The Best Cafés In Mexico City According To Coffee Connoisseur Valeria Lazcano

On Saturday mornings in Mexico City’s Roma Norte neighbourhood, the pavements fill with fashionable types sipping cortados in the shade of jacaranda trees. Yet, despite the fact that the country’s highlands produce some of the world’s most revered wild beans, its speciality café scene is relatively new.

"When I was a teenager in the 2000s, cafés served filter coffee in paper cups,” recalls Valeria Lazcano, co-creator of Gramo in Lomas de Chapultepec.

The Gramo outpost at La Tallera museum, left, and Valeria Lazcano

Then, Café Avellaneda arrived in Coyoacán in 2010. It changed everything. “This small, independent spot made me realise that coffee can be a whole experience,” says Lazcano. “Making guests feel welcome is such an innate part of Mexican culture, and now a new generation is figuring out how to harness that in their businesses."

Mexico City gained a wild momentum during the pandemic, as expats with newly remote jobs flooded into areas like Roma Norte and La Condesa. Although their arrival has driven up rents, it has also brought money, fresh ideas – and an international taste for coffee.

Consumers are now very aware of what’s on offer in other global capitals and of the impact coffee has on ecosystems,” Lazcano says. “They expect high-quality ingredients that are ethically sourced."

Lazcano in the kitchen, left, and outside Gramo

One of the most exciting aspects of the movement is that many of these next-generation cafés are owned by women – far from a given in a country where, in 2024, only 3 per cent of companies listed on the stock exchange had female CEOs.

"It takes a lot of courage to be a female entrepreneur in Mexico,” says Lazcano, recalling a teacher who once told her that as long as she was polite and pretty, she’d have a good life. “In the last few years, cafés have become gathering places for women, members of the LGBTQI+ community and creatives. They’re progressive spaces where you can present however you wish and be celebrated.

Partly in response to the obstacles she has faced as a gay woman – including difficulties in attracting investors – Valeria’s next venture, La Valiente (The Brave), set to open in Roma Norte this July, aims to provide inspiration and opportunities for both women and the queer community.

A pour-over coffee in production at Gramo, left, and Valeria Lazcano

"Coffee is more than a drink – it’s a ritual and rallying point. I truly believe that placing a cup of consciously produced coffee in someone’s hands can change their day. Or even their life, as it has mine."&

Here, Valeria shares seven recommendations for where to get coffee in Mexico City.

1. Café Avellaneda, Coyoacán

Having recently celebrated its 15th anniversary, this was one of the first speciality coffee spots in the city and remains a firm favourite. The space itself is tiny; coffee is mostly served on wooden trays with a biscuit and glass of water for punters to balance on their knees as they perch on the street. “The baristas here are impeccably trained and know their products like nobody else,” says Lazcano, who always orders the cappuccino. The menu also includes interesting combinations, such as cold brew with ginger kefir, hibiscus and citrus oil.

Higuera 40, 04000; instagram.com/avellanedakf

Espresso at Café Tormenta, left, and the café’s metal cart

2. Café Tormenta, Roma Norte

Mexico may be famous for street food but this metal cart – resembling the taco stands parked around it – is pioneering street coffee. The brainchild of lauded chef Lucho Martínez, it serves beans exclusively sourced from the states of Veracruz, Chiapas and Oaxaca. Though known for quality matcha, its signature pour is the oleo cold brew, a refreshing fusion of coffee brewed for 50 hours and tonic fragranced with orange peel. “Customers can bring their own records to play on the turntable, too, which I love,” says Lazcano. “There’s something very Mexico City about the fact that fashionable people from all over the world gather to sip incredible coffee on this random street corner.”

Puebla 90, 06700; instagram.com/tormenta.cafe

3. El Minutito, Juárez

A sliver of a café in up-and-coming Juárez, El Minutito oozes character, with retro interiors that nod to the coffee bars of 1940s Italy. Don’t come to crouch over a laptop: this is a place to prop up the bar and enjoy coffee by day and aperitivos until late, perhaps with a plate of meaty olives. “This is my favourite café in the city,” says Lazcano. “It’s a real gathering place for young progressives, particularly the queer community. I come almost every morning to read and have an espresso americano followed by a cappuccino.” Most nights, the scene spills onto the handful of pavement benches and into the VW campervan parked outside.

London 28, 06600; instagram.com/el.minutito

Mornings at Malcriado, and the café’s french toast

4. Malcriado, La Condesa

This organic-feeling café and wine bar is a paradise for people-watching. From morning until late, creative types gather at the pavement tables to sip one of four filtered coffees or speciality pours including the Malcri, a perfectly balanced blend of espresso, homemade hazelnut syrup and a touch of condensed milk. “The menu is simple but really considered and made with top-quality ingredients,” says Lazcano. “I order the cappuccino and toast served with nothing but perfectly cut avocado and lemon zest. It’s the definition of refinement in simplicity.”

Atlixco 127, 06170; malcriado.mx

5. Mendl Delicatessen, La Condesa

Named after a fictional shop in Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel and inspired by New York’s Jewish delis, Mendl is one of the most sought-after brunch spots in Mexico City. “There’s often a line but you can order an excellent coffee from their takeaway window and sit on the benches outside while you wait,” says Lazcano. “People often walk past selling esquites [corn cobs] from carts and traditional crafts – it’s this dichotomy between tradition and trend that makes Mexico City so cool.” Inside, the restaurant is a masterclass in modern Mexican design, featuring custom-built furniture and a courtyard filled with clambering plants.

Citlaltépetl 9, 06100; mendl.mx

Coffee and croissants at Kiyo

6. Kiyo Café, Juarez

This small, soulful pour-over bar and concept store is an offshoot of JR Kiyo, one of Oaxaca’s most iconic fashion brands, known for crafting unisex clothing by hand. Most of the beans come from Finca Las Nieves, an off-grid farm that follows agroforestry principles to grow wild coffee in the misty forests of Oaxaca’s highlands. The fruity, chocolatey notes shine best in pour-overs, but the menu also offers a delicious selection of speciality lattes, including a sesame iteration. “I really like having a latte with whole milk and a big, soft cookie. If I'm feeling particularly adventurous, the lavender latte is really delicate,” says Lazcano.

Marsella 59, 06600; kiyo.cafe

7. BUNA, Doctores

Located in a former textile factory, this café-come-roastery combines industrial design with a staunch commitment to sustainability. “BUNA offers a great product while taking full responsibility for its impact at every step of the process,” says Lazcano. “The brand works with a network of small farmers to design agroforestry systems, and beans are roasted on-site.” Staff are always happy to offer free tours of the roastery, workshop and laboratory. In addition to coffee, you’ll find homemade chocolate made with Oaxacan cacao, as well as unique drinks like the cafechata, a creamy concoction of white chocolate and horchata [a sweet, rice-based drink].

Doctor Erazo 172, 06720; buna.mx