Coffee in Chengdu has moved a long way from the chain cafes that introduced it, and the city now has a genuinely competitive specialty scene. Local roasters import green beans directly, roast in small batches in the back of their own shops, and put the origin, the farm, the process and the roast date on the menu. Baristas move between shops, compete in national competitions and take the espresso side of the work as seriously as the filter. The result is that a random neighbourhood cafe is more likely to be good than in most cities of comparable size.
What to expect
Menus usually offer a house espresso blend and two or three single origins, brewed as pour-over or as espresso, priced at levels close to Western cities rather than at Chinese street-food levels. Milk drinks are popular and are often made with local milk brands; iced coffee is the default for much of the year, since Chengdu is humid and warm from April onwards. Many shops also serve a small food menu - toast, sandwiches, cakes, occasionally noodles - and most have wifi and power, which makes them a practical place to work. The style of the rooms varies from concrete minimalism to converted lane houses and old courtyards with the timber left in place.
Where to look
The densest clusters are in the older central districts around the teahouse neighbourhoods, in the university area, and in the newer blocks to the south where a lot of the city's younger population has moved. A useful approach is to pick a single neighbourhood and walk it: the good shops are small and often have no signage in English, and the guidebook listings lag well behind what is actually open. Ask a barista where they drink when they are not working, which is how the local scene is actually navigated.
Practical notes
Most shops open around nine or ten in the morning and stay open into the evening; some close for a break in the middle of the afternoon. Payment is by phone, and foreign cards are rarely accepted. Sichuan also has its own coffee-growing region in the south-west of the province, and a few shops in Chengdu sell and brew it, which is worth asking about if you are interested in Chinese-grown beans. If you want the traditional alternative, the teahouses in the same districts are older, cheaper and equally worth an afternoon.
