Café entertainment in Europe
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Café Central
Grand Central has a rich history – Trotsky came here to play chess, and turn-of-the-century literary greats such as Karl Kraus and Hermann Bahr regularly met here for coffee. Its impressive interior of marble pillars, arched ceilings and glittering chandeliers now plays host to tourists rather than locals, but it’s worth stopping in for a look. There’s live piano music daily from 5pm to 10pm, and the plaster patron with the walrus moustache near the door is a model of the poet Peter Altenberg.
reviewed
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Verdensteatret
Norway’s oldest film house will satisfy both cinephiles and thirsters after great cafés. The bar is a hip place with free wi-fi, occasional live music and weekend DJs. At other times, the barperson spins from its huge collection of vinyl records, so expect anything from classical to deepest underground. Peek into the magnificent cinema, its walls painted roof to ceiling with early 20th-century murals. It shows art house and independent films on an ad hoc basis.
reviewed
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Café Gloriette
Café Gloriette occupies the Gloriette, a neo-classical construction high on a hill behind Schloss Schönbrunn, built for the pleasure of Maria Theresia in 1775. With sweeping views of the Schloss, its magnificent gardens and the districts to the north, Gloriette has arguably one of the best vistas in all of Vienna. And it’s a welcome pit stop after the short but sharp climb up the hill.
reviewed
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Kaffa
The recent onslaught of coffee houses has not changed one thing: long-standing Kaffa still serves the most heart-pumping, rich-tasting brew in town. Coffees and teas from all over the world are served in a pot sufficient for two or three punters in a blissfully smoke-free, whitewashed African-inspired interior – all ethnic masks, beads and leather.
reviewed
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Stary Mensk
The hippest cafés are the itsy-bitsy Stary Mensk and its teeny-weeny cousin, London. They both serve coffees and fresh teas, and whip up a mean hot chocolate. In summer, Stary Mensk puts on batlejka (traditional Belarusian puppet shows) - very nationalistic, and all right across from the KGB headquarters.
reviewed
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Gerbeaud Cukrászda
Founded in 1858, Gerbeaud has been the most fashionable meeting place for the city’s elite on the northern side of Pest’s busiest square since 1870. Along with exquisitely prepared cakes and pastries (410Ft to 1150Ft), it serves continental breakfasts (2950Ft) and sandwiches (1550Ft to 2950Ft). A visit is mandatory.
reviewed
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Café Cuba
This place maintains fidelity to Fidel, Che and ’50s Cuba, with low lighting, indoor palms, faux faded elegance, rum posters, and cane chairs and tables. Try Papa Hemingway’s favourite cocktail, the caipirinha, and the ubiquitous mojito. The outdoor seating is right on Nieuwmarkt.
reviewed
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Rokerij
Behind this black hole of an entrance you’ll find Asian decor and candlelight for those tired of the Rastafarian vibe. Staff at this flagship branch have a reputation for friendliness, explaining why outlets have shot up like weed(s), but this is the cosiest location by far.
reviewed
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Datscha
If you are up for a night of bar-hopping, you can't do better than Dumskaya ul. Datscha is crammed into a crumbling, classical façade, along with three other hot spots for drinking and music. Shabby chic décor, cheap drinks and a strict 'no house or techno' policy.
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Kleines Café
Designed by architect Hermann Czech in the 1970s, Kleines Café exudes a bohemian atmosphere reminiscent of Vienna’s heady Jugendstil days. It’s tiny inside, but the wonderful summer outdoor seating on Franziskanerplatz is arguably the best in the Innere Stadt.
reviewed
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Caffè Gambrinus
Tourists and overdressed visitors self-consciously sip overpriced coffee and cocktails at Naples’ most venerable cafe. Oscar Wilde and Bill Clinton count among the celebs who have graced its lavish art-nouveau interior.
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Terzi
A refined cafe serving an unusual range of coffees, Terzi is a great spot to toy with a caffè con prugna e cannella (espresso with plum and cinnamon).
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Local Café Bar Lounge
With its swirling colour scheme, funky soul, disco and deep House beats and a predominantly gay crowd, Local is Chueca in a nutshell.
reviewed
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Les Deux Garçons
Cézanne and Zola once lingered in this classic brasserie/café, but it rests on its laurels: best for a drink or small bite.
reviewed
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Loxias
Thessaloniki's first bookstore-ouzerie, Loxias is that great rarity, a café with culture. Educated Greeks started gravitating years ago to this whimsical steki (hangout) to discuss philosophy or literature over ouzo and snacks. Loxias is decorated with wine casks, bursting bookshelves in the basement shop, and photos of Greek writers, Montenegrin princesses and the dervishes of old Hania.
Charismatic owner Ioannis Kyprianidis has revived the old Thessaloniki tradition of the bookshop as a place for ideas - assisted by Greek firewater and good European beers, of course. Romantics can duck the commotion out on the back balcony's table for two, which overlooks Roman ruins.
reviewed
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Centrum Hadlowo-Usłagowe
Dive through the archway at ul Novy Śiwat 26 and you'll discover Centrum Hadlowo-Usłagowe, a collection of bars, eateries and shops in stark contrast to the rapidly modernising face of 21st-century Warsaw. Here tiny drinking holes with names such as Pemek and Windigo fill a T-junction of squat concrete bunkers, attracting a young, bohemian crowd eager to avail of the relaxed vibe and cosy retro furniture.
There's also outdoor seating, but the open-air party moves inside at 22:00 due to city regulations. Lining the stomach is no problem either, with Turkish available from Kafefajka and Antalya, sushi from Besuto, and Asian from Cô tú.
reviewed
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Viva Cake Bitches
An evening with the self-declared Viva Cake Bitches usually kicks off in the late afternoon with tea, cake and sandwiches served by girls on rollerskates. Other diversions include dominos, knitting, baking and, if plans come off, a beauty bar, before the evening steps it up a gear with classic rock 'n' roll bands and jive-dancing. Remember to raid the dressing-up box for some vintage wear before you turn up.
The original among London's latest 1950s tea-dances, the irrepressible Viva Cake began life at the Bethnal Green WMC, but has since taken up a residency at the red-brick St Aloysius Social Club near Euston train station.
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Café Hawelka
At first glance it’s hard to see what all the fuss is about: dirty pictures, ripped posters, brown-stained walls, smoky air and cramped tables don’t look too appealing. But a second glance explains it: the convivial vibe between friends and complete strangers. A traditional haunt for artists and writers, it attracts the gamut of Viennese society. You’ll be constantly shunted up to accommodate new arrivals at the table. Be warned: the organising elderly Frau seizes any momentarily vacant chair (curtail your toilet visits!) to reassign elsewhere.
reviewed
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El Café de la Ópera
Opposite the Teatro Real, this classic before-performance café has one unusual requirement for would-be waiters – they have to be able to sing opera. If you pass by here at most hours, it’s a quite, classic café and your attention will be caught by the décor (floral wallpaper and stainless-steel tables) as it’s rare that the waiters break into song until dinner time – then you’ll pay around €55 for a meal, which is not bad value if you don’t have tickets for the show across the road.
reviewed
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První Holešovická Kavárna
This sterile, street-level coffee house is about as intellectual as it gets in the far eastern end of Holešovice. The name means ‘First Holešovice Coffee house’, but it isn’t quite accurate. The old Globe Bookstore & Coffeehouse on Janovského (now Ouky Douky, above) was technically first, but this is a true survivor. Average coffee drinks, indifferent service and minimal food offerings don’t seem to diminish the charm; it’s packed most afternoons and evenings. Excellent original art occasionally features on the walls.
reviewed
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Chaikhona No 1
Hermitage Gardens (495-971 6842; 2pm-last guest; Chekhovskaya); Gorky Park (495-778 1756; Frunzenskaya) Housed in an inviting, exotic tent, laid with oriental rugs and plush pillows, this cool Uzbek lounge and café is one of the best chill-out spots in the city. Enjoy fruity drinks and spicy hookahs. If you are hungry, there is plov (meat and rice) and shashlyk on the menu. There are other outlets around the city but the setting can’t compare to these park cafés.
reviewed
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Casa dell'Architettura
As Rome gets its cultural groove back, a new league of themed cultural case (houses) is keeping culture-vultures busy. One of the lesser-known gems is Esquiline's Casa dell'Architettura. Set in a beautifully restored fin de siècle aquarium designed by Ettore Bernich, its flouncy, glass-domed hall regularly hosts architecture-themed exhibitions. It has a slick design-themed bookshop for coffee-table cred, and a raffish little garden for the concrete-jungle fatigued.
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Dzyha
This café-cum-art gallery in the shadow of the Dominican Cathedral has a relaxed vibe. It’s particularly popular with bohemian, alternative types, but seems to attract pretty much everyone, really. If it’s full there are other attractive options for a nibble or a cuppa joe nearby on postcard-worthy vul Virmenska. If you just can’t get enough, Dzyha has also been writing its vibe large at the ethnic music festival Pidkamin (pidkamin.ridne.net), south of Pochayiv.
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Café Drechsler
One of the liveliest coffee houses in town, Drechsler reopened with a smash after extensive renovations (Sir Terence Conran worked his magic with polished marble bar and table tops, Bauhaus light fixtures and whitewashed timber panels – stylish yet still distinctly Viennese). As well as the usual coffee-house suspects, its Gulasch (goulash) is legendary, as are the tunes the DJ spins, which seemingly change every few hours and always keep the vibe upbeat and hip.
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Tamara Café
This café, restaurant, pub and wine bar takes the latter very seriously. The food is an indecisive mix of Mexican, Mediterranean and Asian fare lovingly infused with fresh flavour, but it’s all just a prelude to alcohol. If you’re a cultured wine connoisseur, just feel like a cocktail concoction in the courtyard, or are a hungry tippler who wants some vodka with (or in) your meal, this is the place to pull up a chair.
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