Starbucks Around the World: From the Highest to the Cutest

There are more than 18,000 Starbucks around the globe with net revenue of $3.8 billion. Everywhere you look you'll find the green mermaid, even in the most unlikely places. Case in point: the Robinson funeral home in South Carolina now has a Starbucks, as does the USS Boxer, a naval warship.

Starbucks employs roughly 150,000 workers — which means more people don the green apron than live in the countries of Monaco, Liechtenstein, and Greenland combined. For every nation, Starbucks tweaks its concept with a design makeover and menu items that cater to the local clientele. That's probably why the coffeehouse has been embraced by cultures around the world. We've rounded up a few of the Starbucks that you might like to see.

In true British fashion, this London Starbucks, located at 99 St. Martins Lane in Covent Garden, is quite posh. Outside you will encounter an ornate façade with gorgeous gold detailing. Inside the store boasts reproductions of programs from the London Coliseum as well as other historic images. While we can't say this is Pippa Middleton's favorite Starbucks location, it is well known that the Duchess of Cambridge's sister has often stopped by the coffeehouse for one of their signature espresso drinks.

Starbucks, 99 St. Martins Lane, London GB-ENG

Before some North American cities each had a Starbucks to call their own, the coffee giant opened its first international location in Tokyo, Japan. Since 1996, the company has opened roughly 2,000 stores in Asia alone. One is in the small Japanese city of Dazaifu, where they hired internationally renowned architecture firm Kengo Fuma & Associates to design a modern branch of the café. Though clearly innovative, the Starbucks stands in a location that was established in 919 A.D. on the main approach to the Dazaifu Tenmangu, one of the most important shrines in Japan. The only Starbucks of its kind, it features walls covered in a matrix of more than 2,000 wooden batons that shoot out from the storefront's facade and create a cave-like interior.

Starbucks Dazaifu, 306-15, Mukaizano, Dazaifu, Fukuoka

Naval officers can now get a taste of home at a fully functioning Starbucks shop on the USS Boxer, a large-deck amphibious assault ship. The "Starboxer," as the café onboard the USS Boxer is known, opened in February 2013 as a partnership between Starbucks and the U.S. Navy. The presence of the green mermaid gives the sailors a boost, and all of the profits go to the ship's Morale, Welfare, and Recreation fund. The crew doesn't have to carry cash. Instead they purchase Starbucks products from Starboxers using their special Navy Cash Cards.

Starboxer, Homeport, San Diego, CA

Starbucks first came on the scene in 1971, nearly 150 years after the historic structure that houses this coffee shop in Victor, New York, was built. In 1835, farmer P. P. Bonesteele built a cobblestone home on his 118-acre plot. When Bonesteele died at a young age, he left the house to his son Peter, who eventually married Sarah Hall, a former tutor of Helen Keller and one of the first females accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After they wed, they returned to the house in Victor, near Rochester, where Hall lived until 1946. The building had a series of residents through 1993, when it was vacated. Starbucks took residence in 2007.

Starbucks, 200 High Point Dr., Victor, NY

Amsterdam can claim one of the most unusual locations for the coffee giant: a Starbucks housed in a former bank's vault. The 4,500 square-foot subterranean store has a unique design aesthetic, including 1,876 hand-cut, stained wood blocks that form the signature Starbucks Siren. Plus, it's the only Starbucks with an in-house bakery and a "Slow Coffee Theatre," which provides views of a single-cup Clover brewing machine.

Starbucks The Bank, Rembrandtplein - Utrechtsestraat 9, Amsterdam, NL-NH 1017 CV

Despite tea's deep roots in Chinese culture, China has embraced the Western ritual of drinking coffee. A visit to Starbucks in China is less likely a stopover en route to the office and more likely an evening out with friends or family. In the city of Fuzhou, Starbucks erected a classy café with an outdoor garden setting that's a nod to the Song Dynasty days. The design of natural elements channels the ancient and beautiful Master of the Nets Garden in Suzhou, a UNESCO World Heritage site that's not too far away.

Starbucks, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China

The cosmopolitan city of Dubai is known for its towering skyscrapers and grand opulance. So it's no wonder that a Starbucks in this area is one of the most decorated in the company's portfolio. It's housed in the Battuta Mall, the world's largest themed shopping center, which commemorates Arabic explorer Battuta, who traveled through Andalusia, Tunisa, Egypt, Persia, India, and China. This Starbucks, which resides in the Persia section, stands under a gorgeous, domed, tiled ceiling that looks like it belongs in a museum instead of a mall.

Starbucks, IBN Battuta Mall, Dubai, UAE

In October 2012, India's residents got a sip of Starbucks on their own turf when the chain opened its first outlet in the country's most populated city, Mumbai. It was also the first time Starbucks served a Tandoori Paneer Roll alongside a Caramel Macchiato. How else does the Mumbai location differ from those in the U.S.? Coffees are served in glass mugs and everything from the floor to the furniture was created by local craftsmen and artists. Since 2012, the coffee giant has continued expansion in India, opening a shop for the people of New Delhi in February 2013, with even more stores to come.

Starbucks Mumbai, Elphinstone Building, Fort, 10 Veernariman Road, Mumbai, India

Amsterdam was the first European city to land a pint-sized, free-standing Starbucks kiosk, which opened in the Sloterdijk train station.

Starbucks Sloterdijk Hub, Orlyplein 103, Changiweg, Bedrijventerrein, Amsterdam

In December 2011, Starbucks opened its first concept store, called a "Reclamation Drive-Thru." The Washington state-based sustainable outpost is made from repurposed shipping containers. Starbucks got the inspiration at its Seattle headquarters, where they look out at hundreds of shipping containers that have no current use. The 450-square-foot drive-thru and walk-up store is made from four end-of-life-cycle shipping containers that, according to Starbucks, have been "reclaimed, refurnished, renewed, and revived." There's another Reclamation Drive-Thru in Colorado, and the company intends to open more.

Starbucks Reclamation Drive-Thru, 10100 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila, WA

Are you concerned that you won't be able to get your daily Starbucks fix while you're on a cruise? Don't fret. Starbucks and Royal Caribbean teamed up in 2010 to introduce the world's first Starbucks at sea. The store is located on the Allure of the Seas, the world's largest cruiseship. While sailing the Caribbean, signature espresso drinks and snacks are available for serving to the 5,400 vacationers. Let's just hope they don't all want their cup 'o Joe at the same time!

Royal Caribbean, Starbucks aboard the Allure of the Seas

Step, er, ski right up! In 2012, Starbucks opened its first ski-in, ski-out coffee outpost on a mountain in Squaw Valley, California. Many skiers were thrilled, not just because they could grab hot sips on the slopes, but also because it was the world's first Starbucks at an altitude of 8,000 feet. At this slide-thru, snowboarders and skiers can glide in, place their orders at the window, then head back down the mountain with a cup in hand.

Starbucks Ski-Thru, Gold Coast mid-mountain; Squaw Valley, CA