Cafés can be basic little hole-in-the-wall spots – or they can be gilded, glamorous beauties. The places on our list fall elegantly into the latter category, with decadent décor and opulent surroundings matched by the fanciest of cakes and fine china. Here are some of the world’s most beautiful historic cafés, where each cup of tea or coffee comes with a slice of the past.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover stunning cafés and tearooms everyone should see at least once, counting down to the most unmissable of all. Have you visited any of the spots on our list?
Our ranking is based on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.
One of the Los Angeles locations of small chain Groundwork is housed in a North Hollywood Historic Train Depot, which has been carefully restored into a bright and beautiful little space. The depot was built in the early 1890s and is a registered State Historic Landmark Building. Groundwork has kept most of its original features, including iron and brass work on the roof and windows.
While Bewley's has been in operation since 1840, this legendary Grafton Street coffee house was established in 1927. The café, which pretty much has landmark status in Dublin, reopened in 2017 after a major refurbishment, including the restoration of its façade and striking windows, designed by famed Irish stained-glass artist Harry Clarke. There’s an array of cakes and pastries to enjoy with a hot drink, though the signature slice is the square Mary Cake, filled with chocolate fondant and topped with a thin layer of marzipan.
Tucked inside an 18th-century building in the heart of Rye’s old town, The Apothecary is as charming as it is cosy. Guests sit at tables nestled among shelves of books and dark-wood furnishings, while the menu celebrates British comfort food with teatime favourites such as Welsh rarebit, quiche and freshly baked cakes.
Charming café Buchwald was founded in 1852 and is known for its baumkuchen (tree cake) – a layer cake that’s cooked on a spit over an open fire before being coated in a thin layer of apricot jam, plus sugar or chocolate. It’s just one of around 50 cakes on offer at this timeless bakery and café, which also serves pralines and ice cream.
Balzac's Coffee Roasters has a number of fine cafés in Ontario, but it's the Distillery District branch that really impresses. Housed in an old Pump House dating back to 1895, it's been transformed into a grand, Parisian-style café, featuring a huge Vaudeville-style chandelier complete with candlesticks. The café, with mezzanine seating, is known for great coffee, pastries and people-watching.
El Fishawy is the ultimate spot to experience authentic Egyptian café culture. Tucked away down an alley in Cairo’s bustling Khan el-Khalili market, it can be noisy and cramped – but that only adds to its charm. Open since the 1770s, it is believed to be the city’s oldest coffee house. Though it's popular with tourists, its patrons also mingle with local stallholders and shoppers, all pausing to recharge over a fragrant glass of mint tea.
With a history spanning more than eight centuries, Tsuen Tea House is one of Japan’s most celebrated cultural landmarks. Believed to be the world’s oldest continuously operating tea house, it was established in 1160 during the Heian period. Located in a machiya townhouse, the tea house showcases traditional Japanese tea jars, carved wooden statues and a carefully curated selection of teas. Settle in with a freshly brewed green tea and savour the centuries of history surrounding you.
An institution in Lisbon since the turn of the 20th century, A Brasileira is a real treat for Art Deco lovers. It opened in 1905, in a former shirt shop, and initially attracted artists, intellectuals and writers with free cups of coffee. The plush café is famous for being the first place to sell bica, which is similar to espresso, and for being a meeting place for revolutionaries. It also boasts a fabulous patio area that's perfect for people-watching.
Founded in 1921, Café Hafa has become a Tangier institution – and it's the perfect place to linger over a glass of fresh mint tea. Its open-air terraces cascade down the hillside, offering sweeping views across the sea, with Spain visible on clear days. Complete with mosaic-topped tables, the café has a timeless charm that only enhances the beauty of its breathtaking setting.
Curved ceilings, colourful tiled walls, incredible artwork and stained-glass windows are just some of the details that make Mexico City’s Café De Tacuba so magical. The breathtaking café-restaurant opened in 1912 and, over a century later, it continues to draw in crowds with its beautiful architecture and great food. It’s the perfect spot to sip coffee slowly, indulge in authentic Mexican fare and soak up the atmosphere – and if you’re lucky, there might be a live mariachi band playing.
A café with a view, Pierre Loti Café is named after the French naval officer and novelist who admired the same breathtaking panorama back in 1876. It's located slightly outside the city centre, but the journey is worth it. The charming terrace overlooks the Golden Horn, while the café’s interior remains pleasantly traditional, featuring small tables and dark wood ceilings. A standout on the menu is the gözleme, a delicious filled flatbread.
Believed to be Switzerland’s oldest coffee house, Confiserie Schiesser was founded in 1870 and has been run by the same family for five generations. The establishment is home to a tempting assortment of chocolate and confectionery, a bakery and a beautifully decorated tearoom. The tearoom features striking architectural details, including soaring ceilings and warm wooden accents, and serves a delightful range of sweet and savoury delicacies.
Café Gerbeaud has been delighting patrons since 1858, occupying its prestigious spot on Vörösmarty Square since 1870. Inside, red velvet curtains and high ceilings are illuminated by twinkling chandeliers, creating a timeless atmosphere. The desserts are equally exquisite – don’t miss the Dobos torta, a layered sponge cake filled with chocolate cream and crowned with a delicate caramel topping.
Floating above a pond in Shanghai's Yu Garden, Huxinting Teahouse is truly a sight to behold. The building dates to 1855, and its traditional architecture, complete with Chinese carvings and windows looking out over the water, is breathtaking. Meanwhile, its interior features dark wood accents, beams and cosy seating areas, perfect for sipping Chinese teas and eating delicious dim sum.
Prague is home to plenty of fabulous pre-war cafés, and the Imperial is one of the most beautiful. This Art Nouveau jewel dates back to 1914 and still retains its ornate decorations, with Moorish-inspired pillars and walls covered with ceramic tiles. The place is famous for its hand-decorated cakes; the Imperial, made with dates, is a must-try. It also serves salads, sandwiches, soups and more substantial dishes such as wild salmon and beef tartare.
Bettys was established by a Swiss confectioner back in 1919 and, though it’s branched out into a small Yorkshire chain with an online shop, its flagship Harrogate location is the real draw, with its old-fashioned charm and impeccable bakes. Afternoon tea was first served here in the late 1920s and remains a favourite. Another must-try is the fat rascal, Bettys’ signature plump and extra-fruity scone.
Crossing the threshold of Café Tortoni, founded in 1858, is like stepping straight into a Parisian coffee house – a nod to its French immigrant founder and the cafés of the French capital that inspired it. Over the years, it's welcomed countless illustrious visitors, among them the writer Jorge Luis Borges, a sculpture of whom still occupies his customary table. Today, the café is celebrated for its rich hot chocolate, crisp churros and intimate evening tango performances.
Among Paris’ many historic cafés, few are as renowned as Angélina on Rue de Rivoli. Opened in 1903, the pâtisserie counted Coco Chanel among its regulars, and guests can still request her favourite table – number 45. Angélina is famous for its velvety hot chocolate, served with a generous side of whipped cream, and for its signature Mont Blanc dessert, a rich confection of meringue, chestnut cream and whipped cream.
Café, chocolatier and confectionery shop Baratti & Milano, founded in 1858, is a model of gilded elegance. Its surroundings – with dramatic chandeliers and counters that showcase its impeccable hand-crafted confections – perfectly complement decadent treats like thick, bittersweet hot chocolate. The company is also known for its gianduiotti: individually wrapped hazelnut chocolates.
Tucked away on one of Bath’s cobbled streets, the charming Sally Lunn’s tearoom is an establishment that dates all the way back to 1482. It was here that baker Sally created the famous Bath bun in the late 17th century, and her original kitchen is now preserved as part of an on-site museum. Today, the buns remain the star attraction, baked to the original recipe; they have a distinctive texture and a flavour that's somewhere between brioche and a burger bun.
Located in the grounds of the 19th-century Vaucluse House, this restaurant and tearoom provides a peaceful retreat from central Sydney. It’s the surroundings that really make this place, with fountains and lush greenery that feels like it bursts through the windows. There are also outdoor tables, so people can enjoy a leisurely lunch or decadent high tea surrounded by native flora and birdlife.
Founded in 1897, Els Quatre Gats is one of Barcelona’s most iconic and historic cafés. Once the beating heart of the Modernisme movement, it welcomed countless artists – among them a young Picasso, who held his very first solo exhibition here. Today, visitors can immerse themselves in its storied past while admiring its vibrant interiors (think sunny yellow walls, elegant arches and striking artwork) with a café con leche in hand.
Rome’s oldest café, Antico Caffè Greco, first opened its doors in 1760 and has welcomed an extraordinary cast of visitors ever since – from Casanova and Charles Dickens to William 'Buffalo Bill' Cody, who arrived with his cowboy troupe in 1890. Today, the café still exudes an air of stately elegance, with bow-tied waiters in crisp pinafores. For anyone exploring the Eternal City, it remains a destination well worth lingering in.
One of the world’s oldest cafés, Caffé Florian has been delighting visitors with coffee and sweet treats since 1720. Nestled in the heart of Venice’s bustling St Mark’s Square, the café once served as a makeshift hospital during the Revolutions of 1848, and it was famously frequented by the legendary Casanova, in part because it welcomed women – a rarity in the 18th century. Today, it remains magnificently opulent, with red velvet seating, frescoed ceilings and gilded mirrors.
Café Américain, nestled within the Clayton Amsterdam American Hotel, is one of the Netherlands’ most magnificent cafés. In the 1950s it served as a vibrant gathering place for the city’s artists, and today it remains a must-visit for anyone exploring Amsterdam. Its dazzling Art Deco interior is reason enough to stop by, with arched pillars, stained-glass windows and a round marble bar at its heart. For a truly indulgent experience, book in for afternoon tea, complete with delicate finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones and irresistible sweet treats.
Opened in 1890 as an inn and hostel, Chocolatería San Ginés quickly reinvented itself – by 1894, it had become famous for its golden, crispy churros served with luxuriously thick hot chocolate. Today, its original location spans two floors, adorned with deep green accents, white marble tables and a classic tiled counter. For the full experience, follow the locals’ lead and stop by early for an indulgent (and delicious) breakfast.
Austria's oldest coffee house, the pretty, flower-adorned Café Tomaselli dates back to the early 18th century, when a licence to sell chocolate, tea and coffee was granted to French-born Johann Fontaine. The café, in the heart of the Old Town, moved to its current location in Alter Markt in 1764, and it's been run by the Tomaselli family since 1852. It still serves perfect Viennese chocolate cake and erdbeerschüsserl, a sponge cake loaded with jam, fruit, chocolate and cream.
Founded in 1860, Gran Caffè Gambrinus dazzles with lavish interiors and period architecture, from ornate artwork and statues to glittering chandeliers. Like many historic European cafés, it's welcomed celebrated writers and intellectuals, including Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway. Today, it remains a decadent destination, perfect for savouring rich coffees, creamy ice creams and exquisite pastries.
Dating back to around 1887, Café de Flore has long been a celebrated meeting place for cultural icons, drawing everyone from André Breton, Simone de Beauvoir and Ernest Hemingway to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Brigitte Bardot, Kate Moss and Karl Lagerfeld. Its timeless interior – wood-panelled walls, tiled floors and tan leather banquettes – perfectly complements a menu of enduring bistro favourites, such as classic French onion soup.
Bright and airy, this café and bakery may be simpler than some of the more opulent entries on our list, but period details – grand archways, etched glass, a curved pâtisserie counter and striking blue-and-white tiles – combine to create a beauty that nearly rivals its sweet treats. Established in 1837, Pastéis de Belém is famous for (and named after) its custard-filled pastries; it's the only place that has the original recipe from Jerónimos Monastery.
Housed in the former Royal Bank of Canada building, Crew Collective & Café is now both a coffee shop and a co-working hub – yet its original grandeur endures. Built in the 1920s, the space dazzles with vaulted ceilings, marble columns, ornate chandeliers and intricate tiling. Today, it’s not only a place to sip coffee or work in style, but it's also a sought-after venue for special events, from private gatherings to weddings.
Confeitaria Colombo has been an elegant stop in Rio for a cup of coffee and a pastel de nata (Portuguese egg custard tart) since 1894. The café's interior is utterly lavish, with giant brocaded mirrors, intricate stained-glass windows and a pretty, jade-tinged ceiling dome. There are a few other locations, including in Copacabana and Ipanema, though they aren’t nearly so opulent.
The beautiful building that now houses this grand café-restaurant was built in 1921 as a prestigious car showroom, complete with marble pillars and archways with Venetian and Florentine–inspired details. It retains these glamorous details, but it now offers brilliant breakfasts, lunches to linger over and the most delectable afternoon teas. The latter is a real event at The Wolseley, with delicate finger sandwiches, pretty cakes, perfect scones and proper pots of tea.
Established in the late 1920s by members of the Russian Imperial Ballet, The Russian Tea Room has undergone numerous transformations over the past century. Today, it’s still suitably glittering, glamorous and wonderfully over the top. People head here for a very special afternoon tea featuring blinis and caviar, served in some of the most sumptuous surroundings in town.
Over the years, Café Central has welcomed famous patrons including Sigmund Freud and Leon Trotsky. Established in 1876, it remains the grandest of Vienna’s historic coffee houses – and it's one of the city’s finest spots for pastries, from traditional apple strudels to its renowned tortes. Live piano music adds to the elegant ambience, completing the quintessential Viennese café experience.
Dating back to 1921, Café Majestic is a Belle Époque gem with mirror-lined walls and opulent period features. People mostly come here to soak up the charming, elegant ambience with a coffee, rather than for the food. There are some tasty options if you're looking for something more substantial, though; try dishes like the huge Francesinha sandwich – stuffed with meats, cheese and special sauce – and the French toast, which comes with dried fruit.
As quintessentially Parisian as tiny jazz bars and leisurely strolls along the Seine, the legendary Café de la Paix has been serving classic café fare with an air of elegance since 1862. The establishment is situated on the prestigious Grands Boulevards and faces the Opéra Garnier, meaning that enjoying breakfast, lunch, dinner or even just an espresso here is always a memorable experience. Among the luminaries who have graced its chic, colonnaded interior are writers Oscar Wilde and Émile Zola.
Without a doubt one of the world's most beautiful cafés, New York Café is an Italian Renaissance–style masterpiece. Opened in 1894, it was popular among writers and intellectuals, and newspapers were edited in the upstairs gallery. It fell into disrepair after World War II and operated as Hungária from the 1950s, though it was restored to its former opulent glory – and original name – in 2006. It's now a must-visit spot for anyone exploring Budapest.
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