Let me start by saying I love Starbucks, but I try to avoid it at all costs when I travel. So when I started planning this 2-week excursion to CDMX, I knew I needed to do some prelim research on where I could grab my morning joe. I pulled some of my recommendations from Goop and Wild Terrains. Overall, Mexico City really just didn’t have any amazing coffee but I guess I also didn’t expect it to. Below is a review for practically every coffee place I went to during my trip. I ordered a soy latte everywhere to stay consistent with my comparisons. By the end of it, I had kinda given up and just went to Starbucks all the time.

Rococo Cafe, Condesa – This had a really casual vibe with tons of comfy mismatched chairs which was really nice after my red-eye flight. I thought the coffee was decent …

Homie Café, La Roma – I was so excited about finding a secret underground coffee shop. It had really great vibes and it had a pretty decent soy latte. Compared to the other coffee places on the list, this one is in the top 3.

Café El Jarocho, Coyoacán – Opened in 1953, it’s one of the oldest coffee shops in the area. Considering it has become somewhat of a tourist destination, I was a bit disappointed in the quality of the coffee. One thing you won’t be doing here is waiting, I think I got my latte in about 30 seconds.

Fractal Cafe, Roma Norte – Honestly, the actual worst coffee I have had ever. I am unsure why it tasted like hot water with milk because I asked for a latte. I threw it away as soon as left.

Ballarò, La Roma – This is more of a bakery/Italian joint that happens to serve coffee. It was just fine, same goes for the bag of pastries I bought.

Expendio Durango, La Roma – Located right next to the popular Contramar on Calle de Durango, the coffee really satisfied my craving. I also loved looking around at the specialty food items and was really tempted to buy a few things.

Chaï Bar, La Condesa – So this is a cheat since it isn’t actually a coffee place. I ordered a chai latte which tasted completely different than the American version. I was also surprised that it cost that same amount. I wouldn’t go back.

Cafe Toscano, La Roma – I really wish I had given myself the chance to eat here since it is open pretty much the whole day and a few times I was tempted to stop in for a glass of wine. Alas, I only tried a soy latte and it was excellent.

Looking back I think one of the biggest problems is that none of these places seem to really be dedicated to sourcing or roasting their own beans. I think living in the bay area with Blue Bottle and Philz so readily available had made me a bit spoiled. Please leave me recommendations on other coffee places to visit the next time I go to Mexico City!

Ximena.