Worldwide
Cat Friendly
The Best Cat Friendly Bars in the World
By Tom Callahan
·
2 April 2026
·
7 min read
The cat cafe bar is one of the most distinctive hospitality formats of the past decade, and the best examples have moved well beyond the novelty concept that arrived from Japan in the mid-2000s. The venues on this list treat the cats as residents rather than attractions and the drinks programmes as seriously as any standalone bar. We visited 22 venues across 8 cities to find the 10 that consistently deliver on both the feline and the cocktail fronts.
A note on terminology: we are covering two distinct categories here. The first is the classic cat cafe bar where resident cats live in the space full-time and guests interact with them while drinking. The second is conventional bars that have adopted an informal policy of allowing guests to bring their own cats. The latter category is more common in Japan and certain European cities where cat culture in bars is more established. We have indicated which format applies to each venue.
Tokyo: Where the Format Was Born
Tokyo remains the world capital of cat cafe bars, with over 40 venues operating across the city. The quality varies enormously, but the best examples have developed a sophistication that the format's novelty origins did not suggest. The Tokyo bar guide covers the city's full drinking scene, but these are the cat cafe bars specifically worth seeking out.
Neko no Jikan
Ikebukuro · Tokyo
Neko no Jikan in Ikebukuro is consistently rated among the top three cat cafes in Tokyo and the bar programme here goes beyond the standard hot drink and soft drink menu that most equivalents offer. The evening sessions include cocktails and Japanese whisky serves alongside the resident cats, which are 14 in number and carefully selected for temperament. Booking is essential for evening sessions. The space is small and the atmosphere intimate in a way that larger venues cannot replicate.
$$ · Booking required · Evening cocktail sessions
Cat's Store Tokyo
Shimokitazawa · Tokyo
Shimokitazawa's bohemian bar culture extends naturally to this venue, which occupies a second-floor space above a record shop in the neighbourhood's most interesting alley. The 9 resident cats are former strays, all rehomed through a local rescue organisation. The drinks programme covers natural wines, Japanese craft beers, and a short cocktail list built around local distillery products. One of the few cat bars in Tokyo that feels genuinely like a bar rather than an animal experience with drinks added.
$$ · Natural wine and Japanese craft beer · Rescue cats
London: The European Leader
London has more cat cafe bars than any other European city, with 7 venues operating across the city at last count. The format has been adapted for London's drinking culture in ways that make the best examples feel genuinely British rather than transplanted Japanese concepts. These are the 3 that stand out from the others. For a broader picture of London's most unusual and hidden bar concepts, the hidden gems guide for London covers venues across every format category.
Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium
Shoreditch · East London
Lady Dinah's was London's first cat cafe bar and remains the most famous. The Shoreditch location suits the format well and the venue's commitment to welfare standards has been maintained over a decade of operation. The drinks menu covers cocktails, wines, and teas, with the evening sessions adding spirits and more ambitious serves. The 11 resident cats are all named after literary figures, which fits the venue's slightly academic atmosphere. Booking opens four weeks in advance and fills quickly.
$$$ · Booking 4 weeks ahead · Evening cocktail sessions
Mog on the Tyne
Camden · North London
Mog on the Tyne operates a strong bar programme alongside its 8 resident cats, with a beer selection that matches Camden's craft culture and a cocktail list that changes monthly. The venue has been more successful than most at integrating the cat experience with a genuine bar atmosphere: the cats have their own elevated walkways around the room that allow them to engage with guests or ignore them entirely, which makes the space feel more natural than venues where cats are confined to floor level.
$$ · Monthly cocktail rotation · Elevated cat walkways
"The best cat bars treat the cats as the owners of the space and the guests as the visitors. That reversal of conventional hospitality logic is exactly what makes them work."
Amsterdam, Paris, and New York
Each of these three cities has developed its own version of the cat bar format, shaped by the local licensing environment and bar culture. Amsterdam's brown cafe tradition has influenced the format there; Paris has produced the most design-conscious examples; New York has the loosest interpretation of the concept, with several venues that allow pet cats brought in by guests rather than maintaining resident animals.
Kopjes Katten Cafe
Jordaan · Amsterdam
Kopjes sits in the Jordaan and has absorbed the neighbourhood's brown cafe sensibility into the cat cafe format. The 6 resident cats are Dutch breeds and the bar focuses on Dutch craft beers and Dutch gin alongside cocktails. The afternoon sessions are popular with locals who combine the cat experience with a working afternoon, as the venue offers strong wifi and long-stay tables. The evening sessions are more social and the cocktail menu becomes the focus after 7pm.
$$ · Dutch craft focus · Wifi for afternoon working
Le Cafe des Chats
Le Marais · Paris
Le Cafe des Chats in Le Marais was one of the first cat cafe bars in Europe and has maintained its reputation through genuine investment in both the welfare programme and the drinks menu. The 12 resident cats are all former strays from Parisian shelters. The drinks list covers French wines, natural wine, cocktails, and French craft beers, and the kitchen produces light food through the day. The Le Marais location puts it within easy reach of the neighbourhood's other bars, making it a natural stop in a broader evening itinerary. Our Paris hidden gems guide places it in the context of the city's most distinctive venue concepts.
$$ · French wine focus · Light food menu
Meow Parlour
Lower East Side · Manhattan
Meow Parlour in the Lower East Side partners with the North Shore Animal League to maintain a rotating population of adoptable cats alongside a small number of permanent residents. The adoption model has placed over 200 cats in homes since the venue opened. The drinks menu is modest compared to the other venues on this list, but the venue's commitment to the welfare side of the operation is the most serious in North America. The cat lounge operates on 30-minute booking increments alongside a small drink selection.
$$ · Adoption programme · 30-minute booking slots
Neko no Niwa
Tiong Bahru · Singapore
Tiong Bahru's creative neighbourhood is the right home for Singapore's best cat bar, which occupies a beautifully restored shophouse and maintains a collection of 13 cats alongside a coffee and cocktail programme that reflects the neighbourhood's food and drink sophistication. The venue's welfare standards are the highest in Southeast Asia for this format, and the evening cocktail sessions have attracted a following beyond the obvious cat lover demographic. A genuinely good bar that also has cats.
$$ · Shophouse interior · Evening cocktail sessions
For broader coverage of bar concepts that sit outside the conventional categories, our guide to the most unique bars in the world covers 20 venues across 15 cities where the concept is the main reason to visit. The global hidden gems guide covers unusual venues across all 60 cities in our network. If you're drawn to bars with a strong sensory identity and counterculture spirit, our guide to the best bars with vinyl records covers 14 venues worldwide — from Tokyo's basement jazz rooms to Berlin's all-night listening bars — where the music is taken as seriously as the drinks.
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Tom Callahan
Senior Editor, Global
Tom covers craft beer globally, live music bars, and hidden gems worldwide for barsforKings. He has been writing about bars and travel for 14 years and has visited bars in 48 countries. He is the author of our guide to hidden gem bars in New York.
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