As one of the most popular drinks in the world, enjoying a cup of coffee can depend as much on your surroundings as the brew itself.
It’s hard to deny that there truly is a coolness factor at work in almost every coffee shop. Today’s hipsters won’t settle for getting their fix from any old petrol station or ordinary corner cafe.
Here are 5 cafes to hit up for authentic alternatives…
The Dreamy Camera Cafe
A South Korean couple has built a cafe that looks like a classic Rolleiflex twin-lens camera in Yangpyeong. Located in a sleepy village on the outskirts of Seoul, the Dreamy Camera Cafe allows its customers to crawl inside of a giant camera and take a look through the other side of the giant lens. While the first floor of the cafe is devoted to a sort of camera museum, the second floor is home to a small gallery of photography, which patrons are welcome to try and submit their own work to. The singular coffee house has to be one of the most picturesque structures in the world.
Haas Coffee
Want to sample the most expensive coffee in the world? Cape Town’s Haas Collective stocks kopi luwak—a rare gourmet blend derived from beans collected from the droppings of a small, cat-like mammal called a civet. The smooth-tasting brew is $30 a cup, so don’t even think about drinking it on-the-go. Instead, savour it as you take in all the bold oil paintings, whimsical furniture, and traditional, South African décor that adorn the space.
Hammock Café
Who needs chairs when you can just relax and have a cup of coffee or tea in a comfortable hammock, right? This popular Tokyo venue allows coffee sippers to do their thing in swaying satisfaction. As soon as you walk in, the first thing that hits you is the absence of chairs, but as soon as you lay down in one of the hanging nets you start to wonder who ever got the crazy idea of using chairs when hammocks are so much more comfortable.
Dogtown Coffee
With a nod to its surf and skate heritage in the old Zephyr Surf Shop, this laid-back destination in Santa Monica offers organic java, a casual meal and a seat on the patio. The shop is decked out in surf and skate culture, including a pretty rad wall mural overlooking the seating area.
Café con Piernas (“Coffee with Legs”)
Café con piernas – Spanish for “coffee with legs” – is a popular coffee shop theme in Chile where the service staff consists of females who are dressed in revealing clothing. There are numerous of these shops in Santiago, which features a caffeinated Hooters. Generally, the women walk on a raised catwalk behind the bar in order to maximize the view for patrons. Café con piernas is not as seedy as it may seem. Only coffee is served, nothing alcoholic. Strangely enough, you will find these coffee shops filled with businessmen at any hour of the day, not necessarily after work or during lunch.
