steep — a global guide to specialty cafes and bars
Honest, opinionated reviews of the world's best cafes and bars. Tokyo, Lisbon, Oslo, Madrid and beyond.
229 venues reviewed across 23 cities. Every one visited and paid for in person. No one pays to be featured or ranked higher.
Steep Picks
- Komet Café Steep PickKungsholmen · Stockholm · Steep Index 9.0/10
Stockholm's best cafe, full stop: exceptional filter coffee and espresso, homemade pastries that set the neighbourhood standard, and staff who make you feel like a regular on the first visit.
- Baobá Café Bica Steep PickBica, Cais do Sodré · Lisbon · Steep Index 9.0/10
A Brazilian family farm grows the beans in São Paulo, ships them to Lisbon, and roasts them on-site on a narrow Bica street beside the funicular. The specialty espresso is €1.50. This is, without argument, one of the best reasons to be in Cais do Sodré before 9am.
- RØST Bakery Steep PickRotermann Quarter, Kesklinn · Tallinn · Steep Index 8.9/10
A Scandinavian-influenced sourdough bakery and specialty coffee shop in the heart of Tallinn's Rotermann Quarter, anchored by a cardamom bun worth the trip alone.
- Brown Sound Coffee Steep PickTsudanuma, Narashino · Chiba · Steep Index 8.9/10
A compact, carefully considered specialty cafe in Tsudanuma with latte craftsmanship that has no business being this good in a room this small. The best reason to come to Narashino.
- Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills, By Hyatt Steep PickToranomon, Minato · Tokyo · Steep Index 8.9/10
The rooftop bar on the 51st floor of Toranomon Hills Mori Tower where the Tokyo skyline does the heavy work and a genuinely imaginative cocktail program does not let it do all of it alone.
- Capela Incomum Steep PickBaixa · Porto · Steep Index 8.9/10
A deconsecrated 19th-century chapel turned wine bar in the heart of Porto, serene enough to make the crowds outside feel far away.
- The Bvlgari Lounge Steep PickYaesu, Chuo · Tokyo · Steep Index 8.8/10
A 40th-floor afternoon tea lounge inside Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo, built around Italian-inspired sweets, scrumptious scones, and a genuinely exceptional tea list.
- 7g Roaster & Apartments Steep PickGaia Riverside, Vila Nova de Gaia · Porto · Steep Index 8.8/10
An on-site roaster on a quiet Gaia street, five minutes from the Douro and a long way from the tourist trail. The brunch is the reason people come back. The coffee is why they stay past noon.
- Cafe Regatta Steep PickTöölö · Helsinki · Steep Index 8.8/10
A small red cottage on the Töölönlahti waterfront in Helsinki, serving filter coffee and scrumptious cinnamon rolls with one of the most charming settings in the city.
- HIMKOK Steep PickStorgata · Oslo · Steep Index 8.8/10
A World's 50 Best Bar with an on-site distillery, an award-winning interior carved out of a 19th-century Oslo building, and cocktails that make a serious case for Nordic ingredients.
- The Bvlgari Bar Steep PickYaesu, Chuo · Tokyo · Steep Index 8.8/10
A 45th-floor rooftop bar inside Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo, all panoramic skyline views, minimalist Italian design, and a cocktail programme sharp enough to match the address.
- Tokyo Confidential Steep PickAzabujuban, Minato · Tokyo · Steep Index 8.8/10
Six floors above Azabujuban with a secret 7th-floor rooftop that most of Tokyo has not found yet. The cocktails are creative enough that the view almost becomes secondary.
Cities
- Tokyo159 venues reviewed
- Kyoto1 venue reviewed
- Osaka2 venues reviewed
- Chiba2 venues reviewed
- Kamakura0 venues reviewed
- Taipei3 venues reviewed
- Bangkok14 venues reviewed
- Seoul0 venues reviewed
- Melbourne0 venues reviewed
- Lisbon7 venues reviewed
- Porto6 venues reviewed
- Cascais1 venue reviewed
- Granada2 venues reviewed
- San Sebastian2 venues reviewed
- Madrid6 venues reviewed
- Stockholm2 venues reviewed
- Oslo3 venues reviewed
- Helsinki3 venues reviewed
- Tallinn2 venues reviewed
- Edinburgh3 venues reviewed
- London2 venues reviewed
- New York0 venues reviewed
- Mexico City9 venues reviewed