Oaxaca is one of the main coffee growing regions in Mexico and it's capital Oaxaca De Juarez is home to some of the best coffee shops you'll find anywhere in the world. We've put together a list of some of our favorites:
Muss Cafe
Without a doubt one of the best coffee experiences you'll have in Oaxaca. A short walk from the Zocalo, next door to the Museo de Textiles and good, oh so good. If you can take your eyes away from the architecture of the building and focus on the coffee, which BTW comes from Finca Las Nieves (winner of the best coffee in Mexico 2023 in the Taza de excellence awards), you'll find your efforts well rewarded.
Café Brújula
Technically you could now call this a chain, a local chain, with all their outlets in the capital itself, don't let that put you off, we've tried the coffees in (probably) all of their shops and it's first class.
Cafébre
Apart from being a great place to work, I go for the breakfast and the coffee. More to come on this, we're not doing justice to the craft applied.
Marito&Moglie Café
If you are looking for a wider selection than local Oaxacan coffees, this one is a must. The coffee itself lives up to the design efforts and result in the packaging. Amazing stuff, highly recommended.
nono café
nono is taking it all up a level, you'll find a small selection of single producer coffees available with full details on the process from catedral to production process to cup, along with cupping scores. This is one for the connoisseurs. You can pick up some of their own brand, A pie café.
Café SL28
Not as heavy on the design as nono, but the coffee is again very high end at SL28, the team are extremely knowledgeable, they take great care and consideration in preparing their pour overs. The last time I was in I tried a small lot from La Cañada in La Sierra Norte, probably the best 100 peso mexianos I've ever spent.
Café Cabane'
Your will have to venture to Reforma for this treat. Worth the trip.
Café Café de Oaxaca
For some strange reason it seems to rain when we go here. And a great refuge from the rain it is, especially with a tasty brew to kick off your day. We always end up here in the evening; it mainly rains in the evenings in Oaxaca. Enough about the rain, great coffee.
Onnno Lonchería
Rumor has it that Sarah over at SL28 had a hand to play in the coffee at Onnno. Onnno feels like going for breakfast in Copenhagen but without having to bring an umbrella with you all the time. Sleek design, great great breakfasts and some of the best pastries in the city. Back to the coffee, when we spoke to the team at Onnno they shared that they wanted a coffee that would give enough sweetness so that people who add sugar to their coffee could have the same taste but without having to add sugar, the result is amazing. And BTW, the coffee beans are from Chiapas, not from Oaxaca, breakign with tradition for a great great cup.
Kiyo café
The feeling is more like walking into an interior design store, everything is in it's place, it's perfect place and the coffee too, the coffee is creamy, like a pint of stout in Dublin creamy, I'm sure there's a more "coffee" description than this but it's what the experience is like for me. They are moving soon, so watch out for the reopening in the new location.
Cafeto & Baristas
Some say it's the best coffee in Oaxaca, some say it doesn't exist (it does, just not on Sundays when it's closed). If you've gotten this far you've probably noticed that I've not really gotten into much detail about the coffee varies, origins, etc. Truth be told this is the first blog entry, and we have a lot to learn about the nuance of the coffees available in all of the coffee shops in Oaxaca. Of all of them, this is the one I feel least prepared to describe, go, sit, order a coffee, you'll not be disappointed.
Revolución Orgánica Etla
Every time I am lucky enough to pass by Etla, I make sure to stop in at Revolución Orgánica and pick up some of their Red Honey. This is probably the first coffee that I made special trips for in Oaxaca.
Special mention - Puerto Escondido - Finca Las Nieves “El Cafetal”
If you find yourself on the coast, find this place for yourself and then tell everyone about it. The good folk at Finca Las Nieves brought home first prize for the best coffee in Mexico this year (2023). Congrats, great coffee. Buy a t-shirt, it has a zopilote on the front, a bird that is sacred in Oaxaca and a subtle hint of just how considerate and in tune with nature, the people, the traditions and all that comes together to create a great cup of coffee Gus and the entire team are. Great coffee, great people.
Disclaimer - if any of the coffee shops listed here would prefer not to be mentioned on a random coffee fan's blog post, please get in touch and we will happily remove the reference, or replace it with a much more accurate description of the amazing things you are doing with coffee, for the coffee loving people and for the coffee producers by bringing their beans to the public.