If you love coffee, you’re going to love Guatemala City. The coffee scene is superb with tasty, reasonable coffee across the city’s 22 zones.
Great Coffee in Guatemala City
I didn’t even have to branch out past Zone 10 to find two superb coffee shops, both a short walking distance from the Hyatt Centric.
12 Onzas
13 Calle 3-57
Cdad. de Guatemala, Guatemala
8:00AM – 7:00PM (Monday – Friday)
9:00AM – 7:00PM (Saturday)
Closed Sundays
+502 2292 3834
What caught my eye here was the mini La Marzocco coffee machine, a machine I considered for my own house (but ultimately passed on because I could not justify the $5,500…). The coffee shop was very inviting with a nice selection of baked goods, indoor seating, and a terrace on the roof.
I prefer flat whites as my default coffee drink and love that almost all the coffee shops I visited have flat whites (not just cappuccinos) on the menu. Flat whites have a bit less milk, use micorfoam, and more espresso (a traditional flat white calls for a double shot of ristretto).
I love, by the way, that sizes are not offered…the biggest giveaway the coffee is going to be bad is if you are asked what size you want.
The flat white was lovely and strong. 20 Guatemala Quetzales equated to 2.59USD, a great buy by U.S. standards.
Just a block further down the street was an even better coffee shop.
Teco Coffee House
HFXQ+G5R
Cdad. de Guatemala, Guatemala
8:00AM – 6:00PM (Monday – Wednesday)
8:00AM – 7:00PM (Thursday – Friday)
10:00AM – 4:00PM (Saturday)
Closed Sundays
+502 5554 1349
The owner welcomed me and asked me what I wanted…another flat white please. I could see this was a serious coffee shop, with its own roasting area in the rear and a beautiful coffee machine in front.
The flat white was simply perfect.
I returned the next day and encountered a coffee appreciation class being held, which made me smile. That’s the kind of team building exercise I’d love if I ever return to a formal office.
I took home one bag from 12 Onzas, but ended up taking six bags of coffee home from Teco. I’ve been enjoying it every morning and afternoon at home and will be ordering more online (or returning to GUA to buy more). Coffee runs as high as $20/bag, but it is seriously tasty coffee.
CONCLUSION
My only regret is that I did not branch out more. The coffee was so delicious within walking-distance I saw no need to look further. Next time I visit Guatemala City, perhaps I’ll branch out a little further than Zone 10 and sample some more of the great coffee across the Ciudad.
What is your favorite coffee in Guatemala City?
This is part of my Guatemala trip report.
I had never heard much compelling about Guatemala City, so it’s nice to read articles like this. Could be a nice stop off for the day on the way to Antigua or Lake Aititlan.
+1. I really like hearing about places that wouldn’t otherwise necessarily come to mind as somewhere to visit for 3-4 days. More please.
Agreed. I really enjoyed reading this. Hadn’t considered Guatemala before, but this makes it sound worth considering.
Was 3 nights enough? Do you feel that was a good amount of time to leisurely enjoy Guatemala City?
There is lots to see and do in Guatemala City and in Guatemala as a whole. A week will give you time to spend a night or two in the capital, plus lovely Lake Atitlán and exquisite La Antigua. If you have an extra night, Tikal is also a must-see.
I couldn’t agree more! I felt for Guatemala on my first visit, the kind people, their beautiful landscape, THE lake and yes, the outstanding coffee and since they’re sorta close to IAH is an ideal destination for a weekend getaway if you don’t have much time!
I figured these people would trade coffee for showing them how to create fire or make a wheel. Shocked to see it looks like any overpriced coffee shop filled with lazy unemployed hipsters in liberal American cities.
Now we just have to figure out why they are willing to walk for months to illegally sneak in here when they have all this already.
You really can’t help yourself when it comes to trolling this site, can you?
Teco is a great Barista, I met him at El Injerto Coffee shop (for your next time, is in Zona 13) But he decided to prepare and move forward and start his own coffee shop. Glad to see he is doing well.
Btw D. Edwards, really off topic comment. I have been in San Francisco several times for Google events, I was assaulted by some junkies near the Apple store, does that means that is the image of the most powerful nation of the world?
Absolutely, sadly we have allowed cities like SF become 3rd world, looking like a Central or South American sh#thole. This is the new America, and we only have ourselves to blame for allowing liberals to transform America into their vision of “equality and inclusion”. Hopefully you were OK and my advice is never come back to America. And please tell the good people of Guacamole or whatever it is called, walking this far to become a low paid housekeeper isn’t worth it.
You must go to El Injerto in zone 13, and Rojo Cerezo in zone 4! Glad you enjoyed my home town!
Cafe Leon downtown near the plaza is like a real time warp. It feels very authentically Guatemalan.
Thanks Matthew for this reassuring great article about awesome travel experiences. Didn’t know you’re such a coffee ☕️ fan… great to know! Next time try to get some ‘Champurradas’ to go with a great cup of coffee, since they’re sweet and crunchy like the local version of biscotti… yum!