COOL COFFEE SHOPS AROUND THE WORLD
I love the buzz in cool coffee shops – the smell of freshly ground espresso beans, the scream of the milk frothing, the clank of a scoop jamming into the ice box, and the hum of people chattering and keyboards clicking away. When I’m in a new city I am always keeping an eye out for the coolest independent cafes and making mental notes (and map pins) about where I am going to get my next morning brew.
Some cities around the world stand out from the rest – with a lively and dedicated coffee culture and a wealth of cool cafes. Wherever you go you can usually find at least a couple of good coffees, but when the city is teeming with vibrant coffee shops or cozy neighbourhood cafes, you know you’ve hit a jackpot.
Take this list for what it is, cool coffee shops around the world, not necessarily expert-level quality rankings. I am no coffee expert, I’m a ~vibes~ girl. I like to drink coffee, and of course, I would prefer to drink a well-crafted coffee but my coolness rankings weigh heavily in atmosphere and energy, followed by how good my coffee was. Let me put it this way, everything on this list of cool coffee shops around the world is a good cup of coffee.
Here are my power rankings of cool coffee shops around the world and cities with the best cafe culture.
- Make sure to save this post for later and pin these cool coffee shops to visit.
WORKING FROM A COFFEE SHOP
Naturally, not all coffee shops are going to be suitable for digital nomads to work from… I can say with confidence that the cities that have a wealth of cool cafes will always have at least a number that cater to the remote worker, where you can linger comfortably with wifi and outlets. Some places are better than others for the digital nomads.
Melbourne, Australia
I can’t possibly start this list anywhere other than Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne is arguably a godfather of cities with a serious specialty coffee culture. It has international recognition for being a coffee capital and for good reason.
You know how Australians seem to just have a cool factor to them… well their coffee shops absolutely do too. Melbourne’s little laneways are lined with cool cafes, with crowds of people spilling out, sipping on flat whites. 95% of Australian cafes are independently owned1 which drives the high standards of excellence in every cafe and every cup.
With just a few days in Melbourne, you can expect not to sleep because you will have had so much caffeine every day just trying to visit them all! These are some of my favourite cool coffee shops in Melbourne but this list could be 20+ long and I still wouldn’t have scratched the surface.
Patricia Coffee Brewers
BROTHER BABA BUDAN
BELL STREET COFFEE WINDOW
CHIANG MAI, THAILAND
Chiang Mai is a total digital nomad hotspot in Southeast Asia, and the city has an almost overwhelming number of amazing coffee shops to enjoy! When I was first backpacking Southeast Asia, I came across Lady Bake, and there was a young woman working from her laptop in the sunny courtyard. I said to myself that one day I would return to Chang Mai to do the same – and did I ever! I hit a few dozen coffee shops in my week of digital nomading in Chiang Mai, and I still have coffee shops I never got to. Chiang Mai is easily one of the best cities for cafe hopping around the world.
lady bake
Akha Ama Phrasingh
GRAPH contemporary
- For anyone with a sweet tooth, Lady Bake has a fantastic, soft chocolate chip cookie on the menu which is a real delight to be able to find while you're travelling!
Istanbul, Turkiye
It should come as no surprise that a country with it’s own coffee brewing method would be a hot spot in the coffee scene. Istanbul, Türkiye has a wealth of cafes that line it’s streets across two continents – some are ultra contemporary and some steeped in history, but guaranteed at all of them you can get yourself a good cup of coffee (Turkish style or not).
You can find cool cafes are all over town, but I took particular note while in Kadıköy, on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. There are a few streets that are absolutely lined with cool cafes, and it felt like there were dozens and dozens of cafes that looked incredibly inviting.
noir pit
BLAK COFFEE CO.
LIL BAKE
Seoul, South Korea
South Korea puts a unique focus on ‘concepts’. A concept is more than we think – it is the intricate combination of a theme, of styling, of a vision, and how they come together to evoke a specific experience for us. Whether it is the debut of a new K-pop group, a beauty pop-up event, or the vision for a cool coffee shop, you can trust that, in South Korea, it will be carefully crafted and curated.
On an absolute washout day in Seoul I decided to wander from coffee shop to coffee shop, stopping at each one to escape the rain and enjoy the unique atmospheres. By the end of the day I had consumed a half dozen coffees in coffee shops that were all so different from the other and was wired on caffeine until the early hours of the night.
On top of the unique atmospheres, the baristas are continuously innovating in order to serve high quality brews.
FRONT SEOUL
LAYERED
rain report
Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town is the IT GIRL. She has it all. The Mother City’s beaches are gorgeous, the restaurants are delicious, the weekend markets are buzzing, the bars are too cool, and the coffee shop scene is thriving. The city has it all, and wherever you find yourself in the city, you will be spoiled for choice of hip coffee shops with well-styled interiors filled with a lively crowd animating every space.
TRUTH COFFEE ROASTING
the strangers club
ROSETTA ROASTERY
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Like Cape Town, the coffee shop scene in Buenos Aires is thriving. You’ll be spoiled for your choice of hip coffee shops, no matter which neighbourhood you find yourself in. You certainly won’t have a hard time finding an inviting cafe for a morning brew, or a chic pitstop for an afternoon pick-me-up!
EL ATENEO
bulevar
WAPA
Medellin, Colombia
Colombia is one of the largest exporters of coffee globally, so it is no wonder that a coffee-growing region is home to a leading coffee scene in Medellín. Amplified by the ever-growing community of digital nomads who flock to the city, Medellín has definitely found its perfect blend of coffee and connectivity.
PERGAMINO &Edinburgh
Honourable mentions
BAR SAN CALISTO – ROME, ITALY
CAFE LAM – HANOI, VIETNAM
Cafe La Farmacia – Montevideo, Uruguay
Happy trip planning!
From one traveller to another, I hope this guide to the coolest coffee shops around the world gives you some must-visit cafe ideas for your future travels.
If want to talk coffee or simply want a consultation about visiting any of the cities or cafes I mentioned, I have a personalized trip planning and advice service available to all Everywhere Travel Club readers. I’d love to chat for an hour with you and help answer any questions you’re working through, share fun ideas, and help bring your big trip into reality! For more info about the one one-on-one call for advice check out the details of my Personalized Travel Planning Sesh.
Let me know what you think about this guide or if it helped you – I’d love to hear from you! You can find me everywhere on the Everywhere Travel Club Instagram, TikTok or Pinterest!