The Cottage's studied quirkiness will feel familiar to travelers accustomed to neighborhood Western coffee houses that double as temporary living rooms for students, hipsters, casual freelancers and other laid-back types.

Situated in a historical house on Taojiang Lu, a quiet French Concession street that's also home to a new creperie and vegetarian restaurant. The Cottage does charm, though more for the overly earnest efforts of the owners to create a sense of "hipness" where previously there was none—the whitewashed walls are covered with very recent marker graffiti (encouraged by the strategic presence of markers in spots around various rooms and nooks), old records dot the walls, and flea-market goodies from both China and the West are on display everywhere (much of them are for sale).

The coffee is quite good (especially with a splash of vodka; it's a house specialty) and it's one of those comfortable places where you can get a 30 RMB endless pot of tea fairly cheap and nurse it for an hour or so while surfing the Web thanks to free w-fi. Food is limited but tasty, focused on pastries, sandwiches, desserts and other rather light fare, all generally 20-30 RMB or less. Modestly priced beer and wine round things out.