6 Best Coffee Shops & Cafes in San Juan, Puerto Rico
For coffee lovers, the island of Puerto Rico is synonymous with smooth, chocolate-rich flavors that the coffee beans grown on the island are known for.
But you don’t have to trek to the island’s coffee plantations to taste the best coffee in Puerto Rico — many coffee shops in San Juan serve up delicious farm-to-cup brews in aesthetic settings.
This is great for those visiting Puerto Rico for a short vacation, like a weekend trip — which is how I visited PR my first two visits — or if you’re planning a few days in the city and can never forgo a good cup of coffee.
This post will give you a sampling of my favorite cafés in San Juan. Each café is in a lovely and walkable neighborhood where you can walk off any post-coffee jitters. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Habitante Cafe
The gorgeous Habitante Café in Santurce has everything I want from a coffee shop. Its simple white and mint green color palette is incredibly soothing, and its Nordic-inspired minimalist design is a delight.
I love a coffee shop with an aesthetic that inspires me — and, of course, strong and delicious coffee to focus me on whatever I’m working on.
I ordered a cortado and a “la puerquita” sandwich with pulled pork, BBQ sauce, cabbage, and cheddar. Both were absolutely delicious.
As a former barista, the cortado was literally perfect—no notes. It was not too milky or acidic, exploding with fresh coffee flavor with unexpected bright notes.
As a non-drinker, I also appreciated that they had a long and thoughtful list of mocktails listed front and center. The apple caramel fizz looked incredible, made with homemade caramel black tea syrup and aquafaba to mimic egg white foam.
I appreciate that sort of attention to detail when a cafe actually really dedicates itself to its mocktail menu puts a true spin on cocktails, rather than just throwing some juices together and calling it a day.
Habitante is a bit on the small side, so if you come to work here, take up space conscientiously — don’t be that person who brings their entire home office to work from here the whole day. This is a café best suited for grabbing a quick cup of coffee for a little break or for short stints of focused work.
Address: 959 Ave. Fernandez Juncos #35, San Juan, PR 00907
Hours: 7 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM Saturday, closed Sunday
Dosis Cafe
Dosis Cafe is tucked away on a street bursting with a rainbow of street art, and inside, it is just as colorful as its surrounding Santurce neighborhood!
I just stopped here for a brief late afternoon coffee, ordering my standby when I come to Puerto Rico—a cortado, also affectionately known by Puerto Ricans as a ‘cortadito’. For me, this is the best way to truly taste the coffee (as I prefer milk-based espresso drinks to black coffee).
Their cortado was delicious, with the perfect ratio of milk to espresso and some lovely latte art to make it just that much more enjoyable. The interior was very cozy and warm, compared to Habitante’s cool stripped-back vibe.
I had already eaten, so I didn’t sample any food, but their French toast bowl looked absolutely delicious: little cubes of French toast served with chopped kiwi and berries. The ham and cheese Mallorca (a sweet Puerto Rican bread dusted in powdered sugar) also looks delicious!
Address: 730 Calle Cerra, San Juan, PR 00907
Hours: 8 AM to 4 PM Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday
787 Coffee
787 Coffee has become a bit of a mini-chain in Puerto Rico, and I visited the one in Puerto de Tierra, not far from Playa Escambrón, one of the nicest beaches in San Juan.
They specialize in ethically sourced farm-to-cup coffee, grown in the nearby mountains in a town called Maricao. They have some really unique offerings like whiskey- and rum- infused coffee beans, which you can swap out for $3, as well as unique sweet options like horchata and coquito lattes.
Even though I’m normally a coffee purist, I went for the coquito latte here and was pleasantly surprised by how well you could still taste the coffee over the sweet coconut and eggnog-spice flavors.
There are three locations in San Juan, and they’re now also branching out in the US, New York, New Jersey, and Texas! You can visit their farm, Hacienda Iluminada — and you can even stay at a cabin on the farm if you’re looking for a little overnight getaway.
This coffee shop is also a good spot for remote workers. It has loads of space and laptop-friendly tables, and its WiFi is as strong as its coffee!
Address: 54 Av. Luis Muñoz Rivera, San Juan, PR 00901
Hours: 7 AM to 7 PM Monday through Saturday, 8 AM to 6 PM on Sunday
La Mezcla
Just across the street from Playa Escambrón in the neighborhood of Puerto de Tierra, La Mezcla is a kiosque (open-air kiosk, usually in a park or plaza).
Normally, when I’m trying a coffee shop for the first time, I opt for a hot coffee like a cortado since it’s easier for me to taste the beans in a hot drink.
But drinking hot coffee outside in July in the Caribbean is practically a death wish, so I grabbed an iced latte instead. I was surprised by how delicious it was and how well I could still taste the brightness of the beans, even with all the ice and milk.
They have all sorts of flavored coffee blends if you prefer a sweet coffee, like a dulce de leche and praline and a white chocolate macadamia nut iced coffee.
Address: Corner of Av. Luis Muñoz Rivera and C. San Agustín, San Juan, PR 00901 (across from Playa Escambrón in Parque Luis Muñoz Rivera)
Hours: 6 AM to 6 PM Monday & Tuesday, 6 AM to 9 PM Wednesday through Sunday
Tostado*
Tostado* is more of a breakfast joint than a coffee shop but they still make an excellent cup of coffee and I found myself here not once but twice for breakfast on my recent trip to San Juan.
Their cortado is excellent, with the right foam consistency and milk to coffee ratio. The coffee is quite good, but a little more muted and smooth in flavor compared to some of the other cortados I had at other coffee shops in San Juan which had more bright, citrusy notes.
Their breakfast mallorca was delicious, and another day, I had the biscuit sandwich with egg and bacon which was also fantastic.
Address: 200 Av. de la Constitución, San Juan, PR 00901
Hours: 8 AM to 3 PM daily
Café Regina
A coffee shop so beautiful it’s literally made the pages of Vogue, Café Regina is a favorite in Santurce for its lovely minimalist interiors and indulgent dishes.
This San Juan coffee shop is best known for its delicious cashew milk iced lattes and papaya bowls, which make it a great choice for vegans and non-vegans alike.
Café Regina doesn’t have WiFi, so it’s not a great choice for remote work, but it’s a great place to take a brief break in the middle of the day or to go for a meal with friends.
Address: 1705 Calle la Loiza, San Juan, PR 00911
Hours: Closed Monday, open Tuesday through Sunday 8 AM to 3:30 PM
Honorable Mentions
- Chocobar Cortes (55 Avenida Condado): Great pastries here — the chocolate quesito was absolutely delicious. The cortado was above-average but not something I’d specifically travel for… but the pastry, I absolutely would.
- Lucía Patisserie (625 Avenida Ponce de León): Another good pastry place, with really delicious cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting. The coffee also was good, but it was outshone by the pastries.
- La Hacienda (762 Calle Cuevillas): This upscale grocery store also has small cafés inside serving up delicious espresso drinks, perfect for a quick coffee to-go.
Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
