Look Right Coffee

Article by James Morrow

Jian Ke Building, Li Jia Cun.
李家村建科大厦
135-7200-8182
8:00am-8:00pm (Mon-Fri)
10:00am-8:00pm (Sat-Sun)

Average Price per Person /人均消费:34RMB

It used to be that a good cup of coffee was hard to find in Xi’an. Now it seems we are spoiled for choices, with coffee shops popping up everywhere, from large sprawling affairs to smaller boutique places. These places will offer up special varietals of coffee beans from the far reaches of the planet. Quality can sometimes vary though, as all the excitement surrounding coffee has not necessarily gone hand in hand with knowledge of proper preparation.

The owner of Look Right Coffee previously studied in New York, a city famous for never sleeping, running primarily on coffee. Upon returning to China, he wanted to open up a shop that offered up high-quality coffee at a reasonable price. He opened his first shop in the lobby of an office building to help supply the people working there with the caffeine necessary to keep up with the pace of modern life. The café is designed for those looking for a pick-me-up on the go, with minimalist seating inside, but a very nice looking patio for the warmer months.

The shop offers more than half a dozen different types of coffee beans, from different growing regions around the world. Each coffee variety has its own unique name and taste, so they prepared a few cups for us to try. Each one was prepared with the pour over method and served black, as requested. The first one that we tried that day was called Nugo Geisha, a robust fruity coffee that had a very complex flavor and sweet notes. It was a delight to drink, from start to finish.

The second type of coffee was called Peach Oolong, which had a lighter fruity scent after being ground. The smell blossomed even further once the grounds were exposed to hot water. The coffee had a lighter body than the previous one, making it taste closer to tea than coffee, which is where its name came from.

Besides the pour overs, which are excellent, they also have a variety of your classic barista creations, including lattes, mochas, and the like. Their barista is a regular in the barista competition circuit and does some truly excellent latte art, for those interested in that kind of thing. They also have a top-of-the-line La Marzocco coffee machine, so their espresso creations are top notch as well.

In addition to the coffee, they also have a selection of bakery items, including cinnamon rolls, croissants, and pretzels, which are purchased from a local bakery. They are of good quality, and they sell them at a reasonable price, 10-12RMB per piece. They have a breakfast special during the work week, where you can get one bakery item and a coffee for 18RMB, which makes for a very reasonable start to the day. They also sell their coffee beans for you to take home, and will grind them in the shop.

They are planning to open more shops in the future, and they hope to bring their own unique type of coffee service to other places around the city. If you’d like to check them out, they are located near exit C of the Jianzhu Keji Da Xue – Lijiacun subway stop, on the Youyi Road side. If you like coffee, this is a place to check out.

If you give this a try, let us know about your experience by messaging us at reviews@xianease.com.