IMG20200107084704 1 The 10 Best Cafes in San Cristobal de las Casas

The 10 Best Cafes in San Cristobal de las Casas

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Chiapas is one of Mexico’s most famous coffee-producing states, so it follows that some of Mexico’s best coffee can be found here, and sampling the coffee from Chiapas is easily one of the best things to do in San Cristobal de la Casas.

San Cristobal de las Casas, a mountain town in the heart of Chiapas, is home to some of the state’s best cafes and the perfect place to sample the local beans. We spent the better part of two weeks in San Cristobal, jittering our way through town, sampling coffee, and scoping out the city’s best cafes. Here is a list of the best cafes in San Cristobal de las Casas for every coffee drinker’s need.

Short on time? Our top coffee recommendations in San Cristobal are:

  • Black Dragon Cafe – Outstanding coffee roaster in Barrio de Guadalupe
  • Cafe Mooa – Go for the coffee, stay for the bagels.
  • Café Ka San Cristóbal – Best coffee in San Cristobal to take home as a souvenir
  • Sarajevo Cafe Jardin – Best cafe in San Cristobal for digital nomads

The Best Coffee in San Cristobal

A quick search on Google and you will find that there are more than 20 different cafes scattered throughout San Cristobal de las Casas. So, just how are you going to narrow it down? Well, as we mentioned previously, we took the better part of two weeks to sift through the noise to come up with what we think are the best cafes in San Cristobal for each and every occasion.

Black Dragon Cafe: The Best Coffee in San Cristobal

This hidden gem can be found on the outskirts of town in the Barrio de Guadalupe. A local coffee roaster, this cafe can satisfy your coffee cravings and supply your gift-giving needs for loved ones at home. With locally sourced beans, they serve up Italian espresso-style coffees.

Make sure to take advantage of their daily promotions for coffee paired with delicious homemade pastries. They also occasionally run a brunch with great live jazz music.

The seating is not overly conducive to working for long periods. The cafe is more focused on being a meeting place for locals and expats as opposed to a cafe dedicated to digital nomads in San Cristobal.

Black Dragon Cafe is a bit off the beaten path and located in the Barrio de Guadalupe.

Café Mooa: The Best Underrated Cafe in San Cristobal

Cafe Mooa is a relative newcomer on the scene and another easy cafe to completely miss if you aren’t seeking it out. Located in Barrio de Guadalupe, the duo behind Cafe Mooa have been dreaming and conceiving their little cafe for years, and it shows.

I know this list is supposed to be all about coffee, but Cafe Mooa’s specialty is bagels. Yep, you read that right, bagels. Probably not the breakfast you were thinking of in Mexico, but they are doing it and doing it right. Their breakfast bagels come in a range of options, such as the caprese, Mexican, club, and more.

They do, however, have delicious coffee to go along with your yummy bagel.

Plus, their atmosphere and modern open-air feel are so inviting that you will want to come back time and time again during your stay in San Cristobal.

Amor Negro (Black Love Coffee): The Best Cafe for the Coffee Connoisseur

A cup of coffee from san cristobal de las casas

On the top floor of the Plaza San Agustin, overlooking upscale eateries, you will find Amor Negro otherwise known as Black Love Coffee. This cafe is one of the few cafes in town embracing the coffee culture cultivated by the Western world. Here, you can choose your brew style, whether it be an espresso, V60, Chemex, Aeropress, or French press. The coffee here is our pick of the litter in San Cristobal. That said, this cafe is not the best environment for working. We recommend enjoying a coffee here while checking emails, catching up with friends, or planning your next destination.

Sweetbeat: For Great Coffee and Vegan Food

If you are looking for a cafe with great coffee plus lots and lots of vegan options, then look no further than Sweetbeat. A little on the outskirts of town, you can easily miss this unassuming cafe in a beautiful open-air courtyard.

All of their coffee is sourced locally, and they even offer plant-based milk. Their breakfast menu, while mainly veggie and vegan friendly, serves a range of options from eggs to pancakes to crepes and more. They also offer a host of organic teas.

We cannot recommend this place more, but go for yourself and try it out if you don’t trust us!

Frontera Artisan Food and Coffee: The Best Breakfast in San Cristobal

The best cafe breakfast in San Cristobal de las casas

Located on the outskirts of the old town, Frontera Artisan Food and Coffee is nailing it not only on the coffee front but also with its top-notch breakfast options.

Keeping up with coffee culture, here you can have your coffee any way you like, alongside Mexican classics such as delicious chilaquiles or Western staples like their yummy breakfast bagel. Grab a coffee and sit outside on the terrace or in the sun-drenched garden.

Sarajevo Cafe Jardin: The Best Cafe in San Cristobal for Digital Nomads

Sarajevo Cafe Jardin is tucked away on a side street of downtown San Cristobal. The drawcard for grabbing a coffee here is space. With ample seating and electrical sockets, it is a great place to catch up on work in San Cristobal and the best cafe in San Cristobal for digital nomads. Don’t expect to make calls here, as with most cafes, the music is a bit too loud. But with fast wifi, space, and reasonable coffee, this place is the obvious choice for digital nomads.

Carajillo Expendio: The Best Cafe in San Cristobal for Grab and Go Coffee

Carajillo Expendio caters primarily to the grab-and-go coffee market. A small shop located on one of the main walking streets in San Cristobal, the Real de Guadalupe, this cafe is the number one spot to pick up a coffee while you wander the cobbled streets of the old town. Despite the takeaway format, these guys take their coffee seriously. Locally sourced coffee, high-quality ingredients, and attention to detail are what you are in store for when you visit Carajillo Expendio. While they are primarily a to-go joint, there are a few chairs outside where you can enjoy your coffee while people watch on the main street.

The entrance at Carajillo Expendio

Cafeología: For a Full Coffee Experience

The team of baristas and collaborators at Cafeología is dedicated to bringing the visitors of San Cristobal de las Casas the best of the best. Starting in 2010, Cafeología has been slowly but surely showcasing the amazing Chiapas coffee product to visitors throughout the world.

They go above and beyond to ensure you have the best coffee-tasting experience around, and it shows. The baristas are knowledgeable and aim to provide you with the best coffee-tasting experience.

Their beans are sourced locally, and you can even read about the farmers that they work with on their website.

If you want a true Chiapas coffee-tasting experience, then head over to Cafeología. Just expect to pay a bit more, but remember you are paying for quality and experience.

Cafeología also offers barista classes for those interested in learning a bit more about coffee and how to brew the perfect cup of joe!

Café Ka San Cristóbal

Café Ka San Cristóbal is another coffee roaster in San Cristobal de las Casas that we would be remiss not to include in our list of the best coffee in town. If you are looking for a place to unwind and sit down with a nice cup of coffee, Café Ka San Cristóbal isn’t for you.

Café Ka San Cristóbal is a coffee roaster, meaning that they specialize in roasting coffee, although Alejandro is more than happy to make you a cup of coffee for you to enjoy. The reason, however, to come here is to grab their amazing coffee to take with you back home as a souvenir or to enjoy during your time in San Cristobal (or in Mexico in general).

While you wait for your coffee, you will also be entranced by the storytelling of Alejandro’s family history and tradition of coffee making.

If you are a coffee lover in San Cristobal de las Casas, stopping by Café Ka San Cristóbal is an absolute must!

Cafe San Cristobal: The Cheapest Cafe in San Cristobal

Duped by the photos on Google, we expected an actual cafe with tables and chairs. In actuality, Cafe San Cristobal is a coffee distributor selling beans by the kilo. They do, however, offer a simple Americano, and there is one table with three chairs. At a price of only $7 pesos for a small coffee and $10 for a large one, we took our chances and sat down. While the atmosphere isn’t great, and the coffee is simple, the cafe boasts some of the best wifi we have seen in cafes around Mexico. Maybe because the speed is due to the fact that there is no one else to share the wifi with. Regardless, we enjoyed this no-frills cafe.

Hopefully, with one of these cafes, you can fulfill your coffee needs in San Cristobal. If not, let us know what you think are the best cafes in San Cristobal de las Casas!

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Looking for more information on Chiapas? Check out one of the articles below!

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2 Comments

  1. Don’t forget about Café La Selva on Cuahutémoc! Best traditional café with a beautiful inner courtyard and real newspapers! Not to mention some of the best tamales in SC!