Café restaurants in Asia
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A
O’Sulloc (Myeong-dong)
Impeccably presented green-tea drinks and cakes are created here in this smart, green-themed teahouse. All the green tea comes from Jejudo, Korea’s southerly, semitropical island, where the best tea is reputed to grow. Green-tea ice cream and homemade green-tea chocolates are recommended, but the green-tea latte tastes like hot milk.
reviewed
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Café 85°C
This Taiwanese chain serves the cheapest coffee and tea in Shànghǎi – and it’s decent quality too. There are some truly bizarre pastries (from Y4) sold in the bakery section, if you want to experience a modern-day Chinese breakfast on the go. The only sore point here is that seating is limited. There are over 20 branches in the city.
reviewed
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B
Dada Café
This retro café, which is housed in a 70-year-old tenement building straight out of the Shōwa Era, is a charming spot to reminisce about a Tokyo most of us have never known. While taking tea and noshing on immaculate spreads of honest Japanese cooking, take a moment to reflect on the Zen-like beauty of your surroundings.
reviewed
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C
Rosemary Café
For honest and homely charms, this popular café is a warm beacon to disorientated visitors, with an extensive, heart-warming menu of travellers' favourites and a nightly flock of expat regulars. The Western menu runs dependably to tasty tomato soup, shepherd's pie, pizza, fish and chips and beyond. Recommended by travellers.
reviewed
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D
Yamate Jyuban-kan
Overlooking the Foreigners' Cemetery in Yamate, this French restaurant serves consistently good cuisine in a building like a mansion from the American south. A casual café occupies the 1st floor, while upstairs is the classic restaurant, dishing out longstanding favourites like the Kaika steak set. Reservations recommended.
reviewed
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E
Ziarat Coffee Shop
More than just a coffee shop, this is a proper restaurant and a good place for a splurge. Come for high tea (16:00 to 18:00) and an array of sandwiches, salads, cakes and pastries. If you visit after that the menu turns Italian, with everything on offer from lasagne to tiramisu. Expect to pay around Rs500 for the whole meal.
reviewed
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Bo's Coffee Club
The Philippine version of Starbucks, even down to decor, logo and cookies, this is one of the only places you'll find good espressos, and also a typical Americano range. Popular with young Filipinos, it's a good air-conditioned escape from the steaming streets. Other locations include Omeña Blvd and Ayala Center.
reviewed
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Bakery Café
All the branches of the excellent Bakery Café chain provide work for deaf Nepalis who would otherwise struggle to find employment. Patan has two Bakery Cafés – one by the zoo at Jawalakhel and one opposite UN House at Pulchowk. Both have wireless internet access and momos, sizzlers, salads and sandwiches on the menu.
reviewed
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Hing Nam Foong
A good little Chinese kopi tiam (coffee shop) with an English menu (remember that 'mee' means noodles and it will all make sense). We really liked the char shui po (steamed buns with pork) here - they're stuffed with more char sui than usual and they go very well with a steaming cup of tea.
reviewed
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G
Sculpting in Time
Taking its name from a book by the late Russian film director Andrei Tarkovsky, this is a fashionable hang-out for the Wǔdàokǒu laptop crowd, as well as for lunch, or coffee (Y20) at any time. There are books and magazines to browse through, as well as sandwiches and pasta for when you get peckish.
reviewed
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H
Coffee Shop
Experience the epitome of southern Thai city life - sipping coffee with the locals in an ancient café. Augment your java with a dish of still-warm kà·nŏm bórk, dumplings of flour or sticky rice rolled in coconut and sprinkled with sugar, made directly in front of the shop.
reviewed
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Hapro Coffee Kiosk
There's no topping Hapro's location, beneath the flowering flame trees a few skips from Hoan Kiem Lake. You'll want to order something just for the excuse to sit down. The menu is voluminous, but stick with the espresso drinks, artsy fruit beverages, light sandwiches and breakfast fare and you'll be happy.
reviewed
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Bakery Café
With branches on the edge of Thamel, on Durbar Marg and in Patan, this buzzy chain offers excellent value coffees and snacks for when you just need to take a break over an Americano and a plate of momos. The management have commendably hired deaf staff, which is perhaps one reason why the music is so bad.
reviewed
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K
Limau-Limau Café
Decorated with dark coloured ceramics and an arty twist, this quiet café extends through several rooms and a pleasant interior courtyard. Take a seat for salads, sandwiches, fruit juices, milk shakes or internet access. Its second location on Jln Hang Jebat has similar décor and the same menu.
reviewed
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L
Museum Café
In the rear courtyard of the Patan Museum, this is a stylish open-air place operated by the Summit Hotel. Prices are a little higher than elsewhere, but the gorgeous garden setting more than compensates. The organic salads are grown on site. You don't need to buy a museum ticket to eat at the café.
reviewed
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M
Café Transat
With a big outdoor terrace at the front, a smaller garden area out back and a nice range of Asian and Western food, including great sandwiches served with chips (from around Y53), this is a popular place for breakfast and lunch or an afternoon coffee. They have Wi-fi access and also sell real coffee.
reviewed
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Le Pain Grillé
Ideal for a light lunch and afternoon tea, this calm little spot with dark wood tables and tiled floors makes for an ideal pre- or post-shopping pit stop. The menu is stuffed with French classics, including onion soup, snails, confit de canard (preserved duck) and slow-cooked spring chicken.
reviewed
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O
Caffé Michelangelo
Stylish Daikanyama is exactly the locale this Parisian-style café is meant to occupy. The smart set comes here to be seen, but you could just as easily blend into the background. Sidewalk seating makes it a fine summertime lunch stop, with lovely reasonably priced lunch sets to enjoy with wine.
reviewed
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P
Kopitiam
One of the top spots in the district for a late-night feed, this branch of the Kopitiam chain is brisk and blindingly bright, so if it’s a late boozy night grab a table outside, where the light is more friendly. The food is uniformly good and you won’t pay much more than $6 for a meal.
reviewed
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Q
Parvoz
It's well-worth escaping the hallowed walls of the Ichon-Qala to attend this upscale chaikhana overlooking a hauz (pool). It serves filling meals of manty, shashlyk, soup and other staples, along with Azia beer at half the price you'll pay inside the North Gate, a few metres away.
reviewed
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R
Pyulmori
Pyulmori is a very exciting joint-venture coffee shop near to the Koryo Hotel. Run by a local charity supplying food to local orphanages, Pyulmori was the only place to get good coffee in North Korea at the time of writing. There is also a good selection of cakes and pies, and delightful staff.
reviewed
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S
Dhokaima Café
A pleasant cafe in the New Orleans mould, set inside a Rana-era storehouse by the Patan Dhoka gateway. Shaded by a sprawling walnut tree, the courtyard garden is a great place to enjoy such varied international dishes as Mexican nachos, Italian pizzas and Japanese edamame (soy beans).
reviewed
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T
Ask A Giraffe
This casual cafe is our favourite of the six restaurants in the new Shin-Puh-Kan shopping complex. They offer light meals (sandwiches, pastas, salads) and all the standard coffee and drinks, which make a nice pick-me-up while shopping here. As for the name, well, your guess is as good as ours!
reviewed
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U
Café Spice
Part of Spice Dive, this delightful beachside place is right at the western end of the beach path. The walls are covered in artwork and the menu is interesting and good. Besides the dive vibe you can sometimes hear the squeals of local kids learning English at the shop's free school upstairs.
reviewed
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V
Wasabi Tei
Join the queue snaking out of this 20-seat mom-and-pop sushi bar. The chef is Chinese but he sure can slice raw fish. You’d better make your choices before you sit because seconds and postorder amendments are not allowed. Nazi-like, you say? Nineteen other people will gladly take your place.
reviewed