La Roma is perhaps the coolest neighborhood in Mexico City. This is not only because of its beautiful architecture but because it is a culturally growing quarter of this huge metropolis, evidenced, in part, by the specialty coffee shops popping up here. It is really interesting to experience specialty coffee in a coffee-producing country, where you can find many different processes done by the nation’s farmers. Mexican baristas and roasters have a more direct connection to producers and can easily go visit farms and learn in greater depth, as well as offer vital feedback to the farmers. The cafe owners and baristas recommended here are doing a great job of trying to show customers the greater potential of coffee here in Mexico.
Buna 42
The owners of Buna are behind three great, different places to drink coffee in Mexico City, and one of these is Buna 42. This is the only place in Mexico with a Modbar, and the cafe also boasts a V60 drip station and four cold brew towers. They also do milkshakes with different delicious ice creams from Taller Nomada, and sell beer in the summer. If you’re looking for a delicious breakfast or lunch, the food menu will not disappoint.
In their coffee shops you will find different coffees from all over Mexico. The Buna team roasts nearby, and makes an effort to negotiate directly with the producers of their coffees. One of their roasters recently won second place at the Mexican Roasting Championship. Buna is one of the coffee companies doing a great job in Mexico’s Third Wave coffee scene.
Dosis Cafe
The owners of this cute coffee shop were inspired by the coffee culture in San Francisco—specifically Four Barrel Coffee. They fell so in love with the coffee there that they founded this stunning cultural spot in La Roma. Dosis Cafe is not only a coffee shop, you see. In the back, the space features everything from dancing to yoga lessons to a “Drink and Draw” event, where you can pay to draw a nude model and enjoy some drinks.
Dosis has a beautiful La Marzocco Strada EE and serves Mexican coffee from multiple local roasters. This is a place where you can really relax and drink coffee—truly comfortable, with beautiful design.
Casa Cardinal
Even though it is a very new coffee shop, Cardinal is one of the most popular coffee spots in the city—they are just doing things right. Home of the Mexican AeroPress Championship runner-up Shak Zapata, Cardinal is a place where you can always go and have a nice conversation with the baristas and drink a tasty cup of coffee. They use Mexican beans from different roasteries like Once Once Coffee Roasters, Café Shunuc, and Café Sublime—a roastery based in Guadalajara owned by Jorge Sotomayor and former Barista Champion of Mexico, Fabrizio Sención.
The baristas at Cardinal have a La Marzocco Linea Classic and use Kalitas, V60s, Chemex, and AeroPress for their manual brews. They have a particular love for natural processed beans, and carry a good selection of such, either from Nayarit, Atoyac de Álvarez in Guerrero, Finca Santa Rosa in Chiapas, or Finca Chelín in Oaxaca. And, of course, they also have honey processed beans and fully washed coffees from different farms, regions, and producers in Mexico as well.
Cucurucho
This place is the newest of three Cucuruchos. They have a La Marzocco Strada EP and a pour-over drip station where their amazing beans are brewed. They only use Mexican coffees at Cucurucho. You will be able to find natural Maragogype variety beans from Chiapas, or try their house blend, which is from Oaxaca and Chiapas.
This is a place where you can have a sit outside and enjoy the sun, the beautiful view, and a nice cup of coffee—although it is more a take-away kind of coffee shop, without a lot of seating. The Cucurucho team is currently building out their newest project, called “Casa del Fuego” (House of Fire), which will be a public roastery/cafe. If it’s half as beautiful as this cafe, it will be well worth a visit.
Photos by Humberto Lizcano. Top photo by Ximena Rubio.
