cafe

Other forms: cafes

A cafe is a coffee shop, or a small restaurant where coffee is served. Your neighborhood cafe might be a good place to get a piece of pie and a cup of coffee.

You could stop by a cafe for lunch, or just grab a coffee and a muffin to go. You can also call a cafe a "coffeehouse" or "coffee shop," and while the word is similar to cafeteria — and the two share a root word — a cafeteria tends to be a buffet-style restaurant or dining hall. Cafe comes from the French café, which means both "coffee" and "coffeehouse."

Definitions of cafe

1. noun

   a small restaurant where drinks and snacks are sold
   synonyms: coffee bar, coffee shop, coffeehouse

   types:

   caff

   informal British term for a cafe

   cybercafe

   a cafe whose customers sit at computer terminals and log on to the internet while they eat and drink

   espresso shop

   a cafe where espresso is served

   estaminet

   a small (and usually shabby) cafe selling wine and beer and coffee

   pull-in, pull-up

   a roadside cafe especially for lorry drivers

   type of:

   eatery, eating house, eating place, restaurant

   a building where people go to eat