Top ten trendy places to visit in Guangzhou

The Guangzhou you love (to eat) is now officially online. This mild city is full of delicious food everywhere. However, in recent years, young people in Guangzhou have begun to emerge, with more and more independent boutique cafes, interesting shops, hidden whiskey bars, and multi-functional cultural and lifestyle spaces.

Wait for Me to Serve

Wait for Me to Serve is a late-night food stall filled with the nostalgia of old Hong Kong. Traditional food stalls seem to be gradually overshadowed by exotic crayfish, and there are fewer and fewer places that seriously serve Cantonese late-night snacks. Friends gathering together naturally want to drink beer and eat late-night snacks, and the nostalgic atmosphere of Wait for Me to Serve seems to be designed for this purpose. The shop mainly focuses on takeout, so there are not many seats for dine-in. When it gets busy, it takes some time to serve the food, but the sincere portions are worth the wait.

Inconvenient Noodle Shop

Near the Guangzhou Tower, beside the TIT Creative Park, there is a 'convenience store' on a comfortable and pleasant path surrounded by big trees, where you can also see the silhouette of the Guangzhou Tower. This is the trendy noodle shop of the 'Asian Noodle Company' that likes to incorporate trendy elements into noodles. The shop mainly serves instant noodles, but they are not made casually. The ingredients are combined to resemble high-end Italian pasta, made to order, and obviously, the price is not cheap, but the creativity is abundant. This place is actually a convenience store with a wide variety of imported instant noodles categorized by region. You can, of course, buy them to take home and make yourself. There is a drink fridge and a magazine shelf with beer, soda, and many foreign publications such as lifestyle magazines 'MONOCLE', 'frankie', 'Premium', etc., making it quite a gimmick.

Night Cap

Night Cap was established in 2018. Many people are curious about why the name 'Night Cap' was chosen. The founder, Mikey, explains that 'Night Cap' literally means 'nightcap,' but its deeper meaning is 'to have a good drink before bed.' Driven by this concept, he hopes that customers don't see Night Cap as just a cocktail bar, but as a space where people can rest, soothe their tired bodies and minds, and share with each other. The seating in the bar is limited, but regardless of the distance between seats or the dim lighting atmosphere, we aim for every guest to experience their unique state of Night Cap. You can consider this place as 'your own room,' 'the usual spot,' 'a good place to be alone,' or 'a dating sanctuary'... but definitely not as a 'business negotiation venue,' an internet-famous bar, or a place to show off.

Cute Meet Coffee Designer Store

"Cute Meet Coffee" was originally located in a container at the North Wharf of Huangpu Village. Its interesting hidden location and fresh design environment attracted many customers. As its name suggests, 'cute meet,' to create more interesting encounters, "Cute Meet Coffee" moved to the top floor of a hotel in a residential area. If not for its reputation, it would be rare to have a 'chance encounter.' Because it is located on the top floor, the owner has put a lot of thought into the outdoor arrangement, taking advantage of the terrace. Curtains, fabric sofas, wooden stools, and wooden tables of different styles are blended together, creating an interesting and novel atmosphere. "Cute Meet Coffee" continues its focus on coffee and desserts, and the new store has developed many special drinks and added many light meal options.

small project Xiao Store

In a seemingly inconspicuous alley in Changgang, a small grocery store has recently opened. If it weren't for the bright sign at the entrance, you might easily miss it. Inside, it sells various household goods, all carefully selected by the owner from designers around the world or classic brands: Arita porcelain bowls with over 400 years of history, Sori Yanagi cast iron pots and glass cups, TON beech wood chairs with classical modernist aesthetics... They all share the common characteristics of simplicity and elegance, exuding a warmth of mindful living, remaining beautiful even after decades of use. You are also welcome to choose from a wide variety of flowers and plants, such as wool pine, anemone, Japanese snow willow, wintersweet, and wood lily. These are not the flashy types but can greatly soothe one's mood when used as home decor. Even the flower baskets are from the old French brand Filt, established in 1860, handmade from pure cotton, perfect for carrying on your arm in winter. By the way, there is an unwritten rule in the store—'Staff members should not appear in photos.' So, please avoid capturing the staff when taking pictures.

RedBookShop

RedBookShop is an independent bookstore that opened in 1999 and is still located in the corner of a building next to the Academy of Fine Arts. From the outside, the building seems to have no operating shops, but RedBookShop, which opens daily, has hardly changed since its opening, including its unpredictable opening hours. The owner is an Aquarius who graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, with a passion for vintage items and reading. RedBookShop has gathered his vintage-loving friends, met his other half, and even had a lovely daughter, along with generations of Academy of Fine Arts students who have become familiar with this small bookstore. The books are selected according to the owner's preferences, and there are almost impossible-to-find pirated DVDs, as well as somewhat scary toys that have been on display for years. By the way, these vintage items have now been moved to the space behind the bookstore. A heartfelt reminder: This is a private bookstore, and its operating hours depend on the owner's lifestyle and business habits. After the Aquarius owner's Capricorn daughter started kindergarten, the store opens from Monday to Friday mornings, roughly from 9:30 to 11:30. However, to avoid a closed door and misleading information from 'the neighboring owner,' you can check the store's homepage on Weibo before visiting.

Park 10

After the redevelopment of the 10th floor of Zhonghua Plaza, 'Park 10' took over the open-air area and created an open-air cinema + bar model. It is divided into several areas: bar counter, scattered seating, and sunken seating area. A large screen at the end of the terrace will play classic movies after nightfall. Because open-air cinema projects are rare not only in Guangzhou but also nationwide, 'Park 10' is very popular even in winter, with the store thoughtfully setting up windproof transparent tents. Due to its innovative concept and environmental setup, 'Park 10' has hosted performances, brand events, and even private parties one after another.

Mark&Mars Restaurant

The well-known 'Mark&Mars' in Guangzhou has finally opened a new store. The 2.0 version of 'Mark&Mars' has chosen a standalone villa with an outdoor garden, presenting a more elegant dining environment. The new 'Mark&Mars' is no longer just a casual brunch restaurant but a competent all-day Western restaurant. The menu has also been upgraded, adding many different types of meat, full meals, and seafood pasta. With more spacious space, better environment, and richer dishes, the already popular 'Mark&Mars' will only become more popular in its 2.0 version.

Jiu Yin Coffee

'Jiu Yin Coffee' is a small shop about both coffee and alcohol, co-founded by two beautiful female owners. They decided to collaborate just three days after meeting, simply because they are both from Chaoshan, and quickly opened this shop. The entire space features a main color scheme of dark green and gold, accented with some brick red. It is a semi-open space located at a street corner, making it very eye-catching. The name 'Jiu Yin Coffee' truly reflects the fact that you can enjoy drinks that mix alcohol and caffeine here. You can choose any whiskey from the liquor cabinet to add to your latte, creating a unique 'Jiu Yin Latte' tailored to your own taste preferences.

Aroma House Yuma House

Aroma House is quite famous in Guangzhou's dessert scene, specializing in cream rolls and chiffon cakes. Located on the second floor of No. 4 Xincheng South Street, Aroma House has moved its dining area to the first floor, adopted a new name—Yuma House, and changed its decor to the style of a Japanese Showa-era tea shop. The shop is filled with many 'little friends'—figurines and toys brought back from Japan. The second floor is now a toy display area for browsing and photography, featuring many of the owner's private collection of figurines and toys. With new elements and concepts, the quality of the cakes and desserts remains high. The 'Caramel Cream Chiffon' is Aroma House's signature cake, with rich caramel and dense cream that surprisingly isn't overly sweet when combined. If you are particularly sensitive to sweetness, you can pair it with the shop's soda drinks for a refreshing balance.

ARTOME Cafe

This cafe is very whimsically located far from the subway entrance, and it's situated in a factory area, making it particularly hard to find. However, the environment makes one forget its remoteness. Upon entering the store, you see a patch of reeds, and walking to the left leads to the seating area, which is filled with Morandi-colored vases, sculptures, paintings... There's even a Morandi-colored bed, which is actually a seating area. The stairs leading to the second floor are designed to mimic Monument Valley, with a fairy-tale feel created by the pink, white, and gray colors. On the second floor, there's a small Moroccan-style private room, with Moroccan-style lamps, carpets, rattan chairs, and wall stickers. Walking past the pure white spiral staircase, there's also a picnic area prepared by the owner. As for the drinks, they offer a unique combination of salted egg yolk and coffee, which I've never seen elsewhere. The salted egg yolk milk cap tastes savory and fragrant, balancing the bitterness of the Americano, and is definitely worth a try.

Firewood Happy Department Store

In a deep alley behind the Oriental Wende Plaza, a new store with an American retro decoration style has opened. It starts operating in the morning, almost undoubtedly making you think it's a coffee shop. But when you pick up the menu, you'll find that besides coffee, there is also alcohol, and if you're lucky, freshly baked bread. It might be hard to define what the main focus of this store is—coffee, bread, or alcohol, or perhaps all three are equally important. Firewood strives to ensure stable quality for every product it offers. In this space managed by a team consisting of a coffee roaster, a bartender, a designer who does odd jobs, and a studio specializing in natural yeast handmade bread, you can enjoy a slightly tipsy cocktail during the day, a cup of coffee to clear your mind at night, and a piece of dessert to increase your happiness, experiencing an extraordinary 'happy' life.