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Best Cafés in Shanghai (2026)

Shanghai had more than 9,000 coffee shops by 2024, and the café scene ranges from global flagships to tiny speciality bars. The Starbucks Reserve Roastery on West Nanjing Road, opened in 2017, is a destination in its own right with on-site roasting and a 27-metre bar. Manner Coffee, founded in Shanghai in 2015 in a space of about two square metres, now has hundreds of branches, including a three-storey riverside café on the Xuhui waterfront. For serious coffee, Captain George Flavor Museum on Taiyuan Road is run by the 2025 World Brewers Cup champion.

Tea and pastry traditions run just as deep. The Huxinting Teahouse on the pond outside Yu Garden reopened in 2025 after restoration, and the Park Hotel's bakery on West Nanjing Road is famous for butterfly crackers, Shanghai's take on the French palmier. Baker and Spice on Anfu Road is a reliable breakfast stop on the Wukang Road citywalk. Many cafés open early and close late, but small independents can change hours often, so check before making a special trip, and expect the most popular spots to be busy on weekend afternoons.

6 places · Updated October 27, 2026

Our top 3 cafés in Shanghai

  1. Starbucks Reserve Roastery Shanghai Coffee roastery and bakery, West Nanjing Road, Jing'anA two-floor Starbucks roastery on West Nanjing Road with a copper cask, a 27-metre coffee bar, a Princi bakery and a Shanghai-only coffee blend.
  2. Huxinting Teahouse Historic teahouse, Yu Garden, HuangpuThe historic teahouse on the pond outside Yu Garden, reached by the zigzag Nine-turn Bridge and reopened in 2025 after nearly two years of restoration.
  3. Captain George Flavor Museum Speciality coffee, Jing'anA small speciality coffee shop on Taiyuan Road run by Peng Jinyang, the 2025 World Brewers Cup champion, with a brewing bar and seasonal pour-overs.

Café

4. Park Hotel Bakery

Bakery (butterfly crackers)$People's Square, Huangpu

The bakery counter at Laszlo Hudec's 1934 Park Hotel, famous across Shanghai for its light, gently sweet butterfly crackers, the city's take on the palmier.

View details — Park Hotel Bakery