From millienial to pastel, here are Shanghai's super pink cafés

Photograph: Beverly Shen (L.Fish)

The 2018 Pantone colour of the year may be ultra violet, but there’s no denying the power of pink. From millennial pink to hot pink, Barbie pink, cotton candy and beyond, there's just no escaping it. You might be able to get cheap coffee at every corner of the city, but you can also down your iced mocha in a somewhat bizarre number of all-pink cafés of every shade.

Here are Shanghai's most playful, bold and photo-friendly pink-themed cafés for when you're chasing a pink fix with some caffeine on the side. Pinkies up!

Pink not your colour? Take a look at Shanghai's most Instagrammable cafés or explore the city's best themed coffee shops and teahouses.

Blink Cake

Swipe left for more photos. Photographs: courtesy Blink Cake

Though this café may give off Illuminati vibes, there is nothing conspirative about this spot. The shop’s muted pink and grey theme is juxtaposed with a blazing neon magenta eye on the café’s main wall.

Once you get over the somewhat creepy eyes on the wall – if you’re lucky you might even catch them blinking – settle in for a number of pink drinks and desserts. For a summer refresh, pair the lychee yogurt raspberry cake, served on a beautiful plate decorated with pink flowers, with a raspberry soda.

Blink Cake 1398 Yuyuan Lu, near Dingxi Lu.

L.Fish

Swipe left for more photos. Photographs: Beverly Shen and L.Fish

If a few cafés on this list seem too frilly for you, L.Fish might be your cup of tea. With its black-and-pink theme and edgy decor, it’s more like the home of Barbie’s badass sister. Plastic fish enclosed in neon pink cubes and satirical artworks adorn the interior, creating a striking visual impression that’ll make you look twice. The café also has a mezzanine with a pink metal fence – great for an Insta-friendly aerial view of the chic café. 

Though the menu seems to cover everything from milk teas and cocktails to burgers and seafood bowls, most come for the creative small cakes. Take a stab at the somewhat bitterly named 'Ex-boyfriend’s Black Heart' with hints of chocolate and banana. Or, if you’re not feeling particularly vindictive, try the 'Lonely Planets' handcrafted galaxy mousses that come in all kinds of flavours and colours. 

L.Fish 102 Yuyuan Lu, near Jiaozhou Lu. 

Love Drink

Swipe left for more photos. Photographs: Beverly Shen

Barbie fans, live out your childhood fantasies inside this pastel pink wonderland bedecked with doll figurines. Fitting its name, this incredibly cutesy café emanates love from all corners – from the ‘When Love Is Not Madness It’s Not Love’ emblazoned on the wall in neon coral to tiny pink hearts dotted throughout.

Arguably the cutest part, the food highlights include a strawberry milkshake – a blend of strawberry ice cream, topped with a layer of cream and dotted with fluffy macarons, marshmallows, and small cones – and a gooey rainbow grilled cheese. 

Love Drink 70 Yongkang Lu, near Xiangyang Bei Lu. 

Pearlosophy

Swipe left for more photos. Photographs: courtesy Pearlosophy

An elegant combo of delicate sweets and all things pink, Shanghai-based skincare brand Pearlosophy offers afternoon tea enthusiasts an elegant dining area with blush banquettes and dusty pink vintage French-inspired chairs. Neon lights in brilliant shades of pastel pink illuminate the café’s camera-ready walls, and a well-lit powder room is a great Insta-prop – along with flamingo statues, bubble chairs and a bathtub.

The menu gets with the theme too, offering exquisite pink(ish) desserts served on dainty tableware. The café also sells the Pearlosophy’s skincare products, displayed on minimalist, gold-lined shelves and a sleek pink marble counter.

Pearlosophy Second Floor, No 31, The Hub, 688 Shenchang Lu, near Shenhong Lu. 

Why Tea & Juice

Swipe left for more photos. Photographs: Beverly Shen and Annie Lin

With stores all across Shanghai, Why Tea & Juice successfully marries food and fun. Tucked in a brick wall on Fengxian Lu, this branch’s arcade-styled bright pink facade is hard to miss. Once you finish ordering at the counter – resembling a claw machine – head in to the partially covered patio enclosed by pink brick walls and decked out with stuffed animals, trendy neon lights and a few claw machines nestled in the corner.

The menu features an eclectic and colourful mix of whimsical offerings, including the on-trend 'Unicorn', a blue and deep-magenta fusion of dragon fruit, banana and blue chamomile. But if you’re feeling adventurous, go for a 'Three-color Cheese' with a swirl of magenta, blue, and white cream (which looks better than it sounds).

Why Tea & Juice 238 Fengxian Lu, near Nanhui Lu.

Ziinlife Café

Swipe left for more photos. Photographs: courtesy Ziinlife

The brainchild of furniture company Ziinlife, this café is a library, coffeehouse and showroom all-in-one. The entrance is a flashy (and seemingly endless) millennial-pink tunnel, inspired by Ziinlife’s 'No More Macaron' sofa. And the rest of the multistory space is equally eye-catching, studded with the company’s own modern furniture and flush with windows that allow in lots of natural light – it could be easily mistaken for an art museum over a space that sells coffee.

That's not to say the place doesn't hold its own as a café. The menu is just as appealing as the decor, with decent coffee and cake. Order the lemon cake, a mousse dessert injected with lemon pulp that nicely balances sweet and sour, and is also very photogenic – it's shaped to look like a lemon.

Ziinlife Café 88 Jinjia Lu, near Weikang Lu. 

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