Coffee Cultures
Long before "specialty coffee" became a global category, individual regions built their own coffee-house traditions — each with its own rituals, drinks and social rules. Explore the documented café cultures behind our directory, with real venues to visit in every one.
Cafetería
cafetería — the everyday word for café across Spain and Latin America
The everyday café culture of the Spanish-speaking world
Caffè
caffè — Italian for coffee bar
Italy's espresso bar tradition
Pastelaria
pastelaria — Portuguese for pastry shop
Portugal's pastry-shop café tradition
Kahvehane
kahvehane — Turkish for coffee house
Turkey's traditional coffee house
Koffiehuis
koffiehuis — Dutch for coffee house
The Dutch and Belgian coffee house
Kissaten
喫茶店 (kissaten) — literally "tea-drinking shop", the Japanese word for a traditional café
Japan's traditional coffee houses
Kopitiam
kopitiam — Malay "kopi" (coffee) + Hokkien "tiam" (shop)
Singapore and Malaysia's coffee-and-hawker shops
Warung Kopi
warung kopi — Indonesian for coffee stall
Indonesia's everyday coffee stall
Kafenio
καφενείο (kafenio) — Greek for coffee house
Greece's traditional coffee house
Kaffeehaus
Kaffeehaus — German for coffee house
Vienna's historic coffee-house tradition
Kawiarnia
kawiarnia — Polish for café
Poland's café culture, old and new
Kavárna
kavárna — Czech for café
Czechia's café tradition