Nanjing Independent Coffee Guide: Top 10 Cafes for Foreign Visitors
Nanjing's independent coffee scene has grown from almost nothing over the past decade to become a new calling card for this ancient city of six dynasties. This guide pulls together multiple local discovery lists and…
Nanjing's independent coffee scene has grown from almost nothing over the past decade to become a new calling card for this ancient city of six dynasties. This guide pulls together multiple local discovery lists and visitor reviews to select the 10 independent cafes most worth a special trip for foreign visitors. Each entry includes signature drinks, food, address, and a reason to go — everything you need to find them and enjoy them.
Note: Addresses, signature products, and other details are compiled from public sources including Dianping, Xiaohongshu, Mafengwo, Ctrip, and official shop accounts. Actual trading status should be verified on the day of your visit. Some shops have multiple locations; this guide prioritises the most representative flagship or original branch.
1. UNiUNi Coffee
Address: Second floor, Huan-Asia Catherine Plaza, 1 Beijing East Road, Xuanwu District (flagship); additional branches at Golden Eagle World, Jiangning Golden Eagle, and Shuimu Qinhuai Average spend: Around 60 yuan
About the cafe: UNiUNi is the face of Nanjing's specialty coffee scene. The cafe hosted the 2018 World Barista Championship China Regional Competition (Nanjing leg), and its barista Du Jianing went on to win the 2019 World Brewers Cup. The space is minimal — all white, with a striking red curved bar — and every cup is made in full view, from grinding to pouring.
Signature drinks: Single-origin pour-over, blueberry tarte latte, espresso house blend Food: Raspberry black forest cake, Basque cheesecake, croissant Why visit: Coffee treated as a serious discipline. This is where many visitors from other cities come first when they arrive in Nanjing.
2. Fishtank Coffee
Address: Xinanli Block, 400 Zhongshan South Road, Qinhuai District (flagship); additional branches including one at the Olympic Sports Center Average spend: Around 50 yuan
About the cafe: Open since 2012, Fishtank is one of Nanjing's original specialty coffee shops, once described by a local magazine as "a monastery built from coffee beans." Warm wood interiors, curved booth seating, and rotating photography exhibitions on the walls set the mood. The cafe switches between "coffee by day, cocktails by night" — quiet in the afternoon, lively after dark.
Signature drinks: House pour-over "End-of-the-Road Bloom," classic espresso drinks Food: House-made pastries, light meals Why visit: Sitting with a pour-over among the grey brickwork of a century-old quarter, you can feel both the grain of old south Nanjing and the origins of its independent coffee culture at the same time.
3. Clip Coffee Lab
Address: 1 Shuangjing Lane, Jiangjun Lane, Zhujiang Road, Xuanwu District (first branch); additional branches on Shifu Bridge and Nantai Lane Average spend: Around 30 yuan
About the cafe: The logo is a paperclip, with the tagline "even a small paperclip can connect you and me." Clip started as a tiny street-window kiosk only a few square metres in size, then expanded into three themed shops. The Shifu Bridge branch is the largest flagship; the Nantai Lane branch is designed to look like a vintage dining car, and sitting inside really does feel like boarding a train heading somewhere far away.
Signature drinks: Oat milk latte, seasonal specials (persimmon and mochi, osmanthus rice wine, and others) Food: Sea-salt caramel cheesecake, egg waffles, seasonal desserts Why visit: A local Nanjing success story — warm, character-rich, and easy on the budget. A good choice as your first Nanjing coffee experience.
4. COMFORT COFFEE
Address: 118 Hongwu North Road, Xuanwu District (flagship); additional branches in the Hongmiao area Average spend: Around 30 yuan
About the cafe: The name sounds unassuming, but this is one of Nanjing's rising stars in street-facing coffee. With windows on two streets and an eye-catching facade, it consistently tops local discovery rankings. Pour-over beans come from Nanjing's well-regarded roastery M2M, and the volume of daily orders and repeat customers is high. The surrounding block has been nicknamed the "Hongmiao Coffee Universe."
Signature drinks: M2M bean pour-over, milk coffee series Food: Light meals, baked goods Why visit: A quality coffee at an honest price on one of Nanjing's liveliest corners near Xinjiekou — a window onto both the warmth of old city life and the habits of a new generation of young Nanjing residents.
5. NEGA MONTO
Address: 41-7 Yujia Lane, Shigu Road, Qinhuai District Average spend: Around 30 yuan
About the cafe: NEGA MONTO means "snow mountain" in Esperanto; the logo is a mountain peak. The owner, a longtime Nanjing local and passionate cyclist and outdoor enthusiast, opened the cafe with a deliberately rugged, vintage aesthetic: a dark green facade, dim interiors, and displays of vintage motorcycles and outdoor gear. As much a lifestyle concept store as a coffee shop, it also carries workwear and outdoor accessories.
Signature drinks: Single-origin specials named after mountain peaks, rotating seasonally Food: Light meals Why visit: If you are into a vintage or outdoor-influenced aesthetic, this shop covers coffee, browsing, and a great photo opportunity all at once.
6. Camphood
Address: Unit 15, Yanggongjing Service Building, Qinhuai District Average spend: Around 45 yuan
About the cafe: The owner returned from a camping festival in Japan and opened this shop, moving tents, kayaks, camp cookware, and trees into about 100 square metres of interior space. Coffee by day, bar by night. The espresso machine is a La Marzocco — a professional-grade setup — and this is widely considered the most immersive entry in Nanjing's "coffee by day, cocktails by night" scene.
Signature drinks: Signature camping-themed specials, pour-over Food: Bar snacks, simple light meals Why visit: This is Nanjing's only cafe that genuinely makes you feel like you are outdoors while sitting indoors. A distinctive spatial experience and a natural spot for photos or a relaxed catch-up.
7. Standing Room (Southeast University Branch)
Address: 9-3 Zhen Lane, Xuanwu District (near the south gate of Southeast University) Average spend: Around 20 yuan
About the cafe: Known to locals as "S House," Standing Room has held a permanent spot on every Nanjing best-value coffee list. Nearly every drink is priced at around 20 yuan, the orange juice is famously intense, and the quality is as steady as it comes. The owner's stated goal is to make coffee that suits Chinese tastes.
Signature drinks: House-blend orange juice drink, flat white, Americano Food: Simple meals Why visit: If your budget is tight but you still want a consistently good cup, this is the floor-price best-in-class option. The old Southeast University campus next door is worth a look while you are at it.
8. Urban Camp
Address: Unit 1, Building 15, Minghua New Village, Guanjia Bridge, Gulou District Average spend: Around 40 yuan
About the cafe: Urban Camp relocated from its original location to Guanjia Bridge some years ago, gaining a larger and brighter space that still runs with the same "urban camping" aesthetic: folding chairs at the entrance, canvas wall decorations, sunken private nooks, and outdoor accessories on display. The sign out front reads "Not Real Camp, Just Free Spirit and Good Coffee." The current location also has an in-house bakery producing scones and cakes from scratch.
Signature drinks: Signature Cream Dirty (cream with cinnamon crumble), pour-over Food: House-baked scones, pound cake, and other freshly made baked goods Why visit: The rare Nanjing independent cafe with its own bakery kitchen. Come for a coffee and stay for a scone straight from the oven.
9. Burp Coffee
Address: Building 23, Nanjing National Creative Park, 66 Lingjiao Market, Laifeng Street, Qinhuai District Average spend: Around 45 yuan
About the cafe: Set inside the National Creative Park, a 1950s factory complex that has been converted into a creative hub. The cafe has a reclaimed-timber-and-brass entrance, vintage collegiate interiors, and a menu and mini-programme that both give off an air of independent spirit. Order on the ground floor; window seats upstairs look out over the park courtyard. The head barista trained with the UNiUNi team, so the coffee is reliably good. Cold brew bottles have a cult following — more than a few customers have kept them as paperweights.
Signature drinks: "Hot-Blooded Campus" signature drink (with roasted red pepper and banana), cold brew, strawberry and coconut latte Food: Light meals and pastries Why visit: Coffee in a converted 1950s factory with a collegiate personality, in a park worth exploring on its own — one of the most rewarding half-day coffee destinations near Xinjiekou.
10. Botanical Silver
Address: Room 101, 18 Cibei Community, Gulou District (near Xinjiekou) Average spend: Around 25 yuan
About the cafe: The concept is "plants plus antiques plus coffee plus design" in a compact combined-concept space. Walls of greenery and succulents, botanical prints, vintage furniture, and silver objects combine to bring a private greenhouse atmosphere right into the Xinjiekou shopping district. Small in size, but memorably quiet and unusual.
Signature drinks: Osmanthus Dirty, caramel cinnamon latte Food: Light meals, desserts Why visit: After the buzz of Xinjiekou, Botanical Silver is the ideal counterpoint — Nanjing's closest thing to a coffee shop inside a botanical garden.
Itinerary Tips
- Xinjiekou cluster: Within one kilometre of Xinjiekou you can link up Standing Room, Clip Coffee Lab, Botanical Silver, and UNiUNi (Catherine Plaza branch) — ideal for a full-day coffee walk.
- Republican-era route: The Yihe Road and Gulou corridor leads through historic villas; pair this with Burp Coffee at the National Creative Park and the moodier Camphood for a "historic mansions in the morning, factory loft in the afternoon" double theme.
- Old City South route: Start at Fishtank (Xinanli), wander through Laomendong and the Confucius Temple area, then finish with a coffee — a classic Jinling old-meets-new afternoon.
- Payment: Most independent cafes accept WeChat Pay and Alipay; a few smaller shops are cash only, so it is worth carrying a small amount of cash.
- Opening hours: Most shops are open roughly 10:00–18:00; some specialty shops close on Monday. Check on Dianping for the latest hours before you go.
All information is compiled from public sources. Actual products, opening hours, and addresses should be verified against each shop's official account or the latest Dianping listing.
We run small-group walks in Nanjing with the writers of these guides.