. A selection of newspapers awaited me when I visited for breakfast. You feel a sense of space.

The coffee here is excellent with a strong latte with good crema and flavour. I find Italian cafes seem to make the coffee a little stronger.

Breakfast options are humble and I settled on a croissant with ham and mozzarella. It was really good – mainly because the ham was decent and I love the melted mozzarella instead of some inferior cheese.

Lunch options looked excellent with interesting pizzas featuring gorgonzola and prosciutto.

They also have great cakes and macaroons.

Sette Bello is well worth the visit. Judging by the morning crowd they enjoy their set of regulars in a highly competitive coffee precinct. Also great to sit outdoors on Hardware Lane.

Sette Bello50 Hardware Lane CBD – Cafe - Food 8.5 Coffee 8.5 Ambience 9