A handful of coffee shops in Shanghai's Putuo district are drawing customers with their settings as much as their drinks — old factory walls, a riverside terrace and a city park.

Bird Water Tower, at Room 201 of Building 8, M50 Creative Park, sits in a building that once housed the Shanghai Chunming Woolen Textile Factory and reopened in 2023. Customers stop to photograph the Puddy dog graffiti wall, and cats Qibao and Qilin curl up at visitors' feet. The Viennese coffee pairs thick cream with an espresso and a nutty finish. Open daily from 10:30 am to 7 pm.

OR.SO Coffee Lab & Bar, at No 3543 Guangfu West Road, occupies a white riverside building billed as the most beautiful cafe along Suzhou Creek. Its "Guangfu West Road 3543" coffee pairs well with a lime souffle; it transforms into a cocktail bar at night and does not serve alcohol to minors. Open 9 am to midnight.

The Garden, inside TOP Central Park at No 136 Dunhuang Road, serves an osmanthus fermented-rice latte amid lawns and streams. Open 11 am to 9 pm Monday to Thursday and 11 am to 10 pm Friday to Sunday.

The Suzhou Creek Half Marathon Cafe, at No 88 East Yunling Road, serves American coffee, lattes and low-alcohol drinks, and sells creek-themed merchandise. Open 9 am to 6 pm weekdays, closed on holidays.

Source: Official WeChat account of Shanghai Putuo Media Center