Coffeehouse facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

A coffeehouse or café is a place where people mostly go to drink different kinds of coffee, like espresso, latte, and cappuccino. They might also sell cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea. Many coffeehouses offer snacks too, like sandwiches, muffins, fruit, or pastries.

Coffeehouses are popular spots for people to meet up, chat, read, write, or just relax. Since Wi-Fi became common, many cafés also offer internet access for people using their laptops or tablet computers. Coffeehouses can feel like a special club for people who visit often. They have also been places for musicians to perform, especially during the 1950s and 1960s.

Where the Word "Café" Comes From

The word coffee in various European languages

The word café that we use in English comes from the French, Portuguese, and Spanish languages. It became popular in English-speaking countries in the late 1800s. Sometimes, you might also see the Italian spelling, caffè.

Both the English words coffee and café come from the Italian word caffè. This word, in turn, came from the Arabic word qahwa. The Arabic word qahwa first meant a type of wine. But after wine was banned in Islam, the name was given to coffee because it also made people feel awake and lively. Europeans learned about coffee through their connections with Turkey, especially through trade with Venice.

The word café to describe a restaurant that serves coffee and snacks comes from the French word café. The first café in France is thought to have opened in 1660.

A Quick Look at Coffeehouse History

Coffeehouses in the Islamic World

An Ottoman miniature showing a meddah (storyteller) at a coffeehouse.

A storyteller at a coffeehouse in the Ottoman Empire. The first coffeehouses appeared in the Islamic world in the 1400s.

The very first coffeehouses appeared in the Islamic world in the 1400s. They were called qahveh khaneh in Persian, meaning "coffee house." These places became popular meeting spots in cities like Damascus, Mecca, Istanbul, and Baghdad. People gathered there to drink coffee, chat, play board games like chess and backgammon, listen to stories and music, and talk about the news.

These coffeehouses were sometimes called "schools of wisdom" because smart people gathered there to have open and honest discussions. Some religious leaders worried that coffeehouses were places for political talks and drinking, so they tried to ban them. But coffee had become such a big part of daily life that these bans did not last.

A French traveler named Jean Chardin described Persian coffeehouses in the 1600s. He said people would talk, share news, and even discuss politics freely. They would also play games. Sometimes, storytellers or religious teachers would share stories or lessons. People could listen or continue their games and conversations.

Coffeehouses in Europe

A coffeehouse in London in the 1600s.

"Discussing the War in a Paris Café," in 1870.

In the 1600s, coffee arrived in Europe outside the Ottoman Empire. Soon, coffeehouses started opening and quickly became very popular. The first coffeehouse in Europe is thought to have opened in Livorno, Italy, in 1632, or in Venice in 1640. In the 1800s and 1900s, European coffeehouses were often places where writers and artists met.

Austria's Coffee Culture

A traditional Viennese coffee house.

Trieste, a city where cappuccino became famous.

A popular story says that Viennese coffeehouses began after the Turks were defeated in the Battle of Vienna in 1683. The winning Polish king gave sacks of coffee beans to an officer named Jerzy Franciszek Kulczycki. He then supposedly opened the first coffeehouse in Vienna and was the first to serve coffee with milk. There is even a statue of him in Vienna.

However, it is now widely believed that an Armenian merchant named Johannes Diodato opened the first registered coffeehouse in Vienna in 1685. Over time, a special coffeehouse culture grew in Vienna. Writers, artists, musicians, and thinkers would meet there. People played cards or chess, worked, read, and discussed ideas. Coffeehouses were also great places to get news, as local and foreign newspapers were available for all guests to read. This special coffeehouse culture spread throughout the Habsburg Empire in the 1800s.

Important scientific ideas, political plans, and art projects were often discussed in Viennese coffeehouses across Central Europe. The famous writer James Joyce even enjoyed coffee in a Viennese coffeehouse in Trieste. This city was, and still is, a main port for coffee in Italy and Central Europe. From Trieste, the Viennese Kapuziner coffee developed into the world-famous cappuccino we know today.

England's Coffeehouses

The first coffeehouse in England opened in Oxford in 1650. In London, the first one was started by Pasqua Rosée in 1652. By 1675, there were more than 3,000 coffeehouses in England!

These coffeehouses were very important meeting places, especially in London. They were sometimes called "penny universities" because anyone could enter for just one penny. Once inside, you could listen to discussions, read books, or catch up on the news. Coffeehouses helped make newspapers popular and supported the growth of financial markets like insurance and stock trading.

Even though King Charles II tried to close them down, saying they were places where people spread rumors about the government, the public still loved them. Coffeehouses were open to all men, no matter their social status. This made them places where ideas of equality and freedom could grow.

For example, Lloyd's of London, a famous insurance market, started in a coffeehouse run by Edward Lloyd. Here, people who insured ships met to do business. Also, Jonathan's Coffee-House in 1698 began listing stock prices, which eventually led to the London Stock Exchange.

France's Cafés

An Armenian named Harutiun Vartian, also known as Pasqua Rosée, opened the first coffeehouse in Paris in 1672. His apprentice, Procopio Cutò, later opened the Café Procope in 1686. This café still exists today! It was a popular meeting place for famous thinkers of the French Age of Enlightenment, like Voltaire and Denis Diderot. It is even thought to be where the idea for the Encyclopédie, the first modern encyclopedia, was born.

Hungary's First Cafes

The first known cafes in Budapest date back to 1714. Records from 1729 show complaints from early cafe owners about others selling coffee too cheaply.

Italy's Historic Coffeehouses

Caffè Florian in Venice, one of Italy's oldest coffeehouses.

During the 1700s, some of Italy's oldest coffeehouses were opened. These include Caffè Florian in Venice, Antico Caffè Greco in Rome, and Caffè Pedrocchi in Padua.

Ireland's Reading Hubs

In the 1700s, coffeehouses in Dublin became early reading centers. They helped more people get access to books and newspapers. Many coffeehouses had their own printing presses or bookshops. They were social places where different kinds of people met to discuss topics from the news, helping to increase reading and learning.

Today, the word café is used for most coffeehouses in Ireland. It can be spelled with or without a special mark (acute accent) over the 'e', but it is always pronounced with two syllables. The term café is also used for diners that serve cooked meals without alcohol.

Switzerland's Coffee Trade

In 1761, the Turm Kaffee, a shop for exported goods, opened in St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Wallachia's First Coffee Shop

In 1667, Kara Hamie, a former soldier from Constantinople, opened the first coffee shop in Bucharest, which was then the capital of the Principality of Wallachia.

Women and Coffeehouses

In some parts of Europe, like England and France, women were often not allowed as guests in coffeehouses. However, in Germany, women did visit them. There is a story that Émilie du Châtelet dressed as a man to get into a coffeehouse in Paris.

Even if women were not always guests, they did work in coffeehouses as waitresses and even as owners. Famous women in the coffeehouse business included Moll King (coffee house proprietor) in England and Maja-Lisa Borgman in Sweden.

Modern European Cafés

Today, in many European countries like Spain, Austria, and Germany, a café means a restaurant that mainly serves coffee and pastries like cakes or buns. Many also serve light meals like sandwiches. European cafés often have outdoor seating with tables and umbrellas. Some also serve alcoholic drinks, especially in Southern Europe. In France, most cafés serve lunch during the day and become bars in the evening.

Coffeehouses in the Americas

Argentina's Traditional Cafés

Café Tortoni in Buenos Aires, a famous meeting place.

Coffeehouses are a big part of the culture in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They are traditional meeting spots for locals and have inspired many artists. Famous coffeehouses include Café Tortoni and El Gato Negro.

United States Coffee Scene

Caffe Reggio in New York City, founded in 1927.

The first coffeehouse in America opened in Boston in 1676. Americans started drinking more coffee than tea after the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War. After the War of 1812, Americans began importing good quality coffee from Latin America.

Just like in Great Britain, coffeehouses in the U.S. were places where business was done. In the 1780s, Merchant's Coffee House in New York City was where the Bank of New York was formed.

In the mid-1900s, coffeehouses in the U.S. were inspired by Italian coffeehouses in immigrant communities. From the late 1950s, coffeehouses also became places for entertainment, especially for folk singers. Many famous performers like Joan Baez and Bob Dylan started their careers in coffeehouses.

In 1966, Alfred Peet began roasting coffee beans in a special dark style and opened a shop in Berkeley, California. Starting in 1967, Seattle became known for its lively coffeehouse scene. The Starbucks chain later made this style of coffee bar very popular everywhere.

Today, coffeehouses like Starbucks are very common in American cities.

Coffeehouses in the Middle East and Asia

In the Middle East, coffeehouses are important social places for men. Men gather there to drink coffee and tea, listen to music, read, play chess and backgammon, watch TV, and enjoy other social activities. Hookah (shisha), which is flavored tobacco smoked through a water pipe, is also traditionally served.

In Egypt, coffeehouses are called 'ahwah. They also serve tea and herbal teas like hibiscus. In the early 1900s, some of these places became important for political and social discussions.

In India, coffee culture has grown a lot in the last 20 years. Chains like Indian Coffee House and Café Coffee Day are very popular. Cafes are seen as good places for business meetings and for friends to meet.

A coffee shop in Angeles City, Philippines.

In China, many new coffeehouse chains have opened, often used by business people. In Malaysia and Singapore, traditional breakfast and coffee shops are called kopi tiam. They usually serve simple foods like eggs, toast, and coconut jam, along with coffee, tea, and Milo.

In Indonesia, traditional coffee houses are called kedai kopi or warung kopi. Kopi tubruk, a type of coffee, is common in these small shops. The first coffee house in Indonesia opened in 1878 in Jakarta.

In the Philippines, coffee shop chains like Starbucks are popular hangouts for professionals. However, small eateries called carinderias also serve coffee with breakfast and snacks.

A shop specializing in drip coffee in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

In Thailand, the term "café" used to mean a night restaurant that served alcoholic drinks and had comedy shows. This was popular in the 1990s. The first true coffeehouse in Thailand opened in 1917.

Coffeehouses in Australia

The Federal Coffee Palace in Melbourne, built in 1888.

Centre Place, Melbourne. Australia and New Zealand both claim to be where the "flat white" coffee was invented.

In the 1800s, large coffee houses like the Federal Coffee Palace were built in Australia. Today, coffee shops are widely known as cafés in Australia. After World War II, Italian immigrants brought the first espresso machines to Australia in the 1950s. This led to a slow rise in café culture, especially in Melbourne. Then, in the 1990s, there was a big boom in local cafés across Australia. People also started wanting more specialty coffee roasted locally. A popular local coffee drink is the "flat white".

Coffeehouses in Africa

In Cairo, Egypt, most cafés have shisha (waterpipe). Many Egyptians enjoy smoking shisha while hanging out, watching a game, or even studying. In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, independent coffeehouses have become popular with young professionals who do not have time to roast coffee at home. The Tomoca coffee shop, which opened in 1953, is well-known.

Coffeehouses in the United Kingdom Today

The first coffeehouse in England, The Angel, opened in Oxford in 1650. The coffeehouses of the past were very different from modern ones. In the 1950s, Italian-run espresso bars with their bright tables became popular hangouts for teenagers. The first of these was The Moka in Frith Street, opened in 1953. These places offered a cheap and warm spot for young people to meet. Later, chains like Starbucks and Pret a Manger set a new standard for coffee bars.

Espresso Bar

Inside an espresso bar in Baliuag, Philippines.

An espresso bar is a type of coffeehouse that focuses on coffee drinks made from espresso. This idea started in Italy and has spread all over the world. Big examples include Starbucks Coffee from the U.S. and Costa Coffee from the U.K., which are the two largest coffeehouse chains.

An espresso bar usually has a long counter with a special espresso machine and a display case full of pastries. In traditional Italian bars, customers often order at the counter and drink their coffee standing up. If they want to sit down, they might pay a higher price. In other countries, especially the United States, seating areas are usually free for customers to relax or work. Some espresso bars also sell coffee items, candy, and even music. North American espresso bars were also among the first to offer public WiFi for people using their laptops.

The drinks and snacks at an espresso bar are often inspired by Italy. You might find biscotti or cannoli to go with a caffe latte or cappuccino. However, you can also find other pastries like scones, muffins, and croissants. There is usually a wide selection of teas as well. The North American espresso bar culture helped make the Indian spiced tea drink, masala chai, very popular. Iced drinks, like iced tea and iced coffee, are also common, along with blended drinks like Starbucks' Frappucino.

A person who works in an espresso bar and makes the drinks is called a barista. Being a barista is a skilled job that requires knowing how to make many different drinks and how to use the equipment, along with good customer service skills.