Chengdu's New Café Street

Those of you who have been whining about the dearth of coffee shops in Chengdu (well, "except for Starbucks") since you got here can pick your crying selves up off the floor and head over to Xiaotong Xiang, where a virtual fortress of cafés has suddenly appeared.

While true coffee fanatics know that the best cup of coffee in town is probably to be made in one's own kitchen, the coffeehouse aficionados are looking for something different—ambiance in the way of lots of wood furniture, boutique light fixtures, free wireless, and a power source for their netbooks.

Well, there's plenty here: Catering to Chengdu's 1980s- and 1990s-born hipsters, the cafés are decorated in true hipster/vintage/thrifty/DIY style, with a smidge of Ikea thrown in for good measure.

Independent cafés? Check. Lounge bars? Check. Donuts? Check. McDonalds? Check. Chengdu is becoming so much "like home" it's starting to feel like we never left.

Xiaotong Xiang (小通巷) and Zhazi Jie (栅子街) are in the northwest of Chengdu, within the First Ring Road and several blocks north of Kuan/Zhai Xiangzi. See map grid D3.

This article was originally published in CHENGDOO citylife Magazine, issue 38 ("bad taste"). Photos by Dan Sandoval.

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This article was posted by Joe and published March 17, 2011

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Comments

- Andrew L
  March 18, 2011
- The best cup of coffee in Chengdu is at the High Connections Coffee House. It is not even close. They definitely have the best coffee and the best selection, along with lattes, special teas, and cold drinks as well. It is near Metro and the SW Financial University.
- Oddball
  March 19, 2011
- New? Christ on a bike, isn't this magazine dedicated to being n the know about Chengdu? This street and its cafes have been around for quite some time.
- invisible
  March 21, 2011
- @oddball
  4 years ago there was only the loft hostel no.4, then a year later the dodo's cafe opened and gained momentum when the loft's own cafe copenhagen closed down. Around 2 years ago there were like 1 place to the left and right of the loft no.4 hostel and opposite the morning bar opened.
  "New" refers to as there is an accelerated growth of cafe/bars going on, with a new place starting out every other month NOW. So it's becoming a new bar/cafe street, and soon might appear on the tourist map just like the parallel kuan/zai/jinxiangzi. And some of the places literary just opened up at the time of shooting. And the bike was invented AFTER Christ.:)
  @andrew L
  Why has it not collected enough votes to even make it to the "runner up" at past reader's polls?
- spandolf
  March 28, 2011
- but when I go shopping there are never enough places to eat nearby that aren't full from 5 to 7 pm!
  All the restaurants are in the "restaurant street" areas, which are usually far from the shopping areas. Of course I can't get to the restaurant areas from the shopping areas because of the traffic jams, so ...
  How about mixing the shops and the restaurants!
  and bits of oily meat on a stick or a paper cup of noodles and chemicals will not suffice!
  McDonald's is not food either, but I think I did see Christ in there once. He was wearing a woolly hat.