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Best Cafés in Beijing (2026)

Beijing's café culture mixes old and new. Lao She Teahouse near Qianmen keeps the tradition of big-bowl tea and stages evening shows of Peking opera, acrobatics and other folk arts, which makes it one of the easiest ways to see several traditional performances in one sitting. For sweet snacks, Chatang Li on Gulou East Street has served chatang, a sweet millet paste, and nut and root teas since 1858, and Nailao Wei near Niujie makes nailao, the milk curd dessert once eaten at court.

The hutongs and lakes are also full of modern cafés. Cafe Zarah, in a renovated courtyard house on Gulou East Street, serves North European breakfasts, cakes and cocktails until late, and has an English menu. Sugarbar's rooftop on the Shichahai lakes looks over Houhai towards the Drum and Bell Towers, and Shanyouli on Jingshan West Street serves flower-topped drinks steps from Jingshan Park. Mobile payment is widely used, and overseas visitors can now link international Visa or Mastercard cards to Alipay or WeChat Pay, so set this up before you travel and carry some cash as a back-up.

6 places · Updated October 27, 2026

Our top 3 cafés in Beijing

  1. Lao She Teahouse Traditional teahouse with folk performances, QianmenA traditional-style Qianmen teahouse named after the writer Lao She, serving tea and snacks by day and staging Peking opera and folk arts shows in the evening.
  2. Cafe Zarah Courtyard café and bar, GulouA café, bar and gallery in a renovated courtyard house on Gulou East Street, serving North European breakfasts, homemade cakes, coffee and cocktails near the Drum Tower.
  3. Sugarbar (Shichahai) Rooftop café, Shichahai, XichengA small café by the Shichahai lakes whose fourth-floor rooftop terrace overlooks Houhai and the Drum and Bell Towers, serving coffee, cold drinks and light meals.

Café

1. Lao She Teahouse

Traditional teahouse with folk performances$$Qianmen

A traditional-style Qianmen teahouse named after the writer Lao She, serving tea and snacks by day and staging Peking opera and folk arts shows in the evening.

View details — Lao She Teahouse

Café

2. Cafe Zarah

Courtyard café and bar$$Gulou

A café, bar and gallery in a renovated courtyard house on Gulou East Street, serving North European breakfasts, homemade cakes, coffee and cocktails near the Drum Tower.

View details — Cafe Zarah