Café restaurants in Asia
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A
Open Hand
A cafe-cum-gift shop with fresh coffee and a range of cakes and snacks plus good-quality clothing and textiles at fixed prices.
reviewed
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B
JoMa Bakery Café
JoMa is the first-choice lunch stop for many expatriate workers in Vientiane, partly because the large and stylish café is a good place for meetings but mainly because it does a brisk trade in delicious pastries, sandwiches, quiche, muesli, fruit, shakes and coffee. Wi-fi is available for US$2.50 an hour.
reviewed
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C
Big Chill
Khan Market has two film-poster-lined branches of BC, packed with chattering, well-manicured folk. The menu is a telephone directory of continental, Indian and other dishes. Have you ever seen so much cheesecake on a menu? Who’s to quibble when it’s this good?
reviewed
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D
Helena’s
Helena’s is deservedly popular for its set breakfasts, one of the highest rooftops in Thamel, cosy interior and super-friendly service, with a wide range of coffee, good cakes, tandoori dishes and steaks. It’s warm and cosy in winter. If you are heading off trekking, consider breakfast on the 8th floor a form of high-altitude training.
reviewed
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E
Yak Café
Another unpretentious and reliable Tibetan-run place at the other end of Thamel. The booths give it a 'Tibetan diner' vibe and the clientele is a mix of trekkers with their Sherpa guides and local Tibetans who come to shoot the breeze over a cigarette and a tube of tongba (hot millet beer). The menu includes Tibetan dishes, with good kothey (fried momos), and South Indian food, at unbeatable prices.
It feels just like a trekking lodge, down to that familiar electronic sound of a chicken being strangled every time a dish is ready.
reviewed
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F
Ministry of Coffee
A landmark modernist structure, with a library (with English-language books and magazines) upstairs and a cafe below. It’s ideal for an espresso or latte, but the food (mainly snacks and cakes) is pretty average.
reviewed
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G
Lord Stow’s Café
Though the celebrated English baker Andrew Stow passed away, his cafe and Lord Stow’s Bakery (1 Rua da Tassara) keep his memory well alive by serving his renowned pastéis de nata, a warm egg-custard tart (MOP$6) and cheesecake (MOP$14) in unusual flavours, including black sesame and green tea. The Lord Stow’s Garden Café (105 Rua da Cordoaria) near the Coloane bus stop has a very relaxed atmosphere on its patio.
reviewed
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H
Indian Coffee House
The mythic Indian Coffee House was once a meeting place of freedom fighters, bohemians and revolutionaries. Today its crusty high ceilings and grimy walls ring with deafening student conversation but despite the dishwater coffee, it’s perversely fascinating. One block south of MG Rd, walk 20m east off College St and it’s upstairs on the left.
reviewed
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I
Himalayan Java
Above the Bakery Cafe, this modern and buzzing coffeehouse serves good espresso and fine paninis and cakes, in addition to decent breakfasts. There’s a sunny balcony, lots of sofas and big-screen TV for the football, but from certain angles it feels a bit like a hotel foyer. It’s popular with hip middle-class Nepalis and there’s wi-fi.
reviewed
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J
New Orleans Cafe
Hidden down an alley near the Brezel Bakery, New Orleans boasts a relaxed and intimate candlelit vibe and a great selection of music, often live. It’s a popular spot for a drink but the menu also ranges far and wide, from Thai curries and good burgers to Creole jambalaya and oven-roasted vegies, plus good breakfasts.
reviewed
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K
Killiney Kopitiam
The original local coffee joint, which spawned a whole host of imitators and an empire of franchisees, is still the place for breakfast. The waiter yells your order at ear-splitting volume and the coffee – shaken by the resulting seismic disturbance – inevitably arrives erupted into the saucer.
reviewed
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L
Coffee.Com
Puducherry's cosmopolitan vibe is typified by this hip little internet hang-out. It's a meeting place where you can go online, read magazines, drink espresso coffee and there's a widescreen TV and a selection of DVDs. The café also serves up great baguettes, pasta, pastries and milkshakes.
reviewed
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M
Gallops
This is a spiffy air-conditioned cafe with a camel leather–clad lounge area with big windows. There is real, and very good, espresso coffee, but at Rs100 a cappuccino, you would have to be keen. The menu also features pricey Indian and Chinese veg and nonveg, including tandoori specials.
reviewed
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N
Harbour Square
A modest food court overlooking Manila’s marina in the CCP Complex.
reviewed
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O
Sam’s Café
On Vivek Hotel’s ground floor and (more atmospheric) rooftop, Sam’s does cracking breakfasts and is a tranquil place to hang; usually packed with travellers. The pizzas are a good bet.
reviewed
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P
Gallery Cafe
The historic building that houses Gallery Cafe used to be an office for Sri Lanka’s most famous architect, Geoffrey Bawa. The open-air cafe area looks over a pebbled courtyard, while the lounge bar is where Bawa’s old office used to be – in fact, his desk is still there. The decor is stunning and the Sri Lankan–inspired dishes focus on fresh ingredients and bold, clean flavours. As a cheaper option, come for an afternoon coffee.
reviewed
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Q
Element Fresh
Perennially popular, Element Fresh hits the spot with its tempting selection of healthy salads, pasta dishes (Western and Asian) and hefty sandwiches. Vegetarians may well faint with excitement at the roasted eggplant on ciabatta bread or the Italian tofu sandwich smothered in pesto. Then there are the imaginative smoothies (from Y22), big breakfasts (Y38–68), coffee and after-work cocktails.
reviewed
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Epic Arts Café
A great place for breakfast (around US$3), home-made cakes or tea, this mellow eatery - staffed by deaf and disabled young people - can also pack a bagel lunch for a trip up to Bokor. Sometimes it hosts dance performances. Profits fund dance, music and art workshops for deaf and disabled Cambodians.
reviewed
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R
Museum Cafe
Much more than a simple refuelling stop for museum patrons, the M Cafe, as it’s popularly known, is a magnet for Manila’s chichi class. The trip-hop ambience and exquisite all-white interior make for an especially artistic experience. The menu is heavy on light bites and sandwiches.
reviewed
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S
Cafe Edelweiss
The Savage Garden folks run this itsy piece of Europe that appeals to homesick and discerning travellers. The cake tray, including cinnamon rolls, apple pies and chocolate cake, disappears quickly, and it’s tough to get a seat. The coffee (Rs30 to Rs40) is pretty good.
reviewed
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T
Café des Amis
Long a backpacker favourite thanks to cheap eats and plentiful beer, this place has a menu that includes a strong selection of Vietnamese dishes, inexpensive seafood and a pick and mix of international dishes. Look out for local artworks adorning the walls.
reviewed
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U
Devi’s Corner
A pavement-cafe mood prevails at this food court facing the Bangsar Village II mall. The tray curries are excellent, with plenty of fish, prawns and other seafood. You can get dosa, biriyani and great satay here.
reviewed
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V
Bellini's
This hip little Italian café serves good pizzas under the watchful gaze of an eclectic wall of fame (photos of purported customers). It's popular with local artists, many of whom have shops in adjoining storefronts.
reviewed
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W
Ou Mun Café
This much-loved Macanese cafe closed down for a while, but it has come back with a modern facelift, decorated with colourful stained glass. The freshly made Portuguese pastries and chocolates are still here.
reviewed
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X
Cafe Via Mare
You can get a snack or a meal at this trendy little spot on a busy corner of the Rockwell Center. The coffee is authentically Italian while the dishes are an upscale mix of Filipino standards.
reviewed
