Oh Martine!

There are two Oh Martine! locations in Geneva. This one is in Eaux-Vives, right across from the train station — the other is behind Cornavin, which is also good. Both worth knowing about. This is the one I've spent more time in.

The kind of café that I imagine didn't exist in Geneva 10 years ago: specialty coffee taken seriously, proper tartines, marble tables, colourful mismatched chairs outside. Relaxed without trying to be relaxed. The cortado is solid — well-pulled, right temperature, served in a glass on a little saucer. My three-year-old daughter is also a strong advocate for the hot chocolate, which is saying something because she has opinions.

If you need somewhere to post up with a laptop for a couple of hours, this works well. Good light, not too loud, the kind of place where nobody's rushing you. People watching out front is also a solid option — Eaux-Vives has enough foot traffic to make it interesting.