Good coffee around the world
Whenever I visit a different city, I try to go to at least one local coffee shop and taste something they offer. Be it an espresso, cappuccino, or a simple drip. And now I decided to share all the good places I've been with you, so that if you're ever looking for a good caffeinated drink in a new city, you can come here and see if you find some place to go.
Let's get started!
Rio de Janeiro — Brazil
Definitely one of my favourites. Great espresso, cappuccino and excellent beans from the mountains of Espirito Santo and extremely friendly staff. There you can also find things like cookies, brownies, iced teas made by people in the local community. They also have an interesting business model where you name the price for the coffee you buy there. The only thing you will see there are the costs they have to pay to make each cup and to keep their business running. You pay what you want for the drink. And they have been in business for 3 or 4 years now.
Another great place in Rio. One block from the Copacabana beach, very easy to get a good cup before or after a swim. Friendly staff and tourists like it. You will easily find someone from another country there. It’s also a good place to buy coffee beans and equipment.
São Paulo — Brazil
One of the best coffees you can get in São Paulo, at the heart of the Avenida Paulista. Go there in the afternoon and enjoy the view with a good cup and some of their delicious cakes. And get a bag of beans freshly roasted.
Awesome place in São Paulo. Excellent coffee, be it an espresso or cappuccino, or a selected roast done in a French Press, v60 drip or other method. Go there if you want a premium coffee experience.
They also offer coffee courses, such as a beginner tasting and method course, or a professional barista course. I definitely recommend a visit if you want to learn more about the art of making a good cup of coffee.
Very good coffee in a hip neighbourhood of São Paulo: Vila Madalena. The place is pretty cozy, the staff very friendly and the coffee is really good. It's also a very good place to buy coffee equipment.
Porto Alegre — Brazil
Amazing coffee and some other drinks, and an extremely friendly staff that will answer all of your questions and make sure you have the coffee that you want. They also roast their own coffee and the beans are for sale at the shop.
New York City — United States
Great coffee selection and with many shops over Manhattan. Do yourself a favour and go there instead of Starbucks.
Go to the Chelsea Market to have lunch, buy some food to bring home or to the hotel and make sure to stop by 9th Street Espresso to drink a cup before continuing your journey in the Big Apple. You won't regret it.
Seattle — United States
You thought I wasn't going to include a Starbucks on this list huh? I'm not the biggest Starbucks fan, but this store is pretty cool. They roast huge amounts of coffee here, and you can buy it freshly roasted, unlike most Starbucks out there. They also offer tastings. When I was there, this guy was making some on a Chemex and it was way better their generic Americanos. There you can also buy some exclusive equipments not available in any other store. Definitely a cool place to go when visiting Seattle.
Not really a cafeteria, but more of a coffee gear and bean shop. And it's an amazing place to buy those things. Espresso machines, Hario drips, french presses, grinders, you know, the works. Lots of variety. And it's the best coffee bean purchase experience I've ever had. They have beans from basically everywhere, freshly roasted, and, with so much variety, they let you choose 3 and they will offer you a pourover sample of them. Choose the one you like and bring it home. Really awesome.
In downtown Seattle, probably one of the best places to have a good cup. The sell their own roast, and if you buy a bag, you get a free cup of their daily drip. Free coffee is always nice :)
San Francisco — United States
Famous around the Bay area, with many cafés around SF, and also in LA, NYC and even in Tokyo. They're big and their coffee is relatively easy to find (in SF at least), which is always good.
The Armenian family business for more than 50 years in SF, the café is easy to find in a Chinese neighborhood. Friendly service, good coffee and a variety of coffee equipment for sale. Go there if your in the vicinity.
Los Angeles — United States
In the Little Tokyo area of LA. Very friendly staff, giving very a detailed answer to my question: "What is this Kyoto Iced Coffee you guys have?". Turns out it's pretty good. If you're ever there, ask about it and try it for youself.
Berlin — Germany
Excellent coffee, accompanied by what is, probably, the best cheesecake in the world. Roasts from various regions, I particularly recommend their Kenyan and Ethiopian roasts. If your in Berlin and you like coffee, it's a mandatory stop.
Small café in the Neukölln/Kreuzberg region of Berlin. A bit hard to find, so go to the address and look for a green door, order your drink of preference and one of their brownies. Perfect combo for a cold afternoon in Berlin.
Very good café near the Kottbusser Tor. Good cappuccino and delicious cakes.
Another one in the Kreuzberg region. This area of Berlin has many good places to drink quality coffee, and Companion Coffee is no exception. Had a cappuccino with a brownie and it was delicious.
Recommendations:
The cafés below I didn't have a chance to go, but they were highly recommended to me.
Kiez Rösterei K61, Populus Coffee, nano kaffee berlin
Munich — Germany
Munich does’t seem to have a big coffee scene like Berlin, but not too far from Marienplatz in the city center of Munich, you can find Man Versus Machine. Good coffee, roasts and coffee equipment for sale. Definitely worth a stop for a hot drink, specially if, like me, you’re in Munich in the winter and needs a place to warm up.
Brussels — Belgium
In Central Brussels, very close to the Grand-Place. so it's an easy to find place to have a very nice cup of coffee in the morning and get your energy up for a day of walking around the city.
London — England
Department of Coffee and Social Affairs
Seems to be a popular place in London. When I was there, it was quite packed, but I had no trouble getting a seat and having a very good cup of coffee and a slice of cake. I bought some beans and they were delicious. London has many good cafés from what I've heard, and this is one of them. Go there if you have a chance.
Paris — France
This small and really nice café in Le Palais Royale is in walking distance from the Louvre, but far from the hordes of tourists, letting you grab a cup of coffee, sit outside and enjoy it with a book or just to see time going by.
Prague — Czech Republic
Amazing café, with a cave-like ambience, serving some really great coffee from around the world. And they serve a really good blueberry cake to go along with your coffee cup. Definitely go there instead of the Starbucks across the street.
Good coffee, nice and helpful staff, and outside seats for that afternoon coffee in Prague. Equipment for sale as well.
PS: this is where I bought my Aeropress, my favourite travel coffee maker.
Rome — Italy
Italy, home of the espresso. When I got there, I was really looking forward to tasting the original thing. I have to admit, I was kind of disappointed. The Italian coffee, to me, is roasted a too dark, it ends up tasting a bit too bitter to me. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t find a good place that serves good espresso. Panificio Panella, a bakery that’s not too far from the Colosseo, serves a good one, and some delicious pastries and sweets. It’s also close to some really good restaurants, so it’s definitely a good place to go after that pasta for lunch.
Barcelona — Spain
Great coffee shop in Barcelona. Nice spot to go for that shot before or after some walking in the city. They also have the roastery open a bit farther from the city center, where you can get some freshly roasted beans to take home.
Tokyo — Japan
The coffee scene in Japan can be described in one world: fantastic. So many great shops with the greatest Japanese dedication to brewing the best cup of coffee they can. If you want to go to a country where you’ll easily find great coffee, go to Japan, not Italy.
Great coffee, cozy environment to sit and relax, with public cuppings going on in the back. Great place in between Shibuya and Harajuku. Plus the staff is very friendly, and they speak good English.
Minimalist shop, which sells delicious coffee. It’s a really small shop with almost no seats, so it’s just a stop-and-go kind of place. But their simplicity is surpassed by the quality of their product. Definitely worth a stop while in Shibuya to have a drink and buy their beans to bring home.
Not so much a coffee shop, but a coffee equipment store. For coffee lovers who are in Shinjuku, and who like brewing their own coffee at home, this is a must stop. You’ll probably spend some money here, as they sell almost everything related to coffee.
Kyoto — Japan
Close to Kyoto Central Station, it’s an excellent place to stop for a cup. The staff is super friendly, speak English very well and they serve a great drip. When I went they were also offering free samples of cold brew. They also sell coffee equipment and roasted beans, which are of excellent quality.
Inside the Kyoto Central Station, probably the best place to go for a cup of coffee before boarding the train to go somewhere else, or after arriving in Kyoto.
Hiroshima — Japan
Really nice coffee shop, not too far from the Peace Park. They serve coffee from various sources around the world, and you can also buy their beans. Definitely a good place to stop for a cup of coffee in the morning.
That's it people. I'll try my best to keep this list up to date. If you have any suggestions, you're welcome to comment.
