It is almost a miracle that modern teaching methods have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiousity of inquiry; for what this delicate little plant needs more than anything, besides stimulation, is freedom

If I give you a pfennig, you will be one pfennig richer and I'll be one pfennig poorer. But if I give you an idea, you will have a new idea, but I shall still have it, too.

Café Scientifique is a grassroots public science initiative currently running in 42 cities across the United Kingdom and cities in other countries. At least twelve cafés outside the UK are organised by the British Council alone. Similar but independent events have also sprung up in many cities using variations of the "Café Scientifique" or "Science Café" monikers. Typically, one monthly evening meeting is organised in a café or bar to which one or several scientists are invited to talk in laymen's terms about their work in a topical or even controversial area. The events are known for their informal and friendly atmosphere, and are believed to improve the image of scientists and careers in science. Cafe Scientifique aims to demystify scientific research for the general public and empower non-scientists to more comfortably and accurately assess science and technology issues, particularly those that impact on social policy making.

Many Café Scientifique organisers choose to communicate with each other by means of a centrally managed mailing list.

There also is a series of cafés run in schools. These are called Junior Café Scientifique