café is an establishment where drinks and light meals are served. This type of establishment is sometimes joined, in France, to a tobacconist.
The synonyms vary according to the cultural anchoring of their public or their geographical location: bar, bistro, troquet, estaminet, flow of drink, etc. Coffee occupies in many cultures an essential function as a place of collective gathering or individual relaxation. We go there for a light meal, meet people, play board games, attend public lectures, read or write.
Coffee is not to be confused with the coffee shop, an English term that also translates to coffee, which refers to a type of establishment more or less similar in English-speaking countries, but may also designate in some countries as in the Netherlands an establishment where cannabis use is tolerated.