also: カフェー · キャフェ · カッフェ · カッフェー
noun
A casual place serving coffee, tea, light meals, and sweets. The most common modern meaning.
from French
駅前のカフェでコーヒーを飲んだ。
I had coffee at a café in front of the station.
あのカフェはケーキがおいしい。
That café has delicious cake.
noun
Only with reading カフェー
Historical term for a bar where hostesses served Western alcoholic drinks, especially during the Taisho and early Showa periods. Often written カフェー.
大正時代、カフェーは新しい社交の場だった。
In the Taisho era, the café (hostess bar) was a new kind of social venue.
Search-only variant; not a common modern spelling.
A more traditional Japanese-style coffee shop, often with a retro atmosphere and sometimes stricter rules (e.g., no laptops). カフェ is more casual and modern.
A direct loanword for 'coffee shop', often used for chain stores like Starbucks. カフェ can imply a slightly more stylish or independent atmosphere.
Borrowed from French 'café', with the historical カフェー form reflecting an older transcription. The hostess bar sense developed in early 20th-century Japan.