Where to sit, sip and slow down in Beijing.
Coffee shops, bakeries with seats and the places Beijing lingers in over a cortado.
Voyage Coffee's Sanlihe Park branch in Beijing shares its building with a local bookshop and has outdoor seats facing the river, with ducks sometimes in view.
DrinkDirty
TipGive a taxi or DiDi driver 'Sanlihe Park' (三里河公园) rather than the street address; it is a 10-minute walk from Qiaowan station on Line 7, exit D.
Fu 3 Coffee on Meishuguan East Street in Beijing keeps a quiet upstairs room with free Wi-Fi and sockets, and sells an apricot mousse made to look like fruit.
DrinkPear and Gardenia Flower Latte
TipOrder the apricot mousse, a cream dessert with a jelly centre shaped like a real apricot, and head upstairs if you need a quiet table to work.
Still Water's Gulou East Street cafe in Beijing sits in a courtyard house, with a second-floor terrace that looks over tiled roofs and the trees outside.
DrinkWhite Flat
TipClimb the steep stairs to the terrace on a cloudy day; in strong sun the upper level turns warm, and the ground-floor room is the cooler choice.
Fuding Cafe takes the second floor of a Wudaoying Hutong building in Beijing and has a rooftop terrace with a view across the hutong roofs to the Lama Temple.
DrinkFuding Latte
TipThe entrance is on the second floor at 26-2. Pair the Fuding latte with the Stone Lion Cake, or try the hand-brewed Kenya Kirinyaga.
Metal Hands, a coffee brand begun in 2016 on Wudaoying Hutong in Beijing, runs a concrete-and-wood shop with a skylight corner and a quieter second floor.
DrinkDirty
TipGo upstairs, where the second floor is quieter and has one large wooden table; the Dirty is espresso poured over cold milk.
Soloist Coffee Co. on Yangmeizhu Xiejie in Beijing fills a two-storey hutong coffeehouse with old lamps, globes and typewriters, plus a second-floor terrace.
DrinkCappuccino
TipSit at the ground-floor bar to watch the baristas, or take the second-floor terrace for sun and a view of the old houses; the ground floor is often crowded.
798 Coffee's Sanlitun shop in Beijing is its first outside the 798 Art District, with stripped grey walls, big windows and drinks named for factory codes.
Drink718 Americano
TipThe 718 Americano costs ¥22, the 706 Cafe Latte ¥33 and the 797 Coffee Mocha ¥38; the shop also sells mugs and limited artist collaboration pieces.
Penghao Theatre Cafe sits inside Beijing's first independent small theatre, a Republic-era courtyard house, with wooden tables downstairs and a terrace.
TipCheck the programme before you go: plays run at weekends in the small theatre behind the curtain, beside the ground-floor tables where visitors sit.
JM Cafe's Niujie branch in Beijing opened in November 2025, serves halal hot dogs and cinnamon rolls, and belongs to the Jay Chou-themed JM Cafe brand.
DrinkJM Combo coffee (one bean, three ways)
TipThe Beijinger names the cinnamon rolls and the hot dogs as the two food orders; the branch is on Fayuansi Houjie, behind Fayuan Temple, by the Niujie quarter.
Townhouse Coffee on Guozijian Street in Beijing is a Swedish-style cafe of wooden furniture that serves Nordic tea and Swedish desserts such as princess cake.
DrinkFlamed Caramel Cappuccino
TipTake Line 5 to Lama Temple and leave by exit E; the Swedish tea and the princess cake are the two orders the Lost Plate guide names.
nn is a small, bright cafe near Chaoyang Joy City in Beijing, with a blue-lined shopfront, a charging seat for one or two and Basque cheesecake.
TipThe charging seat sits less than a metre from the wall; the Basque cheesecake is the dessert TimeOut Beijing recommends. The cafe closes on Wednesdays.
goood Cafe, run by a graphic design studio in Baiziwan, Beijing, mixes a coffee counter with a gallery and Riso printing, with camping chairs for seats.
TipA gallery half sits beside the coffee counter and the studio offers Riso printing; the cafe closes on Mondays and shuts at 18:00.
Mēr Coffee's Xisi shop in Beijing has a milk-white front on a quiet stretch of Zhaodengyu Road, serves one bean three ways, and welcomes cyclists and readers.
DrinkYou Know Me (glutinous rice drink)
TipOrder the set that serves one bean in three forms, and ask about the You Know Me drink that many guests come for; the shop is bike-friendly.
OONAGH is a coffee shop and American-style bar-restaurant at 95 Lanman Hutong near Fayuan Temple in Beijing, with tangerine-peel lattes, burgers and pizza.
DrinkTangerine-peel latte
TipCtrip lists free Wi-Fi, charging cables and large tables for eight to ten people; it was one of nine cafes in the Fayuansi Lanman coffee season of January 2026.
Cafe by Alba at 70 Gulou Dongdajie in Beijing has a large rooftop above the hutongs, with signature coffees, cocktails and cakes served until 20:00 every day.
DrinkSignature coffees and cocktails
TipThe rooftop looks out over the hutongs below, and the cafe shuts at 20:00, so it suits a late-afternoon coffee more than an evening cocktail.
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