What is "coffeehouse"

Coffeehouse \Cof"fee*house`\ (k[add]"f[-e]*hous`), n. A house of entertainment, where guests are supplied with coffee and other refreshments, and where men meet for conversation.

The coffeehouse must not be dismissed with a cursory mention. It might indeed, at that time, have been not improperly called a most important political institution. . . . The coffeehouses were the chief organs through which the public opinion of the metropolis vented itself. . . . Every man of the upper or middle class went daily to his coffeehouse to learn the news and discuss it. Every coffeehouse had one or more orators, to whose eloquence the crowd listened with admiration, and who soon became what the journalists of our own time have been called -- a fourth estate of the realm.
--Macaulay.

alt. An establishment where coffee is served to clients; a café. n. An establishment where coffee is served to clients; a café.

n. a small restaurant where drinks and snacks are sold [syn: cafe, coffee shop, coffee bar]

A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment which primarily serves hot coffee, related coffee beverages (e.g., café latte, cappuccino, espresso), tea, and other hot beverages. Some coffeehouses also serve cold beverages such as iced coffee and iced tea. Many cafés also serve some type of food, such as light snacks, muffins, or pastries. Coffeehouses range from owner-operated small businesses to large multinational corporations.

In continental Europe, a café is a traditional type of coffeehouse, but elsewhere the term "café" may also refer to a tea room, " greasy spoon" (a small and inexpensive restaurant, colloquially called a "caff"), transport café, or other casual eating and drinking place. A coffeehouse may share some of the same characteristics of a bar or restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. Many coffee houses in the Middle East and in West Asian immigrant districts in the Western world offer shisha (nargile in Greek and Turkish), flavored tobacco smoked through a hookah. Espresso bars are a type of coffeehouse that specializes in serving espresso and espresso-based drinks.

From a cultural standpoint, coffeehouses largely serve as centers of social interaction: the coffeehouse provides patrons with a place to congregate, talk, read, write, entertain one another, or pass the time, whether individually or in small groups. Since the development of Wi-Fi, coffeehouses with this capability have also become places for patrons to access the Internet on their laptops and tablet computers. A coffeehouse can serve as an informal club for its regular members. As early as the 1950s Beatnik era and the 1960s folk music scene, coffeehouses have hosted singer-songwriter performances, typically in the evening.

A coffeehouse is a social event, often held to raise funds for and/or generate awareness of a social cause or other event.

The name "coffeehouse" is derived from the limited menu which is typically available at the social event: coffee is usually the featured beverage, together with other non-alcoholic beverages such as soda, juice and tea. Desserts and snack foods may round out the menu.

Folk music and other acoustic concerts are the primary activity at many coffee houses. Other coffeehouses allow patrons to sing, dance, read poetry, perform stand-up comedy, or demonstrate other talents as entertainment during the event. Still other coffeehouses feature lectures and presentations to raise awareness about social issues such as political oppression, food / freshwater shortages, and/or outbreaks of disease in various countries. Some coffeehouses may facilitate other activities such as a mass letter writing campaign or signing petitions.

Some coffeehouses have free admission, but others require a small entrance fee. If money is collected as an entrance fee, it is often donated in whole or in part to the social cause, after covering expenses.

Coffeehouses are often sponsored by a permanent, semi-commercial coffeehouse venue, such as the well-known Club Passim and Caffe Lena. Churches, non-profits, school groups, and other private groups also sponsor coffee houses in church meeting rooms, colleges, and high schools. In particular, schools often sponsor coffeehouses to allow students to socialize in an explicitly non-alcoholic environment.

A coffeehouse is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages.

Coffeehouse may also refer to:

• Coffee House (TV series), South Korean television series
• Coffeehouse (event), a social event, often held to raise funds for or generate awareness of a cause, which generally serves coffee
• The Coffee House, a Sirius XM Radio station
• Kofe Khauz, (Кофе Хауз or Coffee House), a chain of coffeehouses in Russia