Cafe entertainment in Europe
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Roseleaf
Cute and quaint and verging on chintzy, the Roseleaf could hardly be further from the average Leith bar. Decked out in flowered wallpaper, old furniture and rose-patterned china, the real ales and bottled beers are complemented by a range of specialty teas, coffees and fruit drinks (including rose lemonade) and well above average pub grub (served 10am to 10pm).
reviewed
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Singer Café
Louche hang-out of choice among the Kazimierz cognoscenti, this bar pays tribute to the sewing machine that was once produced here. By day, it's an atmospheric, antique-filled cafe, where patrons sit at sewing machines and sip cappuccinos. By night, they turn up the music and the place hums until dawn.
reviewed
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Aida
An icon of the Konditorei scene, Aida is a time warp for coffee lovers. Its pink-and-brown colour scheme – right down to the waiters’ socks – matches the 1950s retro decor perfectly and most of the clientele are well into retirement. Order a Melange and a slice of cake (there are almost 30 to choose from) and head upstairs to spy on the activity on Kärntner Strasse. Twenty-nine such Aida gems are scattered throughout Vienna.
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Café Manuela
Stumbling into this graciously restored throwback to the 1950s along one of Malasaña’s grittier streets is akin to discovering hidden treasure. There’s a luminous quality to it when you come in out of the night and, like so many Madrid cafes, it’s a surprisingly multifaceted space, serving cocktails, delicious milkshakes and offering board games atop the marble tables in the unlikely event that you get bored.
reviewed
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Café Europa
Martin Hildebrandt, who runs this popular meeting place in the heart of the busy shopping area of Strøget, has won awards for his coffee, which he makes from his own special blend of home-roasted beans. This is one of the best places to watch Copenhagen go by, especially in summer when there is outdoor seating beside the elegant Storkspringvandet (stork fountain).
reviewed
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Giubbe Rosse
The terrace on Piazza della Repubblica looks unpromisingly touristy, but inside the vaulted interior of this fabled, 19th-century cafe Filippo Marinetti and friends dreamed up Italian futurism. Walls are hung with works by generations of past customers, and there are both free foreign-language newspapers and regular literary happenings for the high-minded.
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Cheder
Unlike most of the other Jewish-themed places in Kazimierz, this one aims to entertain and educate. Named after a traditional Hebrew school, the cafe offers access to a decent library in Polish and English, regular readings and films, as well as real Israeli coffee, brewed in a traditional Turkish copper pot with cinnamon and cardamom.
reviewed
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Caffè Cibrèo
Just across from the restaurant of the same name, Fabio Picchi’s super-refined cafe serves excellent espresso and sweets as well as light meals. The passata di peperoni gialli (yellow bell-pepper soup) is thrilling. Choose between shady terrace seating or the cosy, clubby interior with its red-velvet chairs and coffered wood ceiling.
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Papirüs Cafeteria
A student crowd (male and female, we promise) gathers here to take advantage of the delightfully authentic setting – it's housed in a historic mansion off Atatürk Bulvarı – and swap numbers in the leafy courtyard. Don't miss the ancient frescoes in the upstairs rooms.
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Zirup
This is one of the best cafe-restaurants on Strædet with a fresh and funky menu (burgers, Mexican, wraps, sandwiches and salads) to match its colourful, cosmopolitan interior design, but is also a great drinking spot when the sun goes down. There is plenty of outdoor seating during the summer – perfect for seeing and being seen.
reviewed
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Chiaroscuro
With arguably the best coffee in Florence – and that’s saying a lot – this casual bar looks more like Soho than Florence with its rough-cut wood interior and kitschy, ‘60s-style glass chandelier. A variety of excellent beans is available by weight, and the aperitivo buffet (6pm to 8pm) makes for a cosy early evening.
reviewed
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Daguiri
This take-it-easy, seaside bar was made for its young, travelling crowd - the kind who have elected to hang out in Barcelona for a stretch in search of themselves or until their national dole cheques run out. Have a light meal, sip a summertime beer outside or cosy up for a coffee in winter at the tiny tables inside.
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Café Royale
These are some of the most sought-after sofas in Barcelona, perfect for chilling out with warm lighting, a good-looking crowd, and irresistible soul, funk and bossa fusions. It gets terribly packed with visitors at the weekend. That's no surprise, as it's one of the grooviest early-evening dance options in town.
reviewed
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Lolina Vintage Café
Lolina Vintage Café seems to have captured the essence of the barrio in one small space. With a studied retro look (comfy old-style chairs and sofas, gilded mirrors and 1970s-era wallpaper), it confirms that the new Malasaña is not unlike the old but a whole lot more sophisticated.
reviewed
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Caffè Gilli
At this Florentine institution you can sip your coffee or cocktail beneath Venetian chandeliers and billowy art-nouveau ceiling frescoes, or opt for the terrace, with ringside seats on the upscale bustle of Piazza della Repubblica. The elaborate cakes and sweets are also worth a gander.
reviewed
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Old Stove Duomo
In the shadow of the Duomo, this classic Irish place spread over two narrow floors has a good selection of draught beers and one truly outstanding draw – a little wrought-iron balcony with cathedral views that are heart-stopping. Jockey early and often if you want to make it your own.
reviewed
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Cafe Rękawka
The smell of fresh-brewed java and the sounds of jazz music entice you into this sweet sanctuary. It's a funny mismatch of burlap coffee bags, lace curtains and leafy plants, creating the perfect atmosphere to sink into a comfortably worn armchair and warm up with a cuppa.
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Solde
Malmö’s coolest cafe is a grit-hip combo of concrete bar, white-tiled walls, art exhibitions and creative media regulars. Owner Johan Carlström is an award-winning barista; watch him in action over lip-smacking Italian panini, biscotti and cornetti (croissants).
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Zbliżenia
Tucked into the corner of Plac Nowy, it's easy to miss this place, but don't pass it by. Krakovians rave about this luscious, laid-back little bar. It's hip enough to impress a date, but friendly enough that you want to return again and again. Decent food, sweet garden.
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Caffè Rivoire
Maybe the city’s choicest location for a cafe, Rivoire charges dearly to sit on its terrace, but your reward is close-up views of Piazza della Signoria, plus the knowledge that you’re resting your aching feet while the masses of tourists in view are still on the march.
reviewed
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Oban Chocolate Company
This shop that specialises in hand-crafted chocolates (you can watch them being made) also has a cafe serving excellent coffee and hot chocolate (try the chilli chocolate for a kick in the tastebuds), with big leather sofas in a window with a view of the bay.
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Lino’s Coffee
While Italy never needed an answer to Starbucks, Parma-import Lino’s takes up the challenge nicely with highly credible coffee and some oddly appealing variations on a theme. ‘Coffee Crack’, for one. The locals love it, in case you were wondering.
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Caffe delle Oblate
On the top floor of a convent–turned–public library, this new cafe offers plenty of space to spread out, with tables scattered around a vast, open-air loggia. Views of the adjacent Duomo are remarkable, and there’s even free wi-fi.
reviewed
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Klubokawiarnia Mleczarnia
Wins the prize for best courtyard cafe. Shady trees and blooming roses make this place tops for a sunny-day drink. If it's rainy, never fear, for the cafe is warm and cosy, with crowded bookshelves and portrait-covered walls. Self service.
reviewed
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Café Szafe
The colourful cafe on the corner is a cupboard full of surprises, from the whimsical sculptured creatures lurking in the corners to the intriguing artwork that hangs on the walls. The place hosts concerts, films and other arty events.
reviewed
