☕ Coffee guide

How to Order Coffee Like a Local

Walk up to any counter, anywhere, and order with confidence (and a little swagger).

Few things make you feel more like a tourist than freezing at a coffee counter in a new city. Good news: ordering like a local is mostly knowing a handful of words and one or two unspoken rules. Here's how to walk up anywhere and order with confidence (and maybe a little swagger).

Rule #1: learn the local word for "espresso"

In Italy, you don't ask for "an espresso" — you ask for un caffè, and that is espresso. In much of Latin America it's un cafecito or simply un café. Knowing the local default instantly marks you as someone who gets it.

Rule #2: the milk drinks have accents too

That small, strong-but-smooth espresso-and-milk drink goes by many names: a cortado in Spain and Latin America, a flat white in Australia and New Zealand, a cortadito (sweetened) in Cuban Miami. They're cousins. If you like one, you'll like the others — just use the local name.

Rule #3: in Miami, do the Cuban thing

Walk up to a ventanita (the side window) and order a cafecito for yourself or a colada to share — it comes with a stack of tiny cups, and passing them around is half the joy. Want milk? That's a cortadito or a café con leche. Bring a little cash and you're golden. (We wrote a whole Little Havana coffee guide if you want the deep dive.)

Rule #4: when in doubt, order a cortado

Not sure what's good? A cortado (or flat white) is the universal "I know what I'm doing" order — and it doubles as a quick test of whether the café can actually make coffee. Two birds.

Rule #5: read the room on size and ice

Much of the world drinks coffee small and standing up — the giant to-go bucket is a very American thing. And in a hot city, "iced" is never a wrong answer; locals do it constantly. When the weather's brutal, a cold brew or iced cortado is the move.

Rule #6: skip the chain, find the gem

The fastest way to drink like a local is to drink where locals do — the independent spot, not the chain on the corner. That's literally what Crema is for: it surfaces the well-loved independent cafés and hidden gems near you, so you can skip the search and just enjoy the cup.