From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcaféca·fé /ˈkæfeɪ $ kæˈfeɪ, kə-/ ●●● S2 noun [countable] 1 DFDLa small restaurant where you can buy drinks and simple meals2 → Internet café/cybercaféCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1 : a small restaurant where you can buy drinks and simple mealstypes of café an outdoor caféThe central square was full of outdoor cafés.a pavement café British English, a sidewalk café American English (=with tables and chairs on the pavement outside)We had a lunch at a pavement café in Montmartre.a motorway café British English (=a café beside a motorway)They stopped at a motorway café.a transport café British English (=a cheap café beside a main road, mainly for lorry drivers)Many transport cafés serve great breakfasts.a roadside café (=a café beside a road)She was a waitress at a roadside café.verbsrun a café (=be in charge of a café)His father ran a café in Lerwick.
Examples from the Corpus
café• As the days passed difference were definitely beginning to show, the Applecross café was doing great business.• As we pass one café, the waiters race out to drag tables and chairs inside.• He ran towards the remains of the café as everyone else ran away.• He takes them to a café terrace in the sun, orders coffee and croissants, and starts on the papers.• In 1972, when the café was in its infancy, I acquired a new agent.• There is no sign of a shop or café open anywhere.• Troops and supplies were crossing the Benouville bridge as I approached the café.Origin café (1800-1900) French “coffee, café”, from Turkish kahve; → COFFEE 