Relatively new to the Nanjing café scene is Flag Coffee, conveniently located just down the road from Zhangfu Yuan metro station, and within walking distance of Xinjiekou. A caged bird just outside the front door and a Confederate Flag on the back wall provide a slightly unsettling experience, but most expats will have already encountered far stranger sights here (and the owner seems unaware of the flag’s particular history or connotations).
At first glance the drinks menu seems quite standard, but actually it’s the little extras served alongside the drinks that make this place so charming. The chocolate smoothie is served with small multi-coloured sweets and a piece of Snickers, whilst the fresh lemon juice is topped with kumquat slices and accompanied by grapes and a customized cookie with ‘Flag Coffee’ imprinted on it. Prices average around ¥20 per cup of coffee or fresh fruit juice. The same cookies that also sometimes appear alongside drinks are also sold separately, as are small pieces of bread and “pancakes” which appear more like dense cakes than American-style pancakes.
Flag Coffee offers free WiFi and a variety of background music (though clearly streamed from a phone). The café itself can probably only seat a maximum of eight customers, but it seems most just grab ‘n’ go, contributing to the peaceful vibe of this well-positioned yet secluded place. Few passersby seem to notice the sign placed on the steps outside the door, and miss completely the slightly odd interior decoration, including a cartoon map and random hat.
It’s probably fair to say that Flag Coffee’s interior probably doesn’t quite live up to the hype of the lights and signage outside; the tables and chairs are comfortable, if not luxurious, and their block colours reflect the overall industrial vibe of the café. However, the small size and relative lack of customers means that the service always feels personal and unhurried, without the bustle of larger coffee shops. In fact, its position directly opposite Jianye Road Riverside Park (建邺路滨游园) makes it the ideal spot for a weekend afternoon.
There are moments when the music seems slightly too loud, the café too empty. The bird by the door makes little noise, but gazes at people intensely. A stack of Chinese magazines sits under one counter, seemingly for decorative purposes, or at least they appeared untouched between my two visits. Yet, Flag Coffee has only been listed on the popular app, Dianping, for about 2 months, so its ambience may well in improve in time, if it becomes more popular. It definitely has a certain appeal when compared with the generic international coffee chains, but only time will tell if Flag Coffee has enough stamina and wow factor to really put its flag on the map.
Flag Coffee is located at 82-2 Jianye Lu (建邺路82-2). Tel: 13023401707.
