Café facts for kids
A cafe is a place where people go to relax. It is a type of restaurant that usually sells coffee and snacks. The word "cafe" comes from the French word for "coffee."
Cafes are great places to meet friends. You can read newspapers or magazines there. Many people also like to chat about news or ideas. Cafes have always been known as spots for sharing information.
In English, a cafe might also be called a coffeehouse or a coffee shop. In French, Spanish, and Portuguese, it's called a café. In Italian, it's a caffè.
What Makes a Cafe Different?
A cafe is a bit like a bar and a bit like a restaurant. But it is not quite the same as either. For example, it is different from a cafeteria. A cafeteria is a place where you choose food from a serving line.
In some countries, cafes are more like full restaurants. They might offer many hot meals. Some cafes can even sell alcohol. However, cafes in Britain usually do not sell alcohol.
Modern Cafes and Technology
In the 1990s, a new kind of cafe appeared. It was called the Internet cafe. These cafes let people use computers and the Internet.
As computers became popular, so did modern cafes. They offered a cool, new public space. This was different from old-fashioned bars or diners. Today, many cafes offer free wireless Internet. Some even have computers or telephones for customers to use. They also often provide newspapers to read.
Images for kids
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A storyteller (meddah) at a coffeehouse in the Ottoman Empire. The first coffeehouses appeared in the Islamic world in the 15th century.
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A coffeehouse in Cairo, 18th century
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"Discussing the War in a Paris Café", The Illustrated London News, 17 September 1870
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Trieste from where the cappuccino drink became popular.
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Café Tortoni is a famous cafe in Buenos Aires. Many important people, like Jorge Luis Borges, visited it.
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Caffe Reggio on MacDougal Street in New York City's Greenwich Village was started in 1927.
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Coffeehouses often sell pastries or other food items.
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Rumah Loer, a modern coffee shop (Indonesian: rumah kopi kekinian) in Palembang, Indonesia.
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A shop specialized in drip coffee in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
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The Federal Coffee Palace, built in Melbourne in 1888, was the largest coffee palace ever. It was taken down in 1973.
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Centre Place, Melbourne. Australia is known for the "flat white" coffee.
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Cafe neon sign in Breda.
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Café Mélange, Vienna.
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Café Kampela, Helsinki.
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On-campus coffeehouse at Pensacola Christian College.
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A cafe in a former church, Utrecht.
See also
In Spanish: Cafetería para niños