The speaker walks into a favorite café, the busiest in the city, and simply takes it in. The first thing they notice is a corner shelf of dusty old novels with brown, torn pages that people still pick up now and then. It's a small detail, but it gives the place a worn, lived-in feel.
From there the poem widens to the people who come here. Some meet for a final conversation, some are at the start of a new love, some are making friends, and others just keep up an acquaintance every so often. The café becomes a place where many different lives briefly cross, and the coffee seems to shape each person's mood.
The ending slows down into a list of details: dim lights, painted walls, old frames, soft music. The speaker feels warm affection and quiet appreciation. The mood is cozy, reflective and a little nostalgic, and the closing line, "pretty tonight," feels like a calm, contented sigh.