5 Cartagena Coffee Shops You Can’t Miss
Cartagena is home to quite the collection of coffee shops, but after 2.5 years of calling this Colombian Caribbean city home, these are the five that rise to the top of the list.
I like to call myself a coffee shop connoisseur and Cartagena’s café scene proved to be as rich and varied as I’ve ever experienced, from bookshop café’s straight out of a fairytale to surely one of the most innovative coffee drink menus in the world. While I don’t call Cartagena home anymore, I did for a good 2.5 years. These were the best of the best Cartagena cafes I loved to frequent (and still miss dearly).
Época Café Bar
Location: Centro
Doubly belonging on Cartagena’s best brunch spots list, Época Café Bar in Centro is a gorgeous cafe with perfectly poured coffee and a full menu of mouthwatering breakfast fare served all day long. The interiors reflect a 1940s Parisian flair while the beans are all sourced locally, certified fairtrade, and masterfully turned into one of the best cups of coffee you may have in Colombia.
Libertario Coffee Roasters Cartagena
Location: Getsemani
Libertario Coffee Roasters was relatively new to the Cartagena coffee scene when I was living in Cartagena back in 2019. Today, it’s one of the city’s best coffee shops and in one of my favorite parts of town, the street art-coated Getsemani. Order your brew at the to-go window or grab a seat inside. There’s even a coworking table for those of you looking to get a bit of work done in an inspiring atmosphere.
Abaco Libros y Café
Location: Centro
You cannot beat the ambiance of this independent bookshop cafe. Sip delicious brews amidst the Abaco Libros y Cafe’s stacks. The wifi never seemed to work when I would go, but that’s the perfect excuse to stick your nose in a book for a few hours instead, just like Belle in Beauty and the Beast; a reference that instantly makes sense when you see its ladder-adorned shelves and cozy library vibes.
Café del Mural
Location: Getsemani
Café del Mural is a coffee laboratory on a lovely shaded street in Getsemani and an experience in and of itself. Go for something your tastebuds have never tried and re-discover what’s possible when it comes to coffee. Inventive only begins to describe the coffee concoctions on their menu. For a truly unique experience, sign up for their coffee roasting and tasting experience with the owner David Arzayus, a true character. You can read all about that here.
Café San Alberto
Location: Centro
Café San Alberto loves to boast that they have the most awarded coffee in Colombia, but they should. Their Quindio-sourced beans are truly a palate-pleaser and their reverence for what they do comes through in the terminology of their cafe, which they prefer to call a “temple,” and their coffee tasting experience a “coffee baptism.”
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What to Read Next
For a satisfying sampling of street art and stop-you-in-your-tracks graffiti, beeline it for Getsemaní, a colorful neighborhood on the fringes of Cartagena’s walled city.