Exploring Beijing’s drip coffee scene

Café Zarah

[Photo by Ian Callison/chinadaily.com.cn]

What I had: Vietnamese Coffee – 32 RMB

Café Zarah is quite a bit different than the other coffee shops on this list. It came highly recommended, so I had to check it out. It feels less like a third-wave shop and much more like a typical café, and the menu reflects this. Unsurprisingly, typical pour-over or drip-coffee are nowhere to be found. Mostly, you'll find the usual suspects: cappuccinos run at 30 RMB, while an espresso shot is 20 RMB.

Café Zarah is still worth a visit, though. I had a Vietnamese coffee, which is a unique type of drip coffee. A small strainer is positioned over a glass with sweetened condensed milk at the bottom, and water is poured through coffee grounds in the strainer mechanism. It is definitely not as nuanced or complex as the pour-over beverages found at the other shops on this list, but it has a rich, chocolatey flavor that I find quite enjoyable.

The space itself is Café Zarah’s appeal, though. It is roomy and comfortable, and even has a courtyard in the center. The food on the menu isn’t bad, either.