Is This Cliffside Café the Most Dangerous Coffee Stop on Earth?
· Vice
Coffee culture has reached its logical endpoint in Fujian, China, where one café has decided the best way to enjoy an iced Americano is to dangle off the side of a cliff like a human wind chime.
Gushi Cliff Coffee sits on the side of a coastal cliff near Fuzhou, with customers perched on a bench bolted to rock roughly 70 meters (230 feet) above the sea. Getting there requires a via ferrata route with metal rungs and safety lines, plus a coach guiding the whole descent. This is not a pop-in-and-grab-a-latte situation. Booking ahead is part of the deal, and staff supervision is non-negotiable.
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The viral hook is obvious. You pay 398 yuan, around $56, and get a drink served on a cliffside platform with a photo session included. One visitor, Ye Kunkun, told CNN, “I was scared at first when I saw the cliff right ahead of me.” She added, “But my fear faded away as soon as the coach went first and led me.”
Once Ye reached the bench, the guide poured a pre-made brew from a thermos and started snapping pictures of her legs dangling over open air. That’s what you’re really paying for here. This place sells adrenaline, proof, and bragging rights. The cute cup of coffee is pretty much a prop.
Would You Drink a Cup of Coffee at Gushi Cliff Cafe?
Online reactions swung between respect and absolute refusal. “I definitely won’t try even if you paid me,” one commenter wrote. Another went with, “Not my cup of tea, but respect those who dare–No way I’d ever go up there!”
The owner, Xue Ke, told CNN the package includes insurance, safety gear rental, a coach, and what he called a “unique filming experience.” He also picked the location for the view across the Taiwan Strait. “Opposite it was the Matsu Islands in Taiwan…I could even see the streetlights,” Xue said.
Is it worth $56 to drink coffee while perched precariously on the side of a cliff? Even people who liked it winced at the price. Ye admitted, “It was a bit expensive, and the experience wasn’t rich enough.” Xue’s argument was that “the mood cannot be bought for 398 yuan.”
Nobody crawls down a rock face for “notes of chocolate.” They do it for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s basically an extreme-sports package with a drink included, so it can legally call itself a café.
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