The Chinese nation has laid claim to many inventions over time; great inventions such as gun powder and paper as well as more contentious claims such as football and ice-cream. One thing you are unlikely to ever hear a Chinese person lay claim to is coffee. In spite of this, Beijing has an incredibly rich cafe scene with little sanctuaries for MacBook wielding Wi-Fi- and latte-thirsty individuals, local and foreign alike, to sip away, chat and forget, at least momentarily, some of the stresses of modern urban living. Here is a guide to some of the best of the caffeine vending establishments in Beijing.

Sculpting in Time 雕刻时光咖啡馆

Sculpting in Time is a chain coffee shop, however, unlike many of Beijing’s other mainstay chains it is locally owned. For the most part its cafes look quite similar, apart from the Xiangshan branch which is an unusual and picturesque setting. Sculpting in Time offers middle grounds between the Wi-Fi hotspot homogenous chain cafes and the more personalized independent affairs. The food leans towards pleasing the Chinese palate but isn’t badly priced and is quite passable to those looking for a Western food fix.

The toasted cheese sandwiches on doorstep-thick sliced bread fill the gap nicely amongst other morsels on the menu. Hot and cold drinks fair well against Sculpting in Times competitors’ and are definitely not to be grumbled about. The clientele at the People’s University and Wudaokou branches are rather unsurprisingly students, although they’re clearly more the kind to enjoy some time with their laptop, a book or some quiet conversation with friends as opposed to raising hell in a dive bar. This is the “thinking man’s’” Beijing coffee shop chain.

Weigongcun Branch 魏公村店

Add: 7 Weigongcun Lu (by the south gate of the Beijing Institute of Technology), Haidian District, Beijing

地址: 北京市海淀区魏公村路7号 (北京理工大学南门)

Tel: 010 6894 6825

Opening hours: 08:30-01:00

Xiangshan location 香山店

Add: 50 Xiangshan Maimai Jie, Haidian District, Beijing

地址: 北京市海淀区香山买卖街50号

Tel: 010 8259 8296

Opening hours: 09:00-00:00

Wudaokou location 五道口店

Add: Huaqingjiayuan Bldg 1, No. 12, Chengfu Lu, Haidian District, Beijing (west of the Wudaokou subway station)

地址: 北京市海淀区成府路华清嘉园12号楼1号 (五道口轻轨站西)

Tel: 010 8286 7026

Opening hours: 8:30-01:30