Morettino Lab - Molo Trapezoidale | Palermo Marina Yachting

The Carta dei Caffè asks two questions before anything is poured: which coffee, and which method. That is the whole idea at Morettino Lab, the roaster's seafront bar on the Molo Trapezoidale at Palermo Marina Yachting, where the tables face the boats at the Cala and the city's ancient walls.

Blends, single origins and the method you choose

The list is organised around house blends. Blend #100 puts Ethiopia Sidamo, Brazil Alta Mogiana, Peru Cajamarca and Honduras Copán together for caramel, honey, orange, chamomile and dark chocolate. Blend #87 works with Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Brazil Wild and Nicaragua El Diamante de la Segovia, and reads as rose, caramelised lemon, macadamia, goji, toasted bread and cocoa. Alongside them sit #84 Biologico, #0 Decaffeinato and #60 Blend Panormos.

The single origins go deeper. Perù Chacra D'Dago is a washed coffee from Junín grown at 1,700 metres, Catigua and Tabi varieties, with caramel, orange and molasses. Honduras SHG EP Natural is organic, from Montecillos in Marcala, La Paz, grown between 1,100 and 1,600 metres, using Catuai, Caturra, Lempira and Pacas, with chocolate and biscuit notes. Any of it can be pulled as espresso or made on moka, V60, Chemex, Aeropress, French press, pour over or cold brew.

A seafront room that keeps people

The Lab is as much a marina destination as a café. It looks straight out to sea, the breeze and the masts do most of the atmospheric work, and the interior is closer to a polished cocktail lounge than to a counter. Sunset is when the room is at its best.

It is also built for staying: people study and work here, a small library and reading corner tie into Sellerio's literary salon project, and the programme runs to introductory courses and sensory pairings with wine, olive oil and other Sicilian products. Coffee education sits next to the food and drink rather than in a separate room.

Order the Sicilian Spritz, or a blend and a method

Mixology is one of the four pillars the Lab is built on, and the cocktails are made with the same specialty coffee, so the Sicilian Spritz is the drink to order when the visit is about the terrace rather than the cup. For a coffee-first order, choose a blend or a single origin from the Carta dei Caffè and then pick the extraction.

Food runs from breakfast through brunch and aperitivo to dinner. Breakfast means bakery and coffee; brunch brings international dishes with Mediterranean influences. The cooking is kept simple and local rather than elaborate.