Specialty coffee arrived in Beijing later than in Shanghai, but it has caught up in a very Beijing way: small rooms, low stools, a courtyard tree overhead and a roaster in the back. A large share of the beans are grown in Yunnan, which has been China's main coffee region since the 1980s, so a cup here is often more local than visitors expect.
Where the cafes are
The densest cluster runs through the lanes north and east of the Drum Tower - around Beiluoguxiang, Fangjia Hutong and Baochao Hutong. It is possible to walk between four or five good cafes in half an hour. In the Qianmen area, restored commercial lanes have brought small roasteries and tasting bars back into the old shopfronts, and the 798 art district has a handful of large, quiet cafes built into former factory halls.
What to order
Menus are short. Filter coffee is usually a single-origin Yunnan or an Ethiopian lot, brewed by hand. Espresso drinks lean smaller and less sweet than in the United States. Black sesame and osmanthus lattes appear on many menus as seasonal specials - they are sweet, local and worth trying once. Most shops also sell whole beans by weight with the roast date written on the bag, which makes a light, useful souvenir.
Practical notes
Hutong cafes are small and many have under ten seats, so a table at 10 a.m. on a weekday is easy and a table at 3 p.m. on a Saturday is not. Expect to pay roughly the same as a mid-range American city, around 25 to 40 yuan for a filter coffee. Almost all take mobile payment; a few still take cash, and none take foreign cards. Many open at 10 or 11 a.m. and close by 8 p.m.
Pair it with a walk
Beijing's cafe scene is best treated as a walking route rather than a destination. Start at the Drum Tower, drift east through the hutongs, stop twice, then finish at the Shichahai lakeshore. The whole loop is under four kilometres and gives you a good look at how people actually live in the old city.
