Where to Get Coffee in Mexico City — The Local Chains Worth Knowing
Better than Starbucks — where to take a break, caffeinate, or grab a quick bite
At some point in a long day walking around Mexico City, you are going to want to sit down, have something sweet or caffeinated, and rest your feet. Mexico City has a Starbucks on most major corners, sure, but there are several good local options that are nearly as ubiquitous, have good coffee and local flavors. It’s worth trying one of these before going for your usual Starbucks order.
What follows are the local chains and the one small independent I would send you to instead. They are easier to find than you might think and worth going a little out of your way for if there is one nearby.
Tierra Garat
tierragarat.mx · Multiple locations across the city
The first thing you notice at Tierra Garat is the interior. The design is modern Mexican — warm, earthy, and also minimalist the textures and colors give you a sense of place that matches their menu. It was designed by Esrawe + Cadena, the same firm behind Cielito Querido, and the spaces reflect the local aesthetic rather than a generic café template.
The coffee is good and they have a full menu — espresso, americano, café con leche, alternatives. But my favorite order here is the hot chocolate. They make it with Mexican cacao and offer several named varieties: Negra Flor (vanilla), Chiltepin (chile piquin, allspice — if you like spice), Dulce Madera (cinnamon), among others. I get the Negra Flor with almond milk.
They also have sandwiches and pastries — the bread is decent — and the shops have proper seating. A good place to stop and rest your feet, have a coffee meeting, or get some reading done.
Cielito Querido Café
cielitoquerido.com.mx · 55+ locations in Mexico City and beyond
The branding at Cielito Querido Café is part of the experience — the napkins, the cups, the ceramic mugs all carry wordplay on Mexican phrases: a napkin that says “Migajas de amor,” (crumbs of love), a large cup that says “A grandes males, grandes remedios,” (for big problems, big solutions), a plate that says “El pan nuestro de cada día,” (our daily bread). It is charming and deliberate, and reflects quintessential Mexican cleverness.
The Mexican hot chocolate made with water is my favorite order here — it’s spicy and sweet, and the water keeps a creamy milk from getting in the way. If you haven’t tried café de olla yet, this is a good place to do it: coffee brewed with cinnamon and piloncillo (something between brown sugar and molases), usually made in a ceramic pot, though not at Cielito. Try it before you head home, here or with breakfast or after lunch at a traditional Mexican restaurant.
They also have infusions with pieces of dried fruit — you can order without a tea bag and eat the fruit at the end, which is a nice detail. Sweet bread and pastries round out the menu. They have tables in most locations and sometimes comfortable armchairs as well..
Sede Café
@sede.cafe on Instagram · 50+ locations across CDMX
Sede started in 2024 with one location in Plaza Manacar on Insurgentes and has since opened over fifty locations across the city, many of them tiny — some under fifteen square meters, grab-and-go, standing room only. The interior design, is consistent across locations, mid-century and simple. They have a limited menu, and do it well.
The coffee is good quality and the prices are low — drinks start around fifteen pesos, and alternative milks are ten pesos extra, which is below market for Mexico City coffee shops. Decaf is available. The Spanish latte — espresso with arroz con leche — is what they are known for, and on my husband’s authority, it is very good. The pistachio latte and dirty horchata also have followings. If you walk past a Sede and need a coffee, it’s a good quick stop.
Don’t plan your afternoon around it — most locations don’t have seating — but if you want to get some caffeine and keep moving, this is your stop.
Chiquitito Café
chiquititocafe.com · Condesa (Alfonso Reyes 232) · Cuauhtémoc (Río Lerma 179) · Lomas de Chapultepec (Prado Norte 421)
Chiquitito is my favorite local coffee shop. It is not technically a chain with only three locations — but it has a consistent enough following to put it on this list. The coffee comes from a small grower in Veracruz, it is fair-trade, and their decaf is my favorite in the city, with Sede as a close second for their latte.
The food is simple — they don’t make the bread themselves, but it is decent. They serve open sandwiches, baked goods, and chia pudding, among other things, plus some local packaged snacks like dried mango covered in chocolate and high-quality chocolate bars.
The Cuauhtémoc location on Río Lerma is the one I visit — it is close to Reforma and a good spot to grab a coffee before or after a meeting at one of the nearby offices. The Condesa location has outdoor seating. If you are in either neighborhood and want a proper cup of coffee, this is where I would send you.
Punta del Cielo
While not as common as the other places I’m listing here, it is local, and if it is the only option available — at the airport, say — it is fine. I don’t go out of my way for this one though.
One note: all of these serve iced drinks as well as hot, so they have good options no matter the weather.
