Choose Attendant for an unusual historic setting, Tim Wendelboe for a coffee-focused visit, or ChinaHouse for an afternoon that combines coffee, cake and art. These 14 cafés offer different reasons to make a detour: a market counter in Los Angeles, a seaside building in England, a booked counter in Tokyo and an egg-coffee tradition in Hanoi.
Pick the experience that fits your trip. A beautiful restaurant, a cat café and a specialist espresso bar do different jobs. The guide below gives the exact location, what makes it distinctive and one useful way to plan the stop.
Some cafés make the drink itself the attraction: our selfieccino story explains how a photograph is printed onto milk foam.
Choose your kind of coffee stop
1. Heart Coffee — Burnside
Portland, USA
A neighborhood coffee stop without the laptop agenda
Heart’s Burnside café is a useful starting point for a Portland coffee day: an open room, a substantial wooden counter and plenty to watch while a drink is made. Take a seat and watch the counter, or make it the first stop on a neighborhood walk.
Use the Burnside address below. Heart also lists a Woodstock café, and the two locations are not interchangeable when planning a walking route. Both currently say they have no Wi-Fi. That makes a visit easier to plan: bring a book or a friend, rather than counting on a remote-work session.
Make the visit count: ask which coffee is being served as filter and which is on espresso, then pick the style you normally enjoy. If you buy beans, note the name of the coffee served so you can ask for the same one.
Find it: 2211 E Burnside Street, Portland, Oregon
Official café information →2. G&B Coffee at Grand Central Market
Los Angeles, USA
A coffee bar in the middle of a working food market
G&B makes the market part of the experience. Its open, wraparound bar puts coffee service amid the food stalls of Grand Central Market, rather than behind the door of a separate café. Go Get Em Tiger’s own location guide describes the 360-degree setup and dates the permanent bar here to 2013.
This is an easy choice for a group whose interests extend beyond coffee. Start at the bar, then decide whether to add something from the market. The operator lists drinks and pastries here; do not assume the full breakfast-and-lunch menu advertised for some other GGET branches is offered at this counter.
Make the visit count: use the Grand Central Market entry on the operator’s location page. Larchmont, Los Feliz and its other cafés have different menus, hours and settings. This particular stop is about a coffee break woven into a downtown market visit.
Find it: 317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, California
Official café information →3. Laughing Man Coffee
New York, USA
A neighborhood café with a coffee-farming story
Laughing Man’s Tribeca flagship gives this list a different kind of story. The company traces its beginnings to Dukale, an Ethiopian coffee farmer, and its foundation supports education, community development and social entrepreneurs. The café is the place to connect that background with an ordinary neighborhood coffee stop.
The current location is 184 Duane Street. Its official page offers advance ordering for coffee and points to a food menu provided with Slate. That makes it a more flexible stop than a coffee-only tasting bar, particularly when one person wants breakfast and another simply wants a drink.
Make the visit count: decide whether you want a quick pickup or time in the café before ordering. If breakfast is part of the plan, look at the Slate menu before placing a coffee-only pickup order.
Find it: 184 Duane Street, Tribeca, New York
Official café information →4. Bonanza Coffee Roasters — Adalbertstraße
Berlin, Germany
A roastery café with a view into the coffee setup
Choose Bonanza’s Adalbertstraße roastery café if the working coffee space matters as much as the cup. The operator’s photograph shows a wood-framed interior and a clear view toward the equipment, giving the room a different character from a small takeaway counter.
Be precise when saving the destination. Bonanza lists several Berlin locations, including Mitte, Jägerstraße and Oderberger Straße. The roastery is in Adalbertstraße; a photograph or description of the Oderberger café should not be used to plan this visit.
Make the visit count: compare the coffees actually available at the bar rather than arriving committed to a bag you saw online months ago. Ask which option suits your preferred brew style. A roastery address also does not automatically mean a tour or a public roasting demonstration: arrange any special visit with the business before building your day around it.
Find it: Adalbertstraße 70, 10999 Berlin
Official café information →5. Kaffeine — Great Titchfield Street
London, England
Australian and New Zealand café culture in Fitzrovia
Kaffeine brings an Australian and New Zealand café tradition to a London neighborhood stop. The independent business takes its inspiration from Australia and New Zealand, and its Great Titchfield Street café has been open since 2009.
There is a changing food menu as well as coffee. The branch publishes a weekly menu, with breakfast, filled focaccia, pastries and brunch dishes. Check what is on when you visit.
Make the visit count: pair this with a Fitzrovia walk, or choose it for a coffee-and-breakfast stop. Kaffeine also has an Eastcastle Street café and advertises coffee classes. Book a class separately and check its venue before heading out.
Find it: 66 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 7QJ
Official café information →6. Attendant — Fitzrovia
London, England
A Victorian public convenience turned into a café
Attendant’s original Fitzrovia café earns its place through the building. A former Victorian public convenience was restored as a coffee shop, retaining original porcelain and tiled details. The interest is in that careful reuse: this is a recognizable piece of London’s street history with a different purpose.
Make sure you choose Fitzrovia. Attendant has other locations, but the converted public convenience is at Foley Street. The current operator says its cafés are walk-in only, with tables available on a first-come basis, so a reservation request is not the way to secure this stop.
Make the visit count: look at the entrance before committing if stairs or step-free access affect your plans, and confirm access directly when necessary. Give yourself flexibility to wait or take a coffee away. The unusual setting is compact; a large group with a fixed timetable should have a nearby alternative.
Find it: 27a Foley Street, London W1W 6DY
Official café information →7. East Beach Café
Littlehampton, England
A sculptural seaside building you can actually sit inside
East Beach Café is the architectural detour on this list. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the seaside building has an irregular, layered exterior and a sheltered interior facing the beach. It is a restaurant as well as a place for coffee, so plan for the setting and the coastal walk rather than expecting a specialist coffee tasting counter.
The business currently advertises opening from 9 a.m. and recommends booking an inside table. Its takeaway kiosk and beach-deck arrangements depend on the weather. Those distinctions matter if the point of your visit is to sit within the building rather than collect a drink outside.
Make the visit count: book a meal if you want a more certain indoor stop, or check café service before making a special trip. Allow time to see the building from the promenade as well as from a table: the two views explain why it belongs here.
Find it: The Promenade, Littlehampton, West Sussex
Official café information →8. Tim Wendelboe Espresso Bar
Oslo, Norway
A small coffee-focused bar with a changing selection
Tim Wendelboe is the clearest coffee-first choice here. The original espresso bar remains at Grüners gate 1, in a building with a distinctive stone façade. Its menu changes with the coffees on offer, and the business describes a coffee-only approach, with milk and sugar as additions rather than a full café food menu.
Keep the espresso bar and roastery separate in your plans. The roasting operation moved to Tøyengata in 2018; the public bar stayed at its original address. The roastery and lab are listed as appointment-only, so turning up there is not a substitute for visiting the café.
Make the visit count: leave breakfast for another stop and use your time here to ask about the current coffees. One carefully chosen drink is a better starting point than ordering every format at once. Let it cool slightly and notice how your impression changes.
Find it: Grüners gate 1, 0552 Oslo
Official café information →9. Café Chat L’Heureux
Montréal, Canada
A café visit organized around the comfort of its cats
The cats are the reason to choose Chat L’Heureux, but their comfort determines the visit. This is a café with resident animals, not an invitation to bring your own cat. The business’s rules say not to wake, feed or pick up a cat, and to leave an animal alone when it is eating, drinking or no longer wants attention.
That makes it a good choice for patient visitors who are happy to let an encounter happen. It is a poor match for anyone expecting guaranteed cuddles or a posed photograph with every animal. Children need supervision; the published rules specifically require an adult to accompany children under ten at all times.
Make the visit count: check the Duluth location when planning this stop, because the business also lists an Ontario Street address. Order first, settle in, and let the cats decide whether to approach.
Find it: 172 Duluth Avenue East, Montréal, Québec
Official café information →10. Sant’Eustachio Il Caffè
Rome, Italy
A historic Roman coffee stop near the Pantheon
Sant’Eustachio is a different expression of a destination café: a historic Roman coffee business in the streets between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. The company dates its wood-fired roastery to 1938 and describes a history rooted in this small piazza.
Visit for a short coffee stop within a walk through central Rome. The piazza makes a natural pause between nearby sights. Choose a drink you like, and check the current menu before adding sweets or coffee to take home.
Make the visit count: clarify table service and prices before sitting if you are deciding between a quick bar stop and a longer break outside. The official contact page lists late opening hours, but also holiday closures. Check it close to your visit, especially for August 15 or December 25.
Find it: Piazza Sant’Eustachio 82, 00186 Rome
Official café information →11. ChinaHouse
George Town, Malaysia
Coffee, cakes and art spread through heritage buildings
ChinaHouse is a place to explore rather than a single room to photograph. Its three heritage buildings are linked by an open-air courtyard, with spaces for cafés, restaurants, galleries, live music and a bakery. A coffee and cake stop can become a longer wander through the compound.
The Beach Street and Victoria Street addresses belong to the same venue complex. Save the entry you intend to use, particularly if meeting someone. The courtyard gives the buildings a connection to the outdoors, while the food and cultural spaces make this a practical option for a group with mixed interests.
Make the visit count: choose daytime for a relaxed café-and-gallery plan, or check the venue’s current event information if music is the reason you are going. Do not assume a performance is included on every evening. Leave enough time to look beyond the first counter.
Find it: 153 & 155 Beach Street / 183B Victoria Street, George Town, Penang
Official café information →12. KOFFEE MAMEYA Kakeru
Tokyo, Japan
An intimate counter visit to plan in advance
Kakeru belongs on the itinerary when you want coffee to be the planned activity. The room centers on a wooden counter rather than a collection of casual café tables. Use the Kakeru address in Hirano: KOFFEE MAMEYA’s other locations are different experiences, and an Omotesando recommendation does not describe this room.
The operator links directly to its booking system. The current booking policy allows reservations up to two months ahead, with counter seating, groups of up to four and a one-hour-45-minute table allocation.
Make the visit count: read the current course and cancellation terms before reserving, and leave travel time on either side. The booking page specifies a fee for late cancellations or changes. Choose this for an unhurried counter appointment rather than squeezing it between two timed attractions.
Find it: 2-16-14 Hirano, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Official café information →13. Café Giảng
Hanoi, Vietnam
A coffee stop built around Hanoi’s egg-coffee tradition
Café Giảng puts a particular drink at the center of the visit. The business dates itself to 1946 and presents egg coffee as a family craft and part of Hanoi’s cultural heritage. It is a useful contrast to the espresso bars and roastery cafés elsewhere in this guide: come to explore a local coffee tradition rather than repeat the same order in another city.
For this stop, use 39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân in Hoàn Kiếm. The operator also lists Tràng Tiền and Lotte Mall Tây Hồ locations, with different hours. Check the address before following a photograph or map pin; the shared name does not mean the same setting.
Make the visit count: start with the signature egg coffee if its ingredients suit you. Tell the staff about egg or dairy allergies before ordering rather than assuming another menu variation removes them. If you buy a take-home coffee product, distinguish it from the prepared drink you ordered in the café.
Find it: 39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân, Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi
Official café information →14. Coffee Supreme — Midland Park
Wellington, New Zealand
A compact city coffee stop with beans and brewing gear
Midland Park is Coffee Supreme’s Wellington CBD café and retail stop. Its wood-lined interior gives this compact city location a distinct identity, while the retail shelves make it a useful place to pair a drink with a look at beans and brewing equipment.
The location matters: Midland Park is in Wellington, not Auckland. The official listing places it at 31 Waring Taylor Street and currently gives weekday hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Do not build a weekend itinerary around it without checking for a change.
Make the visit count: work it into a weekday city-center walk. If buying beans to brew at home, tell the staff which method you use and when you will open the bag. A suitable coffee and a useful brew suggestion make a more practical souvenir than choosing solely by the package design.
Find it: 31 Waring Taylor Street, Wellington CBD
Official café information →Plan a café visit that is worth the detour
Start with one destination café and leave space around it. A schedule of six coffees in an afternoon can turn the places into a checklist, with little time to notice the drinks or the neighborhood.
Check the branch, then the service
Save the exact street address. Several businesses here have multiple locations, and the signature building or experience belongs to only one of them. A roastery can require an appointment; a café can be walk-in only; a tasting counter can need a reservation. Follow the official link for the format you actually want.
Order for your own palate
You do not have to order straight espresso to take a coffee shop seriously. Say whether you prefer black coffee, milk drinks or something sweet, then ask what fits. Our coffee drinks guide can help with unfamiliar menu names. If comparing two coffees, choose a similar preparation where possible and let them cool before deciding what you notice.
Leave room for the neighborhood
A market bar pairs naturally with lunch; a seaside café with a walk; an appointment counter needs a clear time slot. Check the return journey before ordering another drink. If you want to keep tasting after the trip, make a note of the roaster and coffee, then use our coffee tasting guide at home.
Questions before you go
Are all these places specialty coffee shops?
No. Some focus closely on coffee, while others earn a visit through architecture, animals, food or local tradition. The descriptions make that distinction so you can choose the right kind of stop.
Do I need a reservation?
It depends on the venue. Kakeru links to counter reservations; East Beach recommends booking an indoor table; Attendant operates walk-in cafés. Check the official branch page close to your visit, including cancellation terms where you reserve.
Can I work from these cafés?
Do not assume so. Heart explicitly lists no Wi-Fi at its cafés, and a timed counter appointment is designed for its service rather than a work session. Ask about laptop use and seating before settling in.
How current are the addresses?
The listed operator information was checked on October 13, 2026. Opening times, menus and access arrangements can change, so use the official links before making a special trip.
