City cafes blend more than just a taste of coffee
People might be surprised to find out that some of the city’s smaller cafes offer more options than just coffee. There are pet-friendly places, cafes that are great for photography and coffee shops with a beautiful scene by a river. And, of course, there are joints just serving great coffee.
For serious coffee hunters
Wuming Coffee
This small cafe just celebrated its first month of operation in July. But in that time it has gained a lot of attention on a popular foodie social network, attracting hundreds of coffee lovers and travelers to pay a visit.
Wuming Coffee is compact but has room for several small tables and chairs inside, all made out of skateboards.
The cafe is in the front of the establishment with a picture frame store at the back.
Go for “Dirty” if you love milky coffee. You can swap normal milk to bock milk, a specific type of processed milk, to get a sweeter taste in your coffee.
If you love espresso, then you will fall in love with a nice crema sitting on top of your “Dirty.”
Hand-drip is also highly recommended though beans on offer may vary upon visits. Normally, there are four to five beans available.
You can ask the barista to let you smell the beans before making a choice if you’re unsure, and bags of roasted coffee are on sale too.
Info:
Address: 472 Fuzhou Rd
Time: 7am-6:30pm (Monday to Friday), 9am-6:30pm (Saturday and Sunday)
For a variety of tastes & pet owners
DTD Cafe
This is a street-corner cafe where you can take your pets and chill with a nice cuppa.
The coffee shop is not big but it offers some toys for pets to play with and several coffee choices for its customers. Inside the store you’ll find some cute miniature figures on display from the owner’s private collection that add to welcoming atmosphere.
The menu takes the form of a business card holder. The design makes ordering so much fun. If you order a latte at DTD Cafe, you need to specify what you want: normal latte with/without syrup, oat milk latte, honeydew melon latte, coconut milk latte or Baileys latte. Yep, it’s super hard to make a decision. One business card sometimes means a drink with a variety of options. For example, soda Americano is one of them. You can find as many as four flavors: original, peach, grape and waxberry. The grape flavor has grape ice cubes, which melt slowly as you sip your coffee. Remember to stir well before sipping though.
Info:
Address: 988 Changde Rd
Time: 8am-6pm (Monday to Friday), 10am-6:30pm (Saturday and Sunday)
For music lovers
Razzmatazz
Can you recognize the cafe’s name? If so, it means you may share the cafe owner’s love of music. Razzmatazz is the name of an album by Jules Gaia. The coffee shop is hidden in the New Factories on Yuyao Road with a homy decor in neutral colors. The seating area indoors is more like a living room, featuring eye-catching framed big puzzles against the wall, which are completed by the owner.
The cafe offers two different beans for espresso-based beverages: house blend of natural Ethiopian beans with washed Guatemalan beans and single origin washed Colombian beans. With three different plant-based milks on offer, namely, soy milk, oat milk and almond milk, it offers more options for vegan/vegetarian coffee lovers to enjoy milky coffee. Cookies and muffins are available too.
Apart from coffee, you can find caffeine-free beverages like babyccino, loose-leaf teas and hot chocolate made with 63 percent cacao at Razzmatazz. With a few bars and restaurants around the New Factories, it is a great spot for pre-dinner gatherings. Razzmatazz has an outdoor seating area as well.
Info:
Address: 66 Yuyao Rd
Time: 9am-8pm
For photos & the West Bund
COFFEE CALL
Many cafe hoppers call this coffee shop a place where you can disguise yourself in Seoul because it has a Korean vibe. Located close to the West Bund, COFFEE CALL is about 30 seconds’ walk from Yunjin Road Station of Metro Line 11.
The detached building of the cafe stands right in the middle of the lawns, not far from the street.
Each side of the concrete-colored outer wall has seats with several nice views and a great background for photography. In fact, the outdoor seats are more popular than the ones indoors during the weekends.
The summer menu at COFFEE CALL has some interesting drinks, such as gray latte or iced Americano with sea salt cheese foam topping. The latter has a nice twist of flavors as the coffee taste notes go well with the slightly salty creamy foam. You can actually mix the topping with coffee to get a sea salt latte after a few sips.
There is a delicious range of cakes on offer to make a complete afternoon tea set. Apart from drip bag coffee for sale, you can also get a sleek Sttoke tumbler or drip kettles like a Kalita Pelican Pot.
If you play the piano, you may find something extra here, so why not show off your talent to your coffee date?
Info:
Address: Yunjin Rd crossing Longlan Rd
Time: 7:30am-7:30pm
