'Italian-Scouse' legend known for 'best' brew in Liverpool to open new coffee shop

Antonio Monica opened Caffetteria Dantonio on the upper tier of the Metquarter more than a decade ago but, due to costs, had to close his store and open a little Italian coffee stand downstairs.

Despite not having a physical store, Antonio previously described his business as a ‘community coffee shop’ and his customers as ‘family’, telling LiverpoolWorld he isn’t in it for the money, despite feeling the pinch of the cost of living crisis.

In March last year, as Antonio faced the fallout of the pandemic, baker Sugar Smith shared a post on Facebook asking people to support his business as he was looking ‘lost’ stood behind the counter without customers. The post ended up going viral and Antonio found himself in high demand, becoming known as the ‘Italian-Scouse’ serving the ‘best coffee in Liverpool’.

Speaking to LiverpoolWorld at the time, he said: “My customers are mainly regulars but my busiest week was after Sugar Smith wrote about me on Facebook. My wife saw it and said to me, ‘get ready because you’re about to get busy’. The queues were massive.”

Despite the increase in customers, Antonio still faced quiet periods and worked by himself - sometimes for up to 12 hours per day - due to being unable to afford to hire someone to help. Now, his hard work has finally paid off, with Dantonio’s set to move to a new store. But don’t worry, it will still be located within the Metquarter.

Officially opening on December 1, the new coffee shop will be located on the lower level of the shopping centre and will still offer Antonio’s incredible Italian coffee as well as a selection of sweet treats and toasted sandwiches.

Speaking about his new store, Antonio said: “I am so happy to finally be able to open the doors to my new coffee shop. The team at Metquarter along with my loyal regular customers have supported me so much and it is great to see this pay off with the opening of my new shop. My customers are truly like family to me, so I am so glad to be able to offer them a new venue to relax and catch up with friends.”

Caffetteria Dantonio will be open between 8.00am and 6.00pm Monday to Saturday and 9.30 to 5.00pm on Sundays.

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