Beijing doesn’t lack for cute cafes, but Miao Cafe is easily the cutest cafe in the city. In fact it is one of the cutest cafes I have been to anywhere in the world. As its name suggests, Miao Cafe is cat-themed. Located on a quiet street behind the Yashow Market in Sanlitun, it’s worlds away from the usual overpriced and sanitized places that pass for cafes in the area and definitely much better than the corporate behemoth next door, aka The Village. With its gentle and cozy atmosphere, Miao Cafe is like stepping into a real life version of the idealized European world in Miyazaki Hayao films.
Oh, it’s just so crackalicious! Miao Cafe is a veritable explosion of cute! The front half of the cafe is a little shop with a small selection of clothes and a large selection of cute things for the house and adorable stuffed animals, making it a very good place to find quirky gifts.
The back half is the actual cafe, where there are tables that are just big enough for two and a selection of teas and coffees to choose from. Prices range from 15 RMB to 25 RMB, so a visit to Miao Cafe will hardly break the bank.
There’s no wifi here except what you can steal from the neighbors above, but this is no place to spend glued to the computer screen! Although that is the hip and modern thing to do, Miao Cafe is the place for a quiet afternoon reading a novel, or chatting with friends over coffee.
Miao Cafe would not complete without its own cat. Here he is. His name is Tiger. How appropriate! Although there are two friendly proprietresses at Miao, we all know the truth: Tiger is the king of the cafe.
Because the cafe is tucked away in a side street and a little hard to find unless you know it’s there, here’s the address and phone number: 三里屯南31楼1号，No. 1, Building 31, South Sanlitun. （010）6415 3536.