Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Apetece-me um café.

The verb apetecer works backwards compared to English. Instead of meaning "to feel like," it means "to be appealing." So, you aren't actually saying "I feel like a coffee." You are saying "A coffee is appealing to me." That's why we use the indirect object pronoun me (to me) instead of the subject pronoun eu (I).

Why is there a hyphen in Apetece-me?

In European Portuguese, object pronouns like me usually attach to the end of the verb with a hyphen in basic, positive sentences. If this sentence were negative, the word não would act like a magnet and pull the pronoun to the front: Não me apetece um café (I don't feel like a coffee).

If the coffee is the thing doing the appealing, why is um café at the end of the sentence?

While um café is technically the subject of the sentence, Portuguese is very flexible with word order. Putting the verb first (Apetece-me) emphasizes the feeling of desire right away. This is the most natural and common way to phrase it in everyday conversation.

How would I say "He feels like a coffee" using this same structure?

You would change the pronoun to match "to him." The verb apetece stays exactly the same because the coffee is still the thing doing the appealing. You would say Apetece-lhe um café (A coffee is appealing to him).