Top 5 – Quiet Cafés

Article By XIANEASE

Though we, the beautiful and oh-so-smart staff of Xianease Magazine, have a spectacular office, sometimes we need to work from home. And since we’re vibrant and incredibly interesting people, our homes are often filled with distractions that make it difficult to focus on the tasks at hand. Sometimes, a venue change is necessary—but the ongoing café boom in Xi’an makes it easy to find a cozy place where you can get stuff done. So, whether you’re like us and need an office away from the office, or just want a peaceful respite from the loud streets (and louder Starbuckses), these five local cafés will have plenty of space for you to sit comfortably and get placid.


 

5-1

COFFEE LAB 咖啡蓝本 – GAOXIN DISTRICT

Coffee Lab, tucked into a more peaceful corner of Golden Bridge International business plaza, is a great respite from the never-ending, Kafkaesque hellscape that is and always will be Keji Road. It’s easy to while away hours and hours of your time at one of their sturdy wooden tables, soundtracked by the pleasing white-noise bursts of their machinery as the staff makes yet another delicious cup of coffee.

A,Jin Qiao Buliding 55 Keji Rd
科技路55号金桥国际A座

5-2

5-3

PINGZE 平仄咖啡馆 – LIANHU DISTRICT

Really want to strip away those distractions? Pingze’s awash in white walls and muted colors and their minimal decoration will keep you focused on whatever you’re there to do, whether that’s catching up on some work or conversing with a treasured companion. The caffeine in one of their smooth cups of java will keep your brain buzzing and, when you finally are finished with your tasks, you can treat yourself with a dessert and/or a beer. For best results, grab a seat at the concrete bar on the second floor landing so that you may look down upon the mocha-chugging serfs as the new King or Queen of Getting It Done Mountain.

#111, JieFang Lu, Wan Da Shopping Mall
解放路111号万达广场民乐园步行街9栋

5-5

5-6

FANJI LIVING ROOM 梵几客厅 – QUJIANG NEW DISTRICT

It’s a bold gambit to call your café “Living Room.” Living rooms are supposed to be relaxing enclaves in a person’s home, with comfy chairs and warm atmosphere. Fanji does pull it off—but because it’s Qujiang it’s less “your” living room than it is the living room of “that friend I have who drives a Benz and keeps making me drink baijiu with him.” It’s very nice, and very cosy, and even though it’s close to that busy tourist area, the lack of statuary or pagodas in the immediate area keeps most wandering travelers away.

South square of Xi’an Art Museum
西安美术馆南侧下沉广场(曲江太平洋影城对面)

5-7

5-8

M+COFFEE – DAXING NEW DISTRICT

Compared to some others on this list, M+Café is more outwardly a café, and more obviously set up to accommodate a big crowd of coffee guzzlers. However, at the time of writing, G-Park Plaza is still Xi’an’s best kept secret, so you can enjoy the sleek, dark, swanky décor of this premium coffee shop, while still avoiding the noisy, distracting masses.

01A G Floor, G-Park Shopping Mall, 22 Xing Huo Lu
星火路22号老城根GparkLG层01A

5-9

5-10

MOJO COFFEE – WEIYANG DISTRICT

If you’re really hunkering down for a while, Mojo, a chain from New Zealand that’s set up shop in Xi’an, might be a great choice. The open concept store has soft wooden furnishings and quaint tile floors that give the impression that you’re in a nice farmhouse, and you can choose to sit at one of their many tables or at the counter if you want to sprawl out a little bit. It’s just a short walk from Line 2, and they’ve got enough coffee and food to keep you fueled for whatever you might be doing.

1F, Han Shen Shopping Mall, Northwest Corner of Feng Cheng 8 Road and Wen Jing Road Intersection
凤城八路与文景路十字西南角汉神百货外面一层

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