The 7 Best Coffee Shops In Shanghai

While the Chinese may traditionally prefer drinking tea over coffee, there are still tons of great cafes that serve some fantastic coffee in Shanghai. In a city as large as Shanghai, you’ll find your boutique coffee shops as well as some interesting and unique ones as well.

Take a look at the very best coffee shops in Shanghai.

The 7 Best Coffee Shops In Shanghai, How do these rankings work?

1. Café del Volcán

To say that Cafe del Volcan takes their coffee-making seriously just be an understatement. The seating in this cafe is so small because their roasting machine literally takes up almost a quarter of the floor space here. It’s no wonder then that you’re going to get a fantastic brew from this giant machine.

Try a premium coffee here that uses beans from as far away as Guatemala and Yunnan.

2. 1984 Bookstore & Cafe

1984 Bookstore & Cafe is an incredibly cosy shop that feels like you’re sitting in someone’s old living room. With its well-stocked bookshelves, you can enjoy a hot cup of coffee while curling up and reading a book.

Sit outside on their courtyard-like area as you sip on your coffee and read a book/admire the scenery.

3. Marienbad Café

Marienbad Cafe also promotes a homey feeling with their cafe thanks to the old rustic couches and minimalist touches. The secret to the success of this cafe is their usage of brewing their coffees using secret recipes, incorporating flavours such as sea salt.

Try one of their more popular orders, Sea Salt Latte here at Marienbad.

4. Amokka Cafe

Amokka Cafe is a multi-level cafe that has ample seating for you to relax as you enjoy your coffee. This place can tend to get a bit busy because of their brunch offerings as well but most people come here for the great coffees.

Come to Amokka and enjoy a nice light brunch and pair it with a coffee as you sit upstairs.

5. Seesaw Coffee

Seesaw Coffee is one of the original players in Shanghai when it comes to coffee shops. They claim to be the first to bring specialty coffee to China and they now operate a few shops around China. The coffees here are great and they source their beans locally, from China’s Yunnan province.

In a way, you can’t think of having coffee in Shanghai without thinking about coming to Seesaw Coffee.

6. MO+ Cafe

MO+ Cafe might be a tad bit hard to find as it is partially hidden in a residential neighbourhood. You’ll be thankful once you find it because the coffees here are sublime and their pourovers are the stuff of legends.

Definitely get the pourover here but you’ll have to make arrangements to reserve it before you come into the shop. It’s that legit.

7. OPS Cafe

OPS Cafe has only been around a few years but their coffees have made a splash in Shanghai. With a coffee menu that changes seasonally and the absolute best barista and customer service in all of Shanghai, it’s easy to see why people line up for their coffees here.

The mobile barista service here means that the barista will actually come to your table and make your coffee of choice on the spot. How cool is that?!