Penguin Cafe is a band originally conceived by Arthur Jeffes, son of Simon Jeffes and Emily Young, as a continuation of his father's project, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. The group is distinct from the original Penguin Cafe Orchestra, despite the similarities in genre, name, and even repertoire (Penguin Cafe often plays PCO pieces in concert.) There are no members of the original PCO in Penguin Cafe.

Penguin Cafe's current ten-person line-up was originally brought together in 2009, featuring a group of musicians ranging from "luminaries from The Royal College of Music to members of bands such as Suede and Gorillaz". The group produced their first album, A Matter of Life... in 2010, which was released on their own Penguin Cafe label.