Cafe Zarah

Cafe Zarah occupies an old Beijing courtyard house at 46 Gulou East Street, renovated with steel and concrete elements. It describes itself as a café, bar, restaurant, event space and art gallery, and presents itself as a platform for art and culture between Europe and Asia, with regular photo exhibitions, music and cultural events.

The food has a North European flavour, with breakfast, lunch and dinner served. The menu includes breakfast plates such as Good Morning Beijing and the Zarah Breakfast, an avocado and feta omelette, smoked salmon with poached egg, and baozza, a bun-like pizza. Homemade cakes change daily; the menu lists lemon lime cheesecake, a melting chocolate cake, freshly made waffles and affogato. Drinks include specialty coffee, loose-leaf teas, homemade chai and iced tea, and in the evening the bar serves wine and signature and classic cocktails.

According to a China Highlights guide to hutong cafés, Zarah has an English menu and is popular with foreign remote workers, and a large tree in the courtyard rises through the glass roof. The café also has a garden where you can sit with a coffee and cake. Its five areas can be booked together or separately for private events such as weddings, birthdays and company meetings.

Opening hours are long. The official website lists 10am to midnight from Sunday to Thursday and 10am to 1am on Friday and Saturday, with the café temporarily closed on Mondays. That makes it useful both for a late breakfast and as an evening stop for a drink.

The location is central to the Gulou area, near the Drum Tower. Chatang Li, the time-honoured snack shop famous for chatang and nut teas, is on the same street at No. 94, so you can compare a modern café with a Beijing snack house that dates from 1858. Beyond breakfast, the menu runs to appetisers such as guacamole, bruschetta and Camembert with mango chutney, salads and wraps, and mains including green curry chicken, a lemon and bread-crusted salmon and pasta dishes, so it works for a full lunch or dinner as well as coffee.

It suits remote workers, couples, families looking for familiar Western breakfasts, and anyone who wants a relaxed break in a courtyard setting. Contact the café by email at [email protected] or by phone for events and group bookings.