About Café ECAL

Rating and Preserving the Best Historical Cafés

The best historical cafés in Europe have welcomed some of the greatest writers, poets, musicians, and actors since the late 17th century. Their legacy remains an inseparable part of historical and cultural landmarks. They have stood the test of time and are still alive in our minds as symbolic and cultural epicenters with countless stories to recount.

Established in 2018, ECAL has championed the mission to preserve the heritage of European coffee houses. We invite coffee and history lovers to embark on a journey by discovering some of the best historical cafés in Europe.

From Paris to Budapest, we aim to safeguard the legacy of each café, ensuring the continuity of their historic traditions and awarding the most exceptional locations.

There are many criteria which we hold every historic cafe accountable for. Historical cafe owners have the responsibility to uphold tradition in the broadest sense of the word. Everything must be done to restore the cafe as closely as possible to its original allure from the furnishing, to preserving lighting fixtures and original paintings. Anything that can be of historical value should be treated with utmost regard.

They should also promote traditional dishes that reflect a historical era and geographical culture. The menu should reflect the epitome of local cuisine and should really tell a story. Although modern twists are acceptable, dishes should still draw a clear line to the original dish.A definite bonus is maintaing original coffee brewing traditions or perhaps events that typically took place within the facility.

Finally, no historical cafe can be deemed as such without the location value. The cafe must be located in a building of historical significance. Most importantly, we appreciate owners that go above and beyond to tell the story of their cafe through educational decor, events and the overall presence they project.