The article offers a brief history of the trend of coffeehouses in China during the 20th century and its socio-cultural aspects in contemporary China. The restaurant Kiessling started offering coffee to the public in 1901, which was otherwise served only to politicians and military officers and in 1988, Nestlé SA entered the Chinese market. The factors which rose the popularity of cafés in contemporary China include high prices at teahouses, and availability of Internet.