What is the coffee shop in Friends called?
Quick answer
The coffee shop in Friends is Central Perk, a café in New York’s Greenwich Village where Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe spend much of their time, usually on the famous orange couch. The name is a pun on Central Park.
Key facts
- Show
- Friends (NBC, 1994–2004)
- Café
- Central Perk
- Manager
- Gunther
- Setting
- Greenwich Village, New York (filmed in Burbank, California)
Central Perk is almost a seventh main character in Friends. It’s where the very first scene of the pilot takes place, and where the gang gathers to talk about dates, jobs and life.
Central Perk facts
- Gunther, played by James Michael Tyler, is the café’s manager, secretly in love with Rachel for most of the series.
- Rachel worked there as a waitress in the early seasons, famously bad at it.
- Phoebe often played her strange songs there, including “Smelly Cat.”
- The big orange couch was found by the set designers at a Warner Bros. storage room.
- The friends almost always find their couch free, a running joke among fans.
Friends at a glance
| Created by | David Crane and Marta Kauffman |
| Seasons | 10 |
| Episodes | 236 |
| Finale | May 6, 2004, watched by about 52 million Americans |
The main cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Jennifer Aniston | Rachel Green |
| Courteney Cox | Monica Geller |
| Lisa Kudrow | Phoebe Buffay |
| Matt LeBlanc | Joey Tribbiani |
| Matthew Perry | Chandler Bing (Perry died in 2023) |
| David Schwimmer | Ross Geller |
Visit a real Central Perk
The café was a set, but pop-up replicas and the Friends Experience have opened in cities such as New York, London and Beijing. Fans can also see the original set on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank, California.
For another classic sitcom workplace, see the paper company in The Office. For more TV trivia, read which show features Westeros.
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