Sitting at home, getting bored? Walk into any of the city’s swanky coffee shops, settle down with the day’s newspaper or the latest issue of a glossy mag, and curl your lips around a cappuccino. Or else, sink into a plush sofa with your favourite brew and simply watch the world go by.

Think of café with a casual feel and the first name that comes to mind is Barista. Step into any of its outlets in the city and have your fill of lip-smacking sandwiches, delightful granitas, iced tea and coffee. Pick up the guitar or play a game of scrabble while waiting for your order.

Café Mocha at Nungambakkam gives you ambience with a capital A, and a lot more. An al-fresco seating, an indoor area adorned with a huge bed and cycle rickshaws and a themed loo will have you hooked. If that’s not exciting enough, there are the palate teasers like the Srilankan omelette and chocolate avalanche to seduce your tastebuds.

Café Coffee Day at Cenotaph Road, Teynampet, is a huge hit among the student populace for its reasonable prices. Comfortable cane chairs and a cup of hot Assam tea are what make it perfect, not to mention the exotic Chocochino: hot n’ strong coffee with a scoop of chocolate ice-cream.

Coffee World (Abhiramapuram), a place not known to many, is where simplicity meets elegance. Soak in the subtle colours and sink into one of its comfy sofas. Gun for the delectable barbequed paneer sandwich and wash it down with a cup of tea or coffee. Coffee World even has wi-fi facility, which means you can talk shop with your clients over a cuppa here.

Qwicky’s, situated opposite Satyam Theatre in Royapettah, is an ideal place to kill time before your movie begins. Small, yet cozy, it woos you with an interesting range of coffees—espresso, frappe, cappuccino, Americano and friazzo.

So, hot or cold, what do you fancy?