New Costa Coffee units in T3 finally give Starbucks some competition
In Terminal T3 at Beijing Capital, several Costa Coffee outlets opened around late September 2023 after months of construction hoardings. These are post-security in the international side of T3, so you can grab a latte after immigration rather than settling for the older options near check-in. Costa here runs typical early-morning-to-late-evening hours aligned with long‑haul departure banks, though exact opening times float a bit with traffic.
Prices sit in the usual big-airport bracket: expect around ¥30–40 for basic coffees and closer to ¥40–50 for larger flavored drinks. Pastries and sandwiches typically land in the ¥25–45 range, on par with Starbucks in the same terminal. Card payment works fine, and staff are used to handling foreign credit cards from Europe and North America, which is not a given at smaller landside cafés in PEK.
Drinks are standard Costa: espresso-based menu, a few teas, and seasonal specials. If you want a safe order, a flat white or cappuccino at about ¥35–40 is more consistent than some of the flavored lattes, which reviewers say run very sweet. Food-wise, treat the packaged sandwiches as backup only; several flyers mention they taste like they have spent a full day in a chiller by the time the 22:00 Europe flights go out.
Regulars in T3 now skip the still-closed Pacific Coffee signs and keep walking a few more minutes toward the newer Costa units that opened after September 2023. During the earlier construction phase, people had to rely on vending machines and the odd kiosk; that’s mostly over now, but you may still find a shuttered bay marked “Costa opening soon” right next to an operating one.
Tip: if your long-haul flight leaves from a remote gate in the 30s or 40s, grab your Costa near the main T3E concourse first; smaller gate satellite areas sometimes close their coffee stands by around 21:00.