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Cafes provide space to rest, to work, to nourish, to gather, and of course, to indulge in excellent coffee. They’re the quintessential third spaces—or environments other than work or home, and research suggests that spending time in these spaces can strengthen social bonds and improve mental health.
This green Earth is home to countless amazingly unique and special cafes, from high-end coffee shops that specialize in artisanal brewing techniques to tiny roadside shacks and everything in between. Yet these cafes stand out from the rest in terms of their sheer quirkiness, and make for unique tourist attractions in and of themselves. Here are five of the world’s most unique cafes.
- New York Café, Budapest, Hungary
- Igloo Cafe Gulmarg, Kashmir, India
- Forever Rose Cafe, Dubai
- Pythonism, Taipei
- The Note Coffee, Hanoi
New York Café, Budapest, Hungary
At first glance, Budapest’s New York Café resembles a palace or art museum far more than a traditional cafe. This dazzlingly luxurious spot is filled head-to-toe with Neo-Renaissance art and architecture. It proudly calls itself the “most beautiful cafe in the world” on its website, and in truth, that may not be far off.
With its marble columns, glittering Venetian chandeliers, gold-paneled pillars, and magnificent array of ceiling frescoes, it has been an oasis of peace in Budapest for over 125 years, other than some closures during WWII and Budapest’s time under Communist control. It also serves coffee and food, and is known for its fittingly elaborate cakes and its extremely rich hot chocolate.
Igloo Cafe Gulmarg, Kashmir, India
Ice bars and even ice hotels are somewhat common around the world, but if you’ve ever dreamed of staring at snow-covered Himalayan peaks through the transparent walls of a glass igloo while sipping coffee and snacking on hot food, you’re due for a visit to an igloo cafe at India’s Gulmarg ski resort.
Located in Kashmir at 8,500 feet above sea level, the resort’s igloo cafes are popular tourist attractions. They were conceptualized by hotelier Syed Waseem Shah, who built his first igloo café entirely out of snow in 2021 in an attempt to revive tourism amid the pandemic—though of course, it all melted away when the weather grew warmer. Today, the resort’s igloo cafes are still resurrected seasonally.
Forever Rose Cafe, Dubai
Dubai’s Forever Rose Cafe is a unique concept coffee shop designed to make visitors feel like they’ve stepped inside a sketchbook. The cafe’s decor is almost entirely black-and-white and is created to give the appearance of a 2D drawing, making it a favorite for anyone who loves to take photos of themselves at cafes and post them on Instagram.
Pythonism, Taipei
You might have heard of cat cafes and possibly even owl cafes, which are popular in Tokyo—if potentially unethical, according to some. Another animal-filled cafe to add to this list is Taiwan’s Pythonism, a reptile store that also serves food and coffee. This shop offers visitors the unique chance to caffeinate and eat while surrounded by snakes and other reptiles, all of which are available for purchase.
The point, according to owner Luo Chih-yu, is to help people break down any prejudices and fears they have about snakes and their brethren. “I provide a space for people to try and experience, finding out whether they like them without any prejudice,” he said.
The Note Coffee, Hanoi
Hanoi is a paradise for cafe-lovers, but one of its most unique offerings is The Note Coffee, a locale covered from head-to-toe in colorful sticky notes left by travelers from around the world. Here, you might find a note from France on the ceiling fan and a poem from India on the staircase, and you might even be inspired to write your own while sipping egg coffee or another one of Vietnam’s coffee specialties.