Cathay Members’ Choice Awards 2026: World’s best café
Welcome to the Cathay Members’ Choice Awards. Our annual awards celebrate the very best in travel, dining and lifestyle – as voted by you, our global community of tastemakers.
How do we define the world’s best café?
This year, for the very first time, some of our Cathay members got to nominate their top picks for the world’s best café. And one thing is clear from the finalists: the most unforgettable spaces aren’t just places to grab a quick coffee to go, they shape their neighbourhoods, drawing people back time and time again with their distinct sense of style and dedication to high-quality food and drink.
From long-standing institutions to award-winning roasters, these are the cafés that you felt deserved a spot on the list.
Voting is open to Cathay members from 1 to 21 June. In the meantime, learn more about the nominees below.
The nominees
Captain George, Guiyang
Hobbyist-turned-world champion Peng Jinyang has turned Captain George Coffee Roasters into a name to know among coffee lovers. He opened his Guiyang flagship café in 2012 while still at university, and since then, he has won several prestigious awards, including the 2025 World Brewers Cup. Today, Captain George’s star continues to rise. The café now has several locations in Guiyang, as well as a coffee house and “flavour museum” in Shanghai, and its house-roasted beans consistently rank among the Chinese Mainland’s best.
Patricia Coffee Brewers, Melbourne
This cubbyhole-sized café has delighted Melbourne coffee drinkers for over a decade. The Little Bourke Street institution’s staying power boils down to its perfect blend of product, service and design. Patricia’s menu of house-roasted coffee – black, white, or filter – is kept simple to showcase flavours, while local bakeries supply pastries fresh each day. Grab a flat white and canelé, settle by the bay window, and enjoy a moment of Melbourne zen.
Nemesis Coffee, Vancouver
What happens when a collective of coffee and hospitality experts join forces? In the case of Nemesis Coffee , it results in one of Vancouver’s most exciting cafés. Since opening its first location in 2017, Nemesis has built a reputation for precise, single-origin coffees and a buzz-worthy food programme. At its GNW outpost, a striking red shell-like exterior gives way to a light-filled room ideal for photo ops and relaxed mornings.
Devoción, New York City
Brooklyn-born coffee shop Devoción has built its name on freshness, sourcing Colombian beans directly and bringing them to New York far faster than traditional supply chains. Medellín-born founder Steven Sutton works closely with producers to source exceptional beans, and its cafés – including the flagship in Williamsburg – double as lush, plant-filled spaces that offer a serene counterpoint to New York’s go-go-go energy.