FastItalian LearningSign in
PhrasesOrdering CoffeeCosa avete da mangiare con il caffè?
A1

Cosa avete da mangiare con il caffè?

What do you have to eat with the coffee?

Pronunciation

man-GIA-re — three syllables, 'gi' is soft like 'j'. Stress on second syllable.

When to use it

When you want something sweet to eat with your coffee but are not sure what is available.

What it means

A broad, open question that lets the barista describe the pastry and food options. Italian bars always have something sweet — cornettos, biscotti, cantucci, torte, and more. The selection varies by region and time of day.

Variations

Avete biscotti?

Do you have biscuits?

Simple and direct — biscotti (not the hard American kind) are common in bars

Avete qualcosa di salato?

Do you have anything savoury?

Not everyone wants something sweet — ask for savoury options

Cosa avete di fresco?

What do you have that is fresh?

Asking for freshly made items rather than packaged goods

Mini Dialogue

— Cosa avete da mangiare con il caffè? — Abbiamo cornetti, una torta della nonna fatta in casa e dei cantucci toscani. — Un cantuccio, grazie — adoro inzupparlo nel caffè. — È la cosa giusta! Eccolo.

— What do you have to eat with the coffee? — We have croissants, a homemade grandmother's cake and some Tuscan cantucci. — A cantuccio, please — I love dipping it in coffee. — That's the right thing to do! Here you go.

Cultural Note

Dipping ('inzuppare') a hard biscuit like a cantuccio into espresso or vin santo is one of Italy's great pleasures. The word 'inzuppare' (to soak/dunk) has a specific culinary meaning and is used without any embarrassment in Italy — dunking biscuits in coffee is culturally approved.