Gulou Area

Cafe Zarah
By Annie Wei

It’s hard to miss Cafe Zarah while walking along Gulou Dong Dajie looking for a cheap meal or shopping casually.

It’s red in color, with a small table and two chairs placed outside. Sometimes, you can see young travelers living probably in nearby youth hostels taking a coffee break here. Sometimes, they are just local people passing by who pause for a rest.

The coffee shop inside is cozy with a red sofa, white walls and light wooden-colored tables. Most of the tables situated close to the wall have sockets for laptop users.

There are no heavy meals provided, but simple food like breakfast, pasta, snacks, cakes, Gustomenta ice cream and coffee.

Personally, this reporter likes the coffee here, especially Moccha at 28 yuan per cup. Ask the manager the secret of his coffee making and he will tell you that the secret is not in the making, but getting a good machine and good coffee beans. “A good coffee machine will do most of the job for you.” They are using a red color GAGGAIA from Italy and coffee beans from Italy as well.

There are lots of musical instrument stores on this street, and a famous Mao Live band for live shows. But there is no gallery yet. Cafe Zarah could be a place for artwork exhibitions in the future. Its website, which is still under construction, has invited artists or people doing something creative to think about staging an exhibition here. 

Cafe Zarah
Where: 42, Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng
Open: Monday – Thursday, 9 am – 11 pm, Friday and Saturday, 10 am – midnight; Sunday, 10 am – 11 pm; closed on Tuesday
Tel: 8403 9807