New Cafe: Greenjoy Coffee

Greenjoy Coffee claims environmental awareness and single-origin hand brews as their selling points, but neither are the Taoyuan shop’s strengths.

Contrary to a popular belief in Shenzhen, putting ‘green’ in the name of a shop and filling it up with green-colored furniture does not make a place green in the trendy, eco-conscious sense of the word. While nothing seemed particularly environmentally friendly in the shop, nothing seemed particularly environmentally unfriendly either. As for the other selling point, the single-origin Costa Rican arrived watered down, especially for the price of RMB45.

However, the place has several strong assets: a lovely Chinese-born Korean couple who run it, attentive staff, excellent espresso-based beverages and comfortable seating. Also, it’s one of the most peaceful coffeehouses we’ve been to in Shenzhen; an ideal place for studying or writing.  The second floor has a function room with a large table and projector, making it suited for company meetings or brainstorming sessions of artist collectives.

Order the latte or the cappuccino (both RMB27) for strong-brewed, thick-foamed creations and the waffles (RMB33-40) for large, hearty food that comes with a handful of almond slices thrown on top. A chocolate drizzle and dollop of thick whipped cream finish it off for a sweet brunch item. 

During the summer, we project the strawberry frappe (RMB32) will be a big seller.  With fresh strawberries, mint, ice cream and yogurt blended into a refreshing pink sludge, it’s an excellent drink to sip while mulling over the shops decorations: black and white aerial photos of a mystery city (yes, even the owners don’t know; we asked).

True to the proprietors’ Korean origins, the shop offers Korean-style sushi rolls (RMB20-25). Less seafood-inclined customers can order a decent tomato and egg sandwich (RMB26) that also contains ham, cheese and lettuce for another snack option.

Despite its flaws, Greenjoy is worth the eight-minute walk from the Taoyuan metro station. Though only opened this month, it’s the kind of place where baristas have already started to remember return customers’ orders. The filament light bulbs beam bright, inviting passers-by in, and a sense of calm infuses the place. They just need to hold some of that water on the single-origin brews.

Price: Approx RMB30 for a coffee

Who's going: Students, Koreans, area residents

Good for: Company or group meetings, studying, coffee with sushi

// For address, see listing.