22 editor picks across China.
22 cafes worth the trip across China, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All China guides.
Huxinting Teahouse on stilts over the lake at Yu Garden in Shanghai has poured tea from the same mid lake pavilion since 1855, its oldest teahouse.
TipEvery Monday a pot of tea and a vegetarian bun still costs just 10 yuan, a holdover from 1990s pricing.
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.
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.
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.
Sinan Books fills a historic building at Sinan Mansions in Shanghai with shelves and a cafe, naming its signature latte after a line in Yu Hua's To Live.
TipBeyond the cafe the 640 square metre shop has reading rooms and quiet rooms; author talks have been a Sinan fixture since 2014.
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.
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.
3½ Coffee on Taiyuan Road in Shanghai takes its name from an Italian coffee-competition scoring system for a cup that beats merely being good.
TipMost seating is along a long L-shaped counter of wood, granite and cork, so it suits a focused cup more than a long stay.
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.
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.
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.
Art Bookstore on Fuzhou Road in Shanghai added a coffee counter and light meals to its shelves of art and design titles during a 2026 renovation.
TipTables inside are named after writers and artists; ask staff which one is free if that matters to you.
Crave Cafe & Wine Bar on Xinle Road in Shanghai bakes pastries and pours coffee by day, then turns the same patio into a natural wine spot by night.
TipWeekend brunch on the patio fills up fast; book ahead or come on a weekday for the same pastry case.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
RAC Cafe Bar on Anfu Road in Shanghai serves crêpes, galettes and coffee by day, then switches to a French-Asian bistro menu and natural wines at night.
TipExpect a queue on weekend mornings. It sits in Building 6 of 322 Anfu Road, at the junction with Wukang Road.
Le Café Louis Vuitton on the third deck of The Louis, the ship-shaped LV venue in Shanghai, serves lunch, afternoon tea and dinner in set sessions.
TipBook through the My LV WeChat mini-program; a 10 percent service charge applies, and The Louis runs for two years from June 2025.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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