The atmosphere is fine. The chocolate pudding is tasty. The lasagna could use more sauce, but otherwise decent.

But:

1. One can get accustomed to perplexed looks, nervous laughs, or automatic "mei you"s in response to queries regarding ingredients due to allergies. It seems food allergies just aren't widely known in Beijing, and that is something someone who is allergic to foods just has to be aware of and deal with. Beijing told a drink only has three ingredients, after asking and re-confirming multiple times with the staff to be sure, only to find out upon sipping the drink that, based on the drink's taste, there is something else in it, is also common and something one has to adapt to (e.g. "vegetarian" dishes). When asked if there was something else in the drink, the waitstaff said yes and said what it was. When then asked again if anything else at all was in the drink and told that I had allergies, one staff person responded quite argumentatively, "how could you possibly be allergic to [xyz]?" while another laughed.

2. If the wifi is down and a customer is pulling out their laptop, it would be appreciated if you could please advise the customer that the wifi hasn't been working all day...preferably before the customer orders something. Thanks.

Music of 80 was a puller before.Worst of all the food is disappointing. Small portions and though some of the food is fine, some items are just not good.
Overall avoid this place unless yoa are a fan of 80 `s music.

I had a terrible experience at Cafe Alba...

While the set-up of Cafe Alba was quite nice, the food and service were absolutely awful.

Firstly I ordered a standard pasta dish, which while it tasted quite nice was an embarrassingly small portion... Everyone at my table actually laughed in disbelief at how small the serving was. It was finished in no more than five mouthfuls, which is definitely not enough for a lunch meal or anywhere near worth the 40 kuai I paid for it, and I do NOT eat in big mouthfuls.

Because I was still hungry I took my chances afterward and ordered fruit pancakes. Firstly they served me someone else's pancake order, which didn't contain fruit. After I complained it was discovered they had given me the wrong order. When my fruit pancakes finally arrived they were completely burned and tasteless, and there was only a tiny tablespoon's worth of fruit and a little sauce just enough for one pancake. When I asked the waiter if I could have more fruit, he said "okay" and then he disappeared... Because there was not enough sauce to try and cover the gross taste of burnt pancakes and the fruit had run out within two mouthfuls, I then asked another waiter for some butter, and she came back shortly after with a block of stiff butter that I could barely spread..

I went downstairs to complain about my meal and I was met with complete disinterest and I wasn't even given an appology.

This was the worst meal I have ever had in Beijing and I really wouldn't recommend anyone come here.

It is completely unacceptable to serve black pancakes!!

While the pasta tasted alright, the tiny size of the portion was a joke and the pancakes incident just made me more angry.

Come here for the coffee and for the nice atmosphere, don't come here for a meal because it's a complete waste of money and time .

The great location and well priced eats are what have me hooked on this Gulou favourite.
I love to stroll down Nanluogu Xiang on an weekday afternoon (when it's not over-crowded) taking a camera, a sketch book and a keen eye for people watching. Then I make my way past the little shops (and often, open air markets) over to Houhai for sundown...it's lovely watching the lights play upon the water, the couples out on the paddle boats and groups of oldies playing 'hacky sack'.
A short walk past Gulou brings me back to Alba where I can sip a drink on the rooftop terrace and enjoy a meal from their healthy menu.
They offer a nice selection ranging from pasta, salad to desert and bar snacks.

I adore the gnocchi salad - a sprinkling of baby gnocchi on a bed of mixed leaf lettuce with grilled peppers, olives and parmesan cheese.
It's the only mid range restaurant in Beijing that I have seen serve gnocchi - they even have a delightful gnocchi dish with cream sauce and veggies. My favourite!
Try the silken tofu almond dessert - light and guilt free.

I defiantly recommend Alba as a reliable western food option, as we all know how disappointing some 'western' restaurants in the area can be!

They've taken over the small retail space of their neighbor in the same building facing the street that was most recently, I think, a clothing store.

This means more pleasant naturally lit seating space for this cafe/bar, to match the rooftop seating and interior that is lit by the glass roof.

Seemed to be instituting a new brunch menu when I visited recently, with items such as roast potatoes for RMB 10. The menu lists homemade sausage, which unfortunately was not yet available.

I foolishly ordered the home-baked white bread. It was fine. The apple tart was delicious and flawlessly executed.

For once I did not order their blancmange, for no good reason, which, by the way, is one of the most delicious things in the world.

Being a big fan of the co-owner's other café a few blocks away down Nanluoguxiang--Alba--I decided to check out e.a.t, which has the same satisfying simplicity, but it's quite a classy, luxurious experience for such low prices... (22rmb for a sandwich or medium-large salad, 25-30rmb pasta, 18rmb chocolate & orange chiffon cake, 30-35rmb cocktails).

e.a.t has only been open for a couple of months and thankfully has yet to be discovered by the boisterous cafe goers that crowd into Nanluoguxiang, so it's easy to feel pampered as a customer there. A great spot for an intimate dinner date, a focused lunch meeting, a jazzy afternoon working out of the office, or relaxed evening drinks on the rooftop before going out. Lounging back in a big soft armchair and relishing the air conditioning, I spent the hours after lunch sipping a peach yogurt smoothie and several kinds of freshly whipped up fruit juices (pear, carrot, and strawberry.)

The service was friendly and I felt well attended to while not having my focus broken too often. I ordered a chicken salad with a Vietnamese-inspired dressing that had hints of lemon and chili, and my friend ordered a colorful gnocchi salad with roasted red peppers, olives, and a creamy balsamic dressing, which I liked even more. The list of soups and pastas also looked good, though I haven't tried them yet. Additionally, e.a.t offers a wide variety of sandwiches on homemade bread and interesting looking snacks, including a pork apple roll and shrimp pate in lotus roots.

I didn't have a chance to try any of their cocktails, but the ones listed on the wall, french cafe style, sounded really good: there was a mojito mint tea (rum, lime, mint, green tea), as well as a tiramisu (bailey's, vodka, espresso, cointreau), mocha cake (sake, mocha, bailey's), and oriental bourbon (bourbon, fresh ginger, fresh orange, baileys) all of which I will be trying very soon. Any of those, or all of them one after another, sitting on the huge rooftop terrace with its lounge chairs, old chinese tables, comfy arm chairs, and surrounding hutong rooftops, would make a nice end to any day or beginning to any night. The roof would also make a great location for a 20-30 person evening party, though I don't know if they let you rent it out.