Stand at any coffee counter in London and you'll hear the same small debate: is a flat white just a small latte? What actually makes a cappuccino a cappuccino? At Fiena, our family-run Italian cafe, bar and restaurant at 4 Medway Court, Judd Street, London WC1H 9QX, a few minutes' walk from King's Cross St Pancras, the coffee machine is on from 08:00 every day. Here's a plain-English guide to what's on our coffee list and how the drinks differ.
It all starts with espresso
Almost every drink on the list is built on the same base: a shot of espresso. What changes is how much milk goes in, and how it's steamed. Roughly, from the least milk to the most, the order runs espresso, macchiato, cortado, flat white, cappuccino and latte.
Macchiato: espresso with a spot of milk
In Italian, macchiato means "stained" or "spotted". A caffè macchiato is an espresso marked with a small amount of milk, usually foamed. It has the highest ratio of coffee to milk of any of these drinks: the milk softens the espresso rather than taking over. We serve it as a single or a double.
Cortado: the Spanish one
The cortado comes from Spain. Its name means "cut", in the sense of diluted: espresso cut with a roughly equal amount of warm milk. The milk is steamed but not frothy, so it's short, smooth and still very much a coffee drink.
Cappuccino: named after the friars
A cappuccino is espresso with hot milk and a thick layer of foam on top. The name comes from the Capuchin friars and the brown colour of their habits. The Viennese called an early version, made with whipped cream and spices, a Kapuziner, and the word travelled into northern Italy. A cappuccino is usually smaller than a latte, and in Italy milky coffees like it are often drunk only at breakfast.
Latte: careful how you order in Italy
Latte simply means "milk" in Italian, so if you order "a latte" in Italy you may well be handed a glass of milk. The drink we know is the caffè latte: espresso with plenty of steamed milk and a fine, silky microfoam rather than a thick foam cap. It's milkier and milder than a cappuccino, and that microfoam is what baristas use to pour latte art.
Flat white: a short, strong, silky one
A flat white is espresso with steamed milk and only a thin layer of microfoam, which is where the "flat" comes from. It usually has more coffee in proportion to milk than a latte. Where it was invented is still argued over. Cafés in Australia and New Zealand both claim it, but the coffee historian Ian Bersten thinks it probably started in England in the 1950s, and the name appears in a 1963 British film. Wikipedia's pages on the cappuccino, latte, flat white, macchiato and cortado have more.
The full coffee list at Fiena
- The classics: espresso, double espresso, macchiato, double macchiato, americano, flat white, cappuccino, latte, cortado and mocha, plus hot chocolate.
- Lattes with a twist: Spanish latte, rose latte, turmeric latte, chai latte, and matcha, pistachio matcha and strawberry matcha lattes. Our post on matcha, chai and the modern latte menu has more.
- Coffee over ice: iced latte, iced americano, iced chai latte and iced matcha lattes, plus a blended iced coffee and frappuccinos (classic, caramel, mocha and double chocolate chip).
- Extras: vanilla, hazelnut or caramel syrup; oat, almond or coconut milk; whipped cream.
Not having coffee? There's fresh mint, green, peppermint, chamomile, lemon and ginger, English breakfast and Earl Grey tea, plus orange juice and apple, carrot and ginger juice squeezed daily. The full list is on our breakfast and coffee menu.
What guests say about the coffee
Loredana has been twice: The coffee is excellent, the staff are friendly and professional
(Loredana S., Google review). Maria came in for a late breakfast with her son and praised the fresh, quality food and excellent coffee
(Maria M., Google review). And Mohamed has a clear favourite: chai latte is my favourite
(Mohamed D., Google review).
Something to go with it
Breakfast is served from 08:00 to 14:00 every day: Eggs Benedict, the Fiena English breakfast, a granola bowl or Tiramisu French toast, which is brioche layered with mascarpone cream and finished with espresso syrup. After lunch, an affogato (ice cream with espresso) from the dessert menu is coffee and dessert in one. Meeting someone? Our post on breakfast meetings near King's Cross has tips, and proper Italian coffee on Judd Street tells you more about the cafe side of Fiena.
“Food amazing. Also thanks for Bayastan this is the best coffee which I had before”
Sarvar, Google review, August 2026
Good to know
- Hours: 08:00–22:00 Monday to Saturday, 08:00–21:00 Sunday. Coffee is served all day; breakfast runs until 14:00.
- Booking: no need to book for a coffee. Just walk in. For breakfast or lunch with a group, tables for up to eight can be booked online.
- Allergies: information on the 14 major allergens is available on request.
- Address: 4 Medway Court, Judd St, London WC1H 9QX. Phone 020 4618 6314.
Short and strong or long and milky, it's ready from 8am. Walk in at 4 Medway Court, Judd Street, or book a table for breakfast.