For ardent Starbucks fans, the main purpose of travel is to experience completely new Starbucks branches with hyperlocal aesthetics & brand new concepts.
For this sprawling Starbucks Container Café in near the Huangpu River – home to numerous 100-ton cargo ships – the brand drew inspiration from the community, with stunning results.
Located beside Wisdom Bay Park in Baoshan, Shanghai, the store is built from 6 shipping containers and adorned with 3D printed paintings.
Let’s take a quick virtual tour of this new addition to your Starbucks bucket list, since it just opened on Wednesday (9 Sep).
This Starbucks Container Café sits alongside the popular Huangpu River, where cargo ships pass daily. Just like the cargo they bear, the premises of the branch are built to resemble creatively-stacked shipping containers.
From up above, you’ll find that the containers were assembled in such a way that it creates open-air balconies, corridors, and overhead spaces.
As time passes, you’ll be able to sip your frappuccino while watching the sunset or starry skies on the terrace.
We imagine the cool breeze can make the coffee aroma even more apparent, heightening your premium café experience.
An afternoon spent inside a typical shipping container may seem dark and dull. But, the tall glass windows of this cafe create a bright and airy atmosphere.
No need to fight for a window seat because most tables are situated beside glass walls which provide a scenic view of Shanghai.
We bet you can even spot your BFF heading to join you while peering from the outside.
Since the café is beside the Wisdom Bay Park 3D printing museum, this outlet mimics the interiors of an art gallery. Upon walking the flight of steps, you’ll be able to gaze up at the ever-changing skyline.
Just like a real-life museum, the interior is decked with pristine white walls to highlight café-themed paintings.
A section of the café features a 3D-printed undersea kingdom — imbuing this outlet with a pastel hues and playful tones.
Don’t fret you prefer to people watch alone, because you can sit next to this siren who’s single & ready to mingle.
Whenever you want to take a break from bingeing on your latest read or finishing up some work, simple exchange a knowing gaze with your sub-aquatic friend.
Starbucks container cafes aren’t exactly a brand new concept, as Shanghai’s outlet isn’t the first that the company has pulled off.
In Taiwan, 29 recycled shipping containers were stacked to create this 4-storey Starbucks outlet.
Last 2012, Starbucks launched its first container outlet in Seattle by combining four shipping containers.
Since our shores are also filled with cargo ships, we hope these Starbucks container cafés will pop up closer to home in the near future.
The Starbucks Container Café is definitely sparking our wanderlust.
Unfortunately, Singaporeans can’t travel for leisure due to the pandemic. On the bright side, the declining Covid-19 cases in Singapore and China make us feel optimistic that we can visit Shanghai in the upcoming months.
Until it’s safe to return to China, you should add this container café in your travel wishlist for 2021.
Starbucks Container Cafe Shanghai
Address: Building 48, No. 6, Wenchuan Road (near Metro Line 1, Hulan Road, No. 4)
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri, 7am-10:30pm, Sat-Sun, 7am-8pm
Contact Number：021 – 6622 0092
We can’t imagine the thought of dining inside a shipping container. But for cafe concepts as chio as this, we surmise it’s like visiting an art exhibition & coffeehouse all rolled into one destination.
In that sense, we can hardly contain our excitement to visit, once the situation abates & travel is allowed once more.
We’d love to hear what you think about the concept. Share your first impressions of this container cafe with us below.
Featured image adapted from Sohu & English Eastday.
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