Where to go for coffee with a 'hug'
Finding the best coffee is a personal mission for many a Luxembourg resident. But sometimes, it's not so much what you are sipping, but the surroundings you occupy.
Who doesn't love a place that gives you that warm, glowing feeling?
Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of cosiness, comfort and contentedness. Which is exactly how we want to feel as autumn approaches. So, we've sought out the best cafes in Luxembourg for a bit of Hygge.
Ancien Cinema Café Club – Vianden
Worth the trek north, this place has big comfy armchairs, a book corner, a live movie screen, art and even a little quiz to get your brain cells going. Housed in an old cinema, with limestone walls, it still has original cinema seats, antique spotlights, and 1960s chairs and tables. The coffee beans are Fairtrade from Mondo del Café. You can also sup tea, served in a Bavarian porcelain teapot and try a polish delicacy or two, surrounded by black and white photos that bring to life the classic movies of yesteryear.
Their events page shows they'll be hosting live bands, repair workshops to pimp your old clothes and film festival screenings over the coming months.
Kaale Kaffi – Rue de la Boucherie, Luxembourg City
It's like you've entered someone's living room, possibly a century ago. Plush velvet armchairs, gilded mirrors and antique furniture, together with art-filled walls, make this a sumptuous place for a coffee, tea, homemade chilli or soup.
The place is full of vintage clothes and items from the 1950s to the 1980s, deep sofas, and cosy corners. You can even play a game of chess or do a bit of people-watching.
Chique-o-Latte – Rue des Bains, Luxembourg City
Green velvet chairs, wooden walls and warm lighting will welcome you at this city centre coffee place. Try the caramel iced coffee, the coconut latte, or some spiced chai with a chocolate chip cookie or a delicious fruit tart. They have a good selection of tea too. A perfect snug pitstop if you're shopping in town. It gets busy at the weekends when the service is slower.
Chalon de Thé - 5 Rue Glesener, Luxembourg City
Not everyone's cup of tea or coffee, but if you do really need a cuddle, then this option comes with plenty of cats, who have made themselves quite at home on the various shelves, cushions and cat trees in this coffee place. The prices reflect the fact that they have to look after their furry guests, but they have a great selection of hot chocolates, including vegan varieties. You can meet the beautiful felines in advance of your visit here. Sadly not open on Sundays.
Knopes Coffee shop – Gare, Ville Haute, Sanem,
In the Robin du Lac complex, at Gare, Ville Haute and Sanem these cafés are less Hygge, but might be just what you need on an autumnal morning. Light and airy, there are wooden stools and sofas inviting you to test out the coffees blended in the workshop at the same site.
Hertz pop-up - Luxembourg City
Flat whites, macchiato, or if you prefer a strawberry smoothie or fresh mint tea, this is a lovely spot on Grand Rue where you can also grab breakfast, from eggs benedict to banana pancakes. The decor includes velvet banquettes and Persian rugs for that snug feeling, but with floor to ceiling windows to let the light in.
Café le Bovary - Weimerskirch
Weimerskirch's secret literary den, host to many public readings, writers' meetings, slam nights, philosophical round tables and coffee-theatre, Le Bovary invites you to step inside its book-lined café and take a seat on the chintzy and unmatching furniture, lovingly put together to make it feel like a home from home. You'll be inspired to write poetry over your expresso, chai latte or glass of wine.
T.Zone Boba - 17 Rue Beaumont
This Taiwanese bubble tea establishment is quite the craze amongst teens. Try black tea with milk and tapioca, or a matcha latte with black sugar tapioca, which is filling by itself, but if you need something more there are Hong Kong egg waffles and toasted sandwiches on offer. Tea is served cold with a bamboo straw to suck up the tapioca balls. They also make smoothies and offer ordinary coffee, in a very relaxed setting with spaced tables and comfy sofas inside, and tables ideal for a bit of people watching outside.
Ready?! – Avenue du Bois, Luxembourg City
Whitewashed walls adorned with upside-down bikes, tables made of cable reels, banks of cushions, comfy sofas, the hodge podge décor screams shabby-chic, with a clientele that includes students, mums, and office workers. This well-loved coffee house can get very busy.
Instant Café – City Concorde
Red chairs and wooden tables give this small café a toasty feel, a perfect accompaniment to some retail therapy on an autumn day. Gourmet blends from Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico and Peru can be freshly ground on request or you can buy some 100 types of tea from China, India, Sri Lanka and Japan.
Konrad Café – Rue du Nord
Wooden floors and 1970s style comfy chairs, suitable for those with a wide girth, you can try out a coffee or tuck into something stronger like a bottle of Ramborn cider. Oldies will appreciate that the music isn't on full blast and the "chillaxed" vibe. It also hosts comedy nights and acoustic sessions.
Ernster L'esprit café – La Belle Etoile
What better way to banish the strains of shopping than a coffee pitstop at this café in a bookshop? Snug tables line the perimeter and give it an intimate feel. An added bonus – you can browse for books after your caffeine fix. Cupcakes, muffins and gluten-free pastries are available too.
Other hygge coffee options:
Comfy brown leather chairs and sofas make Downtown Café on rue Chimay a family option, while the Golden Bean - The Coffee Experience on the same road gets a thumbs up for its chili chocolate, free Wi-Fi and the fact it changes its mugs with the seasons. The busy Coffee Fellows in Place de Paris has a light airy feel with comfortable leather armchairs and black sofas (although on a recent visit the granola smoothie was disappointing). Also in Gare, the newly opened Florence Speciality Coffee serves sustainable coffee from Africa, locally roasted, plus organic wines.
Bloom coffee shop also in the Gare area has minimalist decor but lovingly prepared fresh coffee and home-made cakes. A new coffee place, Intense Coffee, in Limpertsberg, is more clean and fresh than Hygge, but is getting great reviews. Kesselbetrieb in Differdange has some comfy corners with armchairs but is also a good place for a relaxed business meetup.
Not hygge but bike mad the new Gruppetto coffee place at 14 rue Notre Dame is the place to check out all bicycle paraphernalia over an Affogato.
Out of town, consider Bistro Lënster on Junglinster's main street is decked in plush padded chairs and soft banquettes.
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