Somewhere in the last decade Shanghai became a coffee city — not a city with coffee in it, but a place where the café is the default social unit. By many counts it now has more coffee shops than any other city in the world, and the competition has made the average cup startlingly good.
Key facts
- Where to look: the former French Concession, the Suzhou Creek waterfront, and the lanes off West Nanjing Road.
- What it costs: local chains sell excellent espresso for a fraction of Western prices; imported-brand flagships cost several times more.
- Payment: mobile payment dominates. Set up a linked payment app before you arrive, and carry a little cash as backup.
- Best hours: mid-morning for calm, late afternoon for the show.
The coffee
The scene has three layers. At the bottom, and best value, are the homegrown chains — Manner, born in Shanghai as a hole-in-the-wall counter, and the wave of homegrown counters that followed it — which pour serious coffee at commuter prices and are everywhere.
Above them sit the international arrivals that chose Shanghai as their China beachhead: % Arabica, whose Wukang Road window generates a permanent queue of photographers, and Blue Bottle, which opened its first mainland café near Suzhou Creek. And then there is the Starbucks Reserve Roastery on West Nanjing Road, one of the largest Starbucks anywhere, with copper cask, roasting floor and an in-house Italian bakery counter. It is a theme park, and worth an hour as such.
